Feb
18
2010
What are some good healthy dog food?
Right now I am feeding my two yorkies kibble and bits the soft hard food but this is my first time having my own dogs.. so what are so good/cheaper dog food?
Right now I am feeding my two yorkies kibble and bits the soft hard food but this is my first time having my own dogs.. so what are so good/cheaper dog food?
February 18th, 2010 at 10:08 am
good dog foods are not cheap. I use Innova
February 18th, 2010 at 10:31 am
good is not cheap. But it is cheaper than years of vet bills for allergy to junk in cheap food. I think Blue Buffalo is the absolute best! you get it at a pet store. No grocery store products are good, and you will end up spending $$ at the vet because of it.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis Fresh Mix
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm Four Star
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews
There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.
If you’re on a budget, check into the Canidae and the Chicken Soup brands.
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Read the ingredients before you buy.
Here is my “short list” of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
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What *NOT* to buy:
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Kibbles n Bits, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)
Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )
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“Big box” petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (There are some higher quality foods at those locations, but most of the foods aren’t.)
* Blue Buffalo
* Castor & Pollux
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* Natural Balance
* Solid Gold
* Wellness
Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren’t good places to buy food either.
Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores
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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
1/4 food A, 3/4 food B
1/2 food A, 1/2 food B
3/4 food A, 1/4 food B
all food A
.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Dog food is rated on a scale of one to six. Six being the best. Kibbles n Bits is a one.. simply because there is nothing lower.
Good brands include:
Innova
Wellness
Blue Buffalo
Solid Gold
Nature’s Variety
Taste of The Wild
There are others, but for Yorkies, I’d recommend a grain free food. My personal favorite is Innova Evo.
Unfortunately, good food does not come cheap.
Email me if you need help with selecting a food.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
“You get what you pay for” is basically that…good dog food isn’t cheap.
You can try “Wellness” or “Innova”.They are not the most expensive dog foods on the market (not the cheapest either) but they are good quality.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
i feed my dog California natural supplemented with salmon oil, and chopped fruits and vegetables. California natural is by the same people who make Innova. It’s cheap and high quality. They sell a small bites formula for your yorkie too! Feed the amount reccomended on the bag. You can find it at independant pet supplies retailers near you. To try to find one go to the store locator on their site. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/
And remember, small breeds a natural tendancy to. develop dental problems. So give him a bully stick or a pig ear twice a week.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Science Diet is the best dog food out there. Blue Buffalo is ok but they arn’t truthfull. DO NOT USE PEDIGRE THEY SPEND THIER MONEY ON TETING THIER PRODECTS.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Good dog food and cheaper are not even in the same sentence. I feed Innova EVO. It’s pricey, but for a couple of itty bitty dogs, you should be able to swing it. I feed my rottweiler it and it’s worth it. It’s about $60 for 32 lbs…. something like that. I threw the sacks out after dumping in another food container.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Avoid corn in any dog food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I use prina pro plan, it’s moderately priced and worked wonders for my dogs.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
While good food may not be cheap at first glance, you often feed less of it than the cheap brands because it has more packed into it. The cheap foods are so cheap because of all of the inexpensive fillers that do not provide any nutritional value to your dog. Spending a little more is worth it! Try a grain-free food like Taste of the Wild. http://tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
Another good place to look for good foods is Pet Food Analysis. The 6 star ones are the best http://dogfoodanalysis.com/
February 18th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Some healty pet food comanies are giving away free samples, try them:
Free Yarrah Organic Pet food Samples
http://wherecanigetfreethings.blogspot.com/2008/09/free-yarrah-organic-pet-food-samples.html
Eukanuba Naturally Wild dog food coupon book
http://wherecanigetfreethings.blogspot.com/2008/09/eukanuba-naturally-wild-dog-food-coupon.html
Greenies Pet treat sample
http://wherecanigetfreethings.blogspot.com/2008/09/greenies-pet-treat-sample.html