Deciding on the perfect brand?

Question

I'm from Dubai. I have a 14-month-old Golden Retriever (named Rico). He lives in his airconditioned doggy home outdoor in our fenced yard.

I feed him dry food. He started with Royal K9, Nutro, Pedigree, & longest time on Eukanuba. Just recently, I started using Purina & he loves it. I tried many brands to find the perfect one because he used to not eat unless we put fresh boiled chicken on the Eukanuba; which eventually spoiled him, but he would never eat dry food alone.

On the other hand, with the Purina Puppy Chow it seems that the he loves it! I've been very happy with the fact that now he's gotten used to the Purina & eats it as soon as the bowl is placed down, but another thing bothers me. It's that what I've learned from online research that Purina, Pedigree, & Eukanuba just aren't the best brands out there! Ignoring price & considering my situation, & choosing from dog dry food availability in Dubai, what would be the best:

Purina? Eukanuba? Pedigree? Royal Canine? Nutro?

Answer 1

I use Royal Canin as a supplement to my dog's diet. Their primary diet is a BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods). So, for the most part my dogs eat raw meats, bones, organ and vegies. If you can obtain a variety of meats/bones/organs you may want to consider this natural way of feeding.

As far as how your dog is reacting to kibble, a lot of times it is because the kibble is sprayed with tasty fat and contains various forms of sugar.

I use Royal Canin's German Shepherd as treats and food while traveling.

Answer 2

rotate the brands and occasionally add a raw egg to the dry to help with the dogs "coat". after all you would not like to eat the same thing forever. some boiled chicken breast with the dry and some other "people food" doesnt hurt just dont over do it. raw mini carrots are a inbetween treat that dogs like. by the way nothing wrong with pedigree its be around for ages. i use it and the vets reccomend it.

Answer 3

Royal Canin and Nutro are top brands because of their nutrition value and quality. If you put plain boiled chicken on your dog's food, that won't hurt him. If you feel like you have to put the chicken on it for him to eat it, and you don't mind fixing the chicken for him, I would recommend doing that. At least then he's eating the best food, even if he is getting a little bit of a treat on top of it!

Answer 4

Purina does a lot of research on their pet food. They only had one product on the recall list, unlike many of the more expensive brands. My pets have improved on Beneful for dogs and Purina One for cats.

Answer 5

Do you have access to Science Diet? They have many different types; however it does sound to me like you have spoiled the dog by giving it chicken with the dry dog food.

There are some people that actually cook regular meals for their dogs. They feed them vegetables, rice, meat, etc. You might want to consider that.

Check with your local veterinarian. They will probably be able to tell you the best dog food that is in your area of the world.

Answer 6

Purina Little bites Indoor Complete. After the recalls I fed her other top brands, however she would either become constipated or have diarea....I put her back on plbic and she is just fine.

Answer 7

okay so my dogs eat perian chow morsials (((ya i know weird name but the are 16, 11, 2, 6 mounths.)))) they usally always have this pedigree packet on top. it has meat that gives dog protien they really like it and they are all Very healthy. (((even the 16 year old!))) sometimes we even give them scraps from our dinner. but not to much because it is not good for dogs to have to much people food. but they luv it

Answer 8

With the brands you have mentioned the NUTRO is your best choice for your golden. Here is the states I'd recomend Canidae but it is not avaible to you there.
Nutro Large breed dog food is your best choice in my opinion.

Answer 9

royal canine is on the food recall so i wouldnt feet the dog that. i would recomend eukanumba that is a good brand i feed it to my dogs and cats and my pickiest dog will even eat it. i also fed my dogs nutro in the past they also liked that but eukanuba would be the best OR they have a special eukanuba i saw at petsmart today. they have one for every differ brand like eukanumba great dane chow, they do have one for golden retreivers its made just what fits the breed.(energy level etc) it may be alittle pricey but not as pricey and royal canine. good luck on your golden retrevier i love those dogs you sould like you take good care of him.

good luck:)

Answer 10

Everytime I answer a question regarding dog food, people probably run. The truth is most of your commercial pet food has been recalled and even though it is back on the shelves does not make it any safer. Almost all of your commercial brand pet foods, including all that you mentioned are being sued for misrepresentation. I don't get it? Why would anybody want to go back to PetSmart, PetCo or a grocery store or wherever and buy the food that has killed thousands of pets, 30,000 is an estimate. These pet food manufacturers have not changed anything for the better, they still don't test for melamine and they still use dead, diseased and dying animals in thier pet food. They figure as long as everybody keeps buying their product, they shouldn't have to change anything. I know hundreds of animals that have suffered a great deal and have died due to recalled pet food. It's sickening and heartbreaking, not to mention the high vet bills for their grieving pet owners.
It took me a long time to decide on a good, holistic pet food. Feeding any of the commerical grade food as you have mentioned is like feeding your child fast food every day of his life. All of those foods mentioned are so loaded with fillers such as corn, soy and the all mighty killer agent GLUTEN, all of these pet food companies buy dead, diseased and dying animals from the processing plants, and grind them up and put them into your pet food. Canned food uses glue. Not to mention so many preservatives and chemicals that are killing our pets slowly. I could list many more reasons why not to use it, but I want to tell what you should feed.
Go to www.frrco.com/122135. Flint River. It is a holistic food, no fillers, no gluten, no chemicals, no preservatives and no rendering plant dead, disease or dying animals. All human grade ingredients. Human Grade means it is fit to sell as human food. Flint River tests for melamine and other harmful contaminants every 15 minutes during processing. Flint River exceeds the recommendation required by the FDA. All of their suppliers and ingredients are USDA certified and are located here in the US. Even the glucomsomine and chondrotin for their senior food is made here in the US. Flint River has completely grain free foods. The food is twice baked making it more palatable and more digestible. More digestible is a must to minimize the potential for bloating.
I have rescued for over 30 years and I have fed almost every brand from PetSmart, organic and otherwise. Flint River has to be the best food I have ever fed. Right now I have 15 dogs and over 15 cats eating Flint River everyday. They look so good, and so much better than they every have. My rescues stayed healthy and safe during this recall. I believe that we are our own testimony and I swear by this product. Please people try it, I promise you will love it. The prices on the website inlcude shipping. They ship to your door withing 3 days. Flint River has an awesome wet food. It comes dry and you ad water when you feed it, this way it stays fresh and no needed glue...Visit the site and check out the ingredients for yourself. www.frrco.com/122135. I do distribute this food as I use several hundred pounds of it per month. When you purchase it from me, it helps to keep our costs down for our rescue. You don't sacrifice a dime by helping me out. Thanx!
Please don't feed Nutro, Nutra or Natural Choice these products should be recalled they are killing pets.