I read somewhere that meatbased dogfood was better for dogs than other food. I have feed my dogs Science diet for years ands no trouble, but recently I switched to Evo (meat based) because it is supposed to be better. My dog does fine on it, but the price is quite a bit higher. I am paying around 30 dollars for 17 pounds of food. My dog is little, so a bag lasts a while. I was wondering if it worth the extra money, or should I save my money and go back to Science diet?

No idea. Ask your dog.

http://hottestwalls.com/img5.jpgNo idea. Ask your dog.

lol...
well, i think it should depend on which breed your dog is...
consult a vet for that matter.

Defiantly. It's more of the long term effect of your dog. Cheaper brands such as science diet lack meat as the primary ingredient. They put a lot of fillers into the food-- meaning the dogs need to eat more to get full and you're going to have more "backyard" mess to clean up. Feeding a premium food helps the dog maintain an overall healthier life. Dogs live longer and still have energy like a puppy. Kudos to you for caring enough to research what your feeding your Boston terrier? :)

A dog's diet absolutely matters in their health and well-being, just like a human. My dog's eat holistic/meat-based foods, and my 11 year old acts like a 6 year old :whee: If you can afford it, it's definately worth the expense.

I own a Pug

make sure you dog gets plenty of crunchy kibble though...its great for their gums and teeth... i like nutro being decent quality and price

make sure you dog gets plenty of crunchy kibble though...its great for their gums and teeth... i like nutro being decent quality and price

I mix eagle peak and call of the Wild.

I mix eagle peak and call of the Wild.

never seen those before... i heard mixing crunchy with wet food is the best combo

1. Talk to your vet.
2. Do not feed a "raw food" diet. It's dangerous for you and your children and any elderly or immuno-compromised people who may visit your house.
3. Science Diet makes a prescription diet that is a premium food only available at your vet. There are also specialty diets such as venison-based diets available if that is necessary for your animal.
4. Talk to your vet.

never seen those before... i heard mixing crunchy with wet food is the best combo

These are both crunchies. The Call of the Wild is pricey but my babies are worth it :whee:
Matt try the Merrick (http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/canned_dog_food.php) wet foods, omg the dogs go crazy. Grammy's pot pie and Cowboy Cookout are favorites.
I get Eagle Peak and COTW at a specialty pet superstore.

1. Talk to your vet.
2. Do not feed a "raw food" diet. It's dangerous for you and your children and any elderly or immuno-compromised people who may visit your house.
3. Science Diet makes a prescription diet that is a premium food only available at your vet. There are also specialty diets such as venison-based diets available if that is necessary for your animal.
4. Talk to your vet.

the bad thing about a lot of vets is that they are "sold" on which reccomendation they give...

the bad thing about a lot of vets is that they are "sold" on which reccomendation they give...

It could be worth asking at the next visit.

I would consider the mix idea. Some wet food, some dry (crunchy). That will cut down on the costs and you can still use the more expensive food you prefer. I think your dog is happy on either. Sound like you take great care of him and just want the best.

Either way (science diet or more expensive brand) your dog will do fine.

the bad thing about a lot of vets is that they are "sold" on which reccomendation they give...

Nope. DH stocks the brands he recommends and doesn't get a kickback other than the standard retail markup on the food. It's not like human medicine where doctors are "encouraged" through the pocketbook to recommend certain medicines. Doesn't work that way.

I recently did some extensive research into dog food and after becoming quite overwhelmed with the amount of information
I had we made the switch away from Science Diet for a variety of reasons. Primarily, their products contain corn, soy and
wheat which are known allergens to dogs. One of mine was exhibiting allergy symptoms. Since the switch, no more allergies.

We've just finished transitioning our furkids to Canidae ALS.

A couple of places that helped me to better understand and read dog
food labels are:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

this is a site created by Boxer lovers that evaluates and reviews the majority of dog foods out there,
and if there isn't a review, provides an ingredient list. I learned what to look for and what to hope to
not see in ingredient lists.

Also, the employees at our local PetSuppliesPlus suggested this site:
http://www.heydood.com/BLUE.htm

that provides a means to grade the dog food you're using (or looking at using).

Consistently high on the list is: Innovo, Wellness, Canidae, and several other "holistic" brands like Eagle Pack,
Solid Gold and Nature's Balance.

If you have a Costco membership, their Kirkland brand dog food ranks much higher than more popular brands
like Science Diet, Pedigree, Iams & Purina for it's use of better ingredients. And is a great deal for the price/lb.

Many of the holistic/organic diets that are coming out for dogs legitimate and some are all hype. It's important
to read the ingredient labels.

Most of the holistic brands won't be carried at Wal-mart or PetSmart. PetCo has started to carry a few holistic
brands. Also check your local feed stores, groomers/doggie day cares as they may carry or order the holistic
brands for you.

But the most important thing is the read the labels.

As for what food is best, it depends on your dog. Dogs, being carnivores, do need a protein based diet. How
much protein will depend on your dog's breed, it's activity level and the dog itself. Some dogs tolerate higher
protein diets better than others.

And like Mogwee mentioned, the fillers are what you're picking up in the yard,
less fillers means less waste!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions on my research/findings!

Watch out for Canidae, my dogs used to eat it but they changed their formula. It's not as holistic as it used to be. Read the labels, on dog food the ingredients are listed by weight, so the #1 ingredient is the one that is mostly in there, then second, etc. You don't want a filler as your #1 ingredient :vomit:

Avoid dogfood with food dyes. And try avoiding dogfood that uses corn as a top ingredient -- it's almost like a sugar-high. As everyone says, feed your dog the best food you can afford. I personally mix about a good spoon of Alpo wet food with a cup of Wellness brand dog food for my 45-50 lb Coon Hound and 13 lb Lahsa-Yorkie. They are very healthy. And it's true about the fillers in lower-quality dogfood. Even check out the recommended serving sizes... Wellness says I should only feed about 1 - 1 1/4 cups of dogfood for a 50lb dog. If you look at even Iams, it's over 2 cups. Where do you think that extra cup of filler goes? ;)

Wellness is awesome

Nope. DH stocks the brands he recommends and doesn't get a kickback other than the standard retail markup on the food. It's not like human medicine where doctors are "encouraged" through the pocketbook to recommend certain medicines. Doesn't work that way.

my local vet sells crappy food. So i was assuming they got a kick back(10 vets/1 location). Maybe not your vet, but at mine it seems like they were "sold" to and thats why they push it.

my local vet sells crappy food. So i was assuming they got a kick back(10 vets/1 location). Maybe not your vet, but at mine it seems like they were "sold" to and thats why they push it.

I bet they sell what people want to buy. Why stock a pricey brand if the customer wants Ol' Roy? It'll just go bad. Not that DH would ever stock something like that. :lol: Food is a PITA and if he could, DH wouldn't sell it at all. But there are too many people who need unique diets that can only be purchased through him, so he stocks it rather than lose the client to a vet who will.

Believe me - if there were kickbacks, I'd know. Dh gets an occasional t-shirt and that's about it. :lol:

Watch out for Canidae, my dogs used to eat it but they changed their formula. It's not as holistic as it used to be. Read the labels, on dog food the ingredients are listed by weight, so the #1 ingredient is the one that is mostly in there, then second, etc. You don't want a filler as your #1 ingredient :vomit:

Agree. Stella got very sick from the updated formula. We switched her to Wellness Super 5 and she is like a brand new dog.

I just bought my dog a 5# bag of Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie... he is very picky so i am trying with a small bag before i invest in a larger bag...slowly integrate him on this...whats interesting with this kibble is that you can eat it dry, or you can add water to make it soft and "with gravy"....bag says "no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives" so thats a good sign...

freeze dried peas, carrots, apples, and potatoes blended in with the kibbles..

used a 20% coupon for a local petshop and got it for $11 after tax.

I just bought my dog a 5# bag of Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie... he is very picky so i am trying with a small bag before i invest in a larger bag...slowly integrate him on this...whats interesting with this kibble is that you can eat it dry, or you can add water to make it soft and "with gravy"....bag says "no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives" so thats a good sign...

freeze dried peas, carrots, apples, and potatoes blended in with the kibbles..

used a 20% coupon for a local petshop and got it for $11 after tax.

MERRICK is awesome! They make the soft food too. Great price. SD, and very caring for Buster :whee: :highfive:

2. Do not feed a "raw food" diet. It's dangerous for you and your children and any elderly or immuno-compromised people who may visit your house.


It's obvious your husband is one of those vets that believes the BS science diet has shoved down his throat.

What most people need to know is vets are taught nutrition by THE PET FOOD COMPANIES that spread these kinds of lies and BS. I have fed raw and it's no different than handling meat I'm going to cook for myself. I'm on more medications right now than most people my age have taken in their lifetime, and would probably be considered all sorts of things including immunocompromised and I have never had a problem with it. In fact I eat sushi. It's all in the proper handling of the meats.

Science Diet is a FAR more dangerous food than raw. It's made with by products which include sick cows, cancerous tumors, anything not fit for human consumption is fair game. It can also contain cancer causing preservatives. They don't even have to be listed on the label if they are added to the crap before it gets to Science diet. That's why I only use pet foods with human grade ingredients and no by-products. I'm the kind of customer your husband hates, healthy animals that only come in for vaccines every 3 years (yearly boosters do FAR more harm than good, most vaccines last 7 years or more). I'll spend my money on food instead of pills and creams to fix the problems science diet (or some other crap in a bag an ill informed vet will suggest) will create.

I have had greyhounds for fourteen years. They have done well with Iams Lamb & Rice combined with cooked rice and cooked chicken. I have fed them baked chicken and boiled chicken--it seems not to matter. The breed can be picky eaters but when it happens it usually indicates some digestive upset which we treat with Loperomide(anti diarrhea pills).
The crunchiness of the kibbles helps with keeping the teeth clean. I would not feed raw meat although I know some pet owners who do. Frankly, I consider the meat a kind of garnish to get them to eat the other.

Google RAW FOOD DIET or BARF "biologically appropiate raw food" as it used to be called. Dog's decended from wolves, they do not eat corn, canned food, or processed food.

Don't be scared of the term "raw diet", you will not be throwing a slaughtered bloody chicken, cow, etc on the floor for fluffy to eat. You are feeding your dog a real diet based on what they are intended to eat. You can buy raw dog food at good food stores such as Canine Commissary. It contains real food, chicken, salmon, beef, carrots, kale, fish oil, berries, potatoes, etc...

Only in America do dogs have processed dry food made by a large food manufacturer.

100% yes! As a matter of fact, your dog food is probably better for my rats (due to the high corn content) than it is for your dog! If you're able to get your hands on Blue Buffalo dog food (I'm not too sure if you have it where you are, but it's the best stuff we can buy in California) then I'd highly recommend that!

It's obvious your husband is one of those vets that believes the BS science diet has shoved down his throat.

What most people need to know is vets are taught nutrition by THE PET FOOD COMPANIES that spread these kinds of lies and BS. I have fed raw and it's no different than handling meat I'm going to cook for myself. I'm on more medications right now than most people my age have taken in their lifetime, and would probably be considered all sorts of things including immunocompromised and I have never had a problem with it. In fact I eat sushi. It's all in the proper handling of the meats.

Science Diet is a FAR more dangerous food than raw. It's made with by products which include sick cows, cancerous tumors, anything not fit for human consumption is fair game. It can also contain cancer causing preservatives. They don't even have to be listed on the label if they are added to the crap before it gets to Science diet. That's why I only use pet foods with human grade ingredients and no by-products. I'm the kind of customer your husband hates, healthy animals that only come in for vaccines every 3 years (yearly boosters do FAR more harm than good, most vaccines last 7 years or more). I'll spend my money on food instead of pills and creams to fix the problems science diet (or some other crap in a bag an ill informed vet will suggest) will create.

I work at an animal hospital an can completely agree with this :clap:
I feed Natural Balance and supplement with fresh meat and veggies and have three extremely healthy, beautiful pets.

Nope. DH stocks the brands he recommends and doesn't get a kickback other than the standard retail markup on the food. It's not like human medicine where doctors are "encouraged" through the pocketbook to recommend certain medicines. Doesn't work that way.

"markup" = kickback :rolleyes: A more accurate comparison would be if the doctor owned the pharmacy that he was telling you to get medicine from.