I am a Vet Tech and in our clinic we sell Science Diet. I do not use that. So of course everybody that works there bashes on me because i’m not feeding “the best”
But what is the best???
I read through some of the “resolved” questions about which pet food is best for your pet but found mixed results. I thought Science Diet, along with Eukanuba and Iams were among the top dog food brands. But on YA I discovered some people say they are bad!
I did some research on the internet and found that Innova, Nutra Max were rated the highest.
I personally feed Iams, and my dogs do great on it.
I have Aussies, Corgis, Daschunds, and Border Collies. So I have a variety of sizes and weights.. all vary in age also.
So my question for everyone on YA is…
What is the best dog food out there? Dry and Canned…(in your opinion of course)
Stories about you and your pets are always welcome. I love to read about them! Good and Bad.
I was feeding Pedigree but my dogs stool was ALWAYS soft if not runny. –Reason for the switched to Iams.
I couldnt remember the name of the dog food I was thinking about but someone mentioned Nutro Max.
When I go to Petsmart they ALWAYS give me samples of this. And a different one for every dog I have! One for puppies, shiny coats, & seniors!!!
Anways, I was considering switchin to this. The samples i let them eat… they liked!!!
Some dogs, one aussie and my dachshund, get canned food. I feed them Alpo.
Also i wanted to add that my dogs have free choice of food. They aren’t fed morning noon and night (except my puppies- im a breeder- experienced and my dogs are papered… just to clear that up!)
I was sort of looking for a balanced meal for all of them. Even if it means cooking it. I actually wouldn’t mind cooking my dogs food. I’m sure it would be better for them… but I have no idea where to start!!!!
Thanks for all the answers soo far… they are great!!!
Just because I’m a Vet Tech I shouldn’t feed Alpo? That doesn’t make alot of sense to me!!!!
Well you sat and told me what I am doing wrong… but you didn’t give me any suggestions on what to change it to.
Did you get on here to bash me or to help me… personally I am looking for suggestions…
And the bottom of my list of “bad dog foods” is Ol’Roy… expecially the canned food. Almost every can of it was recalled…
(And no in vet (tech) school we didn’t open up a can of Alpo and find blood vessels in it… sorry for lack of experience!!!)
Asked by:Dara P
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The best would be any organic brand produced without using pesticides or just make your own it is very simple and way better for your dogs.
Eukanuba, Iams and Science Diet(I Think) were on the pet food recall list. We would’t feed our dogs any of it. We feed Pedigree and Alpo soft and I forget what the hard food is, Purina One I think. We have two rotties, a standard poodle, a miniature schnauzer and a tiny Chihuahua(A 10 week old kitten was as big as him). So we also have mixed sizes.
My dog does great on Canidae.
Wellness, Artemis, Innova, and California Natural are the best. All have websites.
Iams treats their test dogs VERY BADLY. Animal abuse!!!
Don’t support them by buying their products.
Science Diet is garbage. They pay vets to endorse and recommend it.
Read “Foods Pets Die For” by Ann N. Martin for all the gruesome details. You will be shocked and amazed.
Purina is also bad.
From what I understand you want a food that mostly contains meat and very few grains. Dry food is better for the teeth and encourages water consumption so I prefer it over canned. Do not get food with corn, its the most difficult grain for dogs to digest. Rice is easier on the digestive system, but avoid it as much as possible. Also look for fresh fruit and whole vegetables in your dog food about half way down the list. I personaly went to 6 different stores, pet stores included and compared dog food brands. The best I could find in my area was chicken soup for the dog lovers soul. The first 4 ingrediants are meat, no by products, and all natural homeopathic ingrediants.
If I could find Canidae I would feed my dogs that because it is so highly recommended, however, choices in my area are limited.
Raw meat is always best.
i feed my pup nutromax dry. he occassionally gets wet food, as a treat. i also like to give him those natural balance meat stick things once a week instead of the dry food. this is what i’m talking about:
this the nutro max that i feed him as well:
i don’t like science diet or Iams since it still has byproduct-products in it.
my pup has done very well on nutromax and i even feed my cats natural balance dry cat food.
best of luck in making a decision. =)
i`ve a mini-dachshund and she is spoiled rotton i feed her Purina dry and canned she does real well on it//i know it is best to not change their food but on occasion Daisy-Mae will not eat unless you change then i feed her Alpo canned(shes picky)
When I lived in the states, I fed my dogs Wellness. Since you didn’t mention it, I’m not sure it’s still around, but it was truly the best manufactured dog food without a doubt.
Now, I live in Jamaica and make dog food from scratch, every couple of weeks, freezing a good portion of it. I start with chicken back and simmer it until the bones are soft. I add grains (rice, oats, corns, whatever I have around) and veggies (carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, etc.). I mash everything real well with a potato masher, put it in containers, and there you have it. My dogs love it. I’ve raised four pups on it. Most Jamaicans just use chicken back with cornmeal, but I like to give mine a more complete diet. I also throw them some raw eggs which they slurp up, eating the shell and all. They are very happy, healthy dogs!
Any dog food that is more meat then corn,wheat,fillers, etc.
I think that raw meat is best, but there are dry and canned foods out there that are second best.
the best foods for a dog is the ones that don’t contain By-products, corn, wheat and fillers
The foods I highly recommend are…
Wellness, Core
Innova, Evo
Eagle pack holistic select
Merrick
Canidae
Sorry but “Nutro” is NOT a good food. It used to be at one time but not anymore.
Here is a chart on how to grade the dog foods that are on the market…
How to grade your dog’s food:
Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of “by-product”, subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source (“meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, “brewer’s rice”, “rice flour” are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein source, but “chicken” and “” as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D
I feed my dog Nutro Ultra, and I’ve also used Avoderm and am interested in Blue. They’re all holistic and don’t contain wheat, soy, or corn which can all cause allergies in dogs. I tend to stay away from the “grocery store” brands just because they do tend to contain wheat, and I feel better feeding my dog something of a better quality.
As someone once told me, always read the ingredients. If it isn’t something you would eat, why would you want to feed it to your pet? In fact, she went as far as to tell me to read the labels and pick the one I would eat if I was trapped in the store. I’ve never personally tried any of her food, but it sounded like a reasonable suggestion!
As far as dry vs. canned, I prefer dry. Not only is it more cost effective, I think I heard that it’s better for their digestive system. Personally, I think canned should be saved for special occasions or for when they have trouble chewing the dry stuff. Also, as I’m sure you know, it was mainly wet food that was implicated in the dog food recall, particularly the brands sold in pouches.
I’m kind of surprised that a vet tech feeds Alpo.When I was in tech school we actually emptied out a can of Alpo & sorted thru it only to find whole intact vessels & tendons.Alpo is at the very bottom of my list only thing worse would be a white bag that reads DOG FOOD.With pet foods you get what you pay for (unless your cooking for your dog) so cough up the extra dough & please for your dogs sake NO MORE ALPO!
Iams is certainly better than Science Diet. Just look at the first ingredient listed on both packages! A big difference for sure!
I feed my performance/show dogs mainly cooked meats in a home-cooked diet. I do not agree with feeding dogs raw, but rather healthy, cooked meats.
But when I have to feed kibble, I love everything from Merrick. That brand is perfect.