Dog food ratings

[spitfirekrl1]

Hello all -

I received an email with the following link attached. This rates a bunch of dog foods and has how the breakdown is done. It's very interesting and gives a good idea how some of the foods out there stack up.

http://www.iheartpaws.com/articles/35/3/Dog-Food–Decoding-Fact-from-Fiction-by-Laura-Presley/Page3.html

[jenwilson]

Thanks for the link. This is great info. I am pleased to know I switched to a Great Choice - Innovo. Hollie loves it!!!

[JazzysMom]

Interesting link.

I know we've always fed Pedigree Adult to our dogs and have never had a dog live less than 13 years, regardless of breed {we've had corgi-mixes, doberman, cocka-poo, golden retriever}. And my sisters both feed their dogs Pedigree adult and their dogs {six dogs currently} are all healthy and well into their teen years. Regardless of rating, they must be doing something rignt

Jazzy is the first dog we've ever had NOT on Pedigree {she's on Eukanuba low-fat}; and I have recently switched Gypsy over to an Iams brand for senior dogs – because I thought maybe it would be better for her, but I'm not liking it as well as I'd hoped so I may switch back.

[tanza]

Be careful with Euk and Iams… it has lots of corn used as a filler.... and corn has nothing to offer other then a filler... in Iams.. corn is the second listed and I think, if I remember right Euk it is like 4th or 5th.... Of course I have one that has horrible allergies to corn....

[Skeate]

Thanks for the link! Glad to see I'm feeding my dogs one of the good ones. We've been using Solid Gold for years and we've really liked it.

[JazzysMom]

Be careful with Euk and Iams… it has lots of corn used as a filler.... and >>corn has nothing to offer other then a filler... in Iams.. corn is the second >>listed and I think, if I remember right Euk it is like 4th or 5th....

The quantity of corn, etc depends on the particular food-type {ie, puppy, low-fat, mature, etc}, not the brand, per se, although I do get your point.

But I really do wonder, what difference it makes? I mean, like I said, we've {and my family/siblings, etc} fed the supposedly "lesser quality" foods {Purina, Pedigree, etc}, and our dogs have always lived long, healthy, active lives. Actually, our cats, too -- my first cat lived to be 18, and we currently have a 14 yr old cat who is still going quite strong.
And vets have always commented on the health and good shape of our pets -- which makes me laugh because the vets also always caution against feeding "low-quality" foods. The youngest I've ever had a dog die was a corgi-mix at about 6 yrs of age, but he had to be put down due to a back injury.

So, in the long run, what difference does it make if the food has those "useless fillers", if it provides adequate nutrition and the animals stay strong, healthy, and active well into their teen years?

Don't shoot me, I'm just askin' . . .

[nomrbddgs]

Fillers usually mean less nutrients that they need and more waste. With the lower quality food you usually have to end up feeding more that necessary. When reading the bag for recommended feeding they are usually giving the amount of food required for a very active dog.

I find if my dogs are pooping more than 3-4 times a day the food isn't right for them. And fillers are the culprit in a lot of allergies. My boxer with HOD is being changed (yet again) to natural balance because of the fillers/wheat/corn/rice combo. Also, I hate to say this, but domesticated breeds can usually handle more items in their intestinal tract and belly than a basenji can.

[Quercus]

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[JazzysMom]

Thanks to you both for answering so quickly. And you both make very good points.

Jazz eats 1 1/4 cup of food a day – plus treats -- and Gypsy {70 lbs} eats 2 cups of food a day. They both probably poop 2 - 3 times a day. {what a weird thing to talk about LOL} I also give them 1 Pet-tab a day.

And I agree that quality does matter to a degree. I don't feed my dogs the really cheap stuff, or store brand, etc. because I do see some difference. But I can't see spending piles of money on food that isn't going to extend their life, or make them any healthier.

[tanza]

I also had a Dal that was raised on Purina Puppy Chow and then on whatever the supermarket had… ggg... she lived to over 15+......
But over the years like with people you learn that some things are better then others... so if I eat better, I might live longer... same with my Basenjis... I don't go to the highest extreme, but I have to say I have fed a number of different foods over the years... and with the better quality I have less waste and honestly to keep condition, I feed less. So, while it might cost more in the end it cost less....

[ChristyRutherford]

I have to watch what I feed squiggy because he seems to need a high fat and OM3 for his weight and coat. (which could also be because of his low thyroid which we just found out about)
I also like the less stool idea since he was never housetrained in his former life. He is much better now and we manage, but once and awhile he leaves me a gift. And that is a gift that I would prefer to be small and compact:p

I had him on Professional but my store is going to stop selling it because of a formula/price change. Wellness is about the same price and I heard that it was a great food…any experience with it?
Thanks

[tanza]

Wellness is a good food, right now I am using the wet senior as a mix for some of my guys and they seem to like it lots…. (I do use Canidae Senior as the dry)....

[cmd]

We just switched to Canidae over Nutro Max. We've fed our others Nutro for years and haven't seemed to have a problem, but I'm curious how the dogs would feel if they ate a better mix. Canidae has a very good ingredient list and got a A+ rating on this list! It actually isn't noticeably more expensive per pound than the Nutro we've been getting. A 40# bag was $40. So far they gobble it up, so they must like the taste at least.