Quality dog food.?

Question

Okay, I have seen many debates on here about what is good and what is not.
My question is, why do people think that foods with corn, soy and wheat, and BY-PRODUCTS are good brands?
Dogs are allergic to and can't properly digest corn, wheat and soy, and by-products are all the undigestable nasty parts of an animal, not to mention road kill and euthanized animals.
So people that think Ol'roy, Iams, Eukanuba and such are good, what is your reason for thinking so?
And for people that agree with me that those things I mentioned have no place in dog food, help support me here!

Answer 1

I don't think you are going to find the people who feed these foods coming out and defending them.. They don't know enough about the ingredients, nor do they care to.... to be able to defend the claim that their food is good. Can't just say ' cause my vet said ' or ' cause I saw it on tv ' They have nothing to back up the claims that their food is great..

I would love to see a dog that's been fed something like Ol Roy his whole life, suddenly offered a good quality dog food.. Then owners feeding these foods could see the difference.. If they thought their dog was doing great before, wait til you see him on good food!

Answer 2

I couldn't agree more.
Corn is not good because not only is it an allergen it also molds and when it molds it kills.
I feed Life's Abundance HolisticPetMenu.com
No chemicals, No corn, No wheat, No gluten, No by-products.
Too much good to list here.
I think the people that still think that the store brands are good just haven't taken the time to educate themselves on pet food.
The above website if typed in URL line has a great video on how pet food is made it also has a great comparison list. That's what got me hooked..The video is huge eye opener and I keep learning about pet food every chance I get.

Answer 3

Iams and Eukanuba are both bad brands they both contain by-products like the intestince,heads and feet and other things you wouldn't normaly eat the producers of these brands will say anything to get you to but their products any food you can by at the grocery store are bad brands

Answer 4

I agree with you 110%. :)

And for those of you that don't agree, below is my 'canned' response about dog-food so you can do some research on what you are feeding your pet:

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On choosing a dog food:
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

Answer 5

As someone who feeds their pets a diet based on raw meaty bones I can understand your frustration with the patented 'but my dog is fine' response.

Is a dog that is old at 8 fine? What about one that needs its teeth cleaned every six months? Or the one with skin and digestive issues, arthritis etc? I'm not saying that RMB are a miracle cure-all just that all of us including our pets should be eating food as close to its source as possible. For humans that means fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats and fish. For dogs it means carcasses and the occasional fruit/veg.

I often get thumbs down responses because I choose not to feed commercial foods but at least I have made this choice after much research. :)

Answer 6

Eagle Pack Holisitc Select is a great line of food. The Eagle Pack Natural Formula is moderately priced and high quality. This brand specializes in formulas for large/giant breed dogs.

Dogs in nature would eat animals that are herbivores- dogs eat their stomachs...

Answer 7

I'm here for ya.

Not all dogs are allergic to corn but it's important to remember that dogs are carnivores and their bodies were never designed to process grains. While corn, wheat, and soy aren't necessarily bad for dogs, they often replace what is GOOD for them - meat! I could eat rice cakes all day long and they wouldn't be bad for me but that doesn't mean my health wouldn't suffer because I'm not eating any fruits or vegetables.

Answer 8

I support you. I removed all corn from my dogs diet and like magic the "houndy Frito" odor disappeared. Good thing I was only feeding them food with corn in it for a couple months. The food I give them now is lamb, rice, and beets.

Answer 9

GREAT question! Let's see what all these IAMS and Pukenuba worshippers have to say!

EDIT- Come on, coward. Who is "thumbs-downing" everyone here? It's your turn to share why you feed Iams or one of the grocery store brands. You're seriously a coward, if all you can do is give us a thumbs down, then leave. Speak up, or forever shut up. our choice. :o)

Answer 10

I'm right with you!

But Ol' Roy has 1000% percent of daily trash recommended by Wal Mart's board to keep my doggie healthy!