The Food Debate

[FarmerGirl2010]

I told a friend I was looking for a food that was healthier for my dogs than Purina.

She suggested Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, and something else.

None of those foods appeal to me. Royal Canin does a little, but the others just... don't.

She's telling me dogs need corn. And that dandruff and shedding fur aren't allergies to food AT ALL.

:|

I'm frustrated right now. She's a friend I trust very dearly but I think we'll have to agree to disagree on what's right for dogs.

She works in a kennel and she says every dog she cleans up after that eats Blue, Diamond, or any food other than those listed has runny/bad poops. Including dogs on a BARF diet.

I don't understand.

Can someone please help me sort out once and for all which foods are good and which foods are bad? :|

 

[MicksMom]

...Can someone please help me sort out once and for all which foods are good and which foods are bad? :|

Honestly, what food is good is what works for your dog. For our Siberian/GSD mix, it was Gaines Cycle, for Mick it was Pro Plan, and for Caleb the Natural Balance Limited Ingredients line. Gee, that didn't help much, did it?

 

[Renee750il]

The best info you will find on the subject, bar none, is at The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Honestly, I wouldn't touch any of the foods mentioned so far in this thread, unless the Blue you're referring to is Blue Buffalo and POSSIBLY the Natural Balance.

What your friend is telling you is pretty much the opposite of reality.

 

[dobesgalore]

Well, I personaly raw feed, but if I were to go back to kibble my first choice would be Orijen/Acana.

 

[CaliTerp07]

I find this site really helpful:

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

It's easy to understand, and anything 4*s or above is going to be a pretty good food.

That said, it really is what works best for your dog. I tried some of the top foods, and Lucy couldn't handle them. I tried raw, and the poor thing was miserably sick. 5 or 6 kibble types later, I found one that works wonderfully for her. It's really just trial and error.

 

[Kat09Tails]

She works in a kennel and she says every dog she cleans up after that eats Blue, Diamond, or any food other than those listed has runny/bad poops. Including dogs on a BARF diet.

I don't understand.

Can someone please help me sort out once and for all which foods are good and which foods are bad? :|

Your friend isn't quite understanding what she is seeing. The runs in a boarding situation are usually caused by bacteria or stress or both. She's right in that high quantities of corn in food mean that the dog is less likely to appear ill based upon poop. This is because corn is a binder because it is indigestible to a dog. So the results are a little less processed if you get my drift.

It doesn't mean that the dog who has the runs is less healthier than the dog who doesn't. It just is a different expression of what is likely the same issue. This would be akin to learning about cows digestion in a feedlot as opposed to a pasture.

 

[elegy]

She works in a kennel and she says every dog she cleans up after that eats Blue, Diamond, or any food other than those listed has runny/bad poops. Including dogs on a BARF diet.

I don't understand.

I don't understand either, because when I worked kennels, that was not at all my experience. I suspect she's just seeing what she wants to see.

The links you were given are excellent. What it comes down to, more than anything, is what you're comfortable with feeding and what your dog does well on.

 

[FarmerGirl2010]

I didn't realize I posted this as another topic. I meant it to be a reply to the food post... oh well. x_X

Thanks for the extra feedback though. I'll keep all of this in mind. It's all what I had already learned/researched myself and it only confirms what I was trying to tell her.

Just goes to show that not everyone's personal experience will rack up to "reality".

 

[Ratboy]

King had mushy stools pretty much 100% of the time, until I went from Iams to Canidae, to California Natural. I didn't do it for him, I did it for Molly. I have tried several others, and the Cal Nat seems to be the one she does best on, and his movements are very firm and have been for so long that when he got a case of the squirts (At work!!) I was kind of shocked. It was the first time in at least 5 years.

The thing that really made Molly's coat make it through heating season is the zinc biscuits I started giving her a while back. She looks great, has a full, shiny coat. She still scratches herself to the point she bleeds, but she's tremendously better than she was a few years ago.

 

[Barb04]

My friend switched from Calif. Nat'l to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. Now her dog's poops are fine.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Acana and Orijen are definitely mine and Jackson's favorite kibbles. He does super great on them, he really enjoys the taste of it, his poop is great, his teeth are almost perfect, his coat is really shiny. I just really love Acana and Orijen, and the company behind them.

Another option is Go! Natural Endurance. Jackson's poops were great on this food, LOL. I still use it in our rotation, which is currently Go!, Orijen and Acana.

As for what your friend sees at the kennel, there's a number of things to factor in. The dogs are in a new environment and could be stressed or nervous. That can always trigger loose stools or diarrhea. Second, MANY people over-feed these high quality grain free foods and give entirely too much food.

 

[Renee750il]

I didn't realize I posted this as another topic. I meant it to be a reply to the food post... oh well. x_X

Thanks for the extra feedback though. I'll keep all of this in mind. It's all what I had already learned/researched myself and it only confirms what I was trying to tell her.

Just goes to show that not everyone's personal experience will rack up to "reality".

I should have mentioned this earlier, but often dogs will have runny stools on the higher quality foods because they are being fed too much. The high quality foods don't take as much because they are more nutrient dense.

If the kennel personnel are feeding the same amounts of the good foods as they are of the crap, they are causing the runs.