Dog Food Recommendations?

[Evil Queen]

As you know, I have a precious puppy; Carmen. (see picture attached!)
She's a part chowchow, part german shepard (I think part Pit, look at the shape of her head!). Honestly, I have no idea what she is. I just know she's approximately 35-40 lbs, red/brown and adorable! EDIT: The vet thinks she may be about 3 years old.

But I don't like the dog food she's on. Right now it's down to the last couple days worth of kibble (Old Roy version of Kibbles and Bits). Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of Specialty Dog Food in tiny little Socorro, NM. So, my dog loving companions, I ask you what you feed your dog and what you would recommend for my precious puppy.

Previously I fed my old dog Beneful. KC loved that stuff. I don't know how Carmen would feel about it.




On a side note; my parents and RW keeps feeding her hot dogs! Granted, it's 100% all beef hot dogs but still hot dogs. I don't want them to feed her hot dogs (they have fed her up to 4 of them a day! WTHECK?!?). I want "people food" to be considered a treat when she's being a very very good girl.

HELP ME! Please?

[Whiskey]

http://www.naturapet.com/ Any of these brands. I feed my animals Evo.

[Mishi]

Ours are on Purina Bonnie - Working Breed, I don't know if it's available over there. It's the only one that hasn't upset their tummies and Danny's finally in 'normal' condition rather than 'thin'.

[MaggieTheCat]

A couple of things about pet food in general. Always check the ingredient list. If the first thing listed is not a meat (for instance, if it's some kind of grain like corn) it's trash (too much filler.) If any of the first couple of ingredients are any kind of meat "by-product", it's trash ("by-products" are all the things that you wouldn't eat -- like chicken beaks and talons.) If salt is within the first 5 to 10 ingredients, it's trash (too much salt is bad, they only add it in for flavor but if they can't get flavor if the food won't taste good to the animal otherwise.)

Preferably, you want a food that has meat or meat meals listed as at least the first 2-3 ingredients. If there are any grains, it should be something high quality like brown rice or oatmeal (corn is horrible for pets, it's just filler and does nothing nutrient-wise.) It's always a good sign if there are a few (or more) fruits/veggies listed.

Here's a site that goes into much more detail as to what to look for and what to avoid, and why: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index....betterproducts

Personally, we feed the cats Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. I know there's a canine variety, too. You don't necessarily need to look for specific brands, though, if you learn how to read labels.

[Whiskey]

^ the link I posted is one of the best brands of food for animals. More expensive, yes. But its more expensive to eat meat than ramen noodles too. Most mainstream "grocery store" brands are TERRIBLE for animals. You'll pay for it later in vet bills.

I'm switching my two pigs to Wellness which, while Evo is still great food, is a lot better.

[Evil Queen]

I've been advised by a friend of mine (who is an avid dog lover) that I should feed Carmen a Raw Diet. Real meat with some veggies. I know she would like a diet like that. I'm strongly considering it.

Does anyone here feed their dogs a Raw Diet?

[draggar]

The pet food recall a few years ago made us re-think our feeding strategy. We feed our dogs 2-3 foods at a time and mix them so if there's an issue with one food, we can swap with few digestive issues.

We mainly feed Taste of the Wild, though.

As for raw, we don't feed 100% but once a week our dogs get chicken backs (and they love it). Talk to your grocery store's meat department about it. Just rinse them off in hot water (as if you were going to prepare for yourself) and serve it to them like that.

Zorro is about your dog's size and he gets 3-4 backs (depending on his weight and how much he's working). These are "half backs" (just 1/2 the back - some butcher shops will also sell backs but it's both halves as well as a neck - I'd say just one of these, if you have room in a large freezer, get a 40 pound box of them (about 35-40 backs), it'll be a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

It also helps keep their teeth clean.

[ravevolution]

My dogs eat Science Diet kibble. One is a puppy and the other is an adult one for my older dog who is slightly overweight. Does wonders for their coat and health. I also once a week will feed them boiled chicken breasts and rice

[Evil Queen]

It also helps keep their teeth clean.

Surprisingly, Carmen's teeth are very clean. I sometimes give her a rawhide chew or dried Pig Ear as a treat. She loves those things. Hates the Denta-bone things.

Science Diet was another dog food I considered until I began reading about all the recent Dog Food Recalls. Man, it's a HUGE list!

[ravevolution]

Surprisingly, Carmen's teeth are very clean. I sometimes give her a rawhide chew or dried Pig Ear as a treat. She loves those things. Hates the Denta-bone things.

Science Diet was another dog food I considered until I began reading about all the recent Dog Food Recalls. Man, it's a HUGE list!

I do give my dogs those 'Greenies' and they go nuts, freshens their breath and keeps teeth clean.

Rawhides are not always good on some dogs and their age, since there is the possibility they might not chew them thoroughly and have a upset stomach.

The Science Diet is what was recommended by the local pet store lady (were talking local not chain like petsmart) and well since they are very knowledgeable and their food items are fresh they told me about things like recalls and so on

I don't give them wet food cause well it makes their poop like . . . you get the idea

[MaggieTheCat]

Just rinse them off in hot water (as if you were going to prepare for yourself) and serve it to them like that.

Sort of off topic (sorry) but you actually aren't supposed to rinse chicken or any other kind of meat prior to preparing it, at least not if you're going to cook it (talking about preparing meat for human consumption here.)

"The United States Department of Agriculture advises against the practice of rinsing poultry or meat before cooking it. The problem is that when you rinse raw chicken, you’re allowing the bacteria that is present on the surface of the poultry to spread to everything else that’s nearby — including sink and counter surfaces, kitchen utensils and any other foods that might be within spattering range of the rinsing water.

And as the USDA also points out, any bacteria present on the chicken’s surface will be destroyed if you cook the poultry properly and thoroughly."

http://www.stilltasty.com/questions/index/23

[jedimaster91]

I've had great results from Purina Pro Plan and Purina One for my dogs. Both Ziggy and Tag have shiny coats, are a healthy weight, and have lots (LOTS) of energy. I do feed them wet food mixed with their regular kibble for special occasions. Personally, I don't like Science Diet. I think it smells bad. That's what our humane society uses and I don't think Tag liked it either.

Definitely check the label of whatever food you end up buying. There was some great advice from someone else about what to look for.

[Whiskey]

"The United States Department of Agriculture advises against the practice of rinsing poultry or meat before cooking it. The problem is that when you rinse raw chicken, you’re allowing the bacteria that is present on the surface of the poultry to spread to everything else that’s nearby — including sink and counter surfaces, kitchen utensils and any other foods that might be within spattering range of the rinsing water.

The USDA doesn't see how meat is handled. Its disgusting. Compromise and bleach everything afterwards. Ick

[Mr. Rager!]

I feed all of my animals Blue Buffalo. It's a Holistic food. All animals have been doing very well on it too. (2 cats and a dog)