What is the best puppy food?

Question

There are SOOOO many differing opinions. My puppies started out on Eukanuba until my mom told me about the by-products... however then my vet said that Iams or Eukanuba was fine, so we have had my two pups on Iams puppy food. However one of my puppies developed diarrhea and vomiting and the vet said it was just a little tummy ache, so to put him on chicken and rice for two days then introduce back his food. So I did, and today was the first day i fed him all Iams again and he immediately had diarrhea. My other one is fine on it. I hate to continue switching his foods, we have tried Science Diet and the Nutra Natural Choice. He just didn't seem to particularly like these kinds... I'm so confused!!!!

my white pup is a pitbull mix and the brindle one is an american bulldog mix... wasn't sure if that mattered. thanks for all the info!!!

Of course I took him to the vet!!! He did not have parvo and he had an x-ray showing nothing blocking anything in his belly! They are up to date on worming also! I take super care of my pets that is why I'm so distressed about this food situation!!! You can tell in my answers that there are so many different opinions, I just don't know how to choose! I guess I will do lots of research on everything you all have given me, thank you!

Answer 1

All commercially sold dog foods are considered nutritionally complete by AAFCO as long as they meet the lowest standard. However most of these foods are not very good when compared with foods that exceed the standard. For example here is the ingredient list for Science Diet puppy


Ingredients
Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Brewers Rice, Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Soybean Oil, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.




Here is the ingredient list from a much higher quality food called Natural Balance Original...

INGREDIENT LISTING
Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols - source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Sodium Chloride, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplements, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Inositol, Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3), Biotin, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Sodium Selenite.

Now to differentiate.....The first ingredient is the main ingredient so Science Diet has more corn in it than any other ingredient. The amount of the ingredient contained in the food is indicated by the order it is listed in, first ingredient--highest amount in food.
Last ingredient lowest amount in food. So when you compare dog foods you look at the first, second and third ingredients. A better quality food obviously has more meat in it so you want to see something like "Lamb, Lamb Meal, Brown rice, duck etc" and you want to avoid a food like "ground yellow corn, chicken by product, corn gluten meal" Corn is especially low in nutritional value and it is better to see no corn at all in your dogs food. Also you never want to see By-products of any kind, it really isnt a good source of protein as it is mostly chicken heads, legs, intestines etc and not the actual, muscle meat of an animal. Ideally the ingredients list should say "preserved with mixed tocopherols" this also means it is better quality because it is preserved naturally without artificial preservatives. Also you want to make sure that there are at least some whole vegetables or fruits in the food like carrots, pototatos, spinach, or even apples or blueberries. SO knowing all this and comparing Science Diet ingredients I can definitely say that Science Diet is not nearly as good as many other similarly priced foods and in fact has little or not real meat in it and contains no vegetables etc. So while it can keep your dog alive by eating it it is most likely not to keep him in good condition, rather he will probably have a dull, shedding coat, with dry flaky skin, low energy, he will poop more, and have to eat alot more of it to really fill him up and fill his energy requirements. I reccomend foods like...From the grocery store....Presidents choice Nutrition 1st, Purina One...also the foods listed below can be bought at pet food stores. Foods like Science diet, pedigree, purina puppy chow, alpo, casey choice, Beneful are to be avoided as they are low quality and mostly have corn as the main ingredient. Just because a vet says "science diet" doesnt mean it is a good food, they just get paid to recommend and sell the food to pet owners.

I recommend the following high quality foods....


Solid Gold...Wolf Pup or Hundchen-Flocken....
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=61&code=180
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=2&code=110

Natural Balance foods are designed for both puppies and adults, I recommend, the Potato and Duck Formula or Venison and Rice formula.....
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/puppies.html

Performatrin Ultra.....VERY good food...My favorite for my dog who also had diahrhea problems when he was a pup, this cleared him up and worked very well!
http://www.performatrinultra.com/puppy/puppy.htm

Nutrience.... http://www.nutrience.com/english-eu/dog/d-7003_junior_3kg.html

Please do not use Iams or Eukanuba as they support and practice animal testing...check here for details http://www.iamscruelty.com/

Answer 2

Vets do not really have training in nutrition. The foods you are using are not considered high quality. Go to a pet store that has better quality products, not the large national pet stores, but the smaller ones. Look at foods such as Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul, California Natural, Innova, Merrick, Wellness. You can also go to Whole Dog Journal - they publish an annual list of the best dry and wet foods. Diarrhea nad vomiting for more than 24 hours would not be a tummy ache and many vets would ask to see the dog for an examination as it could be other things. If it were my dog, I would take him in for examination. If it were just some diarrhea for a day I would put him on rice, a bit of boiled chicken, or some cottage cheese, until he clears up. Don't switch him to another food all at once, it must be done by gradually mixing in the new food with the old one, increasing the amount of the new one and decreasing the old one day by day, for about one to two weeks until he has adjusted.

Answer 3

Many factors are at play when selecting food for your puppy. The best practice is simply to start with your vet's recommendation, and go from there. If the initial food causes GI problems or other problems, consult your vet again, or get a second opinion from another vet.

I feed my weimaraner Iams. ( www.iams.com) The gluten-free aspect has helped with his anxiety. I trusted my vet's recommendation for Iams because he does NOT sell Iams at his office. If he were just trying to make a buck, he would have "recommended" one of the brands that he carries in his office.

I also refer to a certain web site for additional information, http://bestpuppyfoodguide.com This site offers good information in a concise manner.

Answer 4

I feed my dogs(ShihTzu & Cavalier King Charles) Bil-Jack.
It leaves their coat super smooth.
They love it.
Try the Bil-Jack test.
Throw a bit of the Bil-Jack food in a bowl with water & watch it sink immediately.
Throw a bit of Eukanuba or Pedigree in water & watch it float around for like 5 minutes or so!
That just lets you know how much soy & gas is going in your puppy's tummy!!!
Try the Bil-Jack and you'll never go back.
You can find it in pet stores or research it a bit if you want to.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

Worked at a pet food store...trust me I learned alot, dont trust the vet when it comes to nutrition trust your Pet Valu or pet Smart employees, we get extensive training in canine nutrition along with practical experience from helping customers choose foods that improve thier dogs health and longevity...Science diet Sucks!! so many dogs I have seen suffering on it because the vet told the owner it was the best to treat whatever, when really there are many foods that far exceed SD in quality.

- Listen to me please, A lot of dogs get sick very easily and most people have no idea why, A lot is changing in the past decade with dog nutrition. Ultimately every dog is different and might have different allergies or issues with food.

I suggest you watch this piece on DOG SECRETS.

http://tiny.cc/DogFoodSecrets

Answer 6

I have a 15 month old Boston Terrier. He was on Puppy Eukanuba and just wouldn't eat it.

The vet said we could switch to Beneful Puppy. He loves it! Looks forward to eating and he is very strong and healthy. He's on his last bag of the puppy food, so he'll be getting adult Beneful soon.

Answer 7

Try a product called Natural Balance. They make an all life stages food(no puppy or adult). Very good natural nutrition with no by-products.

Answer 8

I understand that you may have your answer, however dogs have thrived on non commercial food. I feed my dog raw meat, raw bones and even raw goats milk. She has yoghurt, mixed in with raw mince and olive oil, as well as a raw egg. She has pure colostrum mixed in with her food. She loves celery stalks. She has heart, brain, liver as well as tongue too, but not always as it is rich due to an abundance of vitamins that can lead to an overload if done everyday at each meal. That means softer stools. However, she is very healthy, soft shiny coat. She eats fish too, on occasion. She is 4 months old. The yoghurt, every alternative day, Greek style and has to be plain, unsweetened. If you eat prawns, the raw heads with all the sharp bits removed is good on occasion. Remove the shell too.

Answer 9

You can read some interesing information about your puppy food on http://best-dogfood.net

Answer 10

Both are good for you, each fruit/vegetable has different vitamins. Thus as more variety, as better. Vegetables have generally less sugar than fruits.

Answer 11

iams and eukanuba are the same company i believe. a breeder told me. food is differ go with wat the breeder says as long as you can afford it. i have pitbulls too and to keep them healthy on top of the food (alpo by the way) i guve them canine essentials by Tahitian NONI to boost there immune system as a supplement
it almost cut shedding completely and makes them smell better too. it helps just a few ounces a day. its kool and cheap lasts a month little $$