Sunday, July 12, 2009

I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

I have a 2 year old AKC Registered Pekingese. He is about 11-13 pounds--he obviously has really long hair...and is an indoor dog. His jaw was broken after the lady I worked for (in Alaska, racing sleddogs...she has a peke, Dee Dee Jonrowe) had let him wander off during the walk she was taking her dogs on. Long story short he got ripped apart by a larger dog and now prefers to eat smaller pieces of kibble. Right now I feed him Purina Little Bites, Indoor Formula. I am looking for the perfect mix of food for him. I want to feed him the best food I can. I unfortunately have no knowledge on nutrition, and is one of the classes I want to take before getting out of school to be a LVT. Please give sources.



I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

On choosing a quality dog food:



Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.



Here is an article about byproducts:



http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...



And an article on what ingredients to avoid:



http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...



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There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on. (I recommend feeding dry food instead of wet. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.)



Some GOOD foods are :



* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/



* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/



* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/



* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/



* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/o...



* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/



* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssou...



* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/



* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.a...



* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp



Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...



(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)



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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, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)



Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has 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, 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.



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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 to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.



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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all quality foods, but most of the foods aren't.)



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:



25% food A, 75% food B



50% food A, 50% food B



75% food A, 25% food B



100% food A



.



I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

Its really quite easy to read dog food labels. Check out the first five ingredients in the food. They should mostly be meat. I feed my little dog SOLID GOLD JUST A WEE BIT it's made for small dogs and there are 4 out of five meat products in the first five ingredients.



I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

The best food would be Innova or Canidae. I feed my dogs this and they do great on it. It cost a little more then what you are currently feeding but you will see a big difference in less the a week.



I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

My dogs love chicken soup for dog lovers .This link will help too



http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...



I am looking to switch my dog food.....?

Innova Evo has a small bites version. the kibbles are so tiny, my 5 week pup can eat them with no problem. Plus it's one of the best foods (kibble) you can feed your dog.



www.evopet.com

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