brands of food?

Ok so my bf recently said I was like a freak with what I feed Beemer, lol. I dont feed any table scraps what so ever (and dont let anyone else either). I am like this because my first dog (family pet really) used to get all kinds of table scraps and is terribly over weight and I personally couldnt do anything about it because my whole family would feed him things. So now that I am on my own and have my own dog now, I feel that he should have no table scraps. Plus I just generally dont like seeing overweight dogs, it makes me cringe (sp?). But I am also really picky about what type of dog food he eats. I used to feed him Nature's Recipe, but I heard it had some type of chemical in it that wasnt good for dogs (cant remember the name of it), so I switched to Blue Buffalo for puppies. Now that he is turning a year old on wednesday I have switched him over to Blue Buffalo Wilderness. Is this a good food or is there something better out there? Any info would be greatly appriciated as I am going by what I have heard from other people where I live. I know Raw is probably the best for him, but for right now I just dont have the time to really devote to it, and it would proably in the long run be worse for him. I just want my little guy to be healthy is all. Please let me know if im being a little too over the top with the whole food thing lol.

There are definitely better brands than Blue Buffalo... try anything by Natura (California Natural, Innova, etc) or Taste of The Wild, Orijen, Solid Gold... Timberwolf Organics.. LOTS of different brands of food, far more than that!

As to table scraps, they are perfectly fine, depending upon what is actually on your table. Feeding your pup junk food regularly is not a good idea (I really can't talk here, though, as I used sweet hearts for Middie as training treats during February.. he went nuts for them) but healthier foods such as fruits and veggies.... breads as long as he is not sensitive to wheat... oatmeal is a big favorite at my house... meats.. that sort of thing.. they are perfectly fine. If your dog has had a lot of treats, just give less food that day or more exercise - or both.

Actually the Blue Buffalo Wilderness is pretty good, much better than their regular kibble.

Wilderness is pretty good, grain free with a decent amount of meat. There are better foods out there (though personally I wouldn't list California Natural among the better) of course but it's a good start.

I like orijen the best if I'm going to go with a dry food. But with Hannah my five year old girl who I don't feed all raw to I try and switch the food around so she gets a variety. I only do grain free foods for her but there are a ton of different ones out there so it's fun to find them and she seems to enjoy. Rascal at age 15 gets Kirkland because it's his favorite and when he's that old he deserves what ever food makes him happy

As was said though, table scraps aren't bad in the least (depending on the food), the reason dogs get overweight is because people feed them a ton of scraps and then give them the same amount of food he should have in a day. So the dog is getting a lot more food than he should and more than likely it's consistent, add that to lack of exercise and you end up with one overweight dog.

Just be smart about what scraps they get. If the chicken is saturated in grease and fat then I wouldn't give a ton, the same goes for the vegetables. But on most days my dogs get a little something from dinner, a piece of chicken, fish, steak, some veggies, maybe some egg and even with all that Hannah and Kaylee are very trim. Not Rascal though, he's chunky, but as I said he's an old man and gets what ever he wants.

ok, should have specified about table scraps, yes I give him pieces of apple and such things like that (things that are healthy for me, and arent toxic to him), but my b/f wants to give him mcdonalds fries and pieces of burger, etc. I mean I buy him treats to give him. But I also dont want my b/f (or my roommates) just giving them to him, I believe in NILIF, so he has to do something for that treat, sit, chill (down), etc. And I dont get why my b/f and roommates cant just give him one of his own treats.

I noticed you said you feed your dog different foods, does this mean different brands? And I have never heard of Orijen food, might have to look it up and see if I can find any dealers in the area...hhmmmm.

Ahhh, McDonald's, yeah my dogs will only get something that unhealthy for a treat once in awhile and of course they have to do something for it. But I figure they're on good food that's great for them a little piece of food that's bad for them won't kill them.

Yep, I switch around different brands or different variates within the same brand.
I'll either feed one bag and when it gets close to done I will get another and switch over to that one. Or get two different foods and switch between them during the week. I like that they get different meat sources and ingredients along with different nutrients. I wouldn't feed my pup that eats raw all chicken and so I try not to do that with Hannah who gets dry.

Hannah though as a strong stomach and is used to these changes, I've never really had her on one food consistently so she's fine with food changes and doesn't get an upset stomach.

Here's list I made up awhile ago, though you might find some use of it while looking for different foods. It's not complete at all but it's a starting point.

I still like Orijen the best so far

High Quality-Grain Free Foods
Innova Evo
http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Orijen
http://www.acana.cz/orijen/orijen/

TimberWolf OceanBlue & Wild and Natural
http://timberwolforganics.com/s.nl/i...&category=-102
http://timberwolforganics.com/s.nl/i...&category=-102

Natures Variety Instinct Grain Free
http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1136

Wellness Core
http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/dog_w...ain_index.html

Barking at the Moon, Solid Gold
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/produ...id=81&code=120

Taste of the Wild
http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com

Ziwi Peak
http://www.ziwipeak.com/Products/ZiwiPeak-Cuisine/

Blue Wilderness
http://www.bluebuff.com/products/dogs/wilderness.shtml

Fromm Surf and Turf
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-...f-and-turf.php

Petcurean GO Natural Grain Free Canine
http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=179

Horizon Legacy
http://www.horizonpetfood.com/products-legacy.asp

Wysong Archetype Canine/Feline Diet
http://www.wysong.net/Merchant2/merc...roduct_Count=7



High Quality-Not Grain Free

Nature's Logic
http://natureslogic.com/

California Natural Sweet Potato and Herring
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/...lt.asp?id=1326

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

Innova
http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp

Wellness
http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/

Life's Abundance
http://www.healthypetnet.com//health....aspx?realname =

Solid Gold (other than grain free)
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/

Artemis
http://www.artemiscompany.com/produc...?cat=fresh_mix

Blue Buffalo
http://www.bluebuff.com/products/dogs/organics.shtml

Fromm (other than the grain free)
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-d-d-duck.php

Canidae
http://www.canidae.com/

Petcurean GO Natural (other than the grain free)
http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=181

Horizon Complete
http://www.horizonpetfood.com/products-complete.asp

TimberWolf (other than the grain free)
http://timberwolforganics.com/

Nature BrightLife (no website)

Evanger's Pheasand and Brown Rice
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/40100.html

Merrick
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/dry_dog_food.php

Nature's Variety Priarie
http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...BFC0RVu40D26F3

Pinnacle Peak (no website)

Show Bound Naturals
http://www.healthypetfoodsinc.com/show.cfm

O&M
http://www.ompetproducts.com/

Blue Buffalo is definitely a good kibble. It is VERY expensive, even for the quality, though... and there are better foods out there that aren't going to cost as much. Linds already listed them. : )

I am guilty of feeding my dogs a variety of "table scraps". But, nothing deep fried (not that we eat much deep fried stuff), spicey, or generally unhealthy. They do get a lot of steamed veggies, plain meat, dairy, and some pasta and oatmeal. I think they appreciate variety just as much as we do. They regularly eat raw, and the veggies and such are a healthy addition.

Most tablescraps won't make your dog overweight... as long as they're healthy foods, and you adjust their kibble intake accordingly. Kibble is actually SUPER calorie-dense, much more so than most of the food you would be eating. Keep it balanced, and make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise, and table scraps shouldn't have any effect on his weight.

Django, my Aussie, is EXTREMELY picky. His normal diet consists of Nature's Variety raw and he is supplemented with the only kibble he likes, which is actually the Blue Buffalo Wilderness. He disliked Evo and he HATED the NV Instinct Kibble. Though now he seems to like Saga's Innova kibble. Go figure...

nice list...
i also dont like seeing my dog overweight so i always try to make her do some interesting activities to keep her fit and healthy.

Oh, no. Never feed your dog McDonalds. It will make them fat and ugly. I would never give my dog such a terrible food.


LOL. It is just a post-agility trial treat, not an everyday one.

As other said, it's not the scraps that are an issue, it's the amount of food and exercise the dog gets. Meg gets tons of stuff that I eat, and is extremely fit and lean.

As for food, Meg gets about half raw/half kibble. The Orijen is by far our favorite kibble.

Dekka and crew often will get little tidbits of Mc Donalds stuff. And no one could EVER accuse any of my dogs as being fat . As Boston said if its occasional then its fine. Its all about balance. The odd junky treat (as long as its not got chocolate, raisins, onions etc etc) is not going to hurt. If its an every day occurrence then you have an issue.

I like orijen too. But am feeding raw.

ok, so some table scraps are OK. Now anyone have any input on how I can make sure the 3 guys (yes I live with my b/f and his two friends, oh the joys! lol) I live with dont feed him all the time? Or should I just not tell them they can give him table scraps and leave the giving him scraps up to me?

And I found a place that sells Orijen really close to me, so I think when this bag of food is almost gone I will go and pick up a bag of it.

Ashelee - make sure you're also looking out for your dogs dental health. Depending what a dog eats, their oral hygiene can be affected. You should try Bright Bites for your dog to maintain teeth cleanliness and breath freshness in between dentist trips.

ROFL! I love that picture of her.

I'm almost positive when I looked on a Blue Buffalo label it had wheat gluten. I'm probably mixing it up with another food, though.

How dare you contradict me, Nolu! D:< Lawl

Of course, I wouldn't call it TEH BEST, but it's definitely good quality. Just ridonculously expensive.

What in tarnations are Bright Bites?

Mkay, it was DEFINITELY another brand I was looking at, then.

ya, I take good care of his teeth. I brush his teeth every other day. Can't give him greenies or anything like that, he chews on them for a little while and then I guess gets bored with them?, and tries to swallow the whole thing (yes I watch him with it, and never leave things for him while I can not physically watch him, but still).

Brights Bites are these new dental doggy treats. They come in three star shaped sizes to help you keep your dogs breath fresh and fight plaque and tartar - I think they are pretty neat:

www.brightbites.com

Excellent list Linds!

I can't think of any other brands worth mentioning...