Food question - don't remember

So excited!!!!! Just started Rudy in obedience yesterday. By this morning he's already doing great! He seems to be catching on quickly - let's hope it continues.

I know there has been info here about types of food, but I can't find it. If anyone knows where it is, I'll go back and read it. The trainer told me to switch him from Eucanuba small breed to another brand. Either, Science ??? (can't remember the full name) or IAMS. I want to know which would be better. I've got the introduction to new food down pat, but don't know which food to switch to.

HELP!!!!!

 

I would not feed Eukanuba, Science Diet, or Iams. Some good brands are Innova, Healthwise, Canidae, Eagle Pack, Chicken Soup, Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Flint River, and possibly Nutro Natural. Anything with human-grade ingredients, no by-products, no corn, the least amount of grains and other fillers, with the first ingredients being a real meat (like chicken) or a meal made from a specified real meat (like chicken meal), and no artificial preservatives (like BHA or ethoxyquin).

Here is an article with some information on pet foods: http://www.api4animals.org/689.htm

Whole Dog Journal has many articles on good nutrition for dogs, but you have to pay for back issues. The best source of info for good foods to feed is their annual "top dry dog foods" list. The February 2004 article called "Good Enough to Eat" talks about selecting a good kibble (http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/cg...nal&return_url=/pub/7_2/features/5605-1.phtml). There was a Top Dry Dog Foods list in Feb. 2003 (http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/pub/6_2/features/5516-1.phtml) - I thought there was a more recent one as well but I'm not seeing it right off.

I personally promote raw feeding. I feed raw meaty bones, organ meats, whole raw fish, and some eggs.

There are also pre-made raw foods that are better than kibble (but not as good as real raw food), such as Nature's Variety, Bravo, and others whose names are failing me at the moment.

 

yea I have heard not so good things about all the brands you mentioned (rudysjoy). From what I have heard they are about equal. But I am also with Jamiya and raw feeding, Luther seems healthier with it, his coat feels like silk (really) and his teeth sparkle and his poop is easy clean up. And now that I know where to buy the meats here, it isn'T so much of a problem. I just pick up a pack of meat (only 1€, for the size of maybe 2lbs) when I go to the grocery store, it is easier than making a special trip to the dog store to pick up the "better" brands and I think cheaper. But to each his own.
Sorry I can't help

 

Oh, and this site (http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab) has some nice tools. Look at the bottom right under "Site Tools" and go to the food comparison tool to compare various foods, and you can go to the Ingredient tool to get information about ingredients that you read on any bag label to see what it really means.

 

There has been a noticeable difference in my Great Dane pup since I switched to Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. I was feeding Iams before, and there is no comparison! As the other posters said, Chicken Soup has absolutely no fillers, and my pup's hair is softer, he has much more energy and he is eating more, plus his stools look great. I can't say enough about it. As most dog lovers know, Danes are a giant breed and grow faster than just about any other breed, so they need the most and best nutrition available. My vote is for Chicken Soup!

 

For the time being I am feeding Innova. Which ingredient wise is very similar to Chicken Soup for the whatever (cant remember the whole name) and it has been great. I do plan on switching to RAW sometime in the near future. But my experiances with Innova have been wonderfull. Nice coats, nice teeth, nicer poops (cant really say they are nice cause I dont care poop is never nice lol). I also have found my dogs eat less of this since there are no fillers and am spending just a little bit more as I was before. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Here is another good site that you may find useful in choosing a good food:
http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

 

Thanx everyone for all the info!!!! I looked up everything and now I'm really confused..... (that doesn't take much anyway). I'm going to look them over again and then I'll have to find out where I can buy the stuff in my area. Does PetSmart carry all these brands? (guess I should call PetSmart and ask - I don't need to leave ALL my work up to you guys.... you already gave me the information.) Thanks again.

 

I think the only brand I would buy at PetsMart is Blue Buffalo. PetCo has Natural Balance. Other than that, you will have to look for a smaller shop or groomer. You can choose a couple foods and go look on their websites and they will tell you what stores near you sell the food.