Puppy/Dog Food Suggestions

[dj_rice]

This goes out to the dog/puppy or even cat owners, just looking for suggestions on what brands to feed my little guy (Havenese/Chihuahua mix) I already know that since he is a puppy, I should still continue feeding him what has been eating but just looking for good brands to switch to as he gets older. Hes eating Acana Puppy food right now.


Not sure if I should stick with the Acana/Orijen brand or not but it is locally made in Morinville, AB. Good online reviews so far but any suggestions is welcome. Want to feed him best of the best but with a good price point, no grain/filler garbage or any chemical additives. So post up what brand/product line :)


Thanks in advance guys

[JZS_147]

I've always fed my dogs Science Diet, my vet recommended it as well.

[SikAssR1]

Vet pet food is garbage, its not far off from grocery store pet foods. Solid Gold FTW.

[jjmac]

I've been using Acana for 2 years now and I think my dog is pretty healthy cause of it.

[rocketgirl]

I'd highly recommend Orijen....my dogs have been on it since they were puppies and the vet always mentions how healthy they are, and random people stop me in the dog park to comment on my dogs' shiny coats....

[jjmac]

Originally posted by rocketgirl
I'd highly recommend Orijen....my dogs have been on it since they were puppies and the vet always mentions how healthy they are, and random people stop me in the dog park to comment on my dogs' shiny coats....

That's soo true. I have a Mini Dachshund short hair and as Zohan would say, my dog has "Silky Smooth" hair.

[snoop101]

My dog is very simular to yours. We feed him Pacifica from Acana. I would say one of the best out there. We found after switching to Pacifica that our dog had beter skin and hair. He loves it as well.

[Tik-Tok]

B.A.R.F if you don't mind the hassle. If you're not interested in raw food, Innova EVO is an highly rated brand.

[ZeroGravity]

I feed a mixture of Orijen and Innova for my Jack Russell Terrier and Siberian Husky.

I originally started off with just Orijen when my Siberian Husky was young, but the vet bloodwork showed one of the levels being too high and might be an indication of the liver working too hard. And one of the reason "could be" the high protein levels of Orijen.

So I started mixing 50% Orijen + 50% Innova (regular, not EVO). Then her bloodwork showed some improvement but not much. Now that she's 3, her levels have returned to normal levels. But I continued with the 50/50 mix.

Both Orijen and Innova dog food are supposedly made from good quality ingredients and don't have much fillers. Protein content actually come from meat source instead of something like corn or grain based meal.

When you compare dog food ingredients, the first listed ingredient is what is the most heavy by weight (if i remember correctly). Most dog food start off with like chicken meal, xxx meal, then corn meal, then other grain stuff.

But dog food like Orijen and Innova, the first few ingredients looks something like this... Fresh deboned Chicken, Turkey, etc...

Deciding to go with dog food like Orijen and Innova (EVO) also brings into the thought about whether you believe canine should be getting most their nutrients from meat based food and 0% grain.

[clem24]

Innova Evo here.

Try to pick a food that doesn't use grains (and for my dog treats too - I don't buy anything that contains grain). When it comes down to it though, pretty much ALL dry kibble type dog food is CRAP. But I guess it's a matter of picking out the better crap from the worse crap. One of my tests is the smell test. The Evo stuff actually smells quite decent, especially when the bag is first opened, as opposed to what I used to feed my dogs (Iams). That shit was fucking sick. It smelled rancid and like something, er a lot of things, have just died in that bag. It was seriously revolting and even caused my sister's dog to start smelling like the food he was eating. As soon as she switched, he stopped stinking. Even his ears stopped stinking.

Also I like to mix some cooked meat into the kibble for my dogs (like ground beef, chicken, steak, etc...). They love it when I do that. Just *never* mix raw food and kibble. Dogs can process raw food in a few hours, but might take a day to process kibble. This allows any bacteria (salmonella, etc...) to accumulate in their body and makes them sick.

[TYMSMNY]

Kibble - Orijen
B.A.R.F - raw meat, bones. Highly recommended. A little bit more work but the best for your dog in my opinion. Don't bother cooking the bones as it WILL be dangerous to your dog. Buy chicken necks, legs, liver, heart, etc. Mix in beef, pork, or even lamb.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
Kibble - Orijen
B.A.R.F - raw meat, bones. Highly recommended. A little bit more work but the best for your dog in my opinion. Don't bother cooking the bones as it WILL be dangerous to your dog. Buy chicken necks, legs, liver, heart, etc. Mix in beef, pork, or even lamb.


I googled up BARF and still kinda confused what that entails...is it just what I would normally eat say steak and cut it up raw and give it to him??Why is cooking the bones dangerous but raw isnt?Do I grind up the ingredients you listed into a paste?

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
Kibble - Orijen
B.A.R.F - raw meat, bones. Highly recommended. A little bit more work but the best for your dog in my opinion. Don't bother cooking the bones as it WILL be dangerous to your dog. Buy chicken necks, legs, liver, heart, etc. Mix in beef, pork, or even lamb.


I googled up BARF and still kinda confused what that entails...is it just what I would normally eat say steak and cut it up raw and give it to him??Why is cooking the bones dangerous but raw isnt?

[ekguy]

Acana is good. I use Medi-Cal for my cat since he got sick and his coat is shinier, softer and healthier. He's also lost weight and seems much happier. Mine is on the urinary so which is for his urinary tract. But as far as I remember they also have puppy food as well.

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by dj_rice



I googled up BARF and still kinda confused what that entails...is it just what I would normally eat say steak and cut it up raw and give it to him??Why is cooking the bones dangerous but raw isnt?

If you want to feed him steak, cut it up into chunks and feed it to him in his bowl. What I'd use to do is pre-package his meals in ziplocks so that he's getting a consistent meal plan. Don't bother grinding up those items, it's better for the dog to chew his food then to blend it all together. Don't worry about his stomach, remember dogs have been living in the wild for quite some time. It won't get sick.

As for cooking of the bones, if they are cooked... the bones will splinter therefore having a chance to cut or poke his insides. Raw bones just break and won't hurt him. It'll help clean his teeth at the same time.

You can find good deals at butcher shops, just make sure that there isn't TOO much fat/skin on the meat.

vegetables aren't necessary but any sort of greens twice a week will help its digestive system.

You'll start to notice it'll do #1/#2 less often which will be normal. It won't be as big either.

[codetrap]

I've had ours on Medi-Cal since she was a puppy. She's 3 now and doing just fine. Even better since she's all healed from her TPLO surgery.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY


If you want to feed him steak, cut it up into chunks and feed it to him in his bowl. What I'd use to do is pre-package his meals in ziplocks so that he's getting a consistent meal plan. Don't bother grinding up those items, it's better for the dog to chew his food then to blend it all together. Don't worry about his stomach, remember dogs have been living in the wild for quite some time. It won't get sick.

As for cooking of the bones, if they are cooked... the bones will splinter therefore having a chance to cut or poke his insides. Raw bones just break and won't hurt him. It'll help clean his teeth at the same time.

You can find good deals at butcher shops, just make sure that there isn't TOO much fat/skin on the meat.

vegetables aren't necessary but any sort of greens twice a week will help its digestive system.

You'll start to notice it'll do #1/#2 less often which will be normal. It won't be as big either.


:thumbsup: Awesome, thanks for your advice and explanation. I think I'll do that raw diet in combination with the kibble. Gonna feed him some steak with nuoc mam since I'm Nammer :rofl: Maybe some doggy pho

[kenny]

If you want your dog to have a healthy coat of fur, buy a bottle of fish oil and add a little to each meal for your dog.


Originally posted by dj_rice
I think I'll do that raw diet in combination with the kibble.

Don't mix raw with Kibble.

[snoop101]

Ya I was going to feed my dog kids fish oil capsules. I seen them around and they would be perfect size for my dog.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by kenny
If you want your dog to have a healthy coat of fur, buy a bottle of fish oil and add a little to each meal for your dog.



Don't mix raw with Kibble.


So is it okay to feed him raw food one day and then kibble the next?Or do I have to keep it constant?

[bignerd]

I feed kibble constantly but I will supplement with raw-every few days I give a couple raw chicken wings or a drumstick(this of course depends on the size of your dog), I also give the raw turkey neck from turkeys at the holidays-these are a favourite. If you have a small dog and are thinking of feeding some raw I would go with food that has ground bones in it.

One thing with feeding Acana/Orijen is that it is very high in protein-sometimes I find if you feed too much it will give your dog the runs. Takes a bit if finessing to find that "magic" amount that doesn't give the runs and maintains body weight well.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by bignerd
I feed kibble constantly but I will supplement with raw-every few days I give a couple raw chicken wings or a drumstick(this of course depends on the size of your dog), I also give the raw turkey neck from turkeys at the holidays-these are a favourite. If you have a small dog and are thinking of feeding some raw I would go with food that has ground bones in it.

One thing with feeding Acana/Orijen is that it is very high in protein-sometimes I find if you feed too much it will give your dog the runs. Takes a bit if finessing to find that "magic" amount that doesn't give the runs and maintains body weight well.


I was at Petsmart earlier also looking for Acana/Orijen to buy and the lady there, she was trying to get me to buy Nutro but I was like no I'm here looking for Orijen/Acana and she told me the same thing about the high protein in it might cause liver problems since its a smaller breed dog. So now I'm so lost and leaning towards the Orijen/Innovo route

[510-Trevor]

Acana has different blends of food that each have different forms/levels of protien and grains and when possible uses local products. My dog loves the Lamb and Apple formula.
Go to Pet Planet, I've found that staff there tends to be better trained about nutrition. The staff at Petsmart always push Nutro (which isn't that bad), but it seems like Nutro is their fallback brand when they don't have the type you are looking for.

[bignerd]

I would say it should only be an issue if your dog had a pre-existing condition or problems with its liver. You should of asked her how their melamine contaiminated food would affect your dogs liver... they were involved with that recall. You are correct that Acana/Orijen is local made and I believe monitors their ingriedients much more closely than "some" companies.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

This website reviews hundreds of dog foods-I use it mainly to check ingriedients and nutritional information. Reviews you really have to take with a grain of salt-just because Orijen works great for my dog does not mean your dog will do well on it or even want to eat it.

Fairplay pets on Kensington and Memorial carries all high quality foods(Orijen, Acana, Evo, Go Naturals, etc...) as well-staff are non biased there. Also have the buy 10 get one free deal like other stores.

[redline]

If you want to learn about BARF diet. go to a tailblazers near you and they will explain.

:thumbsup:

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by bignerd
I would say it should only be an issue if your dog had a pre-existing condition or problems with its liver. You should of asked her how their melamine contaiminated food would affect your dogs liver... they were involved with that recall. You are correct that Acana/Orijen is local made and I believe monitors their ingriedients much more closely than "some" companies.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

This website reviews hundreds of dog foods-I use it mainly to check ingriedients and nutritional information. Reviews you really have to take with a grain of salt-just because Orijen works great for my dog does not mean your dog will do well on it or even want to eat it.

Fairplay pets on Kensington and Memorial carries all high quality foods(Orijen, Acana, Evo, Go Naturals, etc...) as well-staff are non biased there. Also have the buy 10 get one free deal like other stores.


AWESOME!!!! Thanks for the re-assurance. The lady at Petsmart meant well, she did work for Nutro as she was standing behind a table of their products and had the uniform on but she was helpful, she tried to push the Nutro sale on me but I didn't budge, one last tactic she used was, she said certain vets are paid by Orijen to promote their products and they get a cut of the % if they do or some propaganda....:facepalm:

[TYMSMNY]

It's OK to feed one meal raw, the next kibble... but the BEST is to feed it all raw at every meal. The dogs stomach then gets into a nice routine and you can best judge the dogs intake.

for example,
Kibble = 6 hours to digest
Raw = 3 hours to digest

You're dogs going to have some funny and irregular bowel movements.

If raw isn't your thing, just stick to good ole high-end kibble.

[Davetronz]

Originally posted by snoop101
My dog is very simular to yours. We feed him Pacifica from Acana. I would say one of the best out there. We found after switching to Pacifica that our dog had beter skin and hair. He loves it as well.

I'm also feeding my beagle Pacifica from Acana. She has an allergy to something (likely gluten, grain or corn) in regular foods. She would CONSTANTLY get the shits before we switched her to Pacifica. Now she's absolutely fine. Her coat is awesome, she's developed a lot of muscle and the only downside is stanky fish breath.

[ielle]

Make sure to do a LOT of research into the BARF diet.. Because you're making the diet yourself, there's a higher chance of nutritional imbalance.. Just something to keep in mind..

[ffmf]

My dog is really picky and gets bored of food quickly. I've tried a new dehydrated food called Canisource and he loves it.

http://www.canisource.com/CANISOURCE/english/home.htm

It's a new product at Tail Blazers. On another note, I highly recommend getting food and advice at Tail Blazers. During the crazy dog food recalls in the past year they were one of the few stores to not have any of the recalled products in their stores.