Best Dog Food

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canucksafari

canucksafari

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We were feeding Orijen for years while we just had 1 GR. After our Ruby passed away and we adopted two more GRs, we switched to Acana to save a bit of money. Now we are at one $70 bag every two weeks or a bit less. I had been kicking around the idea of switching if I could find a good quality dog food which is a bit more economical.

I have seriously even considered Kirkland brand. I have read the whole gamit of reviews from it being crap or 4 out of 5 stars. I was wondering what other large breed dog owners might recommend? My dogs are doing very well on the Acana. In fact, the oldest has gone from an overweight dog who could barely manage a walk around the block to romping around like a pup. I would not want them to go down hill to save a few dollars. But, if I can get the same quality for a better price, the house budget would be happier too.
 
We had used Kirkland for years for our dogs. Recently our 8 year old was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy and our Vet suggested switching to a higher quality food might help alleviate some of her symptoms. After some research we decided to try Bil-Jac and while I'm uncertain that it's helped her symptoms, it has really made a difference in their coats and general appearance. Our 14 year old, who's always been a finicky eater, likes it and it's helping him keep some weight on. As gross as it is, where I can really see a difference is in their poop. Before it was light brown/yellow and now it's dark brown/black and much smaller in size. In theory, this means they're digesting more of the nutrients. Now I'm not sure that the price is any less than what you're paying now. With 3 dogs, 38lbs, 65lbs and 68lbs, we've been going through a bag every two weeks @ $40/bag. Hope this helps.
 
Our "budget" quality food is "taste of the wild"
Wifey did lots of research on it, all i know is its more than most people spend on their dog.
 
We have our three dogs on MDF - Mountain Dog Food. There are a lot of strong opinions on the raw food diet, but they thrive on it. One case is about $30 and lasts 8 days.
 
When we feed ours kibble, they get "Taste of the Wild".

Pretty good stuff and fairly economical from the feed store.

Usually they eat a raw diet though, so very rarely do they eat kibble.
 
I know folks poo poo mainstream brands like Iams. However, our black lab ran around happily until 15 on Iams adult kibble. Nothing fancy, fairly reasonably priced. No GI problems. Firm stool.

Now, maybe we were lucky, but our lab's companion during 13 of those years, a Terrier mix, lived with vigor until almost 16 on the same food. We continue to use it with our new dogs.

Of course, the dogs received annual physicals, lots of exercise, etc.. Also, teeth cleaning about every 18 months once they hit around 8 years old.
 
jmdaniel said:
This is a great site that my wife spent a few hours on.

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble
Click to expand...

It doesn't list Kirkland. I just bought our dogs another bag of Acana Pacifica. Next time I go to Costco, I 'll have to make note of the other brands they sell and check them out. Right now they are on 1 cup in the morning and another cup at dinner. So, the other factor is not just the price/lb but the amount needed to feed.
 
canucksafari said:
It doesn't list Kirkland. I just bought our dogs another bag of Acana Pacifica. Next time I go to Costco, I 'll have to make note of the other brands they sell and check them out. Right now they are on 1 cup in the morning and another cup at dinner. So, the other factor is not just the price/lb but the amount needed to feed.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does; just do a search on Kirkland:

Dog Food Reviews - All Products - Powered by ReviewPost
 
I have read such sites in the past. I decided to read the dog food analysis on this site of the Iams we buy at a discount at Wal-Mart or Target. It contains 'controversial' (their opinion) ingredients as does Kirkland. The opinions of strangers are just that. I considered their point of view. They didn't convince me, or our vet,or the university vet school that we took our dogs to all those years that changing to one of the site's multi-starred brands would make a significant difference in our dogs' quality of life. Bottom Line: We trust our real world experience more than some internet site's claims.

BTW, if you're looking for 'natural' or 'holistic', you can pay more for Innova Holistic Pet Food, Evo High-Meat, Grain-Free Pet Food, California Natural Hypoallergenic Pet Food, Healthwise complete and balanced nutrition, Karma Organic Pet Food and Mother Nature Natural Dog Biscuits. They're all Proctor & Gamble, the same company that makes Eukanuba and Iams.

We belong to a breed club, do rescue/foster work, earthdog competition, etc. There is no one common food/brand that everyone agrees on among the dozens of owners, competitors and breeders we interface with. What they do agree on, when it comes to commercial dog food, is that they have to feed their dogs much less of their Science Diet, Eukanuba, Purina, etc. food, and that their dogs have less GI problems(runs, gas, etc.), than if they feed them a super cheap brand x. In the long run;), cheaper is not always...a better deal.
 
I too wonder about the validity of claims of what is best. That's why I started this thread to see what is the real world experience of others. I knew a hunting guide that only would feed his dogs the fish meal feed for commercial mink. They thrived on it with his oldest living 21 years. Other people laughed at him saying his dogs stunk like fish. Our families ranch dogs (various mixed breeds) in Mexico only get scraps - mainly old tortillas soaked in cheese whey with table scraps. They too seem to thrive. But according to what I read corn is a big no. If they knew a what I paid for dog feed, the family in Mexico would be laughing at me. My neighbour has a 15 year old black lab that is still going strong. He buys the cheapest food he can get and the old Lab seems to be okay with it. I wonder how much of reported allergies and illness have more to do with the results of bad breeding than the quality of the dog food?

I'd still like to hear others' pet food experience.

BTW, I discovered this NY Times Article which answered some of my questions: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/01brod.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage.
 
science diet here...female lab loved it...fed less...and she thrived for 15 years...we lost her just over a year ago...combination of heart/lung issue...old age...we now have another lab...same science diet since she was a pup...also feed the new science diet biscuits...the dogs love em....oh did i mention my wife works for hills?....yep for 25 years...you fellas should see their testing facility...wow those beagles live in the lap of luxury!....science diet...best food around!

osagecruiser
 
1972FJ55 said:
We had used Kirkland for years for our dogs. Recently our 8 year old was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy and our Vet suggested switching to a higher quality food might help alleviate some of her symptoms. After some research we decided to try Bil-Jac and while I'm uncertain that it's helped her symptoms, it has really made a difference in their coats and general appearance. Our 14 year old, who's always been a finicky eater, likes it and it's helping him keep some weight on. As gross as it is, where I can really see a difference is in their poop. Before it was light brown/yellow and now it's dark brown/black and much smaller in size. In theory, this means they're digesting more of the nutrients. Now I'm not sure that the price is any less than what you're paying now. With 3 dogs, 38lbs, 65lbs and 68lbs, we've been going through a bag every two weeks @ $40/bag. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

^^^X2, dog poop is a good indicator if your pooch is eating quality fud. I go with the advice from my local feed dealer on what the breeders use. Most of the box store stuff is mostly fillers, which produces those huge craps of undigested...Crap.
 
WyoCruiser said:
I have read such sites in the past. I decided to read the dog food analysis on this site of the Iams we buy at a discount at Wal-Mart or Target. It contains 'controversial' (their opinion) ingredients as does Kirkland. The opinions of strangers are just that. I considered their point of view. They didn't convince me, or our vet,or the university vet school that we took our dogs to all those years that changing to one of the site's multi-starred brands would make a significant difference in our dogs' quality of life. Bottom Line: We trust our real world experience more than some internet site's claims.

BTW, if you're looking for 'natural' or 'holistic', you can pay more for Innova Holistic Pet Food, Evo High-Meat, Grain-Free Pet Food, California Natural Hypoallergenic Pet Food, Healthwise complete and balanced nutrition, Karma Organic Pet Food and Mother Nature Natural Dog Biscuits. They're all Proctor & Gamble, the same company that makes Eukanuba and Iams.

We belong to a breed club, do rescue/foster work, earthdog competition, etc. There is no one common food/brand that everyone agrees on among the dozens of owners, competitors and breeders we interface with. What they do agree on, when it comes to commercial dog food, is that they have to feed their dogs much less of their Science Diet, Eukanuba, Purina, etc. food, and that their dogs have less GI problems(runs, gas, etc.), than if they feed them a super cheap brand x. In the long run;), cheaper is not always...a better deal.
Click to expand...

Yeah, these threads always evolve into kind of a buzz, with a lot of "oh yeah?!?! That's crazy!" discussion. It's kinda like my grandparents, who ate horribly, by today's standards, but still managed to live into their 90s.

Maybe we should talk about something we can all agree on, like what is the best oil to use? ;)
 
I think if the kibble is more or less meat and not a bunch of grains, then should be good.

I give ours salmon oil and glucosomine(sp) with their dinners.

Coats are nice and no mushy poop with their diet.
 
monniepoo said:
What does the Salmon oil do?
Click to expand...


Untitled document <-Yummychummies website

Great for coat, skin and joint health... and its using something that was typically discarded as waste..

Yummy Chummie treats are the best too..
 
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