[heathernm]

I have a male chi-weenie that is a little over a year old. I am just now making the "adult" food transition. I want to feed him well so I recently purchased "Blue Buffalo" (lamb/rice) He absolutely loves it. (I do not like the price though) I have only given him small amounts with his "Pedigree Puppy" food so that his stomach can adjust - However a couple of hours after eating he threw up EVERYTHING and is now barely touching his food. My goal is to feed him well and within our means. I live in a small town with limited choices. I am not looking to make his food from scratch but what I am looking for is something reasonable with easy access, store bought...etc. I have been told Science Diet, Nutro and Iams is good.

Recommendations are greatly appreciated!!!!!

 

[Larkspur]

Honestly, whoever told you that those brands are good doesn't know much about dog food. Pedigree canned food is made up of meat by-products (slaughterhouse waste; not actual meat) and filler. Blue Buffalo is also too expensive for its quality. It used to be okay, but they now get their ingredients from China and their quality has dropped significantly while they keep a high price tag. All of these brands are basically like feeding your child a diet of fast food.

It would help if you could say what stores you have near you, what your budget is, and if you'd be willing to purchase food online and have it shipped to you (much easier if you can't find a particular good food in your area).

 

[heathernm]

We have a "Tractor Supply" store and just recently got a "Pet Sense"......

 

[Dawnben]

This might work for him. Very few ingredients and a healthy choice. If you buy it in the rolls it does not cost as much as the other packaging. They sell it at walmart Safeway petsmart and petco
Freshpet - Vital Balanced Nutrition

 

[Larkspur]

Tractor Supply Co has a fairly good quality grain-free food in their 4Health line. It runs at about $37.99 (before tax, I assume) for a 30lb bag. With a higher quality food like 4Health, you also don't have to feed your dog as much food.

 

[heathernm]

Tractor Supply Co has a fairly good quality grain-free food in their 4Health line. It runs at about $37.99 (before tax, I assume) for a 30lb bag. With a higher quality food like 4Health, you also don't have to feed your dog as much food.

I actually went there and they recommended "Diamond Natural" small breed. ( this was before I saw your post ) Thoughts?

 

[Larkspur]

@heathernm - It is a decent food, but there are a lot recalls under that company's belt. I tend to err on the side of caution. I'm a little curious as to why an employee wouldn't recommend the store's own brand, though.

 

[heathernm]

@heathernm - It is a decent food, but there are a lot recalls under that company's belt. I tend to err on the side of caution. I'm a little curious as to why an employee wouldn't recommend the store's own brand, though.

That is a great question! I think I will head back tomorrow and get the "4Health" brand. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me! I appreciate it.

 

[Russian4]

i would say fromm's or taste of the wild. Not sure if you have that around you.

 

[heathernm]

i would say fromm's or taste of the wild. Not sure if you have that around you.

They do carry Taste of the Wild - not sure about Fromm though.....

 

[heathernm]

They carry Merrick as well - not sure about that brand though....

 

[Skippersmom]

My dog did not like the 4Health food. Taste of the Wild is pretty good for the price. My dogs like the Wild Prairie flavor, but they get tired of any food after awhile. I am trying to rotate between foods to give my dogs some variety.

You can get some dog food reviews and ratings at Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor I got an adoption packet from Petco recently (I just adopted a dog), and it had coupons for 50% off of several dog food brands. I went to the Dog Food Advisor website and researched which ones got a 4+ rating, and I bought all of them. Petco has several dog foods that are rated highly.

 

[Larkspur]

Fromm is a good brand, but the price mark might be too high (IDK your budget).

Merrick used to be great, but it was recently bought by Purina (another bad brand).

 

[Philo Vance]

I actually went there and they recommended "Diamond Natural" small breed. ( this was before I saw your post ) Thoughts?

The Diamond Natural line is fine for the $$ and personally if your dog has been eating Pedigree and digesting it well (no diarrhea) then switching to a grain-inclusive food makes sense to me. To make the switch slowly and avoid stomach upset you can measure a week's worth of food into a tightly sealed container: say you're feeding a cup a day of the old food, measure out 6 cups of old and 1 cup of new. Every other day if the dog is digesting the mixture well you can add another cup of the new food until all of the food is new.

While there are many grain free foods that are highly recommended note that it is easy to overfeed them in the beginning and get diarrhea. Most of them have a lot more calories than Pedigree so you have to watch the dog's weight. They also tend to be significantly more money than a lot of "middle of the road" grain inclusive foods and I don't know that they are necessarily better for a healthy dog.

So I'd say it's worth trying a small bag of the Diamond Naturals.

 

[heathernm]

Fromm is a good brand, but the price mark might be too high (IDK your budget).

Merrick used to be great, but it was recently bought by Purina (another bad brand).

What do you think about "Taste of the Wild" vs. "4health"?

 

[Russian4]

I would say TOW Pacific Stream then Most dogs do well on fish and grain free!

 

[heathernm]

I would say TOW Pacific Stream then Most dogs do well on fish and grain free!

I have yet another question - seeing how my dog is a small breed, How important is it to purchase food with that label? I noticed "Taste of the Wild" doesn't offer a small breed product per say. Does it make a difference? I would like to be able buy a variety of favors.....

 

[Russian4]

I have yet another question - seeing how my dog is a small breed, How important is it to purchase food with that label? I noticed "Taste of the Wild" doesn't offer a small breed product per say. Does it make a difference? I would like to be able buy a variety of favors.....

I think you would be just fine. But you probably shouldn't listen to the label on the back. They will have you give your dog the most amount of food in the smallest amount of time for marketing, then you have to go out and buy another bag.

How big is your dog? (A picture might help)

How much do you feed right now?

What do you feed right now?

Maybe i could give you a estimated guess of how much to feed.

TOW is a good food and probably has more protein then the food you feed, so i would feed less so they don't get too chunky

I hope this helps!

 

[heathernm]

@Russian4 - He is a 1 year old Dachshund/Chihuahua and the love of my life! I have been feeding him Pedigree Puppy (small bites) about a cup a day. Now that I have been "educated" on what to stay away from - I want to make sure I do it right.

You wil be happy to know I purchased TOW Pacific today and I have given him 1 part TOW and 3 parts Pedigree.

Thank you so much for all of your help!

 

[zoorun]

Taste of the Wild and 4Health are both made by Diamond Naturals, as is Kirkland Nature's Domain. So really, other than analysis it's going to be coming from the same place!

I have fed Orijen ($85 a bag), Acana ($60-$75 a bag), Now Fresh ($75 a bag), Go! (about $70 a bag), Horizon Legacy ($60 a bag), Nature's Domain ($43 a bag at Costco) and am currently on a bag of President's Choice Nutrition First ($39 a bag/Canadian brand). All the foods are above

I feed with what my budget allows at the time, as I'm just finishing up my schooling right now the budget is tighter. If your dog has no problem with being switched around and you're doing the best you can that's cool!

My dog gets raw meat and veggies mixed in when I get it on sale or from hunter friends too. I have elk bones in the freezer right now for her and she loves them!