My dachshund puppy turns 1 in early March, and I'm researching different foods to switch him to. I'm looking at Nutro, Science Diet, and Canidae.
If anyone -- particularly vets or breeders -- have any input on these foods, it would be greatly appreciated.
2006-12-28 04:53:45 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Science Diet is better than most grocery store foods, but it's definitely the lowest quality of those three. The other two are included in the "Best 20 Dog Foods of 2006" list done by Whole Dog Journal.
The two most important things about a dog food is that the first ingredient is a meat proten and that it does not contain corn. Dogs shouldn't be fed strictly carnivorous diets now that we've domesticated them, but they do need more protein than carbohydrates, vegetables etc... Dogs can't digest corn very well(although most of them love the taste), so corn products should not be in their food.
I agree with the poster who said that Canidae is probably the highest quality food of those three. My dogs eat Nutro Natual Lamb Meal & Rice because one is picky and will only eat Lamb & Rice. I can't buy Canidae in the store near me, and to ship it would be twice as expensive as it is. My vet is happy with Nutro, it does come highly recommended, and even the breeders I've spoken with don't think the added expense would be worth it. (If I could buy it in the store, I would, though.)
Here is the list of "Best foods"
Artemis: www.artemispetfood.com
Azmira: www.azmira.com
Back to Basics: www.beowulfs.com
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Canine: www.benchandfield.com
Blue Buffalo: www.bluebuff.com
Burns: www.bpn4u.com
by Nature BrightLife: www.bynaturepetfoods.com
California Natural: www.naturapet.com
Canidae: www.canidae.com
Canine Caviar: www.caninecaviar.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul:
www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
Cloud Star Kibble: www.cloudstar.com
Drs. Foster & Smith: www.drsfostersmith.com
Eagle Pack Holistic Select: www.eaglepack.com
Evolve: www.evolvepet.com
Firstmate Dog Food: www.firstmate.com
Flint River Ranch: www.flintriver-pet-food.com
Foundations: www.petcurean.com
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals: www.frommfamilyfoods.com
Go! Natural: www.petcurean.com
Hund-N-Flocken: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Innova: www.naturapet.com
Innova Evo: www.naturapet.com
Karma Organic: www.karmaorganic.com
Lick Your Chops: www.healthypetfoodsinc.com
Lifespan: www.petguard.com
Limited Diets: www.royalcanin.us
Merrick Pet Foods: www.merrickpetcare.com
Mmillennia: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Natural Balance Ultra Premium: www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Choice Ultra: www.nutroproducts.com
Newman's Own Organics: www.newmansownorganics.com
NutriSource: www.nutrisourcedogfood.com
Organix: www.castorpolluxpet.com
Performatrin Ultra: www.performatrinultra.com
PHD Viand: www.phdproducts.com
Pinnacle: www.breeders-choice.com
Prairie: www.naturesvariety.com
Premium Edge: www.premiumedgepetfood.com
Prime Life: www.ompetproducts.com
Royal Canin Natural Blend: www.royalcanin.us
Timberwolf Organics: timberwolforganics.com
VeRUS: www.veruspetfoods.com
Wellness: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wellness Simple Food Solutions: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wenawe: www.wenawe.com.uy
Wysong: www.wysong.net
Zinpro: www.lincolnbiotech.com
2006-12-28 05:35:25 · answer #1 · answered by magsgundah 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I have boxers and we have always fed Science Diet. I got a puppy this summer and he wouldn't maintain on Science Diet, Iams, Diamond or Nutro. Diamond was the best out of those. He had upset tummy (Gas) and lost weight not to mention he was a PICKY eater!. I went to my local feed store and they had samples of Canidate, so I tried it. I was shocked not olny did he eat it instantly, but after a short time he didn't have his gas issues (well not as bad, I think thats a boxer trait) but he has gained weight and his coat looks great! My boyfriend just got a black lab, I put him on it also and he is also maintaining very well on it. Even in his hunting training. I may not be a vet, but I worked as a vet tech & have taken nutrituion classes for large animals. But I know that I will always try Canidate first with any puppy we get. Another thing that is great about it, you can feed the same food for all stages! Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays
2006-12-28 06:09:13 · answer #2 · answered by reineralli77 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Of those 3, Canidae is the highest quality. Science Diet is probably the lowest quality - it's not much better than generic supermarket food. Nutro can be so-so, but I'm not overly familar with the ingredients.
The most important things are to get a food with human grade ingredients, little to no fillers, and no common allergens (like ANY type of corn ANYWHERE in the ingredients). The food that I use and that I find in the best bang for the buck is "Natural Balance". It's actually cheaper than some of the poor quality foods but is of superb quality. Just be sure it's "Natural Balance" and not the hundred other sound alike products.
2006-12-28 05:10:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Just like the others here said, you need to look at the ingredients. I feed my cat Science Diet, but my dogs eat Purina. It is no different from the other foods I have tried except in price. I asked a food sales rep one time why these diets were so expensive & he told me that it basicly boiled down to the fact that some people liked to spend more money on dog food than their neighbors do. It is a status thing. But in my expereince, if you can afford it, go with BilJack, it is the best, and you have less digestive trouble with it.
2006-12-28 06:47:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Science diet is great for specialized formulas - i/d for a post-surgery week when your dog needs a bland food, g/d as a senior food for those with kidney issues, or w/d and r/d for weight loss (they have 30% less calories than a regular food, while weight loss food in stores can only be a 10% reduction in calories). Science diet z/d is especially great for dogs with severe allergies - sometimes it's the only thing they can eat.
But for a regular, healthy dog's food? No need to spend the money. As people have said, pick a high quality food with meat and the main intgredient and as few fillers as possible. Nutro, purina, etc. Hold off on the science diet until its purchase is justified by health issues. (Which hopefully will be never!)
2006-12-28 11:19:38 · answer #5 · answered by maguire1202 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
ok im going to order them from worst to ok
Science Diet - ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE
Nutro - not real dog food
Canidae - has dog food in it...
The best of the best is Innova. Also Life's Abundance, Chicken Soup, and California Natural. The best found outside of feed stores is Natural Balance and Eagle Pack unless you feed raw. Basically any HOLISTIC (not natural since most of the time its not natural) is a great dog food and if it has a commercial then it isn't all that great. If you must feed the normal dog food....go with Iams or Eukanuba. Purina still makes poor food so I don't support them at all.
Good Luck
2006-12-28 07:26:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ditto what Mariam said.
Too bad they don't spend less on advertising and more on the actual food.
MOST Vets don't know diddley about nutrition, that is like going to the salesgirl at Petco for a blood panel. Vet school nutrition class consists of a seminar put on by Science Diet.
I agree with Stalkers, Natural Balance is one of the best foods out there.
2006-12-28 05:13:12 · answer #7 · answered by whpptwmn 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
ok first of all i don't recommend science diet because of it being a corn based food. next nutro is a good food but just look for the one that has no wheat, corn, soy ,or beef. these ingredients will cause dry skin in a dog. i breed golden retrievers and i feed the food called chicken soup and it is an all natural food. my dogs love this food and i have my litter on it now and they do very well on it. the science diet food is coming out with a food that is not a corn based food but with these types of ingredients it will cause the worse dry skin and then you will have to treat the hot spots that accures fom feeding the food. the chicken soup is not that expensive and i get it at my local pet store and sometimes at the feed store. i would try to find this food and see what you think. like i said i breed golden retrievers and i feed this food and nothing else for my dogs. good luck in making your decision.
2006-12-28 06:47:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Not the worst, certainly not the best. Of the ones you mentioned Canidae is the best one. I feed mostly California Natural and Merrick, Our pets need quality pet food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient. California Natural, Solid Gold, Innova and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359& more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByRating?OpenForm
2006-12-28 05:57:15 · answer #9 · answered by Stick to Pet Rocks 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I've tried Nutro because it "says" it only has the nutrition the animal needs, and will poop much less. I didn't notice a difference at all! My 1 year old dog eat Science diet puppy small bite, and probably will forever. My mothers dog and cat have also only eaten Science diet and are very old and very healthy. I would say Science diet is the way to go. Buy it at a Pet Supply store, it's usually a dollar or two cheaper than buying from the vet office. Good luck
2006-12-28 05:02:41 · answer #10 · answered by Becky 3 · 1⤊ 5⤋