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W are thinking of changing our dog's food

Which dog food do you think is the highest quality ( or has the best mix of ingredients ) ?

Which dog food has good ingredients and is the best value ?

Our  dog doesn't even bother to chew his food for the most part, and  our current dog (Kirkland) food pellets barely dissolve in water

Thanks

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I think that's a question for the Vet and depends on the age, health and general physical condition of your dog. I switched both of mine to Virbac joint and mobility based on Hector Ladron's opinion. Cora has two bone spurs in her back and Ginny has the beginnings of hip problems. These are the kinds of things on which your choice should be based. imho.

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Totally agree with Ferret. A vet knowledgeable about nutrition and your dog's needs is your best bet. If you don't want to feed Virbac, Hector will give you other options. I also recommend Hector for this issue.

Getting opinions on this forum would be as wild as googling "dog food reviews". Which I DON"T recommend. 😀

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I  totally agree  with consulting your Vet about reccomendations about pet  food, as each animal  is unique and possibly with specific nutitrional medical needs and restrictions.

However,   it  does pay to be an educated consumer for your pet's food, as you are about  your own food. The first thing is to read the lablels of food items.  Knowing that the order is which they are listed is in the volume of that particular item in the food in the chain of ingredients.   Staying  aware of  new information that comes out in the news is also helpful.  There  has been a push by many  pet food companies  to sell  their new fad diet - grain free dog food. Yes, like human and pet food companies, they are in the business to sell you  their products , and both  industried thrive on fads.  There have been several new official  studies surrounding   grain free dog food, and some  cat foods also. Take the time and do some research yourself . Some valued studies have found a nutritional grain free dog food relationship to   to Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) - discuss this with your Vet.  As  for pet food labeling it helps to know what some of the ingredients they have listed and what they really mean.  These  are  examples of what you might see on labeling  :  By-products (for example, chicken by-products or beef by-products): clean non-rendered "parts", other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, blood, bone, fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. By-product meal is made of the waste material left over after the parts for human consumption have been removed .   By-product meal can contain things like feet, bones, heads,  feathers, beaks, etc. !    Chicken meal is made of only chicken muscle tissue, though the sources of that chicken can be questionable. Generic  by-product meals do not identify the source of the meat. Some companies use  vague and non-specific  names like :  Meat meal , Meat and bone meal , Meat by-product meal, or Animal by-product meal . This generic by product substace  can contain: Road kill , Dead zoo animals , Dead on arrival poultry , Diseased and dying livestock , slaughter  house  waste,  and euthanized pets from animal shelters .

I know this is more than you want to know..  but our pets are our kids, and we want to provide  them with the best food we can.     So  talk with your Vet,   let time go by on fads  foods to see if  in the long-run  what value [  or not ]   they provide, and    also read the pet food labels, and be an involved educated consumer.

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I tend to change up the dog food once in awhile and try to pay attention to what she likes best and what she seems to do best on. For a long time I bought the Kirkland Chicken/rice (she wouldn't touch the lamb one and neither would my neighbors' dogs) . Then it was Purina Dog Chow for awhile, which she doesn't seem to like much. She really likes the Old Roy Premium from Walmart. The latest bag I bought is Nature's Domain grain-free- pricey, but I thought I'd give it a try. 

In any case, my dog is about 12 years old and she's never ever been sick at all- the only time I've ever had to take her to the vet is for her shots. So I figure she knows what food is better than others and let her call the shots.

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An ultrasound showed an irritation in my dog's bowel. Dr. Berenice said she was most likely sensitive to something in the food. Rather than put Precious through the misery and my expense of experimenting with the different brands and Ingredients, I researched and began making her food. You Tube has many videos. I chose each ingredient for it's nutritional value and health benefit. It's a relief knowing there are no byproducts, dyes, preservatives or anything that isn't fresh and wholesome. The effect was obvious and exciting from almost her first meal. Even her energy went up with her new healthful appearance. Dr. Berenice noticed it and asked for the list of ingredients, making notes and approving each one. I kept a friend's dog for a month and he saw the difference in his dog immediately. He continues to cook for her now. I also get probiotics for dogs shipped to me from Amazon. I don't recommend this if you have several dogs or a large breed. It's expensive and with the addition of another larger pup I'm making it once a week and filling the freezer. But I could never go back to feeding commercial dog food again. You are welcome to PM me for more information. 

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Knowing about your breed's requirements is also important. For example, I have Schnauzer mixes and they should not be feed a high protein diet. There is no one best food, however, feeding Old Roy is like feeding meat flavored sawdust. It is consistently rated the worst. Just for the record.

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31 minutes ago, MtnMama said:

Knowing about your breed's requirements is also important. For example, I have Schnauzer mixes and they should not be feed a high protein diet. There is no one best food, however, feeding Old Roy is like feeding meat flavored sawdust. It is consistently rated the worst. Just for the record.

Actually,. I misspoke- I have gotten the Old Roy before, but the one she likes best, which is also from Walmart, is the Ganador Premium. It has a high protein content, which my dog needs. I haven't checked the ratings, though.

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Commercial dog food is garbage. It is food that cannot be consumed by humans and the best of it is worse than anything you won't eat yourself:/ You also the risk of inadvertent poisoning by contaminants and it has happened over and over again as you can see by dog food recalls even of the "best" brands. If a vet sells dog food stay away from it. They make about a 100% markup on it:/ After loosing a much beloved dog to very expensive commercial dog food we have been making our dogs food for over 12 years now. It does not have to be expensive especially with the cost of food here in Mexico. Even making food for your dogs you need to be aware of their particular needs. Many dogs are allergic to rice. Many are allergic to corn. Many dogs are allergic to soy. Recent reports suggest "quality" grain free commercial dog foods linked to canine dilated cardiomyopathy:/  (https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-names-16-brands-dog-food-linked-canine-heart-disease-n1025466 )You can give your dog too much fat and run the risk of health issues. Lots and lots of information out there for making your dogs food. I spend about 2 hours a week making food for our 2 dogs, one a 115 lb moose and the other a 6 lb seriously picky eater. I wouldn't feed my dogs commercial dog food if the companies that produce it paid me to:( 

Obviously there are millions of healthy dogs that eat commercial dog food. Personally I believe their lives would be longer and healthier with real food instead of the stuff they put into commercial dog food. I also feed our cats food that I make for them at home. Dry commercial cat food can seriously lead to kidney disease. 

We get so much love and affection from our 4 legged friends. To me, the extra work of preparing them nutritional food is absolutely worth it:-) 

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