All About The Great Food Debate?

[Sarah]

Let me preface this question by saying I do not endorse a particular brand of dog food.

Recently I've been thinking about dog food and how so many people have differing opinions about what is best for their dogs' health and well-being.

We used to feed our dog a mainstream pet store brand. He did fine on it. Then I learned that there were better foods out there that had better ingredients. We switched to a "premium" brand. He doesn't seem to have changed much from the food change, maybe a nicer coat.

Now I work at an animal hospital and I went to a seminar led by a prescription brands' veterinarians. Obviously they were biased but I couldn't help thinking that these foods can't be as bad as people would think. They also have a line of non-prescription foods that have been shot down by the critics as being one of the worst brands out there.

Then there are those that feed only raw. Dogs have been domesticated for hundreds of years now, so why the necessity for raw? Is it only for the lack of preservatives a raw diet consists of?

I guess I'm trying to figure out what, as a good dog owner, I should be feeding without compromising my dog's health and my marketing/ingredient naivete. I have no problem shelling out the big bucks for the top brands, but are they really all that spectacular?

What do you feed your dogs and why? Where did you learn about the food you've chosen? Have you seen a noticeable change in your dog's behavior/appearance if you have changed from one method to another like I did?

 

[I Dont Bark... I YODEL]

IMO.....feed what works for you & your dogs! If your knowledge leads you to believe the food you are feeding is a good quality food, AND your dogs are in good condition, then there is REALLY no reason to stress over it. Sometimes I think this topic gets way too much attention, and gets people in a huge tizzy over worrying they aren't doing right by their dog.

Raw diets are great....IF the person is responsible enough to take the time & effort into making sure the diet is properly balanced. It takes a good deal of research to know what you're doing and WHY. Not everybody SHOULD feed a raw diet, especially if they aren't committed to acquiring the proper knowledge.

Currently I feed Blue Buffalo to 2 of my dogs, because it is the best food I can find within a reasonable distance- 45 miles to the nearest city. One dog eats Blue Wilderness (grain free) which is a 120 mile one-way drive to acquire. Luckily she is 15 lbs so one bag lasts quite a while. I MAY switch to raw, but only because I live on acreage out in the country & it would be a lot cheaper to raise animals & hunt, and use that to feed my dogs instead of making the long drive.

Prior to "learning" about dog food brand differences, I had a Boxer who lived the first 6 yrs of her life on plain ol' Purina Dog Chow. She was healthy. But switching her to Nutro Natural Choice (not even "that great" of a food apparently) caused a significant improvement in her coat. She shed a LOT less, had less of a "doggy" odor, and her nails, which had previously been reddish-streaked and prone to splitting, grew in healthy and clear. I was impressed.

I fed Nutro for a while- probably close to 7 yrs. Never had a problem until the recalls- at the same time the recalls were in the news, my dogs suddenly got a week-long bout of severe diarrhea. Went away when we put them on chicken & rice diet....came back when we put them back on kibble. So bag went in the trash and I started looking for a new food.

I tried EVO and California Naturals before settling on Blue. It was easier to find- I was a long distance trucker, my dogs rode with me....and I could find a Petsmart or TSC a lot easier than I could find a specialty retail store with Innova products.

I noticed even more of an improvement in my dogs after making the switch to Blue. Less gas, less shedding, much softer coats. I was impressed yet again.

I am happy with Blue. People will tell you there are "better" foods out there. I'm sure there are, but I'm sure as heck not driving 240 miles every 3 weeks or paying outrageous shipping costs for home delivery just so my dogs can eat Halo or Orijen, when there are NO coat, condition, health or activity problems that need to be rectified!! I have seen dogs who eat the "better" foods and they are in the same good condition as my dogs. Why worry about it?

So moral of the story- do what works. If your dogs are healthy and happy, don't worry too much about trying to fix what ain't broken.