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I second Cleosmom's vote for Canidae. I've been feeding the Platinum to my two rescue seniors and one rescue adult since they came to me, and they are doing fabulously on it. My vet sees a lot of dogs, and he's become a Canidae proponent after seeing my dogs before and after. One is epileptic and one had severe allergies when I got him. Seizures are under control and allergic licking and sniffles are gone. I swear by it, and I tried lots of other foods before settling on this one.
The OP mentions some really great high quality foods. I agree with the refusal of Science Diet whole heartedly. The fact that both Hills (Science Diet) as well as Eukanuba both had foods on that last big recall really ticked us off big time and our doctors don't recommend those brands anymore unless it's a specialty prescription diet with few/no alternatives...end of mini-rant!
That being said, the premium foods you are looking at are all great foods. Remember that foods like Evo that do have such high protein amounts should not be fed the same amount as what you feed your regular food. We had reps come in and talk about Evo, and portions should be a fraction of what other foods would be. In theory, your dog should poop less too, if he's doesn't, he is being overfed. Because of this, most people do overfeed, and their dogs gain alot of weight while on this food, and most of them give up on it and switch to something else, but if you and your dog agree on feeding smaller portions, then it's a great food.
I feed my boys Wellness and couldn't be happier, all skin problems healed up and it is human grade ingredients with no preservatives which makes me very happy. I feed the same amount as I did with the previous food, but remember, many times the bag recommendations are too high. you just need to keep track of what you feed and if the dog gains/loses weight.
Some of the "grocery store" foods that are still good foods and probably considerably cheaper are Newmans Own, and the Chicken Soup for the...whatever it is....food. But Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Canidae, Wysong, Wellness are all great foods that probably cost a bit more than many others.
I know how frustrating it is to choose just the right food, but the benefits are so worth the struggle. If you do suspect food allergies, a fish and potato food is a good choice or some other novel protein is the best choice (buffalo, kangaroo, duck, venison etc)
The OP mentions some really great high quality foods. I agree with the refusal of Science Diet whole heartedly. The fact that both Hills (Science Diet) as well as Eukanuba both had foods on that last big recall really ticked us off big time and our doctors don't recommend those brands anymore unless it's a specialty prescription diet with few/no alternatives...end of mini-rant!
That being said, the premium foods you are looking at are all great foods. Remember that foods like Evo that do have such high protein amounts should not be fed the same amount as what you feed your regular food. We had reps come in and talk about Evo, and portions should be a fraction of what other foods would be. In theory, your dog should poop less too, if he's doesn't, he is being overfed. Because of this, most people do overfeed, and their dogs gain alot of weight while on this food, and most of them give up on it and switch to something else, but if you and your dog agree on feeding smaller portions, then it's a great food.
I feed my boys Wellness and couldn't be happier, all skin problems healed up and it is human grade ingredients with no preservatives which makes me very happy. I feed the same amount as I did with the previous food, but remember, many times the bag recommendations are too high. you just need to keep track of what you feed and if the dog gains/loses weight.
Some of the "grocery store" foods that are still good foods and probably considerably cheaper are Newmans Own, and the Chicken Soup for the...whatever it is....food. But Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Canidae, Wysong, Wellness are all great foods that probably cost a bit more than many others.
I know how frustrating it is to choose just the right food, but the benefits are so worth the struggle. If you do suspect food allergies, a fish and potato food is a good choice or some other novel protein is the best choice (buffalo, kangaroo, duck, venison etc)
Good luck.
After going to bed upset over picking a food () and thinking about it the whole day while I was busy with other dogs I decided to try Natural Balance's Sweet Potato & Fish. (I thought it was funny you mentioned a fish & potato food) Protein is lower at 21% and it's grain free which is reallyw hat I'm looking for. It wasn't cheap; costed the same as the barking at the moon, but we're going to try it. So I went ahead and bought a 15 pound bag. It will last long enough (3 months) to see how he does on it. You can't really judge after just a few weeks. I'm pretty happy with it and will be gradually taking him off of the Barking at the moon.
You mentioned you are feeding Wellness. Are you feeding core or just regular? What kind? I've wanted to try it, the core, but I can't find any stores around who sell it for a resonable price. I also want to try the Innova.
Until I can order some store brand will have to do. I really wish they would sell more high quality foods. I was in shock when one of my evts said Science Diet was an excellent food.
FWIW, Natural Balance is an excellent food, well all the brands mentioned are (except Science Diet <G>). Mine were on Wellness years ago when it first came out and they were a bit loose, not real loose but more so than on other brands so we stay away from it now unless we get a little sample bag to mix in with their regular kibble.
Someone posted (on another list) that Spots Stew (canned, by Halo) is on sale (larger size cans) at PetCo, went to 2 here and neither had them on sale, I think it's probably the original recipe that's on sale, now they've packaged it differently (more colorful) and have different flavors (salmon, beef etc). It also now comes in kibble. Anyway, I didn't get it, I may try making my own doggie stew eventually but right now they're doing fine on their food, they like it and it's very local. But if anyone's going to PetCo (or even PetsMart, maybe), would check out Spots Stew, I hope to get to PetsMart but probably not til next week.
After going to bed upset over picking a food () and thinking about it the whole day while I was busy with other dogs I decided to try Natural Balance's Sweet Potato & Fish. (I thought it was funny you mentioned a fish & potato food) Protein is lower at 21% and it's grain free which is reallyw hat I'm looking for. It wasn't cheap; costed the same as the barking at the moon, but we're going to try it. So I went ahead and bought a 15 pound bag. It will last long enough (3 months) to see how he does on it. You can't really judge after just a few weeks. I'm pretty happy with it and will be gradually taking him off of the Barking at the moon.
You mentioned you are feeding Wellness. Are you feeding core or just regular? What kind? I've wanted to try it, the core, but I can't find any stores around who sell it for a resonable price. I also want to try the Innova.
Until I can order some store brand will have to do. I really wish they would sell more high quality foods. I was in shock when one of my evts said Science Diet was an excellent food.
I feed the regular Wellness. My old man gets the senior chicken mix, and the kid gets the fish and potato. I actually tried Innova with them since it's of equal quality and I can get it discounted through work, but old man had bad reaction and had 6 hotspots within a couple of days, so I returned it (it's a guaranteed product) and went right back to Wellness. I know Innova is a great food, so I don't know what he reacted to, but I am sticking with what works. Have you done a search on the old mother hubbard website to find a store that carries Wellness near you? If you have a pet supermarket, they seem to carry most varieties of the Wellness. I get mine at Pet Supermarket for about $42 for a 35lb bag. Drs Foster and Smith also have a food that appears to have the same ingredients as Wellness, but no guarantees since I have not tried it myself. It's cheaper too. They used to carry Wellness, and then they developed their own, so I think it's pretty much the same thing if that interests you. As far as Science Diet being "excellent"...I really think alot of vets used to think that, but the more people get into their pets health and diet, I think that way of thinking is changing. Corn meal should never be the first ingredient, and the protein should not be a byproduct or "meal". I could go on and on and on....and have in previous posts but I think most good vets are seeing that Science Diet is just another overpriced mediocre to junk food.
Good luck...and I really give you alot of credit for taking the time and caring about what you put into your dog. I know it's expensive, but I truly believe in feeding human grade ingredients etc. Ok...I'll get off my soapbox Good luck
On another note, as people are discussing here, a good food can make such a difference in so many aspects of a pets health. We see so many pets that have skin problems and issues that appear to "maybe" be allergies, and alot of times people happen to switch food and find out on a fluke that the food was the problem all along. That's what happened with me, before I worked for a vet that has great education about diet, I worked at a Humane Society up north, and one of my coworkers went to a seminar about diet (mainly focused on raw which I am not quite willing/able to do due to time constraints and not fully believing that raw is right for every dog...but I digress) she compared these corn starch/byproduct/meal type foods to us having a bowl of cheerios for every meal of every day our whole lives. Sure it's okay every once in a while, but you are certainly not getting all the nutrition you need if that's all you get.
I could go on about diet forever as I really do believe in premium diets and owner education about them (this along with proper training/behavior is among my topics I consider to be most important for dog owners)
I just wanted to add this for anyone who has an unresolved "allergy" problem that just doesn't seem to be able to be controlled. Obviously you can never guarantee that the food will do anything, but I have seen it many times including in my own home
I feed the regular Wellness. My old man gets the senior chicken mix, and the kid gets the fish and potato. I actually tried Innova with them since it's of equal quality and I can get it discounted through work, but old man had bad reaction and had 6 hotspots within a couple of days, so I returned it (it's a guaranteed product) and went right back to Wellness. I know Innova is a great food, so I don't know what he reacted to, but I am sticking with what works. Have you done a search on the old mother hubbard website to find a store that carries Wellness near you? If you have a pet supermarket, they seem to carry most varieties of the Wellness. I get mine at Pet Supermarket for about $42 for a 35lb bag. Drs Foster and Smith also have a food that appears to have the same ingredients as Wellness, but no guarantees since I have not tried it myself. It's cheaper too. They used to carry Wellness, and then they developed their own, so I think it's pretty much the same thing if that interests you. As far as Science Diet being "excellent"...I really think alot of vets used to think that, but the more people get into their pets health and diet, I think that way of thinking is changing. Corn meal should never be the first ingredient, and the protein should not be a byproduct or "meal". I could go on and on and on....and have in previous posts but I think most good vets are seeing that Science Diet is just another overpriced mediocre to junk food.
Good luck...and I really give you alot of credit for taking the time and caring about what you put into your dog. I know it's expensive, but I truly believe in feeding human grade ingredients etc. Ok...I'll get off my soapbox Good luck
Oh WOW 35lbs for $42! That's amazing; the bag I got today was 15lbs for $32.50. And after starting tonight mixing it Ted loves it! So I can only hope it starts working and he keeps loving it.
For as many problems that Teddie does have I would hate to see what pops up when he's on a bad food. I'm treating a ear yeast infection (Blue Powder Ear Treatment really does work! It's like a little bottle of heaven.) "allergies" which I can only guess as to what it is to, because Testing can't be done right now. But everything has been checked out and his health is great so I'm pretty much left with allergies. So we're taking out grains right now and sticking to a fish based kibble to see what happens.
I go to this vet for shots because they are such a great deal. When I was fostering and food came up I mentioned how I felt about high quality food and he said Science Diet. I looked at him and went into no good dog food should have corn as it's first ingredient. Just shows vets aren't always right lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turtle
On another note, as people are discussing here, a good food can make such a difference in so many aspects of a pets health. We see so many pets that have skin problems and issues that appear to "maybe" be allergies, and alot of times people happen to switch food and find out on a fluke that the food was the problem all along. That's what happened with me, before I worked for a vet that has great education about diet, I worked at a Humane Society up north, and one of my coworkers went to a seminar about diet (mainly focused on raw which I am not quite willing/able to do due to time constraints and not fully believing that raw is right for every dog...but I digress) she compared these corn starch/byproduct/meal type foods to us having a bowl of cheerios for every meal of every day our whole lives. Sure it's okay every once in a while, but you are certainly not getting all the nutrition you need if that's all you get.
I could go on about diet forever as I really do believe in premium diets and owner education about them (this along with proper training/behavior is among my topics I consider to be most important for dog owners)
I just wanted to add this for anyone who has an unresolved "allergy" problem that just doesn't seem to be able to be controlled. Obviously you can never guarantee that the food will do anything, but I have seen it many times including in my own home
Hey it's not a problem I always learn something new when informed people talk to me. It could be the smallest thing that helps me the most So don't feel bad about going on and on.
Thank you everyone for replying! Keep your fingers crossed that this new food really works.
Just remember too, when you are trying to rule out food allergies, you can feed ONLY the food you are trying. Many people don't think twice about giving regular treats and snacks...and they can't figure out why the food isn't making a difference and assume that the food isn't the real problem and give up. For the first few months, the dog should get nothing but the food you are feeding. This is getting a little easier now because the same companies are starting to make treats with the same ingredients as the food. Wellness makes a fish and potato treat, and at work we sell these sweet potato "french fries" that are compliant with a fish and potato diet. If it seems to make a difference, you can slowly introduce treats and snacks one at a time and watch carefully for a reaction. I personally choose to feed just the Wellness food and treats, I don't think my dogs even taste what goes in there mouths anyways, their just happy to get something. I can give them a few pieces of their food as a treat and they don't care, they just want something
I hope you find a food that works for you (that isn't going to break the bank) It really is amazing when you finally find something that works and all these problems just go away.
We have our Saint Bernard on Chicken soup for dogs. We had tried her on so many different kinds from the vet's and health food stores. She had so many allergies before so this is all we feed her (free feed) and we have had no problems. She get's no treats anymore because being allergic other than an occasional milk bone.
Hope the food works for your doggie, but thought I'd post my 2 cents for others with the same question and state my story and what I use for my pups. I learned the hard way ... used a cheaper, but not cheap, food for our lab. She always had ear and skin infections and the vet said it appeared to be from allergies. Then I brought a Siberian Husky home and kept him on the Canidae food that he was being fed. So I weened the lab onto the same stuff. Over time she stoped having ear and skin problems, her fur was more smooth and shiny. She was happier and healthier. I will never go back! On Canidae I have happy campers!
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) and thinking about it the whole day while I was busy with other dogs I decided to try Natural Balance's Sweet Potato & Fish. (I thought it was funny you mentioned a fish & potato food) Protein is lower at 21% and it's grain free which is reallyw hat I'm looking for. It wasn't cheap; costed the same as the barking at the moon, but we're going to try it. So I went ahead and bought a 15 pound bag. It will last long enough (3 months) to see how he does on it. You can't really judge after just a few weeks. I'm pretty happy with it and will be gradually taking him off of the Barking at the moon. 
Good luck
