Which Dog food?

Question

I have a 1 1/2 year old Great Dane and a 1 year old Lab mix who is probably mixed with a terrier or smaller breed of dog. My question is, what would be the best dog food to benefit the both of them that I can buy and is also cost effective( well as cost effective as you can get with a Dane...LOL)

Answer 1

You need to stay away from the grocery store brands like olroy, diamond, beneful, science diet, eukanuba, iams, pedigree and etc. If u want a good dog food go with innova evo. The dogs will eat less and be healthy. Canidae is also good. The problem with the grocery store brands is they are filled with fillers and by-products that are not good for your dog. Diamond maintenace had a recall on their dog food last year because of contaminants that were killing the dogs making them have kidney and liver failure. Unfortunately they did not recall diamond until after some peoples pets died, and my dads sheltie was one of them.
Olroy, full of nothing but crap.. Did u know olroy is top on the list for using rendered animals in their dog food and has tested positive for the chemical used to euthanize pets? Your dog could be eating someone elses pet fido as dog and cats are rendered and put into the olroy. Many other dog foods are in doing this also. It is now widely accepted that the alarming increase in cancer among pets is primarily due to the use of chemicals in their food.
Cancer accounts for almost half of the deaths in pets 10 years and older.
Among those chemicals are BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin. These preservatives may also cause liver, kidney and other major organ damage. Many of the chemicals used in pet food are banned for human use, but they are much less expensive to use than their natural counterparts. Cancer is now common in pets, and the rate increases with age. Dogs get cancer at roughly the same rate as humans, while cats get fewer cancers. Read this eye-opening report about disease in pets and the obvious link to their diet. Over-vaccinating is another probable cause of immune related disease, as is the over-prescribing of steroids and antibiotics.

Most pets eat the same food every day which offers the opportunity to either improve health or to risk degenerative disease. Varying the diet and adding fresh foods is another way you can help your pet stay healthy. It's not true that domestic pets need to eat the same thing every day, although many people have been told that they do. This is just another myth being perpetuated by pet food companies so you will buy their products and make them rich.
Read this important article - "Dead Dog Food"
Did you know that three of the five major pet food companies in the US are subsidiaries of
human food companies?
Call and ask them about the ingredients they use. It's whatever if left over after all the "good" ingredients are used in the human
food products. We literally live "downwind" of a major pet food factory. The stench that comes from that building is sickening.
What a interesting concept.....profit from waste. These pet foods made in the US are banned from several European countries due to their stringent quality control. I applaud them.

Nestle (Alpo, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog) 800-366-6033
Ralston Purina (Dog Chow, Pro Plan, Purina One, Beneful) 800-778-7462
Procter & Gamble (Eukanuba, Iams), 800-525-4267 Visit www.iamscruelty.com and see how this company is still brutally testing on companion animals
Mars the candy company, (Kal Kan, Mealtime, Pedigree, Sheba, Waltham’s) 800-525-5273
Colgate-Palmolive (Hill’s Science Diet) 800-445-5777
Quaker Oats (Kibbles & Bits, Special Cuts, Ken-L Ration) 800-4MY-PETS
Nabisco (Milkbones) 800-NABISCO
Ethoxyquin, one of the more popular pet food preservatives, has been highly debated the past few years and banned for human use except for trace amounts in paprika. It has been linked to liver cancer and organ disfunction, although not proven, hence it's continued use. Further testing because of public outcry is ongoing.
Propylene glycol is known to cause illness in dogs, and still used in pet foods. Why is this allowed? Recent studies have shown that processed foods are a contributing factor in increasing numbers of dogs (and people) suffering from degenerative disease. Cancers are at an all time high in the pet & human population. Could it be from the over-processed foods that we and our pets are eating? Trans fatty acids are another ingredient we avoid.

In most states, the USDA laws allow 4-D meats to be used in pet food. These 4-D meats are described as "dead, dying, disabled or diseased". These meats can be riddled with cancer and have questionable hormone levels. Rancid, moldy grains rejected for human consumption as well as used restaurant grease can be processed into a pet food ingredient. Why?
They have to get rid of it somewhere, why not make a profit from it? Did you hear about the Diamond pet food recall in December 2005? Several dogs died from a fungus, aflatoxin, that grown on rancid grain (mainly corn) and is not killed during cooking.
If this grain had been HUMAN GRADE, these dogs would not have died. Human grains are tested carefully for these dangerous toxic molds. Not to mention, corn has NO business being a main ingredient in dog food.
If they allow "downer" cows to be used for HUMAN food, as recently uncovered in the news with the mad cow scare, just imagine what they send to the rendering plants for pet food. Read this important report about rendering plants and the horrifying ingredients in most commercial pet foods. You will be shocked.
The FDA recently reports that sodium pentobarbital, a drug veternarians use for euthanizing companion animals, was found in over 40 major brands of commercial pet food. How did it get there? They say it's safe to injest in small amounts. Do you want your dog to eat even a LITTLE bit of this stuff? We don't think so. The fact is, human and dog health is not all that dissimilar.....eat chemical-laden, over-processed foods and you could be jeopardizing your health.
Are you slowly poisoning your pets and don't even know it?
Dogs & cats especially, thrive on meat. If this is the case, why are so many major brands mostly grains and cereal fillers? Are you feeding a horse or a dog? Smell the food.....does it smell like meat, or horse feed? Can they survive on this?.....sure they could, just like humans could survive on unhealthy fast food or dry cereals. Is it the best source of nutrition? Absolutely not. Dogs are not "designed" to eat grains, as their saliva doesn't have the necessary enzymes to aid in the digestion of grain matter. WHOLE grains can be a healthy part of a dog's diet, but it should not be the majority of it, as it is with most commercial dry foods. I will never believe that ANY kibbled diet alone (even the premium ones) are as healthy as a varied, fresh or dehydrated diet for dogs. I also advocate rotating protein sources for optimum health. I do not advocate raw feeding or BARF diets, but will occassionally give my dogs a raw meaty bone.

My advice to busy pet owners? Buy the best dry kibble you can afford and add fresh ingredients to it daily.Read your pet food label.The first 4 ingredients are the major components of any food and one of the first two ingredients should be a clean meat source, meaning no by-products, fractionated grains, soy or corn.
The label won't lie, but it can be deceiving. If the above mentioned chemicals or ingredients are in your dog's food, please re-think feeding it. If you just want the cheapest food out there, be prepared to deal with ill health

someone mentioned dad's dog food, they are #4 on the list for using rendered cats and dogs.

Answer 2

When did chicory, carrots, peas, apples and cranberry become dog food ingredients? There isn't much real difference between these foods. One uses chicken and turkey, the other only uses chicken. Neither uses corn or wheat. The biggest difference is the fruits and vegetables in the chicken soup brand. Both are made by the same company and its a good bet that the major ingredients come from the same sources. Unless there is an allergy problem your dog will be fine with either food. Feed whichever one is easier to get. The prices are close enough to the same, especially considering how little one pomeranian will eat. If you were feeding a working dog you might notice a difference between those foods but not with a normal family pet.

Answer 3

Dogs are carinores. They do best on a food that is based on meat.
If you read the ingredient list of a dog food bag, they are in order of their percentage found in the recipe. So, always look for a food that has meat as the first ingredient.

Meat bi-products may be comprised of beaks, feathers and other non-digestible protein and is NOT desireable. However, meat meal is the meat that has been cooked and the water and fat has been removed. So, it is a good, measurable source of protein.

A commercial, dry dog food that has meat or meat meal as the primary ingredients is best for your dog.

Next, look for things that you don’t really want in your dog’s diet. Corn is not highly digestible, contains sugars that are not valuable food sources and can cause obesity, but is a very common filler in dog food. Other grains that are listed fairly high in the ingredient list are not as desireable as digestible protein.

Also, crude protein is just that, “crude” and may include any protein, even feathers, beaks and poorly digestible ingredients like corn. So, do not make decisions on the “Crude” values unless the source of the protein is digestible.
The less fiber and non-digestible protein, the smaller you dog’s poop will be. That’s always a good thing, especially with a larger breed. It is also more like a wild canine’s diet, which is also a good thing!

Answer 4

I'm really fond of Nutro Natural Choice. It runs about $30 for a 40 lb bag, and it's very healthy. It does not contain any corn (an unhealthy filler commonly found in cheaper foods) or animal by-products. My German Shepherd loves the Lamb and Rice blend, and it's done wonders for her skin allergy and coat condition. My Chihuahua also loves the food! The kibbles are big enough for a large dog, but small enough for a smaller dog to chew. This dog food also results in poop that is smaller and easier to pick up. If you check out the Nutro website, you can get coupons mailed to you.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

A good and cost-effective brand is Kirkland at Costco... it's a high quality food (much better than say, Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and similar junk), comparable to brands like Wellness, Canidae and Natural Balance.

If you're not a Costco member, I'd suggest Nutro Natural Choice as far as cost effectiveness.

And don't buy any of the crap they sell at grocery stores. Science Diet, Purina, Iams, Pedigree, Ol Roy (WTF???), etc. are all JUNK.

Answer 6

I had 2 great danes that had puppies right as my wife had a baby, (not fun to have SEVEN puppies that are 5 weeks and she had just had a kiddo!) anyway, i gave them purina, but pedigree is good too, i think. there is some debate that i read recently about the quality of those foods, but mine seemed do great on it and we gave all the puppies away very healthy so it should be fine

Answer 7

Natura....Its the only thing i have to say. They make three types of dog food. Innova, California Natural, and Healthwise. All the foods use human grade ingredients, there are no fillers, no food colorings, and most important of all, they dont use grains. Animals cant digest grain in any form. Check it out. Its the best dog food in the world.

Answer 8

I've been using Purina Beneful for my dogs, with some canned food on the side. 17.6 lbs cost app. $12 here, which would make it medium priced. The Purina Website will give you an idea of their other types. It's not a good idea to keep switching between brands, if you do, do it gradually.

Answer 9

I have a labradoodle that loves the cheapie stuff! I've bought the healthy stuff and he just nibbles and looks mad at me, but if I buy the 18lb bag for 4 bucks- he loves me! No gas issues either-always a plus! He's very healthy too, buy some basic no frills dog food and give them some treats- they'll be happy dogs!

Answer 10

Out choices are pretty limited over here but I like Nutrience, it's a super premium food and i use royal canin for specific things, like dental health and digestive problems where necessary. The high quality foods may seem expensive but they aren't because they are better for your pet and save on vet bills because your pet is healthier and of course, they eat less because there aren't as many fillers.

Answer 11

HI
I have 4 dogs a German shepherd,rotty and 2 dachshunds...I personally found that Pro Pac Lamb and Rice Formula fits all their needs.. I highly recommend this dog food