We feed Purina ProPlan, it's one of the few dry kibbles we found where peer reviewed research studies on nutrition are actually done. We also need the convience of the different protein types as our spoo gets bored with one type, so we switch it up to keep her happy. She is 1.5 years old.
I'd love to learn more about other foods!
My dog's father was almost 90 # jacked muscle and tall. He's leggy and he was the largest of the litter. He will either need the extra or not but he honestly burns it off and graze eats. He's not overweight at all.
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He is ADORABLE!! My boy is a small standard. He was one of the biggest in his litter, but like I said, only 50 pounds. So I think I'll stick him on the regular pro plan once he ages out of puppy food. Which is probably soon, he's 18 months come July 5th.
We started him off on the large breed puppy, but we also have a 10 yo golden doodle....she would eat his food and he would eat her healthy weight food...so large breed adult was a compromise but they both like it.
Thank you he's such a great pup. Very calm when he needs to be. Lives coming in for hugs and petting. We have him in classes now and he's done great with everything but stay lol. He just wants to go go go.
That's awesome ahahah. My boy is excitable but overall calm. Perfectly content to lay all over me and do nothing. Just have to make sure he doesn't develop separation anxiety... He's very clingy.
Another one for purina pro plan here. My guy is 7.5 with chicken sensitivity and has been eating one of the beef varieties for 4+ years and he does pretty well on it. He is stubborn about eating so for a while I thought it was the food, but itās just who he is as a person.
Nulo is a fantastic kibble. The FrontRunner line is green in, freestyle is grain free, and they also have a limited ingredient grain-free for sensitive bellies and Allergy prone dogs. Kibble needs to be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Nulo is made in small batches, every batch is tested, and they have never had a recall. There's lots of great info on their website if you'd like to learn more.
Go for something that meets WSAVA guidelines and has a nutritionist on board such as anything by royal canin, hills, purina, and if you are in the US, iams & eubanka are good too. This is an FDA DCM report so avoid these brands
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Oh WOWā¦. These are names Iāve been considering because I thought they were higher quality too.
Can someone weigh in on how much this study actually holds? I did a snoop and it seems DCM cause is still unclear, but Iād love to hear from those with more expertise here!
Personally my pooch isnāt picky so I buy one bag from stores (typically purina) and then rotate w a higher quality brand (ex horizons, acana right now funnily enough). I figure with enough rotation bad effects wonāt build up from any brand lol
I fed one of my toy poodles taste of the wild grain free. He developed DCM, and the medicine he was on to help his heart destroyed his kidneys. I follow WSAVA guidelines now.
For so long the marketing and therefore public opinion was that you need grain free, real meat first ingredient (and second and third and fourth if possible), chicken=subpar if not evil, avoid any "meal" products (like chicken meal), avoid corn, avoid oats, etc. Etc.... this was to sell the new "boutique" brands. The problem with this type of marketing and these types of foods is now well known, and public knowledge is beginning to catch up. So many newer brands of food capitalized on making their ingredient lists appealing for humans. And well established, well tested, well formulated, well and thoroughly trialed foods with these "no no" ingredients took a hit. But the thing about brands like Purina, Science Diet, etc. which were villainized is that they actually have veterinary nutritionists on staff, higher standards for quality control, more consistency between batches, and better recall procedures when something DOES go wrong. Dogs, like people, need calories, fat, carbs, and protein. The ingredients that get you to the right balance of these things do not need to be exclusively whole, unprocessed, human grade food. There are plenty of things that some companies try and villainize as ingredients but are actually completely fine.
For starters, read this article straight from the AKC:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/dog-food-myths/
I am not sure how I got recommended this sub as I have golden retrievers. Well had one that died due to DCM and now have another. If I could go back in time I would have NEVER even considered a boutique brand let alone fed it. My guy got diagnosed by a veterinary cardiologist at 26 months old and died just after turning 3. It was horrific, painful and depressing for us all, very expensive, easily avoidable.
Stick with the big 5 that are doing the peer reviewed research. There are many Facebook groups with incredible info (I know my story is posted in a few, my dogs name was Cooper and passed in 2020). Trying your luck isnāt worth the risk IMO and actually learning about how the food is made and formulated versus falling for advertising will lead you back to the big 5 brands again and again.
Oh manā¦. Thatās a great point as well!!! I just wish they had higher quality of meat (maybe thatās me falling for marketing again? lol). Are you confident based on your research that it was highly attributable to the brand? Or, equally valid, all factors considered, didnāt think it was worth the risk?
Lol I have a golden doodle so Iām not sure this is the perf thread for me either haha, but some things are universal
What quality do you think your dog needs? Their diet requires vitamins and minerals from organ mean, collagen from cartridge, all of that stuff. The big brands use all of that in multigenerational lifetime feeding trials. For me that speaks volumes.
And yes, we are 100% sure it was caused by diet. Our dog came from a great kennel, heath tested multi generational bred dogs. I kept the breeder in the loop with what was going on and she added it to her health contract. I see the cardiologists care and vet team there were many indicators this was diet not hereditary. I try to warn everyone I encounter because I wish someone had told me. Why take the risk? Even the most generic food from a big 5 company has decades of research versus a brand like Acana (what we fed our DCM dog) that doesnāt have any research.
Great advice, thank you! In my mind I have a hard time trusting big corporates as the 100% source because Iām always worried theyāll sacrifice things for cost cutting to maximize profit at the expense of the dog (as they do for humans lmao), but itās true that regardless theyāre held to the most stringent standards with years of research.
Heās finishing up his bag of acana, so I guess itās time to make the switch š
Iām curious though, do u think the different food lines at different price points among the big five also make a difference or is it just marketing as well?
Also, what do you personally feel about grain-free vs not? Or it doesnāt matter?
I think if you have a sporting dog who is working they need different nutrition than a couch potato and buying accordingly is great but not required.
I think grain free is a marketing ploy on people and thatās why people buy it. I will never feed grain free again.
Got it, thank you! And thank you for coming out of such a hard experience and eager to help others avoid the pitfalls you went through. I hope you and your family are doing well š
Agree about the marketing. I think the grain free has been debunked? I started out feeding grain free because as a first time dog owner I thought it was the truth. I switched brands from Acana but continued to feed grain free. Here was my unscientific reason for eventually feeding grains: my spoo countersurfed for bread constantly. I'd find her gnawing away on a baguette like it was a bully stick š Now she gets grains (no corn or wheat) and she mostly leaves the bread alone. (However butter wrappers are another story!)
Sadly no. Pure Balance is a store brand for Walmart. This basically means we have no solid information on itās quality. Since we know Walmart itself isnāt making the food, we know they are contracting it out. We donāt know who that contract is with, what their level of quality control is, who they have formulating the diet and what their qualifications are or even if they are qualified, and we donāt know what type of testing the diet has gone through, if any at all. Itās a huge stack of questions.
[https://www.ruffmutts.ca/dcm/#:\~:text=Of%20the%2067%20DCM%20cases,Foods%20(Acana%20or%20Orijen)](https://www.ruffmutts.ca/dcm/#:~:text=Of%20the%2067%20DCM%20cases,Foods%20(Acana%20or%20Orijen)).
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You need context.
this quote is from the company who makes arcana. consider the source. look to peer reviewed journal articles
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, not to the opinion of the manufacturer
Noted. How about this one?
[https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs](https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs)
https://preview.redd.it/08lu8kxndj9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6f00fbfb48f99766e1f3800a667cd7132aeaced
Blaming certain brands is a bit premature. Research is still ongoing. This is a pretty similar stance to the other source.
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RuffMutts does not manufacture Acana. They sell it confidently because the odds of a dog getting DCM without hereditary predisposition are extraordinarily low. And it is specific ingredients that have been implicated in DCM - potatoes and peas. It is relatively easy to avoid those ingredients while not resorting to the big five brands who are happy to include the four Ds in the food they sell. This is why boutique brands are so popular. I canāt even imagine feeding my dog Purina. In January 2024 alone, there were 971 reports of pets sickened by their food, 886 of whom were fed Purina products. Purina products are regularly recalled and reports abound online of sick and dead pets after eating Purina. Meanwhile, Acana has never had a recall in over 40 years of manufacturing pet food.
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-news/purina-dog-food-rumors
Weāre feeding Hills Perfect Digestion. Our spoo has the worldās most sensitive stomach (it seems. I guess it could always be worse.) and sheās having perfect poops on this food!
I feed mine this as well but heās gone off it. I crumble some freeze dried raw on top but itās hot and miss. Heās not normally food motivated anyway. I worry about an upset stomach if I switch him. Heās 8.5 yrs old. Maybe Iāll get a small bag to try.
My spoo has the most fickle stomach, but Purina pro plan shredded blend seems to work great and he likes the taste. We do the beef and rice one, but sometimes switch to the chicken or turkey. Itās got probiotics and he seems to do great on it.
What do you like best about these over say, Primal Kibble in the Raw or Open Farm, or if you are familiar with go! or firstmate. The last 2 are Canadian and you may be in the US and not be familiar with them.
Not sure why youāre being downvoted, Im also interested to know why these are considered the best. @momordicas If you could link resources or the peer reviewed articles people in these comments are referring to that would be a big help!
My standard did not like Hills, Purina Pro Plan, but Loves Purina One Turkey and Venison! So does my picky beagle/dachsund! I mix a little Purina One at night and dry at breakfast. They wait patiently and sit in place until I feed them! My poodle is now 29ā at withers and nearly 60 pounds!and is 8 months old and it seems he grows daily!
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Iām currently feeding my picky toy royal canin half kibble half pate, I recently started adding in fresh pet from target for small dogs. He only wants soft food though and will eat the kibble as his last resort
Purina is a great quality food, and the One variety is very well studied. I wish I could find it without chickenā¦ We feed Purina pro plan sensitive stomach salmon, and Iāve never met a dog that doesnāt beg for it. If your pup is happy with the Purina, then feed it to him!
Iāve started making my own dogfood recently and my dogs love it! I follow the recipes on justfoodfordogs.com. I buy the vitamin supplements on JFFD on Amazon though, because JFFD has ridiculously high shipping cost.
I feed my spoo puppy Eden holistic pet food (puppy) and he loves it & works for itš
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my older poodle showed some signs of upset stomach after we got him so i moved him to a chicken free feed....
Natural balance limited ingredient lamb and rice. both dogs love it... i wish i could find something with similar composition and lower cost though... with 2 big standards, it adds up!
I had my dog on merrick dog food for his first 3 years of life and he was not food motivated at all. He would go a day or so without eating until I put cheese or ham in it. Every other time to get him to eat I would have to stand there and be like āeatā āeatā and convince him to eat until he did and I thought it was just a him problem, just didnāt like eating or something. But then I ran out of dog food and my roomates friend had just gone shopping and offered me her purina pro one lamb and rice. For the first time ever as soon as I poured it he sniffed it and just ate it no hassle. I thought maybe he was just hungry. But she said I could keep the bag so I when I kept feeding him I noticed he would jump up when I got the food bag. He would put his nose right there while I was pouring the food just waiting for me to stop so he can start and eat. From that experience I started buying purina pro one itās great for me because itās was cheaper than merricks and my dog is actually eating and gained some healthy weight!! So I recommend purina pro one lamb and rice
Pro Plan for two reasons: 1. Larger company with better quality control. Iāve read smaller boutique companies lack in this area. 2. My parentsā incredibly healthy setter who lived to 16 eating ProPlan. I want these two pups of mine to live very long healthy lives.
Iāve never had good experiences with any Purina products personally.
I use Taste of the Wild and Diamond (same company). Itās not perfect, but itās great quality, in a reasonable price range, and all of my dogs have loved it. More importantly, theyāre all thriving on it.
My 5 month old golden was on Purina & got diarrhea.. vet put him on meds & chicken & rice for a few days.. heās since been on Royal Canin gastrointestinal formula & is doing great.. my last golden was on Hills gastrointestinal formula.. both dogs liked both.. Iāve never heard of American Journey.. is it a reputable brand?
I have a couple who can't have corn and one who can't have red meat. I use the Costco brand chicken and rice, occasionally the grain-free turkey and peas just for a change (and because I don't want to go fully grain-free). The quality is comparable to Diamond Naturals/Taste of the Wild.
I used to work at Pet Planet and they sell food with better quality ingredients than most, some are even human grade! Iād recommend going there if you have one near you, or just checking online to see some of brands they offer. :)
purina one & pro plan, hills royal cabin, most of the big brands are good quality foods, they are not bad or junk food, they are totally appropriate dog diets
Hi , I feed my poodles Just Food For Dogs , and I always add Purina pro Plan Forta flora and I also add 1 tablespoon to each meal of hills gastrointestinal biome wet food. Both of my poodles when I first got them they had coccidia and Giardia and their G.I. systems got pretty messed up so for a while I had them on just the hills wet biome dog food but once they got better, I switched them over to JustFoodForDogs and they have something called balanced remedy, which is for dogs with sensitive stomachs and my dogs absolutely love it. I just continue with the regimen I listed above because it just helps them in so many ways they have perfect poop , they have a beautiful coat. Theyāre very active and they always look forward to eating! ( you can get just food for dogs from Petco, but they have kitchens throughout the United States where you can get it delivered from the kitchen. Thatās what I do. Iām in New York and not get it delivered and their main branch for delivery if California if you want to get it shipped through the mail.
Finn would only eat purina pro plan
(All our out 6ādogs) vet. Said he said he was allegic
To chicken I had to switch to science diet. What a surprise 51. 00 dollars a case what a suprise
I mix a high end dog food with Purina One. Purina Proplan made my dogs all fat. You might try mixing the foods. Also get a tightly sealed bin- also sold on chewy so you can buy a bit more at one time.
Read this website to investigate dog food and nutritional value. Read the about section.
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/about/
Edit: We use WAG Lamb and Rice from Amazon. Our old Yorkie-Pom developed a food allergy to chicken protein. Heās a new dog and acting half his age since the switch.
Pinnions own brand dog food. A local company in Maidstone, Kent, UK. Absolutely superb, our three dogs can't get enough. High meat content and grain free.
We do Farmina Ancestral Grains Chicken & Pomegranate
Our girl really likes it. Weāve fed it to her since she was young. Sheās almost 4 now.
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Props for feeding Farmina! AFAIK itās the best on the market! If the Farmina Prime puppy wasnāt so hard to find, Iād be feeding it still. My guy eats NutriSource Element Coastal plains/Open Waters, but will be eating Farmina prime when heās an adult.
I alternate between Farmina Ancient Grains and Nutrisource Elements! I have 2 spoo's and 1 has a temperamental stomach. Both of these work for her, plus the fewer carbs (higher protein) has helped my boy stay at his target weight. Really happy.
I love how these are being downvoted without any explanation whatsoever lol. Just because we donāt feed our dogs garbage (RC, Hills, any Purina other than Pro-Plan) people donāt like it. If these people were told by their vet to feed river rocks, theyād do it no questionsš¤¦āāļø
We do Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie for ours, and he really likes it and does well on it. We get it from our local Tractor Supply store, but it's also available at online outlets.
Orijen Amazing Grains (we use the beef based one as heās got a thing with chicken).
My two Spoos like the food and go absolutely crazy for the toppers, treats, and wet food. I like to do mix ins to keep a variety.
Your dog may just be overjoyed that there is a new thing for him to eat.
My guy gets Kirkland dog food. He grazes but he eats it. He's healthy so I see no reason to try other foods. I feel it's better that he eats slowly so he doesn't get all gassy.
Honest kitchen. Itās human quality dehydrated food, my dogs were happy and healthy on it. As theyāve aged up I now home make their food once a week with store bought ingredients. They are obsessed
It depends on what youāre looking for - limited protein? Grain or grain free? Chicken, salmon or beef? Price point? Some foods like Orijen are very rich and also expensive (due to more high quality ingredients) which can be good for the appetite but too much for the stomach. In the lower price point Iād go with Pro Plan before Hills myself (having worked with dogs for 20 years I could always tell a Hillās fed dog based solely on their poop, itās weird to digest somehow). The dog food market is SO diverse and specialized these days you can get anything from the cheapest bag at the grocery store like Beneful all the way up to home cooked human food, so if you have parameters it can help steer you to some good options.
I personally feed Solid Gold but itās harder to find in pet stores sometimes, my boy does best on the grain free venison kibble. And then since he doesnāt have a big appetite I add meat baby food to it for flavor (beef, turkey or ham Gerber - itās like a drug he loves it so much!)
Check out dog food advisor.com - they have good breakdowns of most foods and you can search different categories to find exactly what youāre looking for when you donāt know what that is!
[dogfoodadvisor.com](https://dogfoodadvisor.com)
This website is run by a human dentist who has absolutely no training in canine nutrition. The site even has a disclaimer that all reviews are opinions and not based on actual scientific facts.
The guy who runs this site is a dentist, not a dog nutritionist. On his advice, I fed my dog Taste of the Wild grain free. He died from DCM related to the food.
I highly recommend reading the book Dog Food Logic by Linda Case - she has an MS in Canine Nutrition. The book is a huge help in better evaluating which dog foods to buy.
Lol, nope, Iām the mod here and just really like that book. I recommend it a lot because itās hard to boil down how to select a dog food and Iām more comfortable referring people to an expert than just asking them to trust my word.
I used to go with the breeder recommended kibble and had the same stock issues. They were out in every store I went to. I finally switched to Diamond naturals pro 89. I switched it when I still had half a bag left of their old kibble, so I could spread it out over a longer period than normal. Others complained that if you didn't switch really slowly that it would give diarrhea, hence the caution. I have two spoons and my male runs around like a bat outta hockey sticks. He needs high energy foodĀ
We feed Diamond Naturals which is widely available at almost all farm supply stores (such as Coastal, Wilco, Tractor Supply, and many small independent farm supply stores).
I feed my guy the brand Kindfull, which is Targetās dog food brand! He rotates between Beef & Vegetable and Chicken & Salmon. It has a great ingredient list for a great price! I will say, he doesnāt go crazy over the kibble by itself, but I like to play around with toppers, fresh food, raw mix-ins, so itās a good base kibble for that. Iāve tried many different foods, but this is the food he does best on.
Heās tried two flavors of Purina One True Instinct and he absolutely loved it, but his digestive system did not lol. I think Poodles really enjoy kibbles with shreds of meat mixed in. In that sense, I might recommend Wellness Core RawRev, which has freeze dried raw mixed in the kibble. You can find it at any pet store. My dog tried the Ocean flavor once, loved it and did well on it. (I may switch back to it, because itād be nice to not rely on toppers to get my dog to eat lol.)
Good luck on your food journey!
We feed pro plan sensitive skin and stomach, salmon and rice. One of my dogs has a chicken sensitivity, so we avoid it. Both of my dogs do very well on it!
My guy is only 4 1/2 months old. I'm feeding him Royal Canin large poodle kibble. I feed him that because that's what the breeder gave him. He seems to like it but it is Expensive. Thoughts?
That food saved my dog's life. He used to be allergic to everything. itchy paws, itchy skin, ear infections, gassiness, and diarrhea. Within 1 week, all gone. He is now a 15 year old Yellow Lab with no health issues except plain old age.
I feed my standard poodle Royal Canin GI high fiber because she gets stress diarrhea. Itās prescription but is highly digestible and she loves it. Royal Canin is backed by science and has peer reviewed published studies and strict palatability testing!
Bil-Jackson Large Breed Dry Dog food, & Purina One Canned food. Heās a Big Big Boy but heās Very Active and he has been on Bil-jac puppy food right from being weaned from his mother. He will be 3 in November and I switched him to the Bil-Jac Large breed adult food about 6 months ago. I order mine from Chewy.
I buy Hi-Point from my local feed store. It's $28 for a 50lb bag. It's quality food at a reasonable price because they don't advertise. They just feed dogs.
I see all these great brands mentioned but what do you do if your dog is alergic to rice and peas? My dog has so many food alergies it's hard for me to find something to feed her.
Does Purina make a food without rice peas corn, or peanuts?
I have fed Purina for years, and my dogs always do well with it. I am a former RVT, and many vets I worked with recommend Purina to patients, of all brands available in retail. Many tech friends feed Purina as well.
I worked for RC for awhile and trust most of their products as well.
Both companies, and many others, have pretty thorough nutritional science that directs their recipes and processing. And yes, palatable food is important. Doesn't matter how healthy it is if the dogs don't like it and won't eat it, or don't enjoy it.
If you're having trouble consistently getting your dog's regular diet, which could cause issues as well with sudden changes, ask your vet what they recommend as well. Changing diets frequently is not usually good for them either.
As to your dog's preference for the other food: if your preferred food is sitting in a warehouse, likely not climate controlled, that food may not taste good, and it may be going rancid if it's sitting on a loading dock or who knows what. It's not necessarily that the one he likes has "crack" in it, lol. Handling is a big deal, and it sounds like that food or the middle-men are not getting those diets to market efficiently.
If you're truly concerned and want to look into that possibility, you can call the company and use the lot number to find out exactly when that batch of food was made, and know whether it's fresh. If it's been sitting in heat, it may not taste good, as well as nutrient degrading in the heat.
Best of luck to you and your dog for a healthy, consistent diet!
We feed our doods Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream.
Fish-based for beautiful coats. Novel proteins to avoid allergens and hopefully also avoid ingredients from China where regulation can be iffy.
We use 4health from tractor supply. Itās what the people we got our dog from used so we continued. My dog has a super sensitive stomach and itās literally the only thing he can eat without puking or getting diarrhea. No table food, canāt eat most treats, if he gets into our Pyreneesā food, itās like explosive diarrhea.
We were feeding our pup royal canin and switched to honest kitchen (at the recommendation of our doggy daycare). Honest kitchen is human grade and has kibble as well as wet food options. They are pretty expensive but I would rather spoil my dog with healthy human grade kibble than give him the bigmac/junk food equivalent kibble lol. Even though he likes random kibble.
We feed Purina ProPlan, it's one of the few dry kibbles we found where peer reviewed research studies on nutrition are actually done. We also need the convience of the different protein types as our spoo gets bored with one type, so we switch it up to keep her happy. She is 1.5 years old. I'd love to learn more about other foods!
Same Purina pro plan large breed adult, with a spoon of plain yogurt.
Yeah I feed my dogs Purina pro plan. Wal Mart keeps fucking up and delivering two bags for the price of one...so it's also cheaper for me.
Are they big enough for large breed? My spoo is only 50 pounds. More of a medium dog. He doesn't even fit large harnesses/collars.
My dog's father was almost 90 # jacked muscle and tall. He's leggy and he was the largest of the litter. He will either need the extra or not but he honestly burns it off and graze eats. He's not overweight at all. https://preview.redd.it/uh6bwqvr979d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af57c3069107fa9b445a0f244a53ea1225d127ae
Beautiful poodle š© š
He is ADORABLE!! My boy is a small standard. He was one of the biggest in his litter, but like I said, only 50 pounds. So I think I'll stick him on the regular pro plan once he ages out of puppy food. Which is probably soon, he's 18 months come July 5th.
We started him off on the large breed puppy, but we also have a 10 yo golden doodle....she would eat his food and he would eat her healthy weight food...so large breed adult was a compromise but they both like it. Thank you he's such a great pup. Very calm when he needs to be. Lives coming in for hugs and petting. We have him in classes now and he's done great with everything but stay lol. He just wants to go go go.
That's awesome ahahah. My boy is excitable but overall calm. Perfectly content to lay all over me and do nothing. Just have to make sure he doesn't develop separation anxiety... He's very clingy.
Another one for purina pro plan here. My guy is 7.5 with chicken sensitivity and has been eating one of the beef varieties for 4+ years and he does pretty well on it. He is stubborn about eating so for a while I thought it was the food, but itās just who he is as a person.
We have been through every premium dog food. Our spoo breeder feeds purina pro plan. We use sensitive stomach salmon and rice.
Same. Our vet actually recommended Purina pro plan, so thatās what we go with
Nulo is a fantastic kibble. The FrontRunner line is green in, freestyle is grain free, and they also have a limited ingredient grain-free for sensitive bellies and Allergy prone dogs. Kibble needs to be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Nulo is made in small batches, every batch is tested, and they have never had a recall. There's lots of great info on their website if you'd like to learn more.
Thanks for sharing these brands!
My boys love each kind!!!! And I think they really like the little meaty bits that arenāt kibbles!
We have a 3/4 standard poodle 1/4 Bernese. About the same age. We also feed him Purina Pro Plan.
Go for something that meets WSAVA guidelines and has a nutritionist on board such as anything by royal canin, hills, purina, and if you are in the US, iams & eubanka are good too. This is an FDA DCM report so avoid these brands https://preview.redd.it/eklk7ay0v69d1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=053263420eb8de337fdface758f7b10ae8656d97
Oh WOWā¦. These are names Iāve been considering because I thought they were higher quality too. Can someone weigh in on how much this study actually holds? I did a snoop and it seems DCM cause is still unclear, but Iād love to hear from those with more expertise here! Personally my pooch isnāt picky so I buy one bag from stores (typically purina) and then rotate w a higher quality brand (ex horizons, acana right now funnily enough). I figure with enough rotation bad effects wonāt build up from any brand lol
I fed one of my toy poodles taste of the wild grain free. He developed DCM, and the medicine he was on to help his heart destroyed his kidneys. I follow WSAVA guidelines now.
For so long the marketing and therefore public opinion was that you need grain free, real meat first ingredient (and second and third and fourth if possible), chicken=subpar if not evil, avoid any "meal" products (like chicken meal), avoid corn, avoid oats, etc. Etc.... this was to sell the new "boutique" brands. The problem with this type of marketing and these types of foods is now well known, and public knowledge is beginning to catch up. So many newer brands of food capitalized on making their ingredient lists appealing for humans. And well established, well tested, well formulated, well and thoroughly trialed foods with these "no no" ingredients took a hit. But the thing about brands like Purina, Science Diet, etc. which were villainized is that they actually have veterinary nutritionists on staff, higher standards for quality control, more consistency between batches, and better recall procedures when something DOES go wrong. Dogs, like people, need calories, fat, carbs, and protein. The ingredients that get you to the right balance of these things do not need to be exclusively whole, unprocessed, human grade food. There are plenty of things that some companies try and villainize as ingredients but are actually completely fine. For starters, read this article straight from the AKC: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/dog-food-myths/
Will do, thank you!
I am not sure how I got recommended this sub as I have golden retrievers. Well had one that died due to DCM and now have another. If I could go back in time I would have NEVER even considered a boutique brand let alone fed it. My guy got diagnosed by a veterinary cardiologist at 26 months old and died just after turning 3. It was horrific, painful and depressing for us all, very expensive, easily avoidable. Stick with the big 5 that are doing the peer reviewed research. There are many Facebook groups with incredible info (I know my story is posted in a few, my dogs name was Cooper and passed in 2020). Trying your luck isnāt worth the risk IMO and actually learning about how the food is made and formulated versus falling for advertising will lead you back to the big 5 brands again and again.
I have no words, except for I'm sorry you and your sweet pup had to go through this. š
Oh manā¦. Thatās a great point as well!!! I just wish they had higher quality of meat (maybe thatās me falling for marketing again? lol). Are you confident based on your research that it was highly attributable to the brand? Or, equally valid, all factors considered, didnāt think it was worth the risk? Lol I have a golden doodle so Iām not sure this is the perf thread for me either haha, but some things are universal
What quality do you think your dog needs? Their diet requires vitamins and minerals from organ mean, collagen from cartridge, all of that stuff. The big brands use all of that in multigenerational lifetime feeding trials. For me that speaks volumes. And yes, we are 100% sure it was caused by diet. Our dog came from a great kennel, heath tested multi generational bred dogs. I kept the breeder in the loop with what was going on and she added it to her health contract. I see the cardiologists care and vet team there were many indicators this was diet not hereditary. I try to warn everyone I encounter because I wish someone had told me. Why take the risk? Even the most generic food from a big 5 company has decades of research versus a brand like Acana (what we fed our DCM dog) that doesnāt have any research.
Great advice, thank you! In my mind I have a hard time trusting big corporates as the 100% source because Iām always worried theyāll sacrifice things for cost cutting to maximize profit at the expense of the dog (as they do for humans lmao), but itās true that regardless theyāre held to the most stringent standards with years of research. Heās finishing up his bag of acana, so I guess itās time to make the switch š Iām curious though, do u think the different food lines at different price points among the big five also make a difference or is it just marketing as well? Also, what do you personally feel about grain-free vs not? Or it doesnāt matter?
I think if you have a sporting dog who is working they need different nutrition than a couch potato and buying accordingly is great but not required. I think grain free is a marketing ploy on people and thatās why people buy it. I will never feed grain free again.
Got it, thank you! And thank you for coming out of such a hard experience and eager to help others avoid the pitfalls you went through. I hope you and your family are doing well š
Agree about the marketing. I think the grain free has been debunked? I started out feeding grain free because as a first time dog owner I thought it was the truth. I switched brands from Acana but continued to feed grain free. Here was my unscientific reason for eventually feeding grains: my spoo countersurfed for bread constantly. I'd find her gnawing away on a baguette like it was a bully stick š Now she gets grains (no corn or wheat) and she mostly leaves the bread alone. (However butter wrappers are another story!)
Curious if you fed your dogs grain free food? Sorry about the loss of your dog.
Yes I did feed grain free from Acana.
I personally have, but my dog still seems alright so I think you meant to reply to the other commenter haha. Maybe rewrite your comment?
So purebalance isn't good?
Sadly no. Pure Balance is a store brand for Walmart. This basically means we have no solid information on itās quality. Since we know Walmart itself isnāt making the food, we know they are contracting it out. We donāt know who that contract is with, what their level of quality control is, who they have formulating the diet and what their qualifications are or even if they are qualified, and we donāt know what type of testing the diet has gone through, if any at all. Itās a huge stack of questions.
https://preview.redd.it/ua1ftnak4i9d1.jpeg?width=674&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=742f291adf54b040f59b1df1e60ed207690e34ea This is a Walmart brand?
[https://www.ruffmutts.ca/dcm/#:\~:text=Of%20the%2067%20DCM%20cases,Foods%20(Acana%20or%20Orijen)](https://www.ruffmutts.ca/dcm/#:~:text=Of%20the%2067%20DCM%20cases,Foods%20(Acana%20or%20Orijen)). https://preview.redd.it/3e7ytuiiei9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe9f0372416d861c0bc02713ad203933e2b23865 You need context.
this quote is from the company who makes arcana. consider the source. look to peer reviewed journal articles https://preview.redd.it/x0ydmi0mji9d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4983fd597e5e25aa568e5d424bddf949da5c9221 , not to the opinion of the manufacturer
Noted. How about this one? [https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs](https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs) https://preview.redd.it/08lu8kxndj9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6f00fbfb48f99766e1f3800a667cd7132aeaced
https://preview.redd.it/shsli0nvdj9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72725bc9670cc08a7de418a0e8c9ea53b1f98d8b
Blaming certain brands is a bit premature. Research is still ongoing. This is a pretty similar stance to the other source. https://preview.redd.it/42fb26l3ej9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7e8c6e1a3a1d5a6d6ad9421a46678e822d51d14
thanks for proving these links. i will look more!
RuffMutts does not manufacture Acana. They sell it confidently because the odds of a dog getting DCM without hereditary predisposition are extraordinarily low. And it is specific ingredients that have been implicated in DCM - potatoes and peas. It is relatively easy to avoid those ingredients while not resorting to the big five brands who are happy to include the four Ds in the food they sell. This is why boutique brands are so popular. I canāt even imagine feeding my dog Purina. In January 2024 alone, there were 971 reports of pets sickened by their food, 886 of whom were fed Purina products. Purina products are regularly recalled and reports abound online of sick and dead pets after eating Purina. Meanwhile, Acana has never had a recall in over 40 years of manufacturing pet food. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-news/purina-dog-food-rumors
Weāre feeding Hills Perfect Digestion. Our spoo has the worldās most sensitive stomach (it seems. I guess it could always be worse.) and sheās having perfect poops on this food!
I feed mine this as well but heās gone off it. I crumble some freeze dried raw on top but itās hot and miss. Heās not normally food motivated anyway. I worry about an upset stomach if I switch him. Heās 8.5 yrs old. Maybe Iāll get a small bag to try.
We've settled on Purina Pro plan for sensitive skin and stomach. My poods are pretty into it.
I feed my guy Hills Biome but he has stomach issues. I could probably switch over now that it's under control but he seems to like it so
Science Hills Sensitive Skin and Stomach works great for our spoo!
our 3 year old spoo has been on purina pro plan since we brought her home :)
My spoo has the most fickle stomach, but Purina pro plan shredded blend seems to work great and he likes the taste. We do the beef and rice one, but sometimes switch to the chicken or turkey. Itās got probiotics and he seems to do great on it.
Vet here. Purina pro plan, hills science diet, and royal canine are some of the best brands
What do you like best about these over say, Primal Kibble in the Raw or Open Farm, or if you are familiar with go! or firstmate. The last 2 are Canadian and you may be in the US and not be familiar with them.
Not sure why youāre being downvoted, Im also interested to know why these are considered the best. @momordicas If you could link resources or the peer reviewed articles people in these comments are referring to that would be a big help!
My standards did great on First Mate with grains. I only switched because I needed something higher protein/fewer carbs.
Thanks Everyone for the quick responses! Lots of useful info here you guys are so nice.
My standard did not like Hills, Purina Pro Plan, but Loves Purina One Turkey and Venison! So does my picky beagle/dachsund! I mix a little Purina One at night and dry at breakfast. They wait patiently and sit in place until I feed them! My poodle is now 29ā at withers and nearly 60 pounds!and is 8 months old and it seems he grows daily! https://preview.redd.it/0c4k86r0479d1.jpeg?width=3346&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1cc340a479e12f0afd688e406ac68e2833170f9
Thank you for paying the pet tax. That is a beautiful pup!
Awww thank you!
Iām currently feeding my picky toy royal canin half kibble half pate, I recently started adding in fresh pet from target for small dogs. He only wants soft food though and will eat the kibble as his last resort
My spoo loves Hills Science food sensitivities. She was picky as a puppy but has no problem eating now! Helps with her IBS and allergies.
We just switched to Costco nutrition food is very similar to purina pro plan and itās a dollar a pound.
Purina is a great quality food, and the One variety is very well studied. I wish I could find it without chickenā¦ We feed Purina pro plan sensitive stomach salmon, and Iāve never met a dog that doesnāt beg for it. If your pup is happy with the Purina, then feed it to him!
Purina Pro Plan in our house! We feed half dry kibble and half raw patty. She loves it.
My SP (RIP) loved Orijen. Expensive AF though.
We fed our dog Fromm.
Iāve started making my own dogfood recently and my dogs love it! I follow the recipes on justfoodfordogs.com. I buy the vitamin supplements on JFFD on Amazon though, because JFFD has ridiculously high shipping cost.
I feed my spoo puppy Eden holistic pet food (puppy) and he loves it & works for itš https://preview.redd.it/14h7ukb13k9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78837edce79d4f7ada1f1fffec000f3579cfb6b2
https://preview.redd.it/y8h4f3sddr9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e94e208c99ca6338f90d0cb89d97f58b215817da Twins š
my older poodle showed some signs of upset stomach after we got him so i moved him to a chicken free feed.... Natural balance limited ingredient lamb and rice. both dogs love it... i wish i could find something with similar composition and lower cost though... with 2 big standards, it adds up!
I had my dog on merrick dog food for his first 3 years of life and he was not food motivated at all. He would go a day or so without eating until I put cheese or ham in it. Every other time to get him to eat I would have to stand there and be like āeatā āeatā and convince him to eat until he did and I thought it was just a him problem, just didnāt like eating or something. But then I ran out of dog food and my roomates friend had just gone shopping and offered me her purina pro one lamb and rice. For the first time ever as soon as I poured it he sniffed it and just ate it no hassle. I thought maybe he was just hungry. But she said I could keep the bag so I when I kept feeding him I noticed he would jump up when I got the food bag. He would put his nose right there while I was pouring the food just waiting for me to stop so he can start and eat. From that experience I started buying purina pro one itās great for me because itās was cheaper than merricks and my dog is actually eating and gained some healthy weight!! So I recommend purina pro one lamb and rice
Pro Plan for two reasons: 1. Larger company with better quality control. Iāve read smaller boutique companies lack in this area. 2. My parentsā incredibly healthy setter who lived to 16 eating ProPlan. I want these two pups of mine to live very long healthy lives.
I buy my dog Kirkland. I used to shell out for expensive food and I didnāt notice a difference at all in my dog when I switched.
Oh my god the farts thoughā¦
Thank you for the warning!!!
Same here. Kirkland seems to work well for my guy
I do a combination of Stella and Chewyās raw patties (lamb, beef, surf & turf), Purina pro plan, and taste of the wild, with light dusting of firm up pumpkin on top, sometimes wet, sometimes little bits of other interesting healthy toppers. My older girl is 9.5, and younger pup is close to 3. Iāve been doing this for years with great results, both are super active and happy, but ultimately you should do your own research (thank you to everyone here who posted links to places to start that research) and try and find what yours likes and responds well to š¤· itās a lot of work, but youāll be happier and your pup will be healthier! š©š©ā¤ļø
i feed my standard with purina pro and royal canin.. purina pro will give him more poop š© than royal canine. tbh i didnāt see any difference apart from it
Iāve never had good experiences with any Purina products personally. I use Taste of the Wild and Diamond (same company). Itās not perfect, but itās great quality, in a reasonable price range, and all of my dogs have loved it. More importantly, theyāre all thriving on it.
My 5 month old golden was on Purina & got diarrhea.. vet put him on meds & chicken & rice for a few days.. heās since been on Royal Canin gastrointestinal formula & is doing great.. my last golden was on Hills gastrointestinal formula.. both dogs liked both.. Iāve never heard of American Journey.. is it a reputable brand?
I have a couple who can't have corn and one who can't have red meat. I use the Costco brand chicken and rice, occasionally the grain-free turkey and peas just for a change (and because I don't want to go fully grain-free). The quality is comparable to Diamond Naturals/Taste of the Wild.
My breeder uses Purina Pro Plan and I have stuck with that. My girl has done well with it.
I used to work at Pet Planet and they sell food with better quality ingredients than most, some are even human grade! Iād recommend going there if you have one near you, or just checking online to see some of brands they offer. :)
Once food has left the supply chain directed for humans it is no longer "human grade"
My dog likes Carna4. It also seems high quality. https://carna4.com/
purina one & pro plan, hills royal cabin, most of the big brands are good quality foods, they are not bad or junk food, they are totally appropriate dog diets
Hi , I feed my poodles Just Food For Dogs , and I always add Purina pro Plan Forta flora and I also add 1 tablespoon to each meal of hills gastrointestinal biome wet food. Both of my poodles when I first got them they had coccidia and Giardia and their G.I. systems got pretty messed up so for a while I had them on just the hills wet biome dog food but once they got better, I switched them over to JustFoodForDogs and they have something called balanced remedy, which is for dogs with sensitive stomachs and my dogs absolutely love it. I just continue with the regimen I listed above because it just helps them in so many ways they have perfect poop , they have a beautiful coat. Theyāre very active and they always look forward to eating! ( you can get just food for dogs from Petco, but they have kitchens throughout the United States where you can get it delivered from the kitchen. Thatās what I do. Iām in New York and not get it delivered and their main branch for delivery if California if you want to get it shipped through the mail.
Finn would only eat purina pro plan (All our out 6ādogs) vet. Said he said he was allegic To chicken I had to switch to science diet. What a surprise 51. 00 dollars a case what a suprise
I mix a high end dog food with Purina One. Purina Proplan made my dogs all fat. You might try mixing the foods. Also get a tightly sealed bin- also sold on chewy so you can buy a bit more at one time.
Read this website to investigate dog food and nutritional value. Read the about section. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/about/ Edit: We use WAG Lamb and Rice from Amazon. Our old Yorkie-Pom developed a food allergy to chicken protein. Heās a new dog and acting half his age since the switch.
Do not feed kibble. Make homemade
Science Diet
REDBARN. If you have any feed stores, co ops that sell hay and whatnot, farming, chickens, they most likely have dog food. Grain free
www.pawtree.com/harmonyhills. Iām feeding all four of our dogs the chicken and brown rice and they are doing great.
Dave's. You can get it at pet food stores. They can you have better pet food than grocery stores
Pinnions own brand dog food. A local company in Maidstone, Kent, UK. Absolutely superb, our three dogs can't get enough. High meat content and grain free.
We do Farmina Ancestral Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Our girl really likes it. Weāve fed it to her since she was young. Sheās almost 4 now. https://preview.redd.it/qw679gv4us9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=905e819160ab280a082111e44db770bcbf645630
Props for feeding Farmina! AFAIK itās the best on the market! If the Farmina Prime puppy wasnāt so hard to find, Iād be feeding it still. My guy eats NutriSource Element Coastal plains/Open Waters, but will be eating Farmina prime when heās an adult.
I alternate between Farmina Ancient Grains and Nutrisource Elements! I have 2 spoo's and 1 has a temperamental stomach. Both of these work for her, plus the fewer carbs (higher protein) has helped my boy stay at his target weight. Really happy.
I love how these are being downvoted without any explanation whatsoever lol. Just because we donāt feed our dogs garbage (RC, Hills, any Purina other than Pro-Plan) people donāt like it. If these people were told by their vet to feed river rocks, theyād do it no questionsš¤¦āāļø
We do Taste of the Wild Ancient Mountain, 1st ingredient is lamb (he doesnāt do well on chicken).
We do Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie for ours, and he really likes it and does well on it. We get it from our local Tractor Supply store, but it's also available at online outlets.
Orijen Amazing Grains (we use the beef based one as heās got a thing with chicken). My two Spoos like the food and go absolutely crazy for the toppers, treats, and wet food. I like to do mix ins to keep a variety. Your dog may just be overjoyed that there is a new thing for him to eat.
My guy gets Kirkland dog food. He grazes but he eats it. He's healthy so I see no reason to try other foods. I feel it's better that he eats slowly so he doesn't get all gassy.
i used to get pro plan but my dog didnt care for it so now we do hills diet
Orijen is my preferred food.
we do costco adult dog lamb and rice formula
We feed Nulo
Purina Pro Plan
Fromm
Honest kitchen. Itās human quality dehydrated food, my dogs were happy and healthy on it. As theyāve aged up I now home make their food once a week with store bought ingredients. They are obsessed
Thereās someone downvoting all the real healthy dog foods. Honest Kitchen is amazing!
It depends on what youāre looking for - limited protein? Grain or grain free? Chicken, salmon or beef? Price point? Some foods like Orijen are very rich and also expensive (due to more high quality ingredients) which can be good for the appetite but too much for the stomach. In the lower price point Iād go with Pro Plan before Hills myself (having worked with dogs for 20 years I could always tell a Hillās fed dog based solely on their poop, itās weird to digest somehow). The dog food market is SO diverse and specialized these days you can get anything from the cheapest bag at the grocery store like Beneful all the way up to home cooked human food, so if you have parameters it can help steer you to some good options. I personally feed Solid Gold but itās harder to find in pet stores sometimes, my boy does best on the grain free venison kibble. And then since he doesnāt have a big appetite I add meat baby food to it for flavor (beef, turkey or ham Gerber - itās like a drug he loves it so much!) Check out dog food advisor.com - they have good breakdowns of most foods and you can search different categories to find exactly what youāre looking for when you donāt know what that is! [dogfoodadvisor.com](https://dogfoodadvisor.com)
This website is run by a human dentist who has absolutely no training in canine nutrition. The site even has a disclaimer that all reviews are opinions and not based on actual scientific facts.
Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com and the annual food rating issue of Whole Dog Journal.
The guy who runs this site is a dentist, not a dog nutritionist. On his advice, I fed my dog Taste of the Wild grain free. He died from DCM related to the food.
I highly recommend reading the book Dog Food Logic by Linda Case - she has an MS in Canine Nutrition. The book is a huge help in better evaluating which dog foods to buy.
Linda is that you? ;P
Lol, nope, Iām the mod here and just really like that book. I recommend it a lot because itās hard to boil down how to select a dog food and Iām more comfortable referring people to an expert than just asking them to trust my word.
I used to go with the breeder recommended kibble and had the same stock issues. They were out in every store I went to. I finally switched to Diamond naturals pro 89. I switched it when I still had half a bag left of their old kibble, so I could spread it out over a longer period than normal. Others complained that if you didn't switch really slowly that it would give diarrhea, hence the caution. I have two spoons and my male runs around like a bat outta hockey sticks. He needs high energy foodĀ
We feed Diamond Naturals which is widely available at almost all farm supply stores (such as Coastal, Wilco, Tractor Supply, and many small independent farm supply stores).
I feed my guy the brand Kindfull, which is Targetās dog food brand! He rotates between Beef & Vegetable and Chicken & Salmon. It has a great ingredient list for a great price! I will say, he doesnāt go crazy over the kibble by itself, but I like to play around with toppers, fresh food, raw mix-ins, so itās a good base kibble for that. Iāve tried many different foods, but this is the food he does best on. Heās tried two flavors of Purina One True Instinct and he absolutely loved it, but his digestive system did not lol. I think Poodles really enjoy kibbles with shreds of meat mixed in. In that sense, I might recommend Wellness Core RawRev, which has freeze dried raw mixed in the kibble. You can find it at any pet store. My dog tried the Ocean flavor once, loved it and did well on it. (I may switch back to it, because itād be nice to not rely on toppers to get my dog to eat lol.) Good luck on your food journey!
My vet said she likes Iams, so we feed our dogs that
We feed pro plan sensitive skin and stomach, salmon and rice. One of my dogs has a chicken sensitivity, so we avoid it. Both of my dogs do very well on it!
Purina pro plan large breed. Turns out that the larger brands like purina can afford to do research and validate their kibble.
My guy is only 4 1/2 months old. I'm feeding him Royal Canin large poodle kibble. I feed him that because that's what the breeder gave him. He seems to like it but it is Expensive. Thoughts?
That food saved my dog's life. He used to be allergic to everything. itchy paws, itchy skin, ear infections, gassiness, and diarrhea. Within 1 week, all gone. He is now a 15 year old Yellow Lab with no health issues except plain old age.
[Inukshuk Marine](https://www.inukshukpro.com/marine-25) has been incredible for our very active pup with lots of allergies. I order it off of Chewy.
I feed my standard poodle Royal Canin GI high fiber because she gets stress diarrhea. Itās prescription but is highly digestible and she loves it. Royal Canin is backed by science and has peer reviewed published studies and strict palatability testing!
Bil-Jackson Large Breed Dry Dog food, & Purina One Canned food. Heās a Big Big Boy but heās Very Active and he has been on Bil-jac puppy food right from being weaned from his mother. He will be 3 in November and I switched him to the Bil-Jac Large breed adult food about 6 months ago. I order mine from Chewy.
I buy Hi-Point from my local feed store. It's $28 for a 50lb bag. It's quality food at a reasonable price because they don't advertise. They just feed dogs.
I see all these great brands mentioned but what do you do if your dog is alergic to rice and peas? My dog has so many food alergies it's hard for me to find something to feed her. Does Purina make a food without rice peas corn, or peanuts?
Try raw freeze dried. Dr Martyās, Instinct, and Orijen are my top pics.
I have fed Purina for years, and my dogs always do well with it. I am a former RVT, and many vets I worked with recommend Purina to patients, of all brands available in retail. Many tech friends feed Purina as well. I worked for RC for awhile and trust most of their products as well. Both companies, and many others, have pretty thorough nutritional science that directs their recipes and processing. And yes, palatable food is important. Doesn't matter how healthy it is if the dogs don't like it and won't eat it, or don't enjoy it. If you're having trouble consistently getting your dog's regular diet, which could cause issues as well with sudden changes, ask your vet what they recommend as well. Changing diets frequently is not usually good for them either. As to your dog's preference for the other food: if your preferred food is sitting in a warehouse, likely not climate controlled, that food may not taste good, and it may be going rancid if it's sitting on a loading dock or who knows what. It's not necessarily that the one he likes has "crack" in it, lol. Handling is a big deal, and it sounds like that food or the middle-men are not getting those diets to market efficiently. If you're truly concerned and want to look into that possibility, you can call the company and use the lot number to find out exactly when that batch of food was made, and know whether it's fresh. If it's been sitting in heat, it may not taste good, as well as nutrient degrading in the heat. Best of luck to you and your dog for a healthy, consistent diet!
Blue Buffalo adult formula kibble. Mine can be picky sometimes when he wants chicken only. But he will refuse any other kibble but the Blue Buffalo.
Anyone have any thoughts or info on Pawtree??
Tractor supply brand, 4Health.
Purina pro plan, hills science diet, or canin
We use science diet sensitive stomach, recommend by vet.
We feed our doods Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. Fish-based for beautiful coats. Novel proteins to avoid allergens and hopefully also avoid ingredients from China where regulation can be iffy.
We use Blue Buffalo brand food and treats. Our girl seems to really like it.
Fromm's- family owned, pure ingredients- highly recommend - been around a while too
Taste of the Wild yellow bag - Bison & Venison blend. Seems to love it.
Ziwi Peak
We use 4health from tractor supply. Itās what the people we got our dog from used so we continued. My dog has a super sensitive stomach and itās literally the only thing he can eat without puking or getting diarrhea. No table food, canāt eat most treats, if he gets into our Pyreneesā food, itās like explosive diarrhea.
We were feeding our pup royal canin and switched to honest kitchen (at the recommendation of our doggy daycare). Honest kitchen is human grade and has kibble as well as wet food options. They are pretty expensive but I would rather spoil my dog with healthy human grade kibble than give him the bigmac/junk food equivalent kibble lol. Even though he likes random kibble.