the best dog food?

Question

Hey people. After that pet food recall recently, I'm afraid of what i should feed my dog. He is a pure bred shiba inu and is about 1 year and 6 months old. I usually feed him iams dry food and not the cuts and gravy (thank god). Does anyone know what I should feed him?

thanks for all these great answers

Answer 1

www.iamscruelty.com

Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your pet in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.

It's time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.

With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.

Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in pet food is a joke. Ever seen a starving cat or dog chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.

As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:

-"Grocery store" foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, "grocery store" foods normally do not provide your pet with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of "grocery store" food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and "filler" ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than "grocery store" foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market - provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class - contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.


With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!

Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every pet treat on the market. :(

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that bag and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your pet needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.

What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.

I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can't afford it, you can't feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer.

I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!

********IMPORTANT******* Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

Foods I recommend based on personal experience -

Dry - Drs. F&S Food Link - http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Dry - Wellness Food Link - http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com

Dry - Eagle Pack Holistic Select - http://www.eaglepack.com

Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com



You can find more great foods, and do more research at http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

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

Here are a few that are good: Solid Gold, Wellness, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics, Blue Buffalo, Innova, and Artemis Fresh Mix, there are several more but these are really good foods. They may be a bit pricey initially but they come out cheaper because you feed less. These are 100% human grade dog food with NO corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers or by products – and naturally preserved.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

The link I have provided sells dog food online but you can also look up the ingredients (on this site) to any of the ones I have listed plus any other dog foods you may be interested in, they have many brands listed.
The best thing you can do is research the different brands. Meat should be the first ingredient and the foods should NOT contain corn, wheat, soy, beef or by-products and it should also be made from human grade ingredients.

Answer 4

I'd suggest looking in the premium foods, for foods that do not contain wheat or wheat gluten which are common allergens for many dogs anyway, as is corn and soy.
My dogs eat Nature's Recipe and do best on the Venison blend, the fish blend and the newer blend called "Farm Stand Selects" with Turkey, veggies and fruit.
It does not contain wheat or wheat gluten, no artificial colors or flavorings and my dogs who had skin problems do best on these. I know there are other good foods out there, and some that cost more and say they are better but I think this is a great food. You can see what your dog likes best but when changing food, do it gradually and add a bit of Pumpkin Pie filling to keep the dogs stomach settled during the change.
There are other great brands out there that do not have wheat products or fillers and by products.
Another possibility is to feed your dog fresh food in a balance that is good for dogs but that is sometimes hard for a person to do. Online, you can find dog recipes for cooking your dog's food and you can find out about a raw diet as another alternative:
http://www.rawdogranch
GL with your dog, and if you change diet do it gradually!

Answer 5

When you think about it, what does your dog need from its food in order to be healthy?

Today our pets have a wide variety to meet their tastes and needs and we have our choice of what kind of food we can choose to feed them. Despite the variety, pet foods usually fall into three major categories. These categories are: Grocery store foods, these types of dog and pet foods are usually found in grocery stores and mass marketed retailers and can contain lower quality, less expensive ingredients. The second category is "premium dog foods," which can also be found in grocery's stores but are also found in pet stores and through your local veterinarian's office. These types of foods are usually made from some higher quality ingredients and are usually made evident by the expense of the food. Some of these pet foods though can contain lower quality ingredients that you aren't aware of. The third and final category is homemade dog food.More and more people are beginning to make their dog's food at home rather than buying commercial formulas. Homemade dog food doesn't contain any substances that could possibly be harmful to your dog's health such as artificial coloring and artificial flavors.

Another reason to make homemade dog food is the preservatives added to the commercial dog food. Homemade dog food has the benefit of optimum freshness without preservatives.

There are dogs that would greatly benefit from a homemade diet. Some dogs who suffer from allergies that cause severe itching may find relief once switched from commercial dog food to a homemade diet.

Processed dog food is a relatively new product and scientists don't fully understand the differences between commercial food and a diet of fresh food. There may be problems occurring in a dog's health because he is being given food that has had the nutrients cooked out of it and then sprayed back on.


Would you like to prolong the quality and length of your dog's life by 135%?You should keep your dog healthy by homemade dog food.



http://ezinearticles.com/?Keep-Your-Dog-Healthy-By-Homemade-Dog-Food-Recipe&id=482336

Answer 6

The best food for your dog is one that gives him a thick shiny coat, itch-free skin, bright eyes, clear ears, and a happy, alert demeanor.
That being said, I am an advocate of premium dog foods; they may seem to cost more but it takes less to give your pet it's nutritional requirements, and less in also means less out!
I recommend Canidae, it is made from human quality ingredients, has no corn (which causes allergies) or wheat gluten (cause of recent recalls) On a scoresheet that tells how to rate your pet's food, it ranked extremely high. (it's lengthy but email me through the forum and I can send it to you)
I work in a doggie daycare facility which also carries pet food and treats, and it is our best seller. We have two Shiba Inus who come, Eloise and Teddy, they are darling dogs! Both eat Canidae when they board.

Answer 7

The best dry food you can feed him is going to be All Natural or Organic. It costs a bit more, but it will be better for you dog in the long run.

Answer 8

Iams is definately not considered a high quality food.

Here are my recommendations, as well as how to spot high quality foods.


Nothing you find at a grocery store is going to be a good food. High quality foods can be found at large pet store chains, or online. A couple of foods I like are Nutro Natural, Innova, Innova Evo and Cannidae.

There are other high quality dog foods. Here's how to spot them:

A high quality food will have little or no fillers such as corn, wheat or soy. These aren't very digestable for dogs, and are common food related allergens. Since you were seeing corn meal in the first few ingredients, those are not high quality foods. Foods list ingredients by content, with the ingredient it contains most of at the top.

A high quality food will not contain BHT, BHA or Ethoxyquin, these are all chemical preservatives that have been linked to cancer.

A high quality food will not contain by-products of any kind. Meat meals are ok as long as the source of the meat is listed, such as Chicken Meal.

A high quality diet should have meat as at least the first ingredient., and be made from human grade ingredients. Foods that don't use human grade ingredients often get their ingredients from less than desirable sources, such as meat from animals that were diseased, or euthanized.

There is another diet option other than dog food. Some people choose to feed a raw diet. This involves feeding the dog raw meaty bones and organ meat. However it is not as simple as throwing a couple chicken bones in a bowl everyday. If you wish to feed this type of diet, do lots and lots of research first. Switching to this diet without knowing what your doing can lead to nutritional problems for your dog. I'll give you some links as a starting point in research if you are interested in this type of diet.

http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm.........

http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/diets.htm...

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.....

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html.....

http://www.rawdogranch.com

What's Really In Pet Food
http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359&m...

Answer 9

Iams, science diet, purina are all junk foods when it comes to dog food, I personally like Natural Balance and Eagle Pack the best in foods, but the thing that you need to look at is the meat content vs the fillers like corn. you also want to find whole ingredients like wheat not the partial ingredients like wheat glutin.

Answer 10

I feed my dog Chicken Soup brand dog food.

Answer 11

Purnia One- not on the recall list! My vet said it's the next best to perscription food,as good as organic,--prescription) Lamb & rice is good! Buy a small bag and let your pet grt used to it...mix it with the old food for a week.