Pets
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Food question
We just got a puppy and we need to choose a dog food. What do you feed your dog? Also do you feed them any canned food? Thanks.
DS 11/14/2008
DD 12/20/2010
#3 Due 10/25/13
Re: Food question
We recently got a puppy too! Congrats!
We choose to feed him Blue Buffalo, the other dogs in my family (my parents and my brothers) were just switched to it and they have been doing great on it. Particularly my brothers dog who has lots of allergies. Our vet recommended Blue Buffalo or Wellness as the best two brands. We dont feed him canned food but that is just based on my prior experience. We've never fed any dog ive had canned food, BUT ive always had big dogs so I dont know if that has anything to do with it.
What kind of food is he currently on? Big dog or small dog? Do you know what breed he is?
As far as canned food goes it has its pros and cons. Its not as good for their teeth as dry kibble is. It is higher in moisture content which can be good, but usually that is a more important issue with cats not dogs. You really need to make sure you don't keep canned food out that long and that the dishes get a good cleaning every few days.
It's best to ask your veterinarian about the type of food your puppy should eat. The main thing would be to feed the most wholesome foods and limit or do away with anything that has by-products and preservatives. It's also a good idea to regularly check the FDA's website for possible pet food and pet treat recalls and/or concerns.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/newpetfoodrecalls/
Unfortunately, many vets do not know much about dog food and nutrition (sometimes you'll get lucky and find a vet who does), and the courses they do take in vet school are often funded by manufacturers like Purina and Hill's (who don't make good dog food). Vets also often make a bunch of money selling these brands at their practices, so I find it's best to do your own research in addition to asking your vet. I agree with going for a food that doesn't have a bunch of fillers and byproducts and to keep an eye on recalls.
Oh I want pictures! I bet he is adorable.
He is not a typical breed at risk for sensitivities nor development issues like big dogs so there are a lot of great options out there.
I know there is a big push for the grain free, "holistic" diets on this board and while dogs can do excellent on them they are not great for every dog. So don't feel pressured into a diet that isn't working well for your and your pup.
The science is there to back the brands touted as terrible on this and many other websites. The are designed and carefully produced by veterinary nutritionists (unlike most of the holistic brands), and since their introduction to the industry animal health and longevity has improved.
If you do decide to go with a "holistic" diet please choose one that is not considered all life stages, or if you do change them at about 1yr of age. To be classified as all life stages it has to have enough fat and energy to supply a growing or lactating animal, this is too much for an average mature dog.
Sometimes you have to try different stuff. We started with Nutro from the breeder but I wasn't sold it was the best for him. Then we went to Wellness, but he didn't do well on it. We tried a bag of Science Diet the vet gave us. It's not considered good, but Chef D did better on it than Wellness.
Wanting to really try something better than Science Diet we ended up with Blue Buffalo Wildness. We also add in Nature's Variety Instinct Raw (a few medallions with each meal).
How is eating dry kibble good for their teeth?
Dry kibble helps break up plaque that can develop on their teeth over time.
I too agree that Blue Buffalo isn't the greatest food available, even though so many people think it is. I would select Wellness before anything else.
I happen to work in the veterinary field and I can tell you that our office does not make a whole lot of money on the food that we sell. The food that we do sell, we sell it because we believe in the product not because our reps tell us that we should. The doctor that I work for has a very extensive background in animal nutrition and often times suggests food that we don't even sell because she knows that they would be better for the dog.
My dog loves a mixture of wet and dry food. For her wet, she gets fresh pet, which is the stuff that needs refrigerated. She loves it! For kibble she eats merrick. Before deciding on a food go to dogfoodadvisory.com to see what the food is rated. I found out that the kibble her previous owner had her on was only rated one star
.
I do not trust that website. It is based on human philosophy not on veterinary science.
Considering vets are trained in nutrition on a textbook written by the co-founder of Hill's Pet Food, I don't trust what my vet says about what foods are healthy.
Vets are given a book written in part by Hill's because they are the ones that did all the research and development that helped set AAFCO standards. IE the minimum requirements set for the industry. Those requirements are based on thousands upon thousands of hours of research in veterinary nutrition (not all done or paid for by companies in the food industry).
Veterinarians are taught nutrition not based on a specific diet but specific requirements needed by cats and dogs to maintain a healthy life. Frankly, they are usually given a packet of notes developed by the professor and the nutrition book is put on a book shelf possibly never to be looked at again. Yes I will agree veterinarians do not get enough veterinary nutrition in school, but they do get more nutrition of any kind, let alone veterinary nutrtion, than the MD that wrote that site ever did in med school. Period.
And look at what he bases his opinion on. The ingredient list NOT the actual nutrition that is in the diets. If you want to truly compare diets you look at the nutrition labels and also look at the AAFCO statement. A diet full of high quality meat is only as good as its more limiting nutritional element (usually a mineral in that case) in order to get enough of that limiting nutrient you will be feeding a lot of extra protein (the most expensive part in the diet and all excess is peed out. yay expensive pee!) and fat (gives them a shiny coat and extra pounds if you aren't careful). So yes I do not think that website is valuable I just think it gives owners a false sense of security in their choice and a dangerous sense of distrust for their veterinarian.