Food Suggestions

[alkite]

I have done some looking around the site and have seen some suggestions here and there. Our 2 dogs (one B one Terrier) eat Beneful. We haven't had any issues with stomach upset or any other issues, however I worry that I am doing the wrong thing for "down the road".
I am looking for suggestions of a higher quality food that isn't going to break the bank. We are on a tight budget right now, and I can't go nuts :o
Neither dog has stomach issues, they are 3 1/2 (Giz the B) and 3 or 4 (Angel our terrier is a rescue and this is a guess). Giz has had some dry skin this winter, but no noticible itching or hot spots just some dandruff and his coat isn't quite a shiny.
We prefer dry and I add an egg once a week. They go nuts.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!:D

[jys1011]

It's unfortunate that the good stuff is kinda pricey :eek: but IMO it's worth it in the long run. And here's why…

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Ingredients.htm

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.html

I do understand financial restraints & if your Bs are happy & healthy then the choice is really up to you. I got my Bs at ages 3 and 2 and they ate the bad stuff up until they came to live with us. So I guess only time will tell if we made the right choice :) …also my husband used to get nauseous from the smell of their poop when they used to eat Eukanuba :(

[alkite]

My husband makes lovely gagging noises while scooping poo on our walks. It is so endearing :D

Thank you for the links, they have great information.

[lvoss]

Though the premium foods are more expensive though you often end up feeding less because they are more nutrient dense then the less expensive foods that are full of fillers like corn.

Right now we have Wellness Puppy food and Evo in the house. Before the puppies we had Evo and California Natural with Canned Wellness Duck and Potato to keep weight on my high metabolism girl.

[jessi76]

I feed Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken (lamb) with a scoop or 2 of Merrick's canned mixed in. I buy one 15lb bag of kibble once every month or so, for $24. I agree with the others, premium food is better in the long run. less fillers, more nutrients, and you do feed less.

Read the ingredients on the Beneful bag. The first ingredient should be a meat source, IMO.

First 3 ingredients in Beneful Original: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal

First 3 in the Solid Gold Hund-n-flocken: Lamb | Lamb Meal | Brown Rice

I avoid foods with corn, by-products, and non-specific sources (i.e. labeled "animal digest")

[youngandtired]

I recently went looking for a better grade of food for my B, Sahara. I went to the pet store and found Blue Buffalo, the 1st ingredient is Deboned chicken. I was impressed with that, there is very few dry kibble that has protein for the 1st ingredient. Sahara really likes it, and eats it better than any other dry. She does like wet with it, and the wet is good also. She use to eat Beneful dry with wet, and I decided that it was not healthy enough. It has meat-by-products,and I know that is not good. The wet Beneful is pricey and the wet Blue Buffalo is less expensive. Also you do feed less of the good stuff so a bag of it lasts longer. While I was reading the back of the bag a couple came up to get a bag and I asked how they liked it. They said, "We love this food, our dogs eat healther now". They had previously lost a dog to cancer and said the Blue Buffalo was a lot more healthy than the food they had bought when they had the deceased dog. Of course, that sold it for me, and we are hooked now. Also, can someone tell me why corn is not good for dogs, just curious b/c Sahara loves fresh veggies that I have left over sometimes.

[goldenfri]

We have had great luck with the eagle pack dog food, the chicken one specifically. Bs would have poo problems once every week or two on Nutro sensitive stomach when we first got them, until we switched them over and no problems since. It can be pretty hard to find, and it is indeed more dense with less fillers so we don't have to feed them quite as much.

[jessi76]

corn is nothing more than a cheap filler. there is no nutritional value to corn.

[alkite]

Thanks everyone for the information. I am planning a scouting mission this weekend to find some better grub for my pups. :D

[elena86]

For "everything you ever wanted to know about corn", read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. Corn products are in almost everything anymore, and they affect the way everything is metabolized.