Dog Food

[Mo Mason]

So if everything works out okay I'm going to be adopting from a dog rescue organization on Saturday. He's an adorable black and tan coonhound puppy. In the past I've fed my dogs the standard Purina Dog Chow that you can buy at any store, but this time I want something of higher quality and nutritional value. Any advice or recommendations? I was thinking of ordering online through chewy.com

[+ sync]

So if everything works out okay I'm going to be adopting from a dog rescue organization on Saturday. He's an adorable black and tan coonhound puppy. In the past I've fed my dogs the standard Purina Dog Chow that you can buy at any store, but this time I want something of higher quality and nutritional value. Any advice or recommendations? I was thinking of ordering online through chewy.com

 

Please post a photo after he has settled in with you.

[Mo Mason]

Please post a photo after he has settled in with you.

 

Will do.

[MikeBiDude]

@purplekow help this guy out?

[N13]

I have had great success with Eukenuba - first puppy and then small dog and now older dog. Our girl is in great shape! Best of luck with the new baby. One suggestion: Be sure to go to 'Dog School.' It is more to teach you how to cope than it is for the dog....and it works!

[510guy]

I own two rescue dogs and I have only used Taste of the Wild. They also have puppy formula. What you want is something with a high meat content and not a bunch of fillers. I also get grain free.

 

You can go to dogfoodadvisor.com for help. Stick with 4 or 5 star depends on how much you want to spend and if your local pet store carries them.

 

Blue Buffalo is a well regarded brand.

Also, Costco's Kirkland Nature's Domain is well regarded.

[510guy]

I have had great success with Eukenuba - first puppy and then small dog and now older dog. Our girl is in great shape! Best of luck with the new baby. One suggestion: Be sure to go to 'Dog School.' It is more to teach you how to cope than it is for the dog....and it works!

 

Agrees. Since it is a puppy be sure to do puppy socialisation. The sweet spot is between 3-9 months to teach it how to act around other dogs.

[marylander1940]

Agrees. Since it is a puppy be sure to do puppy socialisation. The sweet spot is between 3-9 months to teach it how to act around other dogs.

 

and people too, @Mo Mason have visitors coming to your place, ask neighbors to pet him, etc.

[Kenny]

Blue Buffalo is swell, especially lamb and brown rice. (Lots of brands include potatoes in their ingredients, and lots of dogs don’t do well with potatoes.) Have fun with the lucky pup!

[+ Kufrol]

My 21 pound, 12.5 year old basset-dachshund mix loves and has thrived on the age appropriate variety of Iam's.

[510guy]

and people too, @Mo Mason have visitors coming to your place, ask neighbors to pet him, etc.

 

I read this wrong at first and thought you were saying people need to come over and pet Mo Mason. It would not be the first time some of us have said something like that.

[+ poolboy48220]

I second the vote for Taste of the Wild. I'll mix it up with Merrick Backcountry Raw Select. My dog's kind of a picky eater. And I get canned food (usually from those same brands) that she gets as a treat once a week or so.

 

There are a couple canned brands that, intentionally, include chicken bones. They cook them up enough so they're soft & no danger of splinters, and they say the dogs love the marrow. I flipped out when I saw the first one, emailed them, they explained it. I looked at comments on their site and soooo many of them were from people flipping out over a bone just like I did.

[Gvtire]

Taste of the Wild or Blue Buffalo grain free

[+ JEC]

Taste of the wild pacific (salmon)

[510guy]

Taste of the wild pacific (salmon)

I guess taste of wild is popular. I have never gotten salmon. For some dogs salmon may cause gas or bad breath. So see how dog reacts.

[+ poolboy48220]

It doesn't cause the gas or bad breath in my dog. She LOVES fish-based stuff. I buy her cat treats every once in a while.

[+ JEC]

I guess taste of wild is popular. I have never gotten salmon. For some dogs salmon may cause gas or bad breath. So see how dog reacts.

You can but it on Amazon

[510guy]

You can but it on Amazon

 

Right now still trying to support my local pet store so have not done the online delivery option yet. Pet shops to me are one of the few remaining remnants of local shops vs big box or online

[Aardvark]

My dog had done great with Natural Balance for years. Fwiw I just read an article that said grain-free diets have been shown to increase heart problems in dogs, but I don't remember where I read it.

[+ Charlie]

I have fed my last two dogs Hills Science Diet, because my vet recommends it, and they have been very healthy and happy. However, I am no expert on nutrition. I also give them Old Mother Hubbard dog treats, which I found a few years ago when I was trying to avoid dog food made in China, and my dogs love them.

[Populist Fury]

Taste of the Wild or Blue Buffalo grain free

 

Both great. The grain-free BB is called Blue Wilderness, available in Chicken, Duck, & Salmon.

[bigvalboy]

I use Blue Wilderness mixed with a small amount of Fresh Pet. Fresh Pet comes in a roll and kept refrigerated. She won't eat the dry otherwise.

[MsGuy]

Canines and humans have been living together so long (12,000 years+) that dogs have evolved that ability to digest food items commonly found in early human diets. That includes grains like wheat. For most dogs the addition of grain to their food is no problem.

 

However, like humans, dogs haven't been on a wheat/rye oat/etc. heavy diet for long enough that all individuals have the genes to handle glutens efficiently. Individual dogs can have most all of the same adverse reactions to glutens (wheat proteins) that some humans do.

 

If your dog can handle glutens, and most can, there is no reason to avoid dog chow containing wheat any more than there is for you to avoid bread if you can handle that in your diet. Gluents are a good, cheap source of protein.

 

If your pet doesn't do well on a wheat heavy brand of chow. try switching to one that uses rice for a filler. The proteins found in rice don't seem to cause the diseases in humans and dogs caused by those found in wheat and related grains. I've noticed that many or most of the quality brands avoid using wheat as a filler.

 

As for particular brands, IMHO once you reach a high quality level, more expensive does not mean better. That said, there's no accounting for taste, in dogs as much as people. Let your companion try out several good quality brands and go with whichever he seems to enjoy the best. As long as he got a good diet, you wouldn't insist on picking out the exact flavor, say, of your child's ice cream. I would think we owe at least that much choice to our pets.

Edited July 26, 2018 by MsGuy

[rvwnsd]

I second the recommendation of Natural Balance. Their food is of excellent quality and kept my beloved cat Willy going for 21 years. The boys absolutely love it. When our new vet asked what I feed them and I told her she said enthusiastically "wow - that's great food"

 

Pro tip: Ask your pet supply store if they participate in the frequent buyer's program. I think the 12th bag is free.

[+ purplekow]

I use Norco Chicken and Rice. One can for each dog and then one cup of the same product as a dry. I usually microwave a chicken breast and they each get 1/3 of a breast a night. Few treats. I have had large dogs and I have been lucky enough to have 7 or the 9 live into the teen years. Right now I have two labs that are 12 and a pit mix that is 3. They are all doing well. All rescues I might add. I hope your local pet store is not selling puppy mill puppies. If not, I agree that local pet stores are great fun especially if they have a large number of fish tanks.