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New dog, food advice

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by DAKA, Jul 17, 2014.

  1. DAKA

    DAKA DOING VERY NICELY, THANK YOU

    Location:
    150 miles North of SOUTHERNMOST POINT IN THE US
    We did it, after 7 years of no dog, we decided a few months ago to look for another dog
    Sheba our German Shepherd is of course irreplaceable but it was time…
    We “discussed” the new dog…”I Iost the toss” actually a smaller dog makes a lot of sense, no more drying off a 90 pound dog after a long walk in the rain (the GSD loved the rain) and no more picking up LARGE poops, and we can take the dog just about everywhere.
    So we toured the rescue sites and adoption places and finally fell for a 7 year old adorable Silky Terrier, 10 pounds of cutie pie.
    So far,, so good he is teaching us……
    Now, what is the really good food for a small dog...there seem to be more types of food available,
    all kinds of advice from everyone, from, cooking chicken and vegi’s for the dog to Science Diet etc.

    What are your thoughts? PS the avatar remains
     
    DAKA, Jul 17, 2014
    #1
    • Like Like x 1
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    When we got Stanley I did a ton of research and asked around to a lot of people, vets, trainers, breeders, etc.

    We ended up deciding on Blue Buffalo. Over the years we have transitioned him from Large Breed Puppy to Large Breed to their Wilderness line of Large Breed dog foods. They make specific recipes for other types of dogs too obviously.

    Through the entire time we've had him we've got nothing but compliments from vets, trainers, and the breeder as to his development (obviously not applicable to a grown dog), and they often credited the food we fed him. He also maintains a healthy weight easily, has a great coat, and produces less poop, since most dog food has tons of filler that just ends up coming out the other end.

    We did consider a raw diet, and we considered making our own food. That would probably be the optimal choice, but due to the work involved (including for whoever watches him when we are away), we went with commercially available stuff.

    In the past several years many of our friends have switched over to Blue Buffalo as well, and several commented on positive changes, including less poop to scoop.



    Most of all, congrats on the new dog! :)
     
    Borla, Jul 17, 2014
    #2
  3. ralphie250

    ralphie250 Fully Erect

    Location:
    At work..
    congrats on the new addition. and i admire you for getting one that is older that needed a forever home.

    im not sure what we use, ill have to look
     
    ralphie250, Jul 17, 2014
    #3
  4. DAKA

    DAKA DOING VERY NICELY, THANK YOU

    Location:
    150 miles North of SOUTHERNMOST POINT IN THE US
    Yes, we were thinking that it would be difficult to find a home for him, and we loved his little face
    I will be looking at the Blue Buffalo at Pets Mart tomorrow....less poop...good, but not a problem..he's 10 pounds.....
     
    DAKA, Jul 17, 2014
    #4
    • Like Like x 1
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    For our cats, we just buy Nutra Nuggets at Costco. They love it! They make dog food too. I find it to be a nice balance of quality and price. I can tell because one cat has flatulence issues if her food is not to par, and their coats are gorgeous.
     
    snowy, Jul 17, 2014
    #5
  6. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    My dog developed allergies to grains and had a lot of digestive issues until getting him on a limited ingredient diet. First was dick van pattens dog food. Venison and sweet potato. He did pretty good on that. But eventually I found taste of the wild. He has really enjoyed that overall. Again, grain free. Better price than dicks stuff. High prairie version with american bison.
     
    omega, Jul 18, 2014
    #6
  7. Lettice Dubois

    Lettice Dubois New Member

    Location:
    Oxford
    Chicken is great because it is so easy to digest, particularly when they are poorly, but other than that, I have always used the Hill's science diet. It's expensive, but I have seen it done amazing things to all kinds of dogs. Our retriever was eight when we rescued her. She had been starved then over fed on a very poor diet and by the time she came to us, she couldn't walk more than 5-10 steps before giving up and lying down. Within three months, she resembled the dog from the Winalot adverts, leaping and bounding across rivers, up and down huge river banks etc etc. It was absolutely incredible. Sadly, we finally lost her last year, but the few years we had with her, were fantastic. I even recall her leaping our five bar gate like it was nothing.
     
    Lettice Dubois, Jul 18, 2014
    #7
  8. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    I like to open feed my dogs (2 beagles) ...I feel they should be able to eat when they like. (I know I do)
    But I don't want them overeating either.
    So I invest into Nutro's Natural Choice Lite...a diet food. (a bit more expensive, but it works well)

    It's tasty to them and it actually is very good for making their bowels & feces consistent.
    (which is excellent for detecting if they're ill by comparison)

    They've gotten much healthier since I switched over to it from Beneful (they were getting heavy on that)

    They don't suffer for variety, 'cause they get bits of what I eat. (dinner with dad)

    For treats, I'm careful, there is a great buy on a good sized package of dried beef sticks (made in America) at CostCo.
    They get a small portion after they've done their duty on the walks.
    (**on that note, be very careful not to get food or treats from China...many dogs have gotten sick or died from their stuff lately)
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2014
    rogue49, Jul 18, 2014
    #8
  9. DAKA

    DAKA DOING VERY NICELY, THANK YOU

    Location:
    150 miles North of SOUTHERNMOST POINT IN THE US
    Great advice from all, basically..no grains, and use a premium brand...
     
    DAKA, Jul 18, 2014
    #9