does the more expensive dog food really help?

Question

like science diet, eukanuba, etc... compared to "regular" dog food like purina dog chow, kibbles n bits, etc... Ive heard there is no difference in the health benefits in the more expensive food. But if it really is better for them, I would gladly buy it, but I was just wondering. I want to do whats best for my future bloodhound!

Answer 1

Nah, give the dogs what's healthy, the expensive one's tend to be full of preservatives, artificial flavours and substances which get the dogs addicted so you buy more, the other stuff is just as good. Infact I used to have 11 dogs for years and cooked for them myself.

Answer 2

To put your mind at ease about the food being more expensive, its not really. A dog will eat less when on a more nutritious diet. this is because the dog is getting more nutrients out of a smaller amount.
Just because it costs more doesn't make it better. The ingridiants do that.
The first ingrediant should never be something that is not meat.
however there are 3 kinds of ways meat is in the food.
eg...
1)chicken-meaning the whole chicken, beak, legs, toes, feathers, ext.

2)Chicken by product- meanig only the beak, legs, toes, feahters,/ no actual meat

3)Chicken meal- this is what you would eat if you had chicken. Its just the meat. This is what you want your fist ingrediant to be
keep in mind if it is a beef based diet it will just say beef meal or something along those lines.

I have always used Nutro for my animals. I think Eukanuba is too expensive for what you get, and Science diet just isn't that great. Iams is ok, but they test and abuse animals. Your best bet is to look at the label of ingreadiants not the price.

Answer 3

not really but if you are looking for a good dog food and that is not that expensive then try chicken soup, it can cost around $20.00 for a 20# bag. when you buy the foods from the store and any from the vet you will be paying a high price because you are not paying for the food you are paying for the label that is put on the bag. buying that food from the store will result in your dog making more messes outside and he will be eating more. i rescued a golden retriever and he was being fed the eukanuba food and he had the worst coat and had a lot of piles of poop outside that i had to pick up. so i would try the dog food called chicken soup for dogs it is a good food and i feed my golden retrievers it and they have the best looking coat for the breed. they don't poop that much maybe 1-2 piles per dog and that is good because you will then know that they are keeping the food down and now pooping it out again then they will be hungry all over again even though you may have fed them 2 hrs ago. also make sure that you look at the ingedients, you don't want ( wheat, corn, soy ,beef) those will cause dry skin in your dog and can cause other problems in your dog.

Answer 4

First off congratulation on the new addition to your family! There is a difference in the foods that you can buy. The most important thing to look at are the ingredients. The first 5 are the most important. You want to stay away from by products because they are everything from the beak to the feet. White rice is not as good for your pal because it is bleached and is normally used as a filler. Brown rice is the better of the rices to give your dog because it is not a real filler and plus it is not bleached. With the first five ingredients you usually want at least three of them to be meat. It is easier for dogs to digest meat then veggies and things of that nature. Also stay away from the corn in the food because it is also a filler and your dog can't digest it. It is the same way with us! When we go to the bathroom corn comes out in the whole kernels so why feed it to our pets? So to answer you question this is all from what I have experienced and what I have learned. I recommened researching not only blood hounds, but what other people feed there blood hounds. But when it comes down to it, it honestly depends on your new blood hound, and what works best for him. If you can't tell te difference go with what you think is best. Research the food and decided! Because you never know if the new puppy has allergies to certain things! If want so good foods check out natural balance ( my jack russells do get on it!), nature's variety, nutro (which is an in between food), wellness is an awesome food as well, canidea, and solid gold are some good types of dog food. Check them out and let us know what you decide on!

Answer 5

OK, all that the better names like Eukanuba have that the others do not is that their reciepies are fixed. This means that if they say they use a specific kind of meat, that won't ever change. Some of the "cheaper" diets use comperable meats, that are not as expensive, depending on the market. Purina is a great one that's less expensive. Science diet is a really good expensive one. I had a teacher/vet assistant tell me once that for the most part, unless it's very generic brand (aka white bag, black letters with DOG FOOD) it's probably OK.

Answer 6

They are not necessarily the most expensive brands but can be but they do make a difference. I have a pet that had severe allergies and poor immune system and bad fur and I switched to Wellness and he is like a new dog-silky, shiny and more energy.

Answer 7

You also have to deal with the fact if it does or does not irritate their stomachs. When I first got my Lab, we fed him Pedagree, because that was the food that our other dog was on. Let's just say we went through five different brands of dog food until we came to IAMS. The problem with him was that everytime he went to do number two, it was all water, there was no shape whatsoever. IAMS actually gave him shape. So he likes IAMS too, and for a 18-20 pound bag is only 16 bucks.

Answer 8

I think the better dog foods do make a difference. They don't have to be the most expensive, but a good brand name.

Answer 9

All the dog foods you mentioned are crap.
The best dog foods you can get are all natural dog foods that do not have the by-products, and diseased causing toxins in them.
canidae, innova, wellness, solid gold these are good dog foods since u care for your dog and want to feed what is best for it. I feed the all natural raw diet with innova as a supplement for when my kids have to feed my dogs.

Answer 10

No, i have fed my dogs Dads dog food for years. My fox terrier lived to be over 15 years old. he was healthy and active. But i buy dog food for the content not the price. I get food that has at least 21% crude protein, and does not have a lot of fillers. Not too much fat, but they do need a little. The dog has got to want to eat it too.

Answer 11

Just because it's one of the most expensive doesn't mean it's the "Best" dog food available. I have tried all of the expensive brands and found that all of the Purina brand of dog foods and cat foods offer the most well-rounded, tasty and nutritious products.

I always free feed all of my puppies and dogs Purina Puppy Chow dog food until they're at least two years of age or if they're pregnant or nursing mothers. I also feed all of my kittens and cats Purina Kitten Chow cat food until they're at least one year of age or if they're pregnant or nursing mothers. All dogs over two years old are fed Purina Dog Chow and all kittens over one year old are fed Purina Cat Chow.

The fact that I've NEVER lost a kitten or puppy after it was born and all were raised healthy into adulthood, most living over 5+ years past their expected life spans proves the overall excellent quality and perfect blend of proteins, fats, vitamins & minerals in all Purina pet food products. So, I highly recommend using them for all your pet needs.

No, I am not a paid endorser of said products; just a professional animal rescuer and rehabilitator, as well as a happy and loving owner of dogs and cats, puppies and kitties for over 38 years!!!