Dog Foods

[polo vet]

Hey guys,
i'm looking for some advice: what kind of dog food (natural/holistic preferred) would you feed a 6 yr old cavalier. I don't know what dog foods are still considered good after the whole wheat gluton recall. I heard that it is best if 3 of the first 5 ingredients are meat. The dog has previously been fed a mixture of raw and dry food. I plan on feeding a dry food diet, but want him to get the best nutrition possible. So any of yall's input would be appreciated... thanks so much.

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[Bill59]

It depends. What do you mean by 'natural'? What do you mean by 'holistic'?

 

[mammalmama]

If you want to feed a food that is as close to a raw foods diet as you can get then I would go with Innova Evo. It doesn't have any grains in it at all and it's carbohydrate source is potato. It comes in chicken, or beef, big bites, or small bites. They do have a little more flavors in the canned food. I must warn you that which ever holistic or natural food you choose is going to be pricey. Another food I would highly reccomend is Wellnes. They use brown rice as their grain, but it is safe. Hope this helps you out.

Sara

 

[jfitzpatri8]

What is wrong with premium dog foods? Science Diet, Eukanuba, Nutro. All good foods. Every single mill imports, so the gluten thing is a ridiculous way of deciding not to use a food- 'cause the next recall could be on one of the companies that wasn't affected by the gluten problem.

Other than the very few instances overall in the pet population of diet allergies to specific peptides from certain grains, the most important factor is the amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Source doesn't matter to the digestive tract. Lipase works just as well on flax oil as on chicken fat.

It is best to choose a food that is relatively consistent across batches. Hence, my recommendation of any of the big manufacturers. Also, the Costco brand Kirkland is consistent.

I don't personally like the grocery brands: Purina, Alpo, etc... because I worked at a pet store that carried those brands, and we couldn't store them for more than a week without having maggots coming out of them. Icky! It was not the problem of the store, because the premium foods never suffered from this.

OK, my novel must come to a close, now.

How is your new dog adjusting? Have you been taking those walks? Take him a blankie to get attached to?

Jenn- very excited for you! Cavaliers are wonderful dogs!

 

[ckgilabert]

i have my dogs on a homecooked diet, and they've been on it for like 3-4 years now, and they're totally healthy. i also like natural balance.

good luck on finding a food! 🙂

 

[StealthDog]

My best recommendation is to try out a variety of foods to find what works best for your dog. I spent nearly a year experimenting before I settled on something that my dog loved and that kept her coat looking good, her energy level up, and her poops solid.

While many consider the AAFCO standards to be rather weak (after all, even Ol' Roy and Alpo have an AAFCO 'complete and balanced' statement), they can be a good way to check how well the company has researched its foods. The weakest version of the AAFCO standard states that the food is formulated to meet the standard. The most stringent version states that the food has undergone AAFCO-approved feeding trials.

For an interesting read on vets and food companies, check out these links to the Dolitter blog:

http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/6/11/pet.vet.dog.cat.6.11.07
http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/6/14/pet.vet.dog.cat.6.14.07
http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/6/17/pet.vet.dog.cat.pet food.6.17.07