is there a big difference in dog food quality?

Question

My friend buys this special food for her dog and says that purina and all the other brand name foods are not good for the dog, and thats why they are so cheap but I think they are inexpensive because they have more of the market and she is getting gypped buying special food called Nature's Recipe and Natural Choice which has lamb and rice.

What is really the scoop on dog food? I see some food at the Dollar Store for 5 bucks for 30 lbs also, so maybe that is junk but what about Purina and other top brands? Thanks

Answer 1

i think that there is because my dog has started itching and my mom went to petsmart and this lady said that dogs can be allergic to a certain type of ingredent in a dog food and that can make her itch.i really think that it is the truth because humans and animals could have allergies. i really think that it is true that dog foods can be bad for the dogs but if it were to ruin a friendship or save a dogs life i'd believe that it were true about dog foods!

Answer 2

No fish meal is not a by product.It is actually the fish that has had the moisture removed. The difference between low quality and good quality foods is..Low quality = corn, wheat, soy, animal digest, animal fat, preservatives, unnecassary sugars, often has dyes, most often ahs grain as the first ingredient but even if it does have a meat listed first it has so much grain after that it really makes the meat very minimal, have 2 feed up to 3 times more of it for a dog to get proper nutrition, produces more waste Good Quality food = Meat as the first 2-3 ingredients, doesn't contain corn, wheat, soy, by products, dyes, sugars, animal digest or animal fats, produces less waste. As for your feeeding more and having a dog still acting hungry..this is common in dogs going from a low quality food to a high quality...a dog that has been on a low quality food is use to an over full feeling after eating due to all of the excess grains in the food when changed to a better food they no longer have that overfull feeling and think they are still hungry when they aren't...therefore they will still scrounge and act starved(also some dogs will act taht way even if excessively overweight) Do not give in and offer more food..the stomach will adjust over time to the better feeling and to the normal feeling taht it should have. The dog will no longer have that bloated overfull feeling it had on a high grain food. Your dog was also use to free feeding so he has ot adapt to feeding on a regular schedule, regullr measured amounts of food...this also takes an adjustment period. If you are now feeding a better quality food then do NOT feed more of it then you were of the low quality food...by doing so you will end up with an overweight dog. Be aware that it takes at least 6 weeks and sometimes as much as 3 months for a dog's system to adjust to a new food when going from a low quality food to a high quality food.It also can take that long before you notice a difference in your dogs skin, coat and over all health. You didn't say what breed/size dog you had but 4 1/2 cups of food a day of a good quality food is a lot unless you have a giant breed such as a Dane or Mastiff....

Answer 3

It's kinda like this, Where do you get the better steak? McDonalds or The Outback Steakhouse? Both places use beef, but it's the quality of the cut and the cook that makes a difference.

It's not so different with dogs and dog food. Dogs are primarily carnivores, although some grain can be beneficial. Dogs have difficulty processing protein from non-meat sources. Dogs can survive on a vegetarian diet, but they don't thrive on it. In short, they need quality meat sources. The only information on the bag you really need to look at, is the ingredients list. Here's what to look for.

The first ingredient should be a clearly identified meat. Stay away from vague descriptions cause that means they use the cheapest thing available. You don't want by-products either. Meat and Meat Meals are good though. 2 in the first 5 ingredients would be wonderful.

Limit Corn, Wheat, and Soy to after the first 10 ingredients. These "grains" are hard to digest and common allergens. Look for whole grains like oats, rice, and barley. Watch out for "splitting" list a grain numerous times by list every part seperately. That could indicate there is more of that grain in the food than meat.

Absolutely no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Colors have beein linked to hyperactivity in dogs and kids. Preservatives like BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin have been linked to cancers and serious diseases like kidney disease.

Nature's Recipe and Natural Choice are in my opinion mid level foods when you think of quality foods. The absolutely lowest quality food I'd recommed is Purina One. In my opinion, Science Diet is no better than Purina One so why pay so much more for it (in fact, I think Science Diet is worse than Purina One).

Answer 4

Yes there is a big difference in food quality.
A good quality food does not need to cost a small fortune, there are some good foods out there that dont cost much more than purina. The difference is what is put into the food. A quality food has no fillers (corn) it contains fruit and veggies, The first ingredient is a specified protein. It contains no animal by-products. With a quality food you don't need to feed as much as purina. The dog poops less because they are able to retain the nutrients in the food. Just read the back of the $5.00 bag of food and tell me that you would eat whats in it.

Answer 5

Well, your friend is pretty much right when they say that $5 for a 30 pound bag is probably crap. I mean, seriously, you couldn't possibly expect that to be healthy. Even if it was, either it's expired or there's something wrong with it.

However, just because some foods cost more it does not necessarily make them healthier. Look at Iams or Science Diet for example. They are about $30-40 for a 30 or 40 pound bag and probably contain most of the same ingredients found in that of the kind that they sell at the dollar store.

However, foods like Innova, Canidae, Wellness, etc. have to charge more, because their high-quality ingredients cost more then that of Iams, and yes the quality of them does make a difference. Although you probably don't know it, when you are feeding a high-quality food you are actually saving money, due to the fact that your dog eats less of it because of the quality of the ingredients.

Answer 6

I learned a painful lesson from buying cheap dogfood. I had rescued a misbehaving boston terrier, and with lots of patience and training, she became one of the best dogs I ever had. I fed her whatever was on sale, usually the cheapest stuff. She never turned her nose up at anything. Took her to the vet regularly. Got all her shots. People at the vets office loved to see her.
A couple of years later, I noticed she wasn't as "peppy" as she usually was. Then she didn't want to eat, which was very unusual. When we took her to the vets, we noticed she was having trouble moving her jaw. Since she was a small dog, the vet did a whole body x-ray. Nothing wrong with her jaw, but the vet pointed out a huge growth that covered almost half her body. The vet suspected cancer, and said there was no way he could remove that big a growth, it'd be like gutting her. We laid her down, made her comfortable, and put her to sleep. I still tear up thinking about it.
When I asked the vet what could have caused this, he said he had a theory. He asked me what kind of dog food did I buy? I told him the cheapest. He said, "Well, you'd be hard pressed to prove this, but the 'cheapest' companies don't always screen out diseased tissues." When I told the vet I didn't follow him, he said most dog food is made from horse meat. Now, let's say that the horse had a tumor. If the diseased flesh wasn't cut out, it'd be processed into the dog food. If your dog eats it, it could potentially cause health problems. Doesn't even have to be cancerous tissues. A lot of low budget dog food has all sorts of questionable ingredients that aren't found in the more expensive dog foods.
I won't take that chance again. My girls get Iams now.

Answer 7

Why do those idiots over at the Bugatti dealership charge about 150 grand more for their cars than the more popular and obviously better known Honda.
Maybe cars aren't your forte, so lets try shoes.
When my lady can buy a pair of pumps from Sears for $70 why in the world does she ask for the Marc Jacobs one's from Fendi for $400?

I hope you're getting my point. You do pay for the quality that you get. Agreed, sometimes you pay for the name, but in the world of dog food, where name brands are for the fools who buy Purina and Pedigree, the good stuff is relatively unknown in comparison.
Do your research on good dog food. There's a world of difference in quality of ingredients and what you get for the money. And bear in mind you'd probably have to pay about 900% more per month than you do now if you convert.
I'm not going to hash out the details of each food and it's ingredients here, but I'm sure you understand how to google things, do your research.
Here's a few brands I consider with regard...
Orijen (made in Canada!)
Innova EVO
Nature's Variety

I have also personally used all three, and think each one a good quality dog food. For the purpose of comparison, I pay about $120-150/month on dog food for my 8.5 month old Malamute/Lab mix. And that's just one dog!

Answer 8

ur friend is right. purina and pedigree and iams and science diet and all the other brands that u see at walmart or see advertising on tv r garbage. they r mainly made of corn which is an allergen for most dogs and it isnt digested by the dog at all. however brands like canidae, innova, chicken soup brand, timberwolf organics, etc... use better quality ingredients. brands like purina and other commercial dog foods spend more on advertising than they do on the food itself. just because a food is cheap doesnt mean it is good or just because its readily available doesnt mean its good. it is just the opposite. its like when u look into buying a designer purse. u pay more for the real deal. same with dog foods. u pay more for better quality ingredients. ur friend isnt the one getting gypped. buying a better quality food means it will fill ur dog up faster and ur dog will produce less poop so in the long run ur friend is actually saving money. i used to feed my dog purina and he would poop like 4 times a day which isnt really normal. i switched to a high quality food and he eats less and he poops less. so i dont buy food as often as i did when i was feeding purina. think about it

Answer 9

That Dollar Store dog food has cellulose fiber AKA sawdust in it. You need to feed your dog less if you buy a higher quality food for it. Some of the Purina dog foods are ok, some are not. Stay away from as much artificial colors, its for people,not dogs, who are colorblind.

Answer 10

Buying purina is like buying death for your dog! There is a a little difference between purina and nature's recipe. I feed my dog canidae all life stages($35 for 40 lbs.), and it doesn't have fillers and meat-by-products like purina or natures recipe junk.