Dog food

[Kendra]

What is the best thing to feed your dog when you do not have a lot of money to get the best of the best?

[Matthew]

There are many brands that are good, Eagle Pack, Timberwolf Oraganics, California Natural, Evo, Instinct, Nature's Logic. I'm not sure about the prices on alot of those foods, but I feed my dog the timberwolf food, and its about $30 for 16 pounds. I have a shih-tzu so it lasts him a while. Getting the more expensive food may actually save you money in the long run, heres why. Just as the others have mentioned alot of the food has carcinogenic preservatives in them and are filled with corn (a common, cheap filler) Because there are more fillers in the food, the dog will eat more of it to get his/her fill. If you buy a slightly more expensive food, with no fillers, the dog will eat less of it, therefore saving you money. I would stay away from brands like Eukanuba, Iams, Nutro, Purina, Pedigree.

[Vladimir]

The AAFCO certification is essentially meaningless. It represents nothing more than an endorsement from a "lobbying group" (my word) dedicated to avoiding government oversight of manufacture of pet food.

[Shell]

You can also go to a local feed and supply store. They generally have quality dog food, for pretty decent prices. Purina, is good food. It can be expensive. Beneful is pretty affordable. I would also talk to your vet, and see what he/she suggests.

[Vladimir]

Oh gosh, Beneful is one of the most successfully marketed junk foods on the market. Every time we meet a pet parent with a hideously overweight, sick dog, they so proudly feeding the poor animal Beneful. Purina mass-produces lots of garbage foods, and dangerous pet care products. I would never patronize them. If you learn the basics (just the basics) of canine nutrition, you would never feed this to your dog.

Start with the article, "What's Really in Pet Food?" @
http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1

See the many interesting and informative articles under Dr. Michael Fox's website, start with:
http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id113.html

And go to your libary, start with Dr. Pitcairn's book, Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, which has been in print for decades.

It is NOT difficult to learn what you need to know. You need to be aware of the entanglement between profit motives, modern agribusiness, and deception in the pet food manufacturing industry. You need to learn some basic terminology, what by-products means, how to identify ingredients like sawdust and deadly preservatives in the food you are buying, how manufacturers manipulate labeling to make food appear healthier, why processed food does not have the nutritional value that is listed on the cans/packages, and why many so-called "veterinary approved" foods are biologically upside-down and dangerous. Once you learn the basics (just the basics), you will never need t ask anyone, what food to buy. You will know just by reading the label. And you will not logically shop in a grocery store, and likely, not in a "feed store" either, and you will never rely on the word of an employee in either.

[Kendra]

Thank you all for the info. I am going to do a little more looking into it before I make up my mind. Now my dogs are getting Purina and I know that that is not very good.

[Matthew]

Your absolutely right, Purina is not good food. The company frusterates me greatly, they market their food as though it's some 5-star quality food, but its far from that. They make beggin strips, which have propylene glycol in them, which is a cousin of antifreeze. It destroys the lining of a dogs intestines, drying them up, and causing a laundry list of other problems. A perfect example of this is their so called "complete and balanced dog chow" The first 3 ingredients, on any kind of label, make up about 75% of the food. So the first ingredient, is what makes up most of the food. In the dog chow, its CORN. Corn is useless in a dogs diet, it can also have ethoxyquin in it. Although the label on the purina bag doesn't say it, thats because its not required because they are the producer, if the supplier uses ethoxyquin in their food, then sells it to purina, purina is not required to put it on the label. Poultry by-products are bad, no matter what. They certainly aren't comming from grain fed, free range chickens. Probably from some of the "4-D's" Dead, dying, diseased, and disabled. They then go on to list corn as another ingredient, then the worst "meat and bone meal" But, what kind of meat? Often these meats come from shelters, vet offices, animals that have died or been authanized. They are then shipped to rendering plants, dumped in a huge tank, cooked, and put into pet food. Even sometimes material from the factory floor is put in, such as sawdust and pieces that may have fallen out. That could include ANY type of animal, roadkill, dead zoo animals, dogs, cats, goats, cows. Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT rediculing anyone that feeds their dog this, or saying that they are a bad pet owner. I once believe that the statements the dog food companies made about their food were true, about it being good and what not. They constantly misinform people, its not our faults.

[Paul Casarona]

Hi Kendra,

I just finished discussing foods with my vet.s and my local pet store which is run by a former vet. tech. Here is what they say:

1. Ingrediants are listed based on the % quantity each represents in the food (most to least) The first 5 ingrediants should not include "by products" (low quality proteins) or corn or wheat gluten (empty calorie fillers).
2. Proteins listed by the type of meat (ie. lamb, sea fish, chicken, bisson, etc.) are preferred to "meals" (ie. lamb meal, etc.)
3. Avoid corn, wheat, and artificial preservatives!

My Vet.s recommendations in order of choice: Solid Gold, Wolf King, Hill's - Science Diet (Best Lamb & Rice Formula), Nutro (Natural Choice Lamb & Rice).

My pet store person also likes: Wellness, Eukenuba, and Royal Canin.

Our dog is older, so we use Eukenuba Healthy Joint formula, which is one of only two brands mentioned above that have theraputic levels of Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Hope this helps,

Paul & Jake,
Auburn, AL