Natural dog food?
So on my long list of research for my soon to be new puppy. I am on to trying to find out what brand of dog food to switch to after I wean her off of what she is currently eating. I wanted to do a natural dog food, but natural doesn't always mean healthy.
I wanted to try Blue Buffalo puppy dry and wet food and change to one of the Wilderness ones when she is a adult. Anyone have any personal experience or have a better brand to go with? or just stick with normal dog food and skip the natural all together?
I am pretty sure I want to stick to a mix of dry and wet kibble, I thought about doing a raw diet but I don't think I have the time and experience to try something like that yet.
ALSO: I wont feed my puppy with any rabbit products in it. I have a pet rabbit that lives loose in my house and I don't want to be feeling the puppy anything I consider a pet. Plus I don't want her getting a taste for what would be her new brother. lol
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lucy & Ricky (Wendy/Jack ) on
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For what it's worth, we've been using Chicken soup for the Dog Lovers' Soul kibble. It's highly rated on dog (and cat) websites AND it was the first food on my trainers list of nutritious/healthy foods. It's also a lot more affordable than other foods with this ranking. My dogs love it and have had zero problems since switching to it...healthy stools, healthy shiny coats.
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Permalink Reply by Chezza on
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Looks good to me, I will keep that in mind. Only downside is the closest place that sells it to me is about a 20-30 minute drive in the next city. Its not too bad but it would be a pain in the butt. The ingredients look good and there is no added food coloring.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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"Natural" is kind of an ill-defined, 'garbage' term. They get away with calling high-fructose corn syrup "natural". We pay more than we can afford for frozen raw-meat dog food (a local Seattle company, Darwin's) supplemented with a little Wellness kibble, 'whitefish and sweet potato', which turns out to contain significant barley (moral of story: read the labels). Avoid corn; I keep hearing that corn antigens stimulate food allergies in dogs. Our first corgi had wicked skin problems until Lori took her off grains, hence our raw-meat thing.
On raw meat alone, their poops are hard and odorless. The more kibble we add, the softer, smellier, and ickier they become. Easy on the kibble.
It has come to this. I am a connoisseur of dog sh!t.
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@John - I'll have to send you a bottle of Nasty Habit! haha.
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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i personally feed not just teddy but my two cats wellness. their fur is super soft and all 3 are very healthy. it has some grain but the good kind, not corn. it dosent have any by products or any of the nasty things in it that most food has(not trying to offend anyone here) if you dont want grain they have the core but i would personally wait until she is an adult before giving her that. and dont worry there's no rabbit:) they have a variety of flavors and meats they use in their food just in case she becomes allergic to chicken,lamb, etc. also,wellness is rated in the top natural food for dogs.
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The wellness looks pretty good and I know they have it at the pet store closest to me so that's good too. I will be doing some more research on this one, it looks pretty good.
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Permalink Reply by Meredith and Paisley on
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While the wellness food is a good high quality food, some dogs have a problem with it being too "rich." When Paisley was a puppy we had her on wellness and it seemed to upset her stomach and she always had very soft stools. I'm not saying not to try it, just keep an eye out for that, buy the smallest bag, and make sure you switch over from the old food slowly. Also, the puppy food is chicken based, and some dogs do not do well on chicken.
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I don't know, raw seems more of a pain than it is worth. I am worried about it making them sick and it seems very expensive. Plus I don't think they would get enough nutrition from it.
I would do cooked meals but, I currently don't even cook myself meals so I don't think I would stick with that either.
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Permalink Reply by Peggy Woods on
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Actually, I found raw to be quite simple... I use Nature's Variety (when I don't make my own). It comes in various "flavors" so pup doesn't get bored. It comes in bags of medallions - mini burgers if you will. I just plop a day or two's worth in another container in the fridge to thaw over night. Then put as many as I need per meal in the bowl & it gets lurped up by a corgi-hoover. I rotate between the chicken, lamb, bison & venison. (I get plenty of beef from work).
I also have been using Taste of the Wild with good results. I'm thinking of switching to Orijen as it seems to be the only dry that doesn't have canola oil in it. I won't eat that stuff so I don't want my furkid having it also.
Personally, I have never let the expense of my pet's food deter me from feeding what I believe to be a proper diet. I feel the same about my own. I figure I make up for in the lack of medical expenses :)
In the end, you will choose a diet that works for you & your buddy. Like the others, I vote for anything devoid of grains & soy... (dogs are carnivores)
oh, I forgot to add that with raw &/or grain-free foods, the portion sizes are smaller so the supply lasts longer (you are using a more nutrient-dense food as opposed to a Purina-type product)
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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If you feed raw food correctly, they get all their nutrition from it, plus much more that isn't provided in most kibbles. Often the only supplement they "need" is salmon oil for hearth and skin health. Cooked meals are the ones lacking in nutrition most or all of the time!
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Chezza, read the FAQ, the word "Natural" means nothing under the AAFCO definition. Blue Buffalo may be a little too rich for your pup, if it still makes your pup have the runs with a gradual introduction mix with the old food, change it. When it comes to food, don't get fixated on Brand, company often buy out one another, share the same ingredient supplier / manufacturing facility, management / ingredient / formula change....etc. All these things affect the final product, so stay up to date and check the FDA recall on your right. Again, read the FAQ, you'll be more informed to make the best decision for your pup, do the best you can, unless someone is a licensed professional, don't follow anecdote advice off a forum. Made in the USA or fill in the blank doesn't automatically = 100% safe, check the last 5 recalls, always use logic and credible research. Good luck!
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Yea, I have looked though the FAQ's but didn't see a whole lot that helped me. I am still pretty lost,
I am more looking for a good brand to with because I don't want to waste a bunch of money trying out dog foods. I have heard good and bad on Blue Buffalo and talked to their representative at the pet store, but she didn't seem to know a whole lot about the dog food. I have a ton of pets stores around me and a large selection so I am in reach to about all of them. So if there was something that a lot favor on here I would try it out.
Either way I will get my vets input but I am really wanting something with recognizable ingredients and corn free and mostly grain free.
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