Which small breed dog food is better: Natural Balance (duck/potato) or Solid Gold, Innova?

Question

This is for a small breed puppy.

Answer 1

They are all good. Choose one that has a meat as the first ingredient and has no dyes. Then of course choose one your dog likes. Personally I wouldn't go for the duck and potato now because should he develop allergies later you won't have many choices for a hypo allergenic dog food. Dogs can develop food allergies later on in life. Save the allergenic duck, and venison for when you need it. Stick with chicken or beef.

Answer 2

It could be as simple as you are over feeding. Cut back on the amount of food given, don't go by what the bag says, they're always going to give larger amounts than are necessary. With diarrhea it's sometimes smart to fast the dog for 24 hours to allow the dogs GI tract to relax. Offer your dog chicken broth and water to keep it hydrated. Then after 24 hours, reintroduce food slowly. Try a bland mix of broth, white rice and cottage cheese. After a couple days you should be able to gradually add kibble and reduce the bland mixture. Innova is a better food and was not involved in any food recalls the way Natural Balance was (not the Ultra Premium). They're ingredients are better and even if it does cost more money, your pet is worth it.

Answer 3

I have a mini-dachshund/Beagle mix and she has tried the Solid Gold and the Innova. I think they are both good foods, but she likes the Innova better for some reason (almost thinks it is a treat)! I was glad I finally found something she really dug eating, so maybe whatever the pup will eat with gusto is the way to go? As long as its a quality food?

Answer 4

Scoring Your Dog Food
*Please note that the following is for entertainment purposes only and has not been researched by DAN and may not be a "true" grading of food. If you have any questions regarding the food you are feeding your dog consult your veternarian.
This is a very interesting way to check out the quality of the dog food that you are feeding. It's interesting, because sometimes paying more, does not get you more and vice versa.
The scores are rather interesting.
How to grade your dog's food: (Some brand reviews already calculated here)
Start with a grade of 100:
1.For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2.For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal
or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3.If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4.For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5
points
5.If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer rice", "rice flour" are all
the same grain), subtract 5 points
6.If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7.If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8.If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9.If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10.If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points
11.If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic
to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12.If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13.If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points
14.If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point
15.If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1.If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2.If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points
3.If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4.If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5.If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6.If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7.If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8.If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9.If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10.If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11.If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12.For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein
source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13.If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14.If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.
Brand Dog Food scores:
•Authority Harvest Baked: 116 A+
•Bil-Jac Select: 68 F
•Canidae: 112 A+
•Chicken Soup Senior: 115 A+
•Diamond Maintenance: 64 F
•Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice: 92 B
•Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula: 99 A
•Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium: 122 A+
•Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato: 106 A+
•Foundations: 106 A+
•Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold: 93 D
•Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium: 73 D
•Innova Dog: 114 A+
•Innova Evo: 114 A+
•Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables: 110 A+
•Nutrisource Lamb and Rice: 87 B
•Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy: 87 B
•Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice: 23 F
•ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley: 103 A+
•Purina Beneful: 17 F
•Purina Dog: 62 F
•Purina Come-n-Get It: 16 F
•Royal Canin Bulldog: 100 A+
•Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult: 106 A+
•Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice: 97 A
•Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+: 63 F
•Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies: 69 F
•Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken: 110 A+
•Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold: 97 A

Answer 5

They are both good quality foods and I use the cat food from both companies.

I do feel that animals should not be on a single food all their lives so I would suggest that you rotate between those two foods and maybe even one other.

Also use the internet and find BARF (biologically appropriate raw food). It is much easier to feed that sort of diet to a dog than a cat and that is the very best way to go.

Answer 6

They are all excellent choices! Your dog will thrive on any of the above..Also, Wysong..excellent food..

Answer 7

I'm actually not a fan of either of those dog foods. Try Eukanuba. It's a great brand, healthy and my Chihuahua loves it!

Answer 8

james wellbelloved dried food is the best for any dog type.