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Dry food brands?

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B

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
hi, getting a puppy soon and i'm curious as to what to feed him.

i've read that a lot of the commercial brands have inexcusable ingredients such as meal from rendering plants and things dogs can't digest like corn, certain grains, ect.

i've heard the more expensive brands like Royal Canin are really good for dogs, because they provide balanced nutrition without indigestible fillers, is this true?

i'm worried, probably as any owner would be, about the effects of these brands on my future pup's health, and would like recommendations on diet.

Two other questions: NuVet comes highly recommended from the breeder i'm buying from(respectable). i'm curious as to others thoughts on this supplement.

lastly, i've heard to keep dogs on puppy chow for their first year, is this correct?

Thanks!:)
 
ZAYDA

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#2 ·
Yes most kibble suck and yes there are some good quality kibble but most people make their decision on what they can afford and what is available near by unless you don't have a problem ordering on line like I do. You need to read other posts because their is TONS of info on kibble.
 
atravis

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#5 · (Edited)
A few things-

"meal" in and of itself is not a horrible thing. Its the QUALITY of meal that makes the difference, and you always want it to be a named meat source. For instance, a food that uses "chicken meal" or "lamb meal" is generally using a high-quality ingredient. A food using "meat meal" or "by-product meal" or "poultry meal" is not.

Corn, wheat, and soy should be avoided at all cost in your dog's food. He is a carnivore, and while he CAN process a portion of those ingredients in a cooked form, his body is putting much more work into the digestion than he is getting back from what little nutrients they provide. In short, not worth it at all. Plus corn is one of the highest allergens in dogs.

COOKED grains are also digestible, can provide some nutrients, but on the whole not necessary. If you feed a grain-inclusive food, try to only look for ones that use things like brown rice or oatmeal, as they are generally consider higher quality and more nutrient dense than white rice.

Royal Canin is terrible, avoid if at all possible. Their "breed specific" formulas are nothing short of a joke, and for the ingredients they use, should be charging MUCH less for the food. Way overpriced for an inferior product.

Some people have differing opinions on puppy formulas, but I ABSOLUTELY recommend you stick to a puppy line for at least the first year of life. If not, be very careful to select an appropriate all-life-stages food with the correct calcium/phosphorus numbers. Your puppies food should have less that 1.5% calcium, and less than 1% phosphorous, else you run the risk of bone growth-spurts, which can be very painful for a puppy.

ETA:

I am not familiar with NuVet.

I am also not a fan of dogfoodanalysis.com. They are painfully out of date, and IMO prone to bias. They are also run by a Boxer forum, who while may have good options and are worth listening too, are hardly a "reputable" source. While not ideal, I still greatly prefer http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
 
Pattycakes

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#6 ·
My breeder gave me some samples of the NuVet when I picked up my puppy. I gave her the supplements until they ran out and never gave them to her after. My dog has a healthy coat, good drive, appetite is good, and she is very healthy. I might give her a supplement later on...but not right now. Nothing bad to say about.
 
A

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#7 ·
According to this site, kirkland got 110 (A+). I went woth kirkland because its $26 for 40lbs of food. Good reviews on the web, and high scores. Cheap price compared tp others, and I used to work for costco when I was younger. They really do focus on premium products.
 
sagelfn

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#8 ·
dogfoodproject.com is another site you may find helpful. It is important to learn why one food is seen as better than another. One day that brand may not be the same quality it once was like Iams, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, etc..

If you feed puppy food make sure you feed large breed puppy formulas

There are a ton of threads here on the subject. Check out this section Feeding Our Puppy - German Shepherd Dog Forums
 
A

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#9 ·
ChancetheGSD

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#11 ·
That little rating thing where you add and subtact for different ingredients is a bunch of BS. Seriously, taking points AWAY if the food has beef or lamb in it?!?!?! But ADDING points for oatmeal, barley (very common allergy trigger), fruits (Has very little use to dogs), veggies (Again, little use to dogs), probiotics (Which would be destroyed during the cooking process and therefore useless), glucosamine/chondriotin (No kibble contains enough to make a difference anyways), because it's recommended by vets (So is Iams, Eukanuba and Science Diet, all a bunch of CRAP) or adding points for SUNFLOWER OIL which can increase the risk of cancer?!?! They're got their stuff a bit backwards.
 
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S

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#14 ·
atravis said:
A few things-

"meal" in and of itself is not a horrible thing. Its the QUALITY of meal that makes the difference, and you always want it to be a named meat source. For instance, a food that uses "chicken meal" or "lamb meal" is generally using a high-quality ingredient. A food using "meat meal" or "by-product meal" or "poultry meal" is not.

Corn, wheat, and soy should be avoided at all cost in your dog's food. He is a carnivore, and while he CAN process a portion of those ingredients in a cooked form, his body is putting much more work into the digestion than he is getting back from what little nutrients they provide. In short, not worth it at all. Plus corn is one of the highest allergens in dogs.

COOKED grains are also digestible, can provide some nutrients, but on the whole not necessary. If you feed a grain-inclusive food, try to only look for ones that use things like brown rice or oatmeal, as they are generally consider higher quality and more nutrient dense than white rice.

Royal Canin is terrible, avoid if at all possible. Their "breed specific" formulas are nothing short of a joke, and for the ingredients they use, should be charging MUCH less for the food. Way overpriced for an inferior product.

Some people have differing opinions on puppy formulas, but I ABSOLUTELY recommend you stick to a puppy line for at least the first year of life. If not, be very careful to select an appropriate all-life-stages food with the correct calcium/phosphorus numbers. Your puppies food should have less that 1.5% calcium, and less than 1% phosphorous, else you run the risk of bone growth-spurts, which can be very painful for a puppy.

ETA:

I am not familiar with NuVet.

I am also not a fan of dogfoodanalysis.com. They are painfully out of date, and IMO prone to bias. They are also run by a Boxer forum, who while may have good options and are worth listening too, are hardly a "reputable" source. While not ideal, I still greatly prefer Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings
Click to expand...

Whatever you do don't take advice like this.
 
S

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#17 · (Edited)
bocron said:
I usually refer to the dogfoodadvisor.com and cross reference it with the Whole Dog Journals yearly listing.
Here's the latest from WDJ, copied from another site since I lost my copy.
BoxerTalk.org - 2010 Whole Dog Journal's Recommended DRY Food List
Click to expand...
The burden of proof is on you because you speak with such conviction, but I will educate you.

1) "Corn, wheat, and soy should be avoided at all cost in your dog's food. He is a carnivore, and while he CAN process a portion of those ingredients in a cooked form, his body is putting much more work into the digestion than he is getting back from what little nutrients they provide. In short, not worth it at all. Plus corn is one of the highest allergens in dogs"

Wheat and soy are in fact common allergens but they are much less likely to cause a reaction than Chicken, Beef, Eggs & Dairy. That is proven scientific fact, peer reviewed studies.

Corn is not in fact a common allergen, in fact Cornell & Penn have shown that rice and corn are equal. That is proven scientific fact, peer reviewed studies.

Overall only 10% of confirmed allergy cases have anything to do with diet at all.

2) "COOKED grains are also digestible, can provide some nutrients, but on the whole not necessary. If you feed a grain-inclusive food, try to only look for ones that use things like brown rice or oatmeal, as they are generally consider higher quality and more nutrient dense than white rice"

Brown rice and oats are fine ingredients but they are no where near the nutritional density of corn. All grains need to be gelatinized but once that is done the protein in corn is the easiest to assimilate and the starch is 99% digestible just like rice. In 2004 Cornell studied the cancer fighting power of common foods and it was found that corn has 3 times the compounds that fight cancer than broccoli. Roughly half the amount of corn can be used to acheive the same nutritional benenfit as rice or oats.

Corn has also been proven to keep blood insulin levels more stable, especially when compared to potatos.



You are right on dogfoodanalyis.com, see I am fair.
 
atravis

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#18 ·
Ha.... haha. Ok, now I get it.

If you want to be believe dogs are designed to digest corn, and that they ACTUALLY gain anything from eating it, then you go right on ahead believing. I don't need a peer reviewed studdy to tell my dog is a CARNIVORE, with the digestive tract of a CARNIVORE, designed to process meat, not corn or grains.

Dogs have survived thousands of years WITHOUT processed corn meals and glutens in their diets. The very fact that the corn absolutely MUST be cooked in order for them to gain anything at all from it, is proof enough of that. I don't see many wild dogs cooking their food, but maybe I'm missing out on something here.

I'll stick to raw, thanks, minus the corn. I suggest anyone else feeding their dog, kibble or otherwise, do the same.
 
LaRen616

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#19 ·
I personally would not feed corn and wheat and what not.

But I do recommend Solid Gold Wolf Cub (even though it is not grainless)for large breed puppies and IMO they should be on it until they are a year old and then you can make the switch.
 
LaRen616

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#20 ·
atravis said:
Ha.... haha. Ok, now I get it.

If you want to be believe dogs are designed to digest corn, and that they ACTUALLY gain anything from eating it, then you go right on ahead believing. I don't need a peer reviewed studdy to tell my dog is a CARNIVORE, with the digestive tract of a CARNIVORE, designed to process meat, not corn or grains.

Dogs have survived thousands of years WITHOUT processed corn meals and glutens in their diets. The very fact that the corn absolutely MUST be cooked in order for them to gain anything at all from it, is proof enough of that. I don't see many wild dogs cooking their food, but maybe I'm missing out on something here.

I'll stick to raw, thanks, minus the corn. I suggest anyone else feeding their dog, kibble or otherwise, do the same.
Click to expand...
:thumbup:
 
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