i'm getting a puppy this July and i've been looking at all the foods…there are so many!! What would be the best choice for my puppy?
High-quality puppy or all-life-stages food.
Some of my favorites are:
* Merrick Puppy Plate
* Wellness Just for Puppy
* Innova Puppy
* Canidae All-life-states
* Artemis Fresh-Mix Small breed puppy
* Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul
Below the double line is my general advice on choosing dog foods.
=== === ===
Read the ingredients before you buy.
Here is my "short list" of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don't want to see any byproducts.
4) I don't want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don't want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don't want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don't want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
I don't want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as "meat" or "poultry".)
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
—
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn't mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature's Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(For puppies, I recommend staying in the 4 & 5 star foods, so you don't get to high of a protein level.)
—
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 of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
What *NOT* to buy:
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 always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have 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, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, 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.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. "Hill's scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine" (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
—
"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all higher quality foods, 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
—
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
.
1) Homemade raw or cooked diet.
2) High quality kibble, free of grain and corn – Orijen, Wellness Core, etc.
References :
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/information.html
Hi!
I totally understand. I have tried to find the "perfect" food forever. It used to be that Science Diet, IAMS, Eukunaba, etc, were considered great foods. Now everyone doesn't like them and says they are fillers. I would buy a puppy food like Merrick or Wellness….
References :
make and appt to speak to a vet. I have a Japanese Chin also a small breed dog and I give them organic food just for small breed dogs that my vet suggested.
References :
I have two Yorkie puppies, well now they're 1 and 3 but i always feed them Royal Canine, it's a little more on the pricier side, but its awesome it gives them the nutrients they need and keeps they're coat really soft and healthy. Also my boyfriend works at a vet and they would say the same, it is amazing! and since yours is a puppy obviously but it on the puppy formula of Royal Canine, and as it gets older move it up, there is an age and weight Chart on the back of the bag.
References :
We have two yorkie puppies (one is almost a year and the other is 5 months). They were raised on Royal Canin (you can get it at any of the pet stores). They love it and it is super good for them. Initially the vet recommended it – my favorite part is how the little triangles dissolve in their mouths, so they won't choke on it.
References :
answer my question on primary education feed it milk or small dog food but only feed it milk if it`s was just born
References :
I feed my dog innova
she is very healthy and her coat looks fabulous
she's a Lab/Shepherd mix that I found wandering the streets last summer so you can imagine what shape she was in, but she is a beautiful dog now
References :
my grandparents (who own a Yorkie) fed their puppy iams puppy food, mixed with small pieces of ham and cheese. They have been feeding him that ever since..they just changed the puppy food to adult food. His coat is always shiney and he's very healthy. Some people dissaprove of Iams, but it's vet recommended.
References :
Mine eat cesar. Mine are healthy and happy despite the "crap" that I feed them. I feed my dogs as well as I feed myself. If I decide to start eating expensive organic food, than I'll switch my dogs. I wonder how many more dogs would be homeless and starving if these cheaper grocery store brands were not available.
References :
Please don't feed your dog Iams, cesar, science diet, royal caine, eukanuba, beneful, purina. these are not good foods.
go with Innova, Merricks, Canidae, Wellness
References :
http://www.naturapet.com
High-quality puppy or all-life-stages food.
Some of my favorites are:
* Merrick Puppy Plate
* Wellness Just for Puppy
* Innova Puppy
* Canidae All-life-states
* Artemis Fresh-Mix Small breed puppy
* Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul
Below the double line is my general advice on choosing dog foods.
=== === ===
Read the ingredients before you buy.
Here is my "short list" of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
I don't want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as "meat" or "poultry".)
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don't want to see any byproducts.
4) I don't want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don't want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don't want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don't want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
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
—
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn't mean it will jive the best for your dog.
What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature's Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(For puppies, I recommend staying in the 4 & 5 star foods, so you don't get to high of a protein level.)
—
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 of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
—
What *NOT* to buy:
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 always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have 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, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, 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.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. "Hill's scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine" (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
—
"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all higher quality foods, 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
—
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
.
References :
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
I use Royal Canin for mine they love it and their coats are beautiful.
References :