what is the best dog food?

Question

for a chocolate lab who is about 13 weeks old i want a food that can be found normally in petco and isnt too expensive.I know that you should go for the expensive things but if its 30.00 for one bag don't put it as an answer

Answer 1

Not sure where you live or what the price point is...

But FROMM has an amazing product line.

Check them out on line... look at the ingredients...it speaks for itself.

Touche

Answer 2

Quite frankly, if you spend about ten dollars more per bag, you will end up spending less in the long run! I use Blue Buffalo. You can find it at Petsmart and it should be available this fall at Petco. It is human grade, and inspected before, during and after the manufacturing process. They also have their vitamins and supplements in a LifeSource bit that is cold pressed separately from the kibble and then added in the package. This preserves the potency of the nutrients your dog needs. There are no fillers or by products so your dog will need less and be healthy! I cannot put a price on my dogs health.....

Answer 3

I feed Canidae, its awesome. I do pay $35.00 for a 40 pound bag but it is one of the good brands. Other good ones are Innova, Wellness, Blue Buffalo. If you buy a better food the dogs eat less and have less vet visits so it does end up saving you money in the long run.

Answer 4

Why would you want to feed your dog some food that is on the "black list"? You want to feed a premium brand. Never feed Bill Jack, Science Diet, Purina, Old Roy, or Iams. You need a brand such as: Eagle Pack, Innova, California Natural, Nature's Variety, Timber Wolf, or Cannidae.

Answer 5

I looked at the brand list on their website below, and the brands they carry that I would recommend are:

Avoderm
Blue Buffalo
Eagle Pack
Nutro
Royal Canin

However, $30 a bag really isn't that bad of a price. Feeding a quality diet can significantly reduce your dog's healthcare costs over the course of it's life.

Answer 6

lol ask a hundred people this question and get a hundred different answers,basically all these brand names are good,but it would just be a good idea to talk it over with your vet.im not sure what black list the other person was talking about ,but if it had to do with that major recall,it was only the certain flavors of brand names that were made by menu foods incorp.and the company recalled the food and took care of that problem.im not crazy about store brand names ,however keep in mind these are the same brand names that you are paying higher prices for ,the only difference is the store has slapped their company name on it.

Answer 7

There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on. (I recommend feeding dry food instead of wet. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.)

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.

If you are on a budget, Chicken Soup brand and Canidae are both very reasonably priced.

I know Solid Gold is often [but not always] sold it PetCo, but I'm unsure of the price. I know Blue Buffalo is sold in PetsMart, but I don't know if it's sold in PetCo.

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On choosing a good 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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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" brand, which is a quality food, but most of the foods aren't.)

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 8

i feed canidae all life stages. good food and you won't have to switch to an adult brand because you can feed this to puppies and adults. i spend about $23.00 for a 20lb bag, not too bad and lasts a while.

Answer 9

I have a 4 year old yellow lab. She has been eating dry kibble & bits & she likes it. Her stomach agrees with it & has never gotten sick from it. Also, it was not on the recalled list for bad pet food.

Answer 10

Science Diet or Bil Jaq