# Dry puppy chow / dog food



## steltz02

This is for the people who feed their dogs dry dog food.

I will be feeding my dog dry dog food. The breeder is currently using Purina Puppy chow which she says she uses because everyone can get it. But after doing some research I know this is not a very high rated food.

What type of food did you feed your puppies, what kind of dog food do you feed your adult dog. Let's see if we can get a consensus.

What should I look for in a good dog food?


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## Lucy Vizsla

We feed our puppy Natural Choice dry food. She likes it, I have also heard good things about Lamb and Rice formulas. My vet said, as long as they eat it and seem to like it, that is all that really matters. I hear look for more natural and real meat food and not the artifical stuff. Linoleic Acid is what makes their coats shiny and smooth, so the more of that the better.


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## jacksmommy

Jack eats a high quality dry food called Solid Gold. It is one of the few high quality foods available at the pet supply chain Petco. We also give him a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables that he loves. His favs are carrots, strawberries, sweet potatoes & bananas. Here are a couple of other dry brands that I have found to be the best based on research:

Wellness - Uses real, USDA-inspected, hormone-free meat as
the first ingredient and primary source of protein
Provide healthy fiber and energy via wholesome grains such
as rice, barley and oatmeal
Derive all-natural antioxidant protection through the use of
fruits and vegetables
Use wholesome vegetable fats and oils for skin and coat
health
v Include Pre- and Probiotics to aid digestion
v Are free of animal "by-products" and fillers, corn, wheat, soy
and dairy
v Are free of artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT & EQ), colors
and flavors
v Employ a host of phyto-nutrients, vitamins and minerals

Canidae - No corn, wheat, soy grain fractions, fillers or "by-products". Human grade meats
Four human grade meats -- Chicken, Turkey, Lamb & Fish, 
Ten natural skin & coat conditioners, 
Balanced Omega 6 & 3 fatty acids, 
Digestive enzymes, probiotics & superior digestibility, 
Antioxidant vitamins & amino acid chelated minerals, 
Palatibility

Hope this info is helpful to you all that read it!


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## steltz02

Thanks for the reply Jack's Mommy.

I started with Iams, which is what the breeder was using 'yuck'.

My vet told me to use Eukanuba 'yuck again'. From what I understand vets only get 2 weeks of nutrition in their schooling and are esentially brain washed by the big food companies. Read the dang labels.

Next I went with Solid Gold, and after doing a little more reading decided to switch to Canidae.

I just bought my first 40 pound bag for Jagger and he loves it. His stool is a great consistency and his coast is as healthy and shiny as ever.

The funny thing is I am only paying 1 dollar a pound which is cheaper then Eukanuba and Iams at Petsmart. That is pretty sad. I really wish everyone took the time to read about these foods and learn how important good nutrition is for a dog/puppy.

I am just glad that I now have Jagger on a quality food.


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## ritz

I tried ritzy on Solid Gold and she loved it but i couldn't handle the smell of the food or her breath! haha. She's extremely fussy and i have her on the goodlife recipe and switch between their chicken and beef to give her some variety. I haven't heard of canidae--where is it available?


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## steltz02

http://www.canidae.com/company/storelocator.html

GO here. In Columbus, Ohio there are 10 or so stores where you can buy Canidae.


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## vgal

We go with the Costco brand of dog food. We tried a bunch of different bands trying to find the "best" dog food for our dogs. My husband is adamant about finding the best food for the best price. The costco brand has been the best. He says that brand is made by the same people that produce black gold (I think that was the name) Anyway we really like it. We always look for something that doesn't have corn as the first or second ingredient and try and find something that was a good source of protein since our dogs hunt and guide alot. Dog food with corn as the main ingredient just makes them poop alot. At least it did with ours.


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## UplandV

Eagle Pack Puppy or Welness are highly rated. I've found my dogs generally eat the Eagle better.


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## Big Rick

Both our 9 week old V male and 7 year old Rott female get Blue Buffalo. No grains and no meat byproducts (chicken feet and lips, etc.). It's true that vets get very little training in nutrition and that they usually SELL the brands they recommend. We fed our Rotties Science Diet (vet recommended) for a long time but found out that many dogs are allergic to corn meal which is the number 1 ingredient in that food. We switched to BB and our female no longer has to have daily doses of Benedryl to keep the 'itchies' at bay.


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## madaboutvizslas

Hey Big Rick,

What do mean by the the "itchies"? My 11 month old V started scratching at about 8 months old. I think it is the grass in the lawn as she itches, scratches and sucks her belly, elbows and paws. She is currently on a very weak dose of prednisone. I am hoping it will go as we get into winter.


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## Big Rick

Our Sophie started scratching everywhere years ago. She was constantly scratching something. We had been giving her 2 or 3 Benedryl every day to minimize it. We always fed our dogs what we thought was GOOD dog food (Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams, etc.). Since we started her on Blue Buffalo she no longer needs the Benedryl!!! ;D


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## 1notenough

food food food what to feed your dog.if your dog was a rat then you could feed it what ever you wanted.DO THE REASERCH.only feed your dog what you would eat.It is called human grade meats. There is the raw diet....raw meats cultered vegetables fruits berries fish poultry.People stop feeding your loved ones these garbage foods.I dont understand why someone would do this.Sick dead or dyeing and dieased this is what is going into the rendering plants,and then to the pet food manufacturing plants and not just cows but cats and dogs it is a harsh reality but this is what is in low end dog food and even in some mid priced foods.Corn it is not good for you nor your dog,why is it in the food...because it is a cheap filler.Most everything is going to have something bad in it.Lets just do the best we can for our dogs .


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## Blaze

I use Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - gets a very good rating from what I can see . Anyone else with experience using it? I don't know much about doggie dietetics but as a mother and a Registered Dietitian, I think that if your dog is healthy, energetic and gaining weight at an appropriate rate(,if a puppy), has daily well formed stools, something is right about the food. Also comparing ingredient lists. And, of course avoiding scraps and begging for same. Not that Blaze hasn't jumped up and stolen the odd peanut buter sandwich from one of the boys... :


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## MDMVizsla

No one has mentioned our V food of choice -- one that was highly recommended to us when we went to the Vizsla Club of America National event a number of years ago in Tampa, Florida. The first mention of it was by an Australian breeder who also happens to be a vet. We were discussing our Meisje's skin problems with her, and she suggested Beowulf. We kept running into other V-parents who swore by it. We switched and have stayed with them ever since.

It is the Beowulf product (www.beowulfs.com): Back to Basics, which is a human grade food that appears to be about as clean as you can get. We get the pork product shipped directly to us in bulk. We never see pork anywhere else, but that is what was suggested to us as good V-food. A little more expensive but not terribly so. The company is very customer friendly.

We just switched Meisje, who will be 14 in August (and still loves to run and jump), to a low-protein diet due to a recently surfaced inability to process protein as well. Our other two younger Vs still enjoy the pork.

V-Mom


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## LuckysMomSamj530

I don't have very much experience with Vs, but I have a 2 year old lab & a 10 week old V. I got most of my information about puppy/dog food from http://www.dogfoodproject.com/. I hope this helps to make an informed decision about what food you put in you V's bowl.


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## linkkm

We now have Nico on Orijen. It's not stocked at PetSmart but is at a few of the other stores in Cincinnati, Ohio like Complete Petmart and Jacks. We usually add in a little of the canned Wellness (he LOVES tripe..doesn't help his breath though!  and also give him a fish oil capsule every day for the Omega-3.


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