Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
176741 tn?1295233989

What kind of food do you feed your dog?

I have a two year old Australian Sheperd who is a bit plump.  What type of food do you feed your dogs?  We currently feed her Purina One, but I'm wondering if there is something more nutritionally sound that I should be giving her?  Something somewhat economical, as well, would be great!  Thanks.
11 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Thanks 2ndBaby!  I'm going to also pass that info on to a few of my friends.
Helpful - 0
176741 tn?1295233989
Here is what the vet replied to me:

"My favorite commercial foods for dogs are the ones that contain no grains, low glycemic index carbohydrates approximately 25-28% protein and less than 11% fat (even less if your dog has a lot of weight to lose).  The fatter the dog the more Atkin's diet-like the diet should be.

There are a lot of brands out there and more formula's are literally being added daily.

Inova/Evo, Wellness grain-free, and Orijin are good brands, but may be hard to find locally, but are available online.  If you can find one with the above qualifications plus is Organic than buy it!  Let me know what you find."
********
Honestly, I didn't want to deal with the shipping cost of ordering the foods she recommended.  So, using her 'formula' and comparing ingredients in the foods, I went with Nutro.  I bought some tonight at a Tractor Supply store.  (the Natura website has great info for comparing brands, by the way)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I use Royal Canin also. I buy mine at Pet Smart, but again like JayBay said you cannot buy it in bulk. I have never found it in larger quanities than 23lbs. and that was for puppies. Another thing I like about Royal Canin, is that you can buy it for your breed. I buy a special formula for Shih-Tzus. They have a variety of formulas, for your dogs every need.
Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
Dogs aren't all that different from people in that nutrition issues are different for individuals.  If you have a couch potato dog, he won't need as many calories.  If you have a highly active dog, he'll need more.  Not all "grocery store" brand foods are "bad" for your dog, although I wouldn't go for the super-cheap ones like Ol Roy.  Those are heavy on grains and by-products and were some of the first hit by the Chinese ingredient pet food recalls.  

Over the years, Pedigree or Purina Beneful have served very well for my dogs until we adopted Doc Holliday the Dalmation who has a very sensitive stomach.  We've found that Royal Canin Medium Special 25 works great for him and our other mutt.  The problem is finding it in quantity.  It's also true that the higher quality (expensive) dog food you purchase generally requires a smaller feeding amount, so the cost tends to even out vs. the cheaper food.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'd really be interested in that formula the vet gave you to look for the foods.  I have a small dog who is also over weight.  I am now giving him the EVO also.  Not the beef one - the turkey one.  The lady at the groomers, where I buy it, recomended it since he's over weight.  She said the beef one would have more fat than the turkey and the turkey is also lower in carbs.  I want to feed him the best thing for him.  Could you give me that blend of fat and protein percentages you were talking about?  Im gonna check out that Natural Choice, especially if it doesn't have those bad grains and by products.  Where did you find it - on line?
Helpful - 0
176741 tn?1295233989
Thanks for the recommendations!  I kind of settled on California Natural by Natura and THOUGHT it was sold at a feedmill close to me.  My phone call to the feed mill was less than helpful as the kid didn't know what they had and/or didn't.  I picked that over Evo because my dog has a sensitive tummy and I'm concerned about the high protein content as well as the fat content as my dog is a bit pudgy.  Anyway,,,

Now I'm thinking about Nutro Natural Choice as it seems to fit the vet recommended blend of fat and protein percentages and leaves out the bad grains and byproducts.  I know its at a store close by, too.  Ironcially, she had Nutra Max as a puppy and we, in our infinite wisdom (yeah, right!) switched her for some reason or another.  Now I feel like a horrible dog mom for feeding her junk food for all this time!

Soon to be corrected, I hope!
Helpful - 0
193137 tn?1367880063
Hi,

I feed my two Samoyeds Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. They grew up on the Large Breed formulas - first the puppy version and now the adult version. When Bianca became a little too chubby, we switched her over to the Adult Dog Light Formula.

They seem to like the food a lot better than Science Diet and this was recommended by our vet. However, I should warn you that this brand is on the more expensive side.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have a 2 year old white boxer, and I feed him Natures Choice (might be Natural Choice). My dog has bad allergies and since he's been on this all natural food he's been doing great. I have tried 3 or 4 other brands such as Science Diet and Purina but he was still the same.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You're welcome.  I forgot to mention EVO is more expensive than what you are using.  I pay $42.00 for a 28.6 lb bag, although you don't have to feed your dog as much of this.

Also, since I have been feeding my dogs the raw meat and the evo they don't smell anymore.  Not at all!  It's wonderful, I don't have to worry if someone comes to the door that they might smell the dogs.  After we pet them, our hands don't even smell.  Their breath doesn't even smell either.

Right there is one indication that there must not be anything good or healthy in what I used to feed them.

You can find EVO at naturapet.com, but you can't buy it there. Click on - find where to buy and put in your zip code.  Maybe you could get your local feed mill or even your vet to order it in for you.  I get mine at a privately owned groomers.
Helpful - 0
176741 tn?1295233989
Thank you for giving me your opinion and for pointing me to the poll.  I read through that and wrote down all of the brands mentioned.  The vet on MH gave me a 'formula' to look for in foods, so I'll investigate each of the brands and make our choice.  I got the "NO GRAINS" message loud and clear.  :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have recently switched my dogs to a raw meat diet since I found out dogs shouldn't be eating any grains.  I also feed them EVO dry dog food which is supposed to be the next best thing to a raw diet and is grain free.  Go through forum and check out the Dog Food Poll by Fourpaws.  If you can't find it let me know.  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Dogs Community

Top Dogs Answerers
675347 tn?1365460645
United Kingdom
974371 tn?1424653129
Central Valley, CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.