Types of dog food?

verysweepy · 01-11-2003, 03:28 PM

With all of the diffrent brands and types of dog food out there I was wondering if anyone could recommend what is the best kind to feed your dog, I have a 2 year old lab/husky mix and I currently feed her purina one which she seems to do pretty good with but was just wondering what my options were. Thanks.

Dancin' Bear · 01-11-2003, 03:56 PM

My lab loves the Nutro dog food line. He likes the lamb and rice. I like Nutro because it does not have any by-products in the food (chicken beeks, eyeballs, etc etc). It is a higher end food so it is a little more expensive. For a 40# bag it is about $30.00.

STGRule · 01-11-2003, 05:41 PM

Just about any of the higher end foods are fine. Check the ingrediants for actual food (not by-products). Find one that your dog likes. The best advantage of the premium foods is less mass (and I did mean mass, not mess, although I guess its the same thing) left in the back yard. A real advantage with a large breed.

[ 01-11-2003, 06:41 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

Chukrchaser · 01-11-2003, 09:29 PM

Nutro's goal as stated by one of their territory managers is to produce a dog food that produces (according to them)the perfect "yard mass" -- a mass that can be driven from the yard with a 3 wood! (honest) --

They also had a chart that showed how much "yard mass" was scooped per 100 lbs of food fed -- Old Roy (wal-mart) won with 80 lbs, the bottom of the list was crowded with Nutro, Iams, science diet, Pro Plan and other premium foods.

It really boils down to any of the premium foods are fine -- find the one your dog does best on and stick with it --

[ 01-11-2003, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: Chukrchaser ]

walkersteelhead · 01-11-2003, 09:35 PM

Check out Canidae. I have done alot of research into dog food and Canidae is one of the few that is all natural and doesnt use preservitives. My pup has been on for 6 months and his coat is great. Their website is www.canidae.com. I am not an employee or atttached in any way just like the food so does my pup. But best ussualy best to try to stay away from grocery store food most of them are full of fillers and preservitives. Sorry for the soapbox.

fishing is life · 01-12-2003, 06:49 PM

check out Costco's kirkland brand line. 40# for 16$. lamb meal and rice. the "yard waste" is the same as the spendy ones. in my opinion this is a high quality brand looking at the ingredients.

also i dont think i would buy a dog food just cause the dog waste would be hard. that does not mean it is the best nutrition for your dog. also how would you like to have to squeeze out hard dog waste out all the time?

[ 01-12-2003, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: fishing is life ]

STGRule · 01-12-2003, 07:45 PM

fishingislife: I'm not talking about hard mass. Just less mass (believe me, it's the same consistancy). To me that means that more of the food is being digested, which translates into better nutrition for the dollar spent.

lost_sailor · 01-13-2003, 08:06 AM

We're on Nutro now, and it seems to really have helped with the ear infections.

Vet recommended "all natural."

Silver Hilton · 01-13-2003, 10:22 AM

Another vote for Costco's. Susie chows it right down, and has done fine for 7 years on it.

A question about the 'mass'. If the mass is reduced, does that imply that there is less fiber in it? And if there is less fiber, does that put the dog at higher risk for colon cancer? If so, is the risk meaningful? Any vets out there?

Yeah, I know, that was four questions. I was an accountant once.

TundraIII · 01-13-2003, 01:25 PM

The Lamb and Rice kirkland brand at Costco is the same stuff that Freddies carries under the name of "NutraNugget". I buy this stuff for my labs at both locations when
convenient and the dogs love it. The price is the same at both stores. My black lab has allergies and this food works for him. I was spending 36 bucks a bag for the "Premium" stuff before finding this and my dogs are doing just fine on it. My vet suggested it after
letting me in on a secret about how NutraNugget brand was identical to some other "Premium" brand that he sold under a different name. Just cant recall what that other name was right off hand. Oh and as far as "solid yard mass" goes, I fire up my leaf blower to clean my back yard of dog doody. No more goopy piles of stinky dog muck to scoop up with the shovel. :grin:

Day Late · 01-13-2003, 04:10 PM

Verysweepy,

My lab is over 13 years old, lives outside in his own house and is not allowed up on the deck. I got him at 7 weeks and started with expensive brands until he was about 2 then went to Purina and finally to Atta Boy the last several years. He goes to the vet once/year for a checkup and gets appropriate shots. Has never been sick a day in his life-greatest duck dog and pheasant/quail dog I've ever had. Never overweight-although hunts at a walk (which is fine with me-at 57 I hunt at a slow walk too). Even took him out to EE Wilson this year for what I think is his final year and his nose was good enough to get me 5 roosters for the season. As mentioned above, check the ingredients and maintain weight and you should be fine without spending a whole lot of money per bag. Good luck!!

Day Late

fishing is life · 01-13-2003, 11:31 PM

on the less mass thing i agree it is better for the animal. most of the cheaper stuff uses fillers that have no nutritional value. i dont think it is fiber.

Cool Texan · 01-14-2003, 08:49 AM

Pro Plan for my pooch. Switched her recently to the low calorie version....she's been eating Pro Plan for coming up on 6 years now (she is 6.5 years old). No problems with it...food goes in on time, food comes out on time.

Tilla · 01-14-2003, 11:16 PM

Purina One is a good choice, good protein level.

verysweepy · 01-15-2003, 12:54 AM

Thanks for all of the input on this subject, definatly some food for thought :grin:

blackdog · 01-16-2003, 09:47 AM

Another option to look at is DIAMOND dog foods. This is a product that is used by many breeders and trainers in the lab world. Plus, it doesn't really cost anymore than the Costco stuff. I switched my 5 year old male lab last summer and the difference was very noticable, from yard waste to energy levels.

roadsend · 01-16-2003, 10:55 AM

Lamb and Rice kirkland brand at Costco is preferred by my Great Dane X when placed side by side with costlier "special" brands with essentially the same ingredients. As far as mass or mess is concerned, we need a front end loader to clean up after this dog regardless of what we feed. If you thought horses were bad you ain't seen nuthin.