How do I select the best food for my dog?

Question

She is a 6yr old 65lb. pit bull. I currently have her eating Authority adult lite chicken. I have heard this is a good food, just curious if something better exists, and how to choose, I mean what nutrients do they REALLY need in their diets? Thanks!

Answer 1

I am going to start with there is no short answer when it comes to ideal nutrition, my answer can go on for a 100 pages and not cover all so will include several links. I have spent almost 7 years myself digging up info on nutrition, and it is changing alot in the last few years due to new research breing released over the last 7 years so lot of info is now out of date because of the new findings, in the last 10 years researchers having been just recently been relooking at dog food and actually doing their studies on dogs, old food research had been done some 70 years ago but they used rats to decided what was good for dogs(which is why most foods average around 24% protein 12% fat and have lots of grains) the new research is showing this is not good for dogs can lead to kidney failure, weak muscles and joints as they age and cause joint inflamation and the grains also are the leading cause of obesity yet diet food increase the amount of grains and lower the protein and fat and can actually as a result add diabetes to their problems on top of it, I do beleive a lot of the new research was based because of the growing number of owners that were feeding raw diets and vets noticed the dogs were healthier and less aging problems than kibble feed dogs which has lead to the creation of high protein grain free foods about 6 years ago

Half way down in my answer read some of the nutrition info about the research from the B Naturals website



Okay you want an honest opinion on your food , is it crap



Read the comments here about it



http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/872/sort/8/cat/6/page/2



It is listed as a 2 star quality food, as the article said made from poor quality ingredients like brewers rice(leftovers from making beer) , cellulose(which is often ground up peanut shells, no nutritional value just used as a filler, you are being charged money for recycled garbage ) corn (which many dogs are allergic to)



It is made from animal feed quality ingredients rather than human grade ingredients



There is not much that Petsmart sells that is high quality , most of the foods they carry are very heavy on the grains and low on meat. You need to find small petfood stores as they generally sel the high quality foods



Kirkland Signature brand from Costco exact same food as Diamond Naturals listed as 3 star quality foods

would cost you less money and has better quality ingredients it is not great but definitely a better food http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/932/sort/8/cat/5/page/9





Other thing don't feed a lite food all you are doing is paying more for more grains and less meat, dogs need the fat for energy instead feed a regular food but cut back the amount fed and with some dogs the extra grains in diet foods will make many of them even fatter and can result is the dog becomin g diabetic ,http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php/cat/1

I suggest picking a food from the 5 or 6 star category foods



this site has a store locator http://www.canidae.com you can use this to find a place near you that sells high quality foods Canidae is also a very high quality food listed in the 5 star category



With better quality foods you must read to see how much to feed and use his ideal weight not his current weight you night need to adjust the amount after your have been on the food for a bit to tweak how much you need to feed and use an actual measuring cup to measure out the food, some peopole make the mistake of using mugs to measure out food , if a 12 oz mug it is actually equal to 1 1/2 cups



adoll12 grading system is okay somewhat but there are flaws in it, espescially with what is credited as written about by the dog food project here http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=grading_kibble





If you really want to understand more about dog food to know what makes one good and another bad these are good sites to read

http://www.dogfoodproject.com

http://dogaware.com/

Earl Wolf put together info to explain about how the reading dog ingredient labels http://www.doberdogs.com/menu.html



B Naturals http://www.b-naturals.com/newsindex.php has published several newsletters on nutrition that involved the newest research on nutrititional needs and studies done on dogs most of the brands dog foods(alpo, purina, hills) based their formulations protein fat and carbs on studies that had been done on rats not dogs, this is research that has only been really focused on in the last 10 years, and has caused the introduction of the new generation of commercial based on the new research this is the foods foods listed in the 6 star category in dogfood analysis or under dogfoodproject.com under grainfree foods



About 5 years ago I had one of my dogs on Nutro Natural Choice lite to lose weight he was up to 96 lbs but was eating the recommended amount for a 20lb dog to lose weigh and was still gaining a pound a month and it was causing him to become more lethargic his coat looked like crap his muscle tone was crap the formulation was protein 16% , 6 % fat I was afraid then if I kept feeding he would die early, I had him tested for thryroid disease, x-rayed and had ultrasounds done to see if somethng else may be causing, I finally made a total switch and went the extreme opposite and starting feeding him the newest food on the market then EVO which was the first high protein grain free food on the market then, it was more the double the calories feeding the exact same amount but his weight start to drop and his energy and health picked up.

Later we switched him and the rest of the gang to the EVO RM which is beef based which the grading system adoll12 wrote said is bad, to me red muscle meats are the ultimate protein for dogs it helps to build muscle mass especially needed in seniors whose bodies become less effecient at metabolizing protein so they need good sources of highly digestable proteins in higher amounts for dogs that already have bad joints eg hip displaysia or injured joints loss of muscle has devasting effects on their mobility, so they need increased meats particularily red meats to help maintain the muscle inorder to support their joints so they can remain mobile and active



He is 10 years old now lost 12 lbs and looks and acts healthier than he did at 5 years old and still loves chasing after squirrels and rabbits, I doubt he would have been alive and well today if I had continued to feed him the Nutro lite . http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/the%20gang/P10100161.jpg



This picture of my other 2 shows how good of condition their coats are (easier to visually see on black dogs) http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/the%20gang/P1010008-1.jpg



Asking my vet about nutrition would not help me his classes where put together by Hills and done some 20 years ago he spent 7 years in universty with a 2 hour course on nutrition, he has never read any of the new research on protein requirements for dogs so he would be the least able to help me choose a food, he would tell me I need to put my seniors on low protein low fat foods because that was what he was taught in school. but he does not question their diets with me because they are physically in good shape their weight and muscle tone is good and all their blood work is excellent, he is still scratching his head trying to understand why the x-rays in my dogs are not showing the same levels of arthritis he typically sees in other 10 year olds, instead they look like the x-rays of dogs that are 5 and 6 year old. If the day comes where he does ask me about their diets and starts to argue that the protein and fat is way to high and that it is harming my dogs, I can than tell him to look at all the tests results of x-rays and bloodwork again and compare them with dogs the same age eating low protein/fat diets I have purposely requested yearly bloodwork for a reason to prove to myself that choosing a high protein/high fat food was the right choice Sunny's thyroid levels were borderline low before now in the normal range, Maya has Lupus which she had when I adopted her, it is an autoimmune disease I have had her for 3 1/2 years she was only on steroids for 3 days normally a dog would be on daily for life which overtime it destroys the kidneys and shuts down the immune system, and leads to an early death, but I have controlled with diet she still has flared ups but they are managable with topical oinments, I had a dog years ago with, that was treated using the steroids the effects are horrible, I don't mind occassional use to get flare ups under control but not daily if it can be avoided, so I have even proven diet has a strong role is disease mangement, so even though his textbooks may say the diet is bad tests, physical exams and health records on my dogs would prove otherwise



Best I can suggest is do some reading and then choose a food that you feel comfortable with, everyone has their own reason for choosing a food and their choices may be different even after reading all the same info



I had considered a natural raw diet but my work hours and traveling time to go buy supplies would not work easily into my schedule but I had concerns about bacteria load of a raw diet on my auto immune girl so decided it was not a convenient or comfortable choice for me so chose a high protein diet that was closer to a raw diet in formulation. Another person may feel their dogs do well with grains and provides more fiber so may see spending as much money on a grain free is unnecessary but still want holistic style foods so choose foods like Eagle Pack, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae, Innova etc, they are still good foods with a good meat content



Another point to mention is there is no one food that a 100% of dogs with do good on, some may be sensitive to certain ingredients, formulations of omega fats vary so one dog will have dry flakey coats on and the other will have a beautiful coat on, fiber varys so some dogs may never firm up on sertain food even after a 2 months trial, or they simply do not enjoy the taste of a particular food so it can often take a couple trials to find the one that is right for your dog.

Answer 2

I used this for a few weeks with a dog in the end stages of kidney failure. It was a food that tempted her to eat when nothing else would. It seems to be a solidly healthy option for feeding and I feel it is a viable option for those wishing to feed a quality, premium food. The food got OK's from both the specialty vet I was seeing and members of another pet board that focuses on healthy feeding (lots of raw-feeders). Now, there are some drawbacks to consider: First, this wasn't a popular food in my area. It is expensive, therefore, not a quick seller on the shelves. Lots of times the product was out-of-date and I had to drive a long way to find this food with a current date. This is more an issue with the grocery store than the pet food itself, but something to be aware of. Next, it has to be refrigerated. You can't free-feed this food, it will spoil. Also, if you travel, you must keep the food chilled for your dog, and it may be very difficult to find a store selling the food if you run out away from home. In my case, when I visited family, I would have needed to drive over an hour to a different state to purchase this food. My dog was too ill to travel, so this didn't happen, but I did check the web site for availability. It is a good food, easy to feed, and very accepted by dogs. You pull it out of the refrigerator, slice off a portion and chunk it into a bowl. Easy. I didn't use this food long-term, but was very happy with the results I had with my dying dog. (It has been nearly 3 years, so I'm sure there are more vendors selling this food now.)

Answer 3

You may want to ask other pit owners what they feed. If she is doing ok on that food and has no health problems, then stick with it. There are TONS of other brands out there that are better and worse.



Whatever food you use it should have NO or a LIMITED amount of sugars, by-products, chemicals and preservatives. It is also good if it has NO or LIMITED corn, soy and wheat product in it. Rice, oatmeal and barley are better quality carbs. The first 5 ingredients constitute 95% of the dog food, so pay close attention to what those ingredients are (should be identified meat or meat meal and high quality carbs).

Answer 4

There is a really great sheet that helps you to grade different foods based on their content - a lot of common foods just have lots of fillers that don't do anything for your dog. I'll post it, it's a little long though but I'd suggest copy/paste and keeping it on your computer.



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", "brewers 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 3points

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



Score:

94-100+ = A, 86-93 = B, 78-85 = C, 70-77 = D, 69 and below = F



From others I know who have graded food the Royal Canin Bulldog got a 100 so you might want to check that one out, or just print that list out & go to the store or look ingrediant lists up online. Hope this helps!!

Answer 5

Minimize the by- products and fillers. If those are in the first 4 ingredients, it is not healthy.



http://www.naturapet.com/



http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/all_natural_pet_food.htm



The healthier food may cost more, but in the end your pet will thank you by being happy, healthy and live a longer life with the least problems :-)



BEWARE of the foods in the grocery store, even the ones that say "Natural" in the title. It is a lie and slick marketing. If you look at the ingredients- they are identical to all the other stuff on the shelf. Also beware of what the vet recommends. I know this doesn't seem to make sense- but they are NOT taught about proper nutrition, they ARE taught about marketing Science Diet type stuff to make PROFITS!

Answer 6

I suggest either Innova/Innova EVO or California Natural:

http://www.naturapet.com



Canidae is AMAZING:

http://www.canidae.com



Where I live its 40$ plus tax for a 40lb bag of Canidae -- I spend a little more on that (about 50$ --) on Innova dog food for my 2 dogs.



Here is a list of the top 10 dog foods:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/toptenfoods.html

(also tells you what to look out for in dog food)



Here is a site that rates dog foods from 1-6 (1 being the worst and 6 being the best):

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/



You dont want anything with corn, wheat, soy, fillers or by products. Anything from the pet store .. like petsmart or petco is horrible food. Purina, Kibbles and bits, Beneful, Alpo, Authority, Ol'Roy, Science Diet.. etc. is horrible .. its like feeding your dog mcdonalds everyday.



Hope that helps!



EDIT: I found Authority Dog food and its Rated ONE star. Thats bad:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/878/cat/7



"Top Ten Ingredients

Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Corn, Chicken, Animal Fat, Chicken Liver Digest, Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Canola Oil"



How appetizing does that sound? All that "meal" "rice" "corn" and all that crud is what you DON'T want in a dog food.



Canidae/Innova/California Natural has NONE of that gross stuff. Its even made with human grade ingredients.



Oh and also check out: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul:

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com



and Blue Buffalo is pretty good:

http://www.bluebuff.com



Solid Gold:

http://www.solidgold.com



Just see which one is in your price range: they are all good foods :]

Answer 7

You'll find folks here that swear by a particular brand of food or feeding regimen.

You'll find that there are people here who are strongly against certain kinds of dog food, yet dogs have done well eating them for years.

The truth is, that if your dog is doing well on his current food regimen (ie: he's healthy, strong muscle tone, good teeth, coat, etc), it's probably the best diet for him.

Answer 8

my dog is a Cur and she is SKINNY dont know why but i was told by vets to feed her puppy chow it has the most vitamins it works pretty good. oh but yea try and stay away from Lamb and Rice dog foods everytime i give my dog that she pukes.

Answer 9

Ask your vet. He may try to sell you one that he sells, but any good vet will give you a few options. I know science diet was recommended a few years ago, not sure if it still is.

Answer 10

www.rawmeatybones.com



Learn what nutrients and what kind of food your dog should be eating...



Good luck.

Answer 11

well you can give her pedigree i have a pit to and it keeps hes coat sooo shine its so cool how it works you shouold try it.it really works

Answer 12

try it yourself if you like it chances are she will like it.

Answer 13

http://www.petpaddy.com/guides/viewguide/know_what_is_safe_and_isnt_for_your_dog