Whats the best food I can buy....

[Marley & Lumikkis Mummy]

Ive been reading a few posts on here and wondered whats the best food I can feed my baby. At the moment he is eating pedigree chum puppy with pedigree chum puppy mixer . I have been reading that a low protein diet with no or very little colourants in. What is the best food to be feeding him ? We want to be buying large bags or dried food really rather than tinned meat. Thanks

[Elyse]

I feed my boy Merrick dry dog food. It's very good for him, and there's barely any fillers in it. And the first ingredient is always some kind of meat.

Right now, he's got the Campfire Trout Feast as I heard it's supposed to make his coat healthy or cut down on the shedding or something.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

mine are on wainwrights large breed puppy food from pets@home - and all do really well on it

ETA: its the only food blaze will eat that isnt chicken or steak or pork - and he is a fussy git

[Rich & Kody]

Taste of the Wild comes highly recommended, But in the UK you can only buy from zooplus and its about £43 a bag (13.5kg) There are other brands that have a better protine / holistic make up but their not in

the uk yet. You also have James Wellbeloved about £47 per 15kg bag from pets at home.

I currently use Science Plan (about £39 for 15kg) but this is bulked up with grain/wheat which is not ideal for a dog. But its the only thing that keeps my boy solid at poop times.

I'm currently trying to get TOTW and Nutra Gold imported, if i can get it in ill post up here and off load it at cost to my husky-owner friends

Best Regards

Rich & Kody

[Andy]

Barking Heads Adult mix kibble from Jolleys

and Raw Chicken wings

[slaves to kaya]

We currently feed taste of the wild and cant recommend it highly enough. Check out some of the foods on dog food analysis website. TOTW comes out one of the best. With having 4 it does cost alot but whenever we have tried other (cheaper) brands we always come back to taste of the wild. If our wonderful Rich (not sucking up to him, honest ) can get it cheaper than that is definately one to consider

[Rogue & Maya]

mines on wainwrights and she loves it

[stormchaser09]

mine is on Wainwrights too

[husky princess]

its worth researching as pedigree chum is complete rubbish and very expensive in comparison.

CJS is popular with many sibe owner and very reasonable - i think its only £12 for a 15kg bag of puppy food.

I feed mine best choice (not available from shops, direct from supplier) 26% protein

[HeatherZeman]

Orijen, the "for puppies" one (would have gone with TOTW, but they didn't have a puppy formula). High protein content and plenty of calories for my active, energetic pup. And she really likes it too!

So much better than the Science Diet and Natural Balance we had her on. Her fur is much softer too and she has less eye boogies!

I did TONS of research to pick the right food. Talking to knowledgeable, wholesome pet food store owners was most helpful as they can help to asses your dog, but I would also recommend doing research on these sites:

http://www.consumersearch.com/dog-food

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/10-best-dog-food.html

http://dogfoodchat.com/10-best-dog-food-brands/

[kyle_2011]

my 3 are on beta large breed and love it

[Marley & Lumikkis Mummy]

Orijen, the "for puppies" one (would have gone with TOTW, but they didn't have a puppy formula). High protein content and plenty of calories for my active, energetic pup. And she really likes it too!

So much better than the Science Diet and Natural Balance we had her on. Her fur is much softer too and she has less eye boogies!

I did TONS of research to pick the right food. Talking to knowledgeable, wholesome pet food store owners was most helpful as they can help to asses your dog, but I would also recommend doing research on these sites:

http://www.consumersearch.com/dog-food

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

http://www.dogfoodsc...t-dog-food.html

http://dogfoodchat.c...og-food-brands/

High protein ?? I thought low protein was the best one to feed them if they arent going to be working dogs ?

[Kirbysowner]

there's discussion going on about high protein diet. the truth is, working nordic dogs need high protein and high fat diet if they are going to be doing what they were meant to do, pull and run. otherwise, keep to a decently high but not too high protein diet. (mine right now is on 40%protein if my calculations are correct) There is no "best food", just best brands. Halo, orijen, blue buffalo, taste of the wild are some of them. Just make sure you read labels and the first ingredients listed are meats, and make sure it doesn't have fillers like grains, corn gluten and such. Majority of people in here serious about sledding feed their dogs raw diet, there's a sticky about raw diet I think. Personally, I feed my dog a good dry dog food mixed in with boiled chicken, brown rice, and some preselected vegetables like peas, carrots and such.

[Mistyrayn]

if your feeding a biscuit kibble and giving regular excercise or training worth looking at some of the one designed for "working dogs" like "Chudleys" i fed that to mine before i went over to "BARF" and they loved it more than the "James Wellbeloved" and so did i cos instead of about £30 - £40 per 25kg bag its only about £10-£15 as you dont pay the dreaded VAT in the UK on food thats classed as for "working dogs"..

[HeatherZeman]

High protein ?? I thought low protein was the best one to feed them if they arent going to be working dogs ?

Basically what Kirby's Owner said, much debate about a high protein diet. Really it's what works for your dog and your lifestyle.

Lily is a puppy so she needs the calories and she's been doing really well on the Orijen. Also, most of her treats/snacks are high in carbs and grain, so the higher protein diet regulates all the grains she's getting from other sources.

Agreed, especially with best brands suggested. Labels are super important, first 2-3 ingredients should be meats (and no byproducts). The raw diet definitely isn't for everyone, expensive and time consuming for others as well. Kibble is just fine for my pup, with occasional rice/chicken dinners and the such for special occasions.

[Marley & Lumikkis Mummy]

Whats CSJ ? Ive read a few people recommending that ?

It says its high protein on the website but for working dogs ? Is this any good for a dog who will be pretty sedatory, he will probably be going running when spring/summer hits as my partner goes cycling but other than that it will be just walking.

[slaves to kaya]

We used to feed ours CSJ, but their pooh incresed four fold, and when you compare it on www.dogfoodanalysis.com its only 2 star out of a possible 6 and it is wheat and maize based. These are hard to digest ingredients and can cause food alergies. try to stay away from grain foods, ( maize, corn, wheat etc) as these are used for bulk only and have no benefit for the dog. Only speaking from personal experience and research

[huskyluv]

There is no "best food"

Ditto, there is no one best food out there. Your best bet is to find several really good foods and rotate for a more complete, healthy diet.

I noticed a lot of people just put what they feed but don't say why it is better. I do believe that people should learn about pet food and what the ingredients and processes are that go into them rather than just buying what someone told them to get.

I see all the suggestions for food are for kibble and some of them aren't even close to what I would consider "best". I understand you're looking for a "dry" food so raw and canned food are out of the question but there is also the option for dehydrated and freeze dried food which I would consider better than almost all kibbles. Even among those, there is no one "best". Although I would rank Ziwipeak and Stella & Chewy's way up there as top ranking dry food options. Among kibbles I would suggest Orijen, Acana, and Fromm as really good choices over even a lot of the other grain free, premium brands like Evo, Wellness Core, Taste of the Wild, Merrick, Halo, Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, Nature's Variety...my list could go on and on.

I'd highly advise figuring out what your budget would allow for pet food and also learn how to read pet food labels so you can compare products and decide for yourself.

[SaraB]

Yeah, I was just going to add that Acana is made by the same people who make Orijen. I feed my girls Acana and they do well on it. I also throw in some raw and dehydrated every now and then.

[Marty K.]

We have used Orijen for a while now, and it's excellent.

We do mix it 50/50 with Nature Diet wet food, which keeps the cost sensible, and our 2 love this mix.

However, we have recently switched to Taste of the Wild, as Orijen is simply too much money, and as far as we can tell, they are very similar in quality.

I was genuinely horrified when I realised how poor most dog food is, and how unsuitable for them.

Which is why we feed them what we do/have done.

Marty

[Marley & Lumikkis Mummy]

Huskyluv I dont really have a budget for his food, I really just want to feed him the best I possibly can. Whatever is best for his needs rather than the best I can get for an amount of money

[Kirbysowner]

quick note: if you decide to go for dry food, make sure you get a puppy formula....since your dog in only a month+...I know its silly to say, but it is very easy to overlook. if you do have enough money to spend on expensive brands/names then try a couple of high quality foods and see how your puppy reacts. just don't try too many of them otherwise be prepare to deal with potty messes or a fussy puppy.

[huskyluv]

Huskyluv I dont really have a budget for his food, I really just want to feed him the best I possibly can. Whatever is best for his needs rather than the best I can get for an amount of money

Even so I have a feeling that like most of us, you probably are not going to want to spend over a hundred dollars a month on food for one dog so there has got be to some limit. I would highly recommend Ziwipeak and Stella & Chewy's but they are quite pricey, it's for that reason we don't feed them regularly but as part of our rotation. Ziwipeak is a dehydrated raw food with few ingredients and loaded with meat and organs which is very close to mimicking a raw diet minus the bone. ZP is very pricey but it is also one of the best. Stella & Chewy's is a freeze dried raw patty (they also come in frozen raw) that also has few ingredients and is also loaded with meat and organ. Again S&C is also pretty expensive and does not contain bone. ZP and S&C can both be feed as is or re-hydrated with water so they are pretty versatile, I'd recommend re-hydrating with water which is so quick and easy to do.

Generally most dehydrated and freeze dried raw foods are probably better options than kibble because they are less processed. Kibbles and canned foods go through a lot of heat intensive processing that can destroy a lot of the nutritional value of the food. Dehydration and freeze drying preserves a lot more on the nutrients naturally found in food, hence why raw meat is better for dogs than cooked. There are other cheaper alternatives for dehydrated and freeze dried food such as The Honest Kitchen, Addiction, Grandma Lucy's, Sojos, etc.

Arguably some premium kibbles like Orijen may contain higher meat content than some dehydrated foods, so then you have to weigh the benefits of each. For example, Orijen may contain more meat than Sojos but after the meat has been cooked at very high temps and heavily processed leaving it with less nutrients is it still the better of the two? Just things to think about as you make your decisions on what to feed.

Personally, I used to be a grain free, premium kibble feeder who got tired of recalls, company changes and lack of quality. I used to feed my dogs Evo, Wellness Core, Nature's Variety, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance and more. I wanted something better so I decided to ease my way off of kibble onto dehydrated raw and am slowing easing my way into raw. Currently, 4 days out of the week I feed a combo of The Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw mixed with either Ziwipeak, Stella & Chewy's FD patties, cooked meat, canned food, and even some grain free premium kibble on occasion. The other 3 days of the week I feed raw. What I love about The Honest Kitchen is that it is reasonably priced, is quick and easy to prepare (rehydrate with warm water, wait 5 minutes, and serve), they use recycled and recyclable packaging, they donate to charities, their food is made in a human food processing facility alongside human food products, and it is the only dog food that is safe for human consumption (meaning it's safe enough for me to eat).

I am really picky about kibble and look deeper than just the ingredient label when choosing something to feed my dogs. I look at the company, who their manufacturer is, their recall history (if they have one), their ingredient sourcing, manufacturing process, and their philanthropy. What I really like about Orijen, Acana, and Fromm is that they manufacture their own food rather than having other companies manufacture their food for them which makes them my top picks for kibble. Orijen and Acana are both made by the same company, Champion pet foods, and Fromm is a family company. Other foods with decent ingredient lists such as Wellness Core, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, etc may have a good looking ingredient list but they are manufactured by companies like ANI, Menu Foods, and Diamond...all of whom have long histories of recalls in the past, not something I would feel comfortable feeding my pets personally...however it is much better than feeding Pedigree so you could do worse.