Quality dog foods?

[Moonlight_Wolf]

We bunny owners all agree that Oxbow is quality bunny food, I have always wanted to give my bunnies the best nutrition around.

I just recently started thinking about the dogs too. They are not ‘my’ dogs so I didn’t feel I was responsible for giving them the right nutrition, but I just started wondering, “Is there a top mark dog food that surpasses all others as Oxbow does in the bunny food market?”

It turns out there is not.

After many hours of extensive research (once I get started on things like this I cannot stop) I found out a couple interesting things:

1. Most well-known dog foods are actually not so great for your dogs (Iams, Eukanuba, Science diet ext.)

2. Corn of any type in dog food is a big no no.

3. The first few ingredients should be a named meat (Chicken, turkey, lamb ext. the label cannot just say “meat”)

4. Flower in dog food is a filler

5. The best carb to have in a dogs food is potatoes

6. Rice and barly are pretty good grains, but potatoe is better

7. Brewers Rice is not acceptable

8. Some fish in dog food is treated with a carcinogenic chemical to preserve it – this one website tells you if the fish is treated that way

9. Some dog foods work for some dogs and some work for others

10. Country max carries some good quality dog food at low prices (innevo, Taste of the wild)

I wanted to find out some good brands that were resonably priced and I found these three at reasonable prices (The amount of money posted next to it is the dollars per pound of dog food)

They are listed in order from what I think is the best at the top:

Wellness Super5Mix Complete Health Dog Food                                  $1.76     Petco

INNOVA DOG FOOD 30LB ADULT @ Large Bite                                    $1.30     Country Max

Taste of the Wild HIGH PRAIRIE 30 lb                                                      $1.33     Country max

The taste of the wild would be above innova but the website I visited said it was unknown if the fish in their product was treated with the carcinogenic chemical.

There are more good ones out there, but these were just ones that I could easily find at a store near me and had prices I was willing to pay (when I get my own dog that is).

It is kind of funny, I stress so much over what my animals eat and not so much over what I eat.

What dog foods do you guys buy and do you find it serves you well? I just think it is good to know what to look for when you are searching for high quality dog food.

 Oh and by the way here is the website I was looking at:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

 

[Minty]

I work at a dog supply store so work with dog food and people who want info on dog food everyday!
Firstly, in my opinion, Raw food is the best thing you can feed your dog. There is lots of controversy on this. Some vets hate the idea, while others (usually holistic vets) really recommend it. I believe this is the most natural way to feed a dog. The benefits prove themselves: Cleaner teeth, smaller and less stinky poop, shiny coat, enjoyed meal time, etc, etc. There is so much to learn about raw food and it can sometimes be overwhelming. There are the prepackaged raw meals or some people simply buy meat from the butchers (chicken carcasses, etc.) The only draw back to feeding raw is the cost and the fact it is less convenient than kibble. People really need to educate themselves on raw before starting to feed it, and I think it is intimidating. The cost is a big thing too. I have a 95lb dog and he needs around 2-3% of his body weight in raw meat everyday. This comes to around 2.5lbs of meat everyday. If I were to buy the prepackaged meals sold in stores it would cost me around $200 a month to feed him raw…. The only feasible way I am able to afford raw is if I buy the meat myself from butchers and prepare it myself. (Cutting, weighing, packaging, etc.) Which is not a fun or easy thing to do. Still, I really believe raw is biologically appropriate. Imagine eating the same kibble day in and day out?

Anyways, enough about raw! I like kibble too for those that simply can’t feed raw. There are good quality kibbles out there too. I’m not sure if you have Orijen or GO! foods in the US, they are both Canadian companies, but both are well known here and have quite a following. Basically what we like to emphasize to customers is try to stick with a grain free food with a relatively high protein content (above 22%.) It is very individual to each dog on what they will do well on. For example, I tried the Orijen with my dog. It is a very high protein grain free food, but he had diarrhea the entire time he was on it… I believe this was because it was just too high protein for his body to handle, but many other dogs do very well on it. From your list, I agree that Wellness is a good food as well. I especially like Wellness Core (their grain free variety) and it is comparable to Innova. The only caution I have about Innova is that it was recently bought out by Proctor and Gamble… the same company who is responsible for a lot of animal testing and such. I wouldn’t be surprised if the quality of their food went down and I have heard rumours that they may be moving their brand to grocery store shelves. (All of this from a food rep that comes into our store regularly.) Dogfoodanalysis is a great website, and we recommend it to customers as well. We like people to educate themselves instead of just shoving our opinions down their throat, because it is al relative and I think it’s important for people to make their own decisions based on what works for their dog.

Well, I hope that helped somewhat. I can go on forever about dog food, haha, there is so much info out there and I am glad companies are starting to realize what is best for the animals and not just what is best for their pockets. I have even heard stories of some companies using dog and cats in their dog and cat food… horrible… just google it and you will get lots of stories on it. I have learned very quickly that people are extremely opinionated in the pet industry, so I always take information with a grain of salt and do my own research first. I believe that even some veterinarians are not very well educated on nutrition for dogs, as a lot of the vet brand kibbles are crap! A lot of vet clinics sell them for the money and push them on to patients. It is also sad because they do not receive much education in school aside from the vet clinic brands because these are the brands that are funding a lot of the schools. (This is not all vets btw, there are many out there who are very well educated about both raw and kibble!) It’s good you’re doing your own research and I wish more people were doing that… There are so many people that see the commercials like Pedigree on the tv and assume it must be a good food! Feeding your dog the best that you can will not only save you in vet bills but prolong the life of your pet!

Oh and a side note, i believe the reason that there is the one food we all agree on for bunnies, is because there hasn’t been as much research put into bunny nutrition at this time. Oxbow is one of the few companies who has taken the time to formulate something that educated rabbit owners recognize as high quality and nutritious. I’m hoping in the years to come that more companies for rabbit food will be emerging with better formulas.

[Minty]

wow, sorry, I just realized how much I wrote… I got a little carried away haha

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Yea thanks for the info, I didn’t know Innova was bought out by another country, I guess that is off the list.
I did read that the best way to feed your dog is to feed him/her raw food but I’m not to keen on buying tons of meat and preparing it and such. I might look into it more and if I do decide to do it I will definitely buy meat directly from a butcher. How much would you say you spend a month on feeding your dog fresh food? I would like to do this but I don’t know if I would want to spend tons of $$. Also do you cook the meet before giving it to your dog or does he eat it raw? If it is raw don’t you worry about salmonella or something being in the meat?
I was looking at Wellness Core and I did also really like it, I pretty much liked all the wellness products.

Also what do you think about the canned dog food? I always thought it looked suspicious but that’s just me and I did hear in some places that some canned dog food is good for your dog.
What are some other good brands you could recommend? I did see the Orijen but I read that it was fairly rich in protein and not suited for small dogs, and I plan on getting a medium sized dog so I don’t know if that would work for me.

My goal is to find a High quality dog food that is not bank breaking!

I wonder if you could go to the butchers and ask for the stuff he can’t sell (not bad quality stuff, just stuff people wouldn’t WANT to eat) Sorry I got the idea from the movie Snowdogs

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Oh and i have another question, how important is it that your dog food doesn’t have any grains in it? I read that barly and brown rice are good grains to have but that it is best to not have grains at all. Why is that?

[Barbie]

I haven’t done much research on raw (is it similar to BARF? I don’t know much about that either) feeding but I worry about all the bacteria from having so much raw meat in the house and on my floors. I feed the dog in his crate, which sits in my living room, which (when the bunnies are dog are acclimated to each other) the bunnies will be around. I don’t have a laundry room, and there’s carpet in the living room, the kitchen is too small to put his food bowl. Seeing as how sensitive bunnies are to illness, I don’t want to unnecessarily expose them to anything, and I’d be paranoid that my cleaning didn’t get all the germies Anyway, I HATE handling raw meat.  Blech.

Also, I hope to get my dog certified to be a therapy dog through the Delta Society – and they prohibit their therapy animals from being fed a raw diet becasue that would mean the ill and elderly would be exposed to the bacteria through the dog. http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=638

I just got him from the shelter and he’s on Purina right now. Yeah, not the greatest, especially since the first thing on the list is wheat, I think, but I’m looking for a better food and will be transferring him over to that in the near future   So this thread was posted at just the right time, thanks!

[Sage Cat]

I have always heard that Kumpi is a really good brand: http://www.kumpi.com/home.html

Do y’all know anything about it?

[Sonn]

I feed all of my dogs on a rotation Orijen, Taste of the wild and Wellness Core. All are great foods the taste of the wild is the cheapest and my dogs go insane over it the most.

I used to feed raw and loved it but the freezer broke down and I haven’t gotten around to replacing it. For me at the time I had 8 dogs ranging from 70lbs to 5lbs I paid $50 a month on all of their meat (bones, organs, muscles, etc.) my butcher would put everything he didn’t use in a box and give it to me for around $2 for the whole box then I would buy the meat I needed. I also had family and friends give me meat that had been in their freezer longer than they would like lol. Once you get the measurements worked out and ratio’s it is almost as easy and pouring kibble into a bowl. I would separate mine into ziplock bags with each dogs daily portion pull it out thaw it and feed it.

But now that I am back on kibble I have to make sure there are no grains in the food my youngest girl can’t eat a lot of grains or all of her hair falls out.

I knew very little on dog nutrition 2-3 years ago and my dogs were fed Beneful, Alpo, Ol’ Roy, etc. then I wondered why my dog Haven would have these not really seizures but his head would shake back and forth when he got nervous. Changed the dog food to high quality it hasn’t happened since and he had done this from the day he was old enough to eat solid food.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

I’m sorry to say but Kumpi looks like a not so great brand….. here’s why:
It’s first ingredient is corn meal, corn should not be in dog food and a meat should be the first ingredient. Also it has dried beet pulp in it, which is basically just a filler.

Sonn $50 a month is a really good price for 8 dogs! did you also feed them veggies and stuff?

[Minty]

For me, it would be around $100 per month to feed one dog. However, I am choosing to buy ‘human quality’ meat… like fryer chickens. I just cut them up myself. I know there are a lot of butchers that sell the left over trimmings from animals and sell it for very cheap. I’m not a big fan of ground meals though, and prefer ‘whole’ meals, this way I know exactly what my dog is getting. This includes whole herring, chicken backs/necks, turkey necks, whole chickens, whole organs, etc, etc. It helps to do sourcing in your area and have a good relationship with your butcher.

Wow, sonn, $50 for 8 dogs is amazing… Maybe the pricing is lower where you are or you have just found a really good deal?

[Sonn]

 I am not sure about pricing. There are a lot of farmers here and buying directly from them or a butcher is a lot less than buying the packaged meat at the store. At first I had to drive almost and hour away to get meat the gas was more than the meat lol. 

Plus I got all of the “unusable” stuff basically if it wasn’t pretty I got it. 

Dogs eat a LOT less on raw than they do kibble my biggest dog (70 lbs) at the time ate 1.4 lbs a day and my smallest (5 lbs) ate .1 lbs or almost 2 oz. LOL I remember when I first started and put his itty bitty bit of food in the bowl I was like  yeah this is going to work he will starve and die in a week but he actually put on 8 oz in a month. 

[MimzMum]

Moonlight Wolf, everyone here has given you great advice on the feeding of your dogs. I will chime in only to say that grain is not good for some dogs (especially if they are large chested) because it tends to encourage things like GDV, which is what Taiku and Shadow almost died of. Plus most kibbles lately have been coming from China and we know melamine has been found in their products shipped to the U.S., not just animal foods but baby foods as well.
Had I known I probably could’ve given my dogs longer and happier lives by feeding them either raw or better chosen foods (albeit expensive as heck, but would’ve done without elsewhere in my life to have given them this gift) I would never have bought the mainstream kibbles they were given. Even after their GDV surgeries, we had them on SD (vet’s bequest) and I realize now they both basically starved to death on that stuff. It did much more harm than good.

Now that we have Jenna (Yorkshire Terrier) it is much easier to consider raw or home-cooked meals for her. But I do give her Royal Canin and Organix, both of which she seems to like and with the occasional treat of steak or chicken. I can give you a list of kibble and their ratings if you wish, or you can look one up here: (this may be the one you have already found)

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http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yorkie-health-diet/172175-dog-food-kibble-grading-chart.html

Plate Dog Food (Kibble) Grading Chart
This is widely circulated on the web…the original author somehow has been lost. If you know who came up with it, or if you have scores to add, please post it here! Thanks.

How to grade your dog’s food:

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of “by-product”, subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source (“meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, “brewer’s rice”, “rice flour” are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points 8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein source, but “chicken” and “” as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D <70 = F

Dog Food scores:

Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+
Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Member’s Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+
Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C
Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B
Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Oatmeal / Score 101 A+
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B
Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A
Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+
Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C
Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F
Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Solid Gold / Score 99 A
Summit / Score 99 A
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

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Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance line seems to be a winner as well. But I will never feed a dog purely store-bought cheap kibble or canned food exclusively again. That stuff is not good for either my dog, or my cats…as evidenced by my past experiences with the illnesses they’ve all suffered. In fact we’re still looking for something better for the kitties, they all toss their meals up regularly.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Wow thanks Mimzmum, that is a nice list there, I will be checking out the A+ ones!

[Barbie]

Thanks! Yes, I’ll have to try some of those…

MM, you said something that got me thinking… your cats throw up their meals often… Dog throws up after eating maybe 2-3 times per week :-/ I initially thought it was just him having trouble with settling in and possibly fighting worms – he had tape worms and the vet gave him a dewormer and they told me it might make him actually throw up the worms, if he was really wormy. But I didn’t see any worms in it, and I don’t see any worms in his poop anymore. So then I thought it was that he eats too fast, so I feed him twice a day, but I split each meal in half to slow him down. When he does throw up, it’s like 10 minutes after he eats. Anyway, do you think it could be actually the food that’s making him sick? I’m planning to call the vet and ask on Tuesday (Monday is a national holiday – woot!)

[Minty]

The whole bacteria thing associated with raw food is a big misconception and a common reason why some people are anti-raw. Here are two excerpts from helpful articles on the matter.

“Dogs are surprisingly well-equipped to deal with bacteria. Their saliva has antibacterial properties; it contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys harmful bacteria. Their short digestive tract is designed to push through food and bacteria quickly without giving bacteria time to colonize. The extremely acidic environment in the gut is also a good bacteria colonization deterrent. People often point to the fact that dogs shed salmonella in their feces (even kibble-fed dogs do this) without showing any ill effects as proof that the dog is infected with salmonella. In reality, all this proves is that the dog has effectively passed the salmonella through its system with no problems. Yes, the dog can act as a salmonella carrier, but the solution is simple—do not eat dog crap and wash your hands after picking up after your dog.

Even kibble-fed dogs regularly shed salmonella and other bacteria. Most of the documented cases of severe bacterial septicemia are from kibble-fed animals or animals suffering from reactions to vaccines. Commercial pet foods have been pulled off shelves more than once because of bacteria AND molds that produce a deadly toxin. The solution? Use common sense. Clean up well and wash your hands. And think about your dog—this is an animal that can lick itself, lick other dogs, eat a variety of disgusting rotting things, and ingest its own feces or those of other animals with no ill effects. The dog, plain and simple, can handle greater bacterial loads than we can. Can dogs get sick from the bacteria? I suppose they can. But it is rare and usually indicative of an underlying problem, especially when one stops to consider how much bacteria that dog probably comes in contact with every single day.” Read the rest of this article here: http://www.rawfed.com/myths/bacteria.html

“Myth: RAW-FED ANIMALS POSE A SIGNIFICANT HEALTH RISK TO HUMANS.

This is a myth made possible by our society’s pathological fear of bacteria. Of the millions of bacteria on this earth, it is estimated that less than 1% are harmful. Media and society as a whole have played up bacteria, painting it as an evil nemesis that must be stomped out with disinfectants, antibacterial everything, and unnecessary vaccination. This has resulted in the emergence of super-bacteria and “super-viruses”, no thanks to the improper use of antibiotics and the plethora of antibacterial soaps and products. Developmental biologists have recently learned that bacterial exposure is absolutely necessary for the development of a healthy immune system, among other things. Humans and dogs have evolved in the presence of bacteria, and insisting on a sterile environment has created more damage than good. So where does this intersect with raw feeding?

Raw diet critics tout this myth as a main reason for not feeding raw. Yes, there is bacteria in raw meat. Yes, this bacteria can harm you. Yes, this bacteria is sometimes shed in dogs’ feces. So if a raw-fed dog licks you, are you going to get sick? I suppose all things are possible, but on the whole: no, you will not get sick. This bacteria does not persist in the mouth of a raw-fed canine. Canine saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys bacteria, but more importantly, the absence of plaque means the dog’s mouth is no longer a hospitable place for bacteria to inhabit. A kibble-fed dog’s mouth, however, provides the perfect environment for bacteria growth: plaque-covered teeth with sugary and starchy complexes provide both food and shelter for bacteria. The bacteria thrive in the mouth of a kibble-fed dog because it provides both a perfect atmosphere and a good food source.

Anti-raw people protest that raw-fed dogs pose a serious health risk to immunocompromised people and people with auto-immune disorders. Oddly enough, it is these immunocompromised people who have a better understanding of the important role nutrition plays in strengthening the immune system. A quick tour of the Yahoo! Rawfeeding group will reveal quite a few people who have an auto-immune disorder but have been feeding their dogs raw for many years with no ill results whatsoever. Anti-raw people (vets included) make it sound like immuno-compromised people (and most other people) are incapable of properly handling raw meat and cleaning up afterwards. The solution proposed—do not feed raw meaty bones!—is absurdly condescending (they assume we cannot clean up after ourselves and are incapable of feeding our dogs because we lack a credential in pet nutrition), and skips the most logical step: simply observe proper hygiene and use the same precautions you use in preparing your own meat. It is not that difficult, honestly.” Read the rest of this article here: http://rawfed.com/myths/zoonotic.html

Hope this helped clear up any of those bacteria myths and fears! The way I see it, I handle/prepare raw meat for myself, so why can’t i do it for my dog? It is common sense, just clean up well afterwards. Also, raw meat is not as big of a mess as people might think. You can easily teach your dog to eat on a placemat and use a big bowl to prevent any ‘spills.’ Cleaning up after any meal is important to prevent bacterial growth.

[Barbie]

Thanks for that information. But the fact remains that if I want to get Nick certified through Delta, I can’t feed him raw food per their policies. As for the comment the second article made about bacteria in the plaque on his teeth… I brush his teeth. Currently, it’s bi weekly, and we’re working up to daily teeth brushing

[Minty]

Yes, I understand about the service dog policy. However, if the organization was more educated it wouldn’t have had to be an issue at all! In my opinion, it’s a non-issue. It’s unfortunate that they are forcing people to choose between feeding a certain diet to their dog, and providing a public service. Anyways, I’m not saying kibble is bad, I really think there are good kibble products out there and I know many people who have fed kibble to their dogs for their entire lives. Brushing your pups teeth is definitely a good thing, it’s kind of the same thing that raw bones would do and it saves you paying for vet cleanings down the road. I know I am paranoid about my dogs teeth and am always checking them for plaque haha

[MimzMum]

Barbie, it could be any of those things. Either the food, how he bolts it or the dewormer. Jenna had just been dewormed before we got her and she was a little barfy too…but she may also have a touch of collapsing trachea (typical of Yorkies). And yes, my cats throw up soon after they eat. Some of it IS hair, but 95 percent is whatever they just ate.
Def take it up with the vet. Bring as much info as you can, maybe make a diary of what he’s eaten and when he vomits…include any excess water consumption or other behaviors he may be displaying.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Right now I am leaning toward CORE wellness because it is grain free, it is easy to find, its ingredients are not preserved with ethoxyquin, it has high meat content, and it just looks like a good food.

The only two problems are that it is a bit pricey and I wonder if the meat content is too high (some smaller breeds of dog don’t do that well on too high protein in food.)

What do you guys think? Should I mix it with another lower protein food? Or is it good as is?

[Minty]

How come you say smaller dogs don’t do well on high protein? Usually it is the other way around. You have to worry about larger dogs developing too quickly when fed high protein foods which can result in joint problems later on. As far as I know, protein content is not such a big issue in smaller dogs. Wellness Core is a great food. I feed the feline version to my cats and they love it.

[Minty]

Oh, and yes, it is very pricey! I am lucky I get a discount through my work, but even if I didn’t, if your dogs do well on it I think it would be worth it.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Oh really? I didn’t know that it was the other way around, that the high protein was fine for small dogs. So it would be ok to feed it to any dog as long as I feed lower protein to a big dog when it is a puppy?

[MimzMum]

The reason high protein is cautioned against is for the possibility of causing kidney problems. But otherwise, think about it…all dogs have eaten meat for centuries! Of course, it wasn’t meat filled with antibiotics and hormones until recently, which is probably the bigger problem these days.

I can’t drink milk anymore for all the supplements they shoot the cows with. It just tastes nasty and chemical-filled. I can bet any difficulty a dog has with meat is due to the same problem now.

[Author]

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