[DogManDan]

hi frogdogz, are those the only ingredients available? if that is the case then fried beef with peas is one of the recipe. since you mentioned they don’t have a fridge then that should be okay since it would take a couple of days before the fried meat would go bad or roasted meat 🙂

[Nancy M]

I have a 6 week old mini Aussie puppy, weighing 3.2 lbs., just diagnosed with a confirmed case of Giardia, but no result on the Coccidia, so he is being treated with both meds; Albon and Panacur suspensions. My daughter just got this puppy on Friday, it is now Tuesday. Things are little improved, especially during the night, when he seems to have more urges to poop; mostly soft – runny, or nothing at all. Doesn’t want to eat the I/D diet, so put him back on the diamond puppy dry, which he started the day she got him. So as of this morning, have been giving him back, small amounts of the kibble, with a tiny bit of cottage cheese or yogurt mixed in.

My questions are this…..what kind of food should he be eating right now and wouldn’t the metronitizole work better than the Panacur? I had a puppy with this about 3 years ago and the Panacur didn’t work. Not until we did a good dosage regimen of the Metro, did things improve; almost overnight.

Please respond with suggestions and HELP! Thanks!

[Akari_32]

No, it doesn’t. Thats why I wanted to know if it was measured wet or dry (and why I should apparently learn how to read :p ). Wet would be fine, but dry not so much.

I measured Bentleys food dry (I mix kibble, canned and eggs) and even a whole cup of dry food weighed just above 4 oz (I imagine with the liquids added it would weigh a bit more, but I didn’t prepare their food as normal tonight). He eats a lot for his small size (curse that terrier activity!), but I can’t imagine him eating 4 times as much as he currently eats. Even the one cup is a bit much for him and he lounges around afterwards, but he works off quickly onces it digested….

Hmmmm…..

[Akari_32]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B5FFDB48-76A2-44FE-A357-A840540C5E4E-2800-0000068E8A917F27_zps1e25165d.jpg

It does say at the bottom there that it’s measured dry. Missed that the first time! Derp…

So that would mean my 8 pound dog would be eating almost a whole pound of food?? That seems like a whole lotta food for such a small dog! I’ll have to weigh how much he’s getting now, to compare. That’ll give me an idea for the other dogs, as well.

[Akari_32]

It says 1 cup makes a pound, more or less. But again, I wouldn’t really be able to determine that with out knowing if the recommendations on the bag are based off if it being dry or rehydrated.

[Molzy]

You should calculate out based on feeding recommendations, not how much food it’ll make. A box of Honest Kitchen makes like 40lbs of food, but only lasts my dog 20 days. When he i on dry kibble, a 30lb bag lasts about 6 weeks. When I was researching foods, I made an excel file with the cost per bag, and then calculated how long a bag would last. This way you can compare daily costs.

Good luck!

[lizbethc41]

ok that was weird, I was typing a post when poof ! So if this ends up being a double post, sorry!
Let’s try again…..Against my advice, my part time employee got a lab puppy over the weekend. She absolutely cannot afford a dog, so I am really sorry she did this. However, now that it’s done, I am trying to find the cheapest of the best food. I think Fromm sounds promising as the least expensive 4 star food I’ve found (though I don’t like rice in a food & it has tomato pomace, it’s better than the Beneful she is feeding :/ ) & so far I’ve found it for $51.49 for a 33 lb bag.
Having never fed a lab puppy, I have no idea how long a 33 lb bag will last. If someone could give me a ballpark on this I’d appreciate it. It’s been a while since I fed Muggsy dry food & he’s a smaller dog than a lab puppy will end up. I think his 5 lb Castor & Pollux Organix lasted about a week.
I really hope to not have to go lower than 4 stars, but she really is on a limited budget <sigh> I’m really open to any suggestions as to a good yet cheap food!

[Mom2Cavs]

If you are not adverse to shopping online, then most foods are available online. Some offer free shipping and often there are sales.

If I were you, I would first go to my local pet stores (or stores where you will be purchasing your pups food) and look to see what they have. Talk to the clerks (note that some will be more knowledgeable than others, so beware of this) to see what they recommend. Tell them you are looking for a 4-5 star type food for a large breed puppy that has no corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, menadione. There are puppy foods and there are all-life-stage foods that will work. Let them know if you want to feed grain or gluten free. They ought to be able to point you in the right direction. Then you can read the labels on bags and If you find something there you are interested in then come to this site and look it up to see how it’s rated, etc. You could then ask on the forum who makes it, any recalls, etc.

One important thing to note is that you are getting a large breed puppy and they need special nutrition in order to grow correctly. I don’t have large breeds, but there is a thread on this forum that lists appropriate large breed puppy foods. You must use a food with the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus ratio. I believe it’s no more than 1.5/1.0….and this is dry matter, not as fed. I know that’s probably confusing, too, so it’s nice to just have the thread that does list foods that are appropriate.

I know this response seems jumbled but I am writing things down as they come into my head LOL….sorry about that. I hope it helps you some. 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Tom,
Pricing varies by store. I live in little NH but prices on one good I feed varies by $10 from one store to the next.
Online pricing varies as well. If you’re new to purchasing from said website, they may offer you a one time first time buyers discount. Sign up for emails and you’ll get info on sales and percentages off. Sign up for auto ship and most give a discount plus free shipping.

Online searching is easy. Go to google. Say you want to know who sells Annamaet Salcha dry dog food online. Type that into the search and pages will show up. If you want reputable places online to look, go to Petflow.com, chewy.com, petfooddirect.com and wag.com.

There are others but those are the ones I recommend.

[itsabigdog]

Looking for suggestions for a large breed dry food that’s *low carbs, no grain, minimal recalls* I originally was thinking TimberWolf but decided against that after reeding their reviews & i want something thats going to be accessible when I need it. Too bad cause it seems like the perfect kibble 🙁

[pugmomsandy]

abby13,

The formula is in this article: /choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

[pugmomsandy]

Abby13

Frozen raw has moisture in it. KIbble has moisture taken out. You need to convert the raw to dry matter to get the right comparison.

[theBCnut]

I do just the opposite, when I see the word cheapskate, I read Chesapeake. But when I started out in dogs, two of my friends and mentors were Chessie breeders.

[InkedMarie]

I just have to say, I read your name too fast, thought it said cheapskates, not Chesapeake!

[ransom]

Hi Everyone, I just registered in the hope that I could get some advise. I have 2 dogs: a 9y/o whippet and 9/yo Jack Russell. No health issues . I have for the first time ever been feeding a regular grocery store dog food for several years and I just have to switch to something I feel is healthier. I asked the advise of a fellow whippet owner whose dogs are also older and in great condition. She uses Arcana Wild Prairie (chicken); Instinct Raw by Natures Variety chicken medallions and Tiki canned. I’m going to try to ease into this starting with the Arcana dry but there are many horror stories about serious, lasting GI disturbances from the switch to this food. I’ve had dogs for many decades and switched foods many times without incident but it seems from what I’ve read that switching to grain free, high protein can be tricky???
So….if you have any experience, cautions, or advise for me, I’d appreciate it.

[Mom2Cavs]

There are plenty to choose from on the market. It might take trying a few to see which works the best for you, but some I’d recommend are:

Nutrisource
Earthborn
4Health – grain free only
Fromm Gold, or any Fromm (but Gold is more cost effective, along with their Classic line)
Merrick
Holistic Select
I also like TOTW, but be aware that it is a Diamond product.

[hickorycreekchesapeakes]

Hi,
We have several Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and I am searching for the best dry dog food for them. I want a really good food, but since I am feeding several dogs, economics comes into play as well. Our dogs are active, as we have 200+ acres and five ponds at our home. If we ever have a sick dog, I supplement with a homemade dog food of chicken fat, beef, long grain brown rice, peas, carrots, and eggs. Yet, I need a good everyday food for them. I work full time, and have two very active children, so making their food everyday is not an option.

Thanks,
Leah

[Molzy]

Have you had him checked for worms or other health conditions? It seems odd that it started after adulthood and that you’re having to feed SO much, I’d do a fecal to be on the safe side.

That said, we have two Cattledog mixes around your dogs age. It is hard to keep weight on them, our vet admitted that he NEVER tells clients their dogs are too skinny, but that both of ours could gain a little. We feed LoJack (a German shorthair cattle dog mix) Merrick chicken and rice dry food, two heaping cups a day. We add a little more if we notice him thinning out too much. Quincy, who we think is a purebred Cattledog, gets 2-3 cans of chicken soup adult (for about 1000 calories). He has some stomach issues and can’t have dry food. They are both around 40lbs and both are around 21 months old. Both are neutered males. We don’t have a large yard, so their exercise is mainly walks and wrestling with each other. They’re both kenneled while we are at work – I imagine they’d need more food if they weren’t. And we haven’t been exercising them as rigorously these past few months, so it’ll have to increase if that changes as well.

I never use the bags recommendations, but instead figured out how many calories I need to get them each day and then figure out the food from there. Some brands is more, some less. Most have the calories per cup or can printed on the label, or on their website.

We’ve used Nurrisource grain free in the past as well with success, and are starting Quincy on Honest Kitchen soon. My moms dog does beautifully on Wellness (he’s not a Cattledog, but its a good food to my knowledge).

Good luck! These crazy herding dogs sure keep us on our toes!

[Melissaandcrew]

Can’t digest any fats ? What is the diagnosis?

[FrogDogz]

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, feeding a 180 lb dog any of the freeze dried diets just isn’t cost effective.

She would feed raw, but they live off grid, and do not have a fridge or freezer, so that’s not a possible solution.

Cheers,

Carol

[Mom2Cavs]

BRT….Sounds like you have a good plan. Mine don’t seem to like the taste of pumpkin lol. I tried ACV years ago with my 2 mixed breeds and Lucy WOULD NOT take it in any way, so I gave up. Haven’t tried it since. I used to have to give my boy mixed breed, Desi, a joint supp. due to both rear luxating patellas. I gave Springtime Joint Health chews and they worked great for him. I like all Springtime supplements. But, Lucy doesn’t like Longevity at all lol. So I just use their chews and their Omega 3-6-9 (when I use an omega supp., that is). I started adding a little of the Beef Frittata in and so far, ok. But I am so worried it’s not gonna go as well as I hope with the Fromm. They really do well with the Pacific Stream, though I think Lucy is not doing as well as the Cavs with it. It could be the fish protein with her. My cat, Princess, does really well with Earthborn, Fromm, Tiki Cat canned food and loves Instinct, Orijen and/or Acana dry. I just bought a bag of Fromm Gamebird for cats and she is loving it! She is fed canned am and pm and the dry is left out for her to graze on.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

Ask your vet about adding coconut oil to the food. It is a medium chain triglyceride and is digested differently than other fats. Dogs with pancreas and certain liver issues usually do very well with it added to their food to make up for the regular fat that is missing.

[pugmomsandy]

Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance freeze dried (not raw). If my dog needed something very limited, I think I would just make him a baked potato (no peel) and top it with ground beef or other protein.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[FrogDogz]

Thanks – it looks like one of the NV foods might work. She did try the Zeal, but it has sweet potatoes, and the nutriscan results show that’s a no go.

It’s amazing how hard it is to find foods with very short, simple ingredient lists.

[InkedMarie]

Take a look at Natures Variety limited ingredient diets, The Honest Kitchen Zeal which is dehydrated, not dry but thought I’d mention it.

[InkedMarie]

Above, in the red line, click library, then “suggested low fat foods”

[akaald]

I have a English Bulldog/Beagle Mix. I just found out yesterday she cannot process or digest fats of any kind. I’ve had her since she was a puppy and she has had chronic digestive issues since I got her. So now that I know what her issues are, I am looking for a dry dog food that has a low fat content. Right now the vet has her on rice and boiled turkey or chicken until her system settles down. She has been really sick the past few weeks. Although the vet did mention her weight is perfect but I may have problems keeping the weight on her in the future.

[FrogDogz]

I’m attempting to help a customer to find a dry dog food that will work with her dog’s very specific set of nutri scan results.

Essentially, her only options are:

– Beef, Bison or Lamb based
– WHITE potatoes or peas as binder

This doesn’t sound too difficult, but this food can’t have any of the following as additional ingredients:

– secondary protein sources, including eggs
– sweet potatoes
– oats
– corn

If anyone has a suggestion, I’d really appreciate it. Due to her personal lifestyle, raw is not an option, and due to the size of her dog, neither is dehydrated raw.

[pugmomsandy]

If you look at the raw food reviews, 4 and 5 stars I would feed with no problem, 3 and 2 stars I would feed intermittently or use as a topper on top of other foods. That might make it easier for you. There is a formula to use to turn the protein and fat into “dry matter” that way you can compare each recipe.

/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

[Oceans11]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we are picking up a 10 week old Coton puppy on Friday. He is being fed Orijen Puppy dry kibble. I will probably continue to give that to him for a couple of days then switch him to Nature’s Instinct Raw Medallions. By feeding him a commercial product like this, I don’t have to be concerned with percentages of protein, fat, etc. do I?

[Collywog]

Hi there,

The dog, Isabella, is supposedly a mountain cur mix, roughly five years old. She’s a rescue, so we don’t know much about her back story. But she’s lovely, and seems to be doing great on Oven Baked Tradition food.

The rundown about her current food is here: /dog-food-reviews/oven-baked-tradition-dry/

It seems to be quite a good food. Pretty dry, but she doesn’t seem to mind that. Would love to transition to a food that’s relatively the same, so she doesn’t have any digestive discomfort in the process.

Thanks again,
Colin

[Akari_32]

He’s crazy active, Sandy! You should see him when he’s all hyped up LOL He puts it back in under 3 minutes too (dry food is mixed with canned and an egg). I have no idea where he puts it all :p

I mind the diamond thing as much as I don’t. Yeah, diamond sucks, but dog food companies are in it for the money, no way around it. Diamond is the cheapest, so everyone (not everyone, but you know what I mean) uses them. Best you can do is try to avoid them.

[pugmomsandy]

That’s amazing your 8 pounder eats 1 cup! As for the wet, check out the calorie count and and compare it to your kibble to see if you need to feed more or less. The calories are going to be for a dry measure before added water.

[MsDad]

In regards to Nature’s Logic dry, that’s what I’m feeding my Goldendoodle puppy. I actually spoke with Scott (the owner of the company – he’ll talk to anyone who calls!) and he explained the higher calcium and phosphorous levels in the food. The way he explained it to me, all the Vitamin D comes from natural food sources – there’s no added Vitamin D3, which can cause overabsorption of calcium and phosphorous.

[InkedMarie]

I fed Grandma Lucys to one dog but not for long…..I’m an Honest Kitchen gal and I usually end up feeding more of that (dry) than kibble, by a little bit

[Akari_32]

I’m currently scooting around Petflow.com. Most of the larger bags of food are out of my price range. I found a GIANORMOUS bag of Eagle Pack, looked it up on here, and was a bit peeved to see it had corn, and so high up on the list. Yet it gets 4 stars! I suppose it’ll be on my “maybe” list….

http://www.petflow.com/product/eagle-pack/eagle-pack-original-adult-lamb-meal-with-rice-breeder-bag-dry-dog-food

As far as large-bag-shopping goes, thats about the price range I want to stay in. Smaller bags can be a little more expensive.

I’ll keep looking around, and post more as I find them.

[Jamie08]

I have a heeler mix who has always had issues with smelly gas… well it is more of an issue for me! lol. He had been on Iams for a long time and he would have it every once in awhile, especially after he would catch and eat a squirrel (his version of a partial raw diet). He’d clear a room pretty fast. Then I switched him to Evolve dry food, which he really didn’t like very much and wasn’t eating well. He’s now on Whole Earth Farms dry food and has BAD smelly gas. He’s been on it for about 2 weeks. I tried to slowly transition him over, but he would just not eat the Evolve, since he was barely eating it anyway- so it was pretty much a fast transition over to the WEF. The gas seems to be getting worse. Should I give him longer to get used to the food, or at this point is it safe to say that this food is contributing to the smell? I hate to change it because he absolutely LOVES this food (gets so excited when I feed him) and it’s affordable. Also, my other dog is doing really well on it.

Any suggestions? Give him more time? I’m also open to other food suggestions, but please try to keep them in the same price range as Whole Earth Farms.

Oh yeah, squirrels aren’t really out right now so they aren’t a contributing factor at the moment. 🙂

[Oceans11]

Thank you Pattyvaughn and pugmomsandy for the tips and your encouragement. I found out the breeder is feeding our pup Origen Puppy kibble along with Grizzly Salmon. I am going to feed Nature’s Instinct Raw frozen medallions alternating with Nature’s Variety Dry kibble Duck and Turkey and maybe throw in a little Nature’s Variety canned food to mix it up. I read somewhere on this website that Nature’s Variety is good for all life stages so ok to feed to a 10 week old puppy.

[2dogmom]

Hi,
I am getting an 8 week old Golden Retriever (English Cream). I had planned on feeding him Nature’s Logic Dry (all stages food), however I started reading a recent post about high calcium levels and growth issues. Can you tell me if I should avoid that food? If so, HoundDogMom what do you suggest? I’m focusing on dry food or dry mixed with cans. I thought I found the perfect food in Nature’s Logic, now I’m second guessing that choice with all the posts about large breeds and calcium intake. I did purchase a bag and started feeding it to my picky Sheltie (almost 2 years old).. When I think I’ve settled on a food, I keep reading about gassy foods or loose stools and I’m not sure what to do. HELP!

[Molzy]

I’m just about to start my own raw with both the cat and our two dogs who are currently on commercial dry and canned food, but I feel more comfortable after using a commercial raw product! I would continue using natures variety if I could, but it isn’t feasible for my budget with two 40lb active dogs. For me, it helped to read the ingredients on my raw bags to see that they don’t add much. I’m going to buy a ground whole prey as well, which seems easier to balance than using parts for now.

Good luck with your puppy! I have really loved natures variety, and will continue to use it for back up food. It seems like a great company, and I’ve been very happy with the product!

[Melissaandcrew]

Hmm.. Lets see, and I am sure I will miss some-

4Health-Tractor Supply Grain INCLUSIVE ONLY-
Taste OF the Wild(their own brand!)
All Diamond
Chicken Soup(Diamond brand)
Some of the Solid Gold dry foods
Canidae(except for the small amount at Ethos on West coast)
Natural balance(but guessing that changed since buy out a few mths ago?)

Whata am I missing…anyone?

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi there-

I have always fed mostly kibble, and will not give my dogs whole pieces of raw. Recently, I went to 50 50 dry and raw because I bought a grinder to grind up the bones. So far, everyone loves it and see to ne doing fine on it. I buy meats from various places, including butcher, market, processor etc. I found that I actually save several hundred dollar a month doing this, versus just feeding the kibble, dehydrawtd, commercial premade raw and canned that I used to.

[theBCnut]

It sounds like he has an intolerance to some ingredient in the food. I would try to find a food that is very different to try, different protein and different carb sources. My almost 12 yr old JRT has intolerance issues with grains and chicken.

[Dfwgolden]

Neezerfan- He cleared his fecal nothing not even worms. He also shows NO symptoms of either illness other than frequent elimination and loose stools.

He wont touch Earthborn and where I live it’s almost $80 a bag.
The vet stated that the Pumpkin and Yogurt was a great idea, so we are going to try that.

If that doesn’t work I will switch him to Pure Balance Dry and Canned and hope that helps.

[RescueDaneMom]

Soprano1-

I am by no means an expert. I would suggest checking out the dogaware website at dogaware.com/health/kidney.html. I haven’t figured out how to post links yet so bear with me.

According to my research on dogaware, dogs with early stage kidney disease only need slight diet modifications. The following text is copied from the website:
“Early Renal Insufficiency: In general, creatinine values up to about 2.0 (177 µmol/L) are indicative of mild, or early stage, kidney disease (or early renal insufficiency, as my vet terms it). In cases like these, it may still help to make dietary modifications to reduce phosphorus if blood phosphorus level is above 4.5, but these reductions do not need to be as drastic as when the values are higher, and it is probably not necessary to do other treatments at this stage, such as sub-q fluids (unless your dog is drinking so much that she is having trouble staying hydrated, such as getting up during the night to drink). Adding calcium to each meal if you are feeding a home made diet (to act as a phosphorus binder) would be advisable, and possibly antacids, particularly if your dog is showing any signs of inappetence or gastric problems. I would also give fish oil supplements (body oil, NOT liver oil), at the rate of 1,000 mg (300 mg combined DHA and EPA) per 10 lbs of body weight, along with Vitamin E (50, 100 or 200 IU for small, medium and large dogs), and discontinue any Vitamin A and D supplements (including cod liver oil) added to commercial foods. Additional recommended supplements include a B-complex vitamin and CoQ10, which may be beneficial for dogs with kidney disease.”

There is a table on the website for commercial foods with phosphorous amounts listed. There is only one blue buffalo food on there and it has too much phosphorous. See dogaware.com/health/kidneynonprescription.html

I looked up your previous food (Purina NF) on the same site. It says that food is for Late Stage Kidney Disease. The protein content is 15.9% on a dry matter basis. There are prescription diets that are better suited to Early Stage Kidney Disease. I don’t know why your vet wouldn’t have put your dog on one of those. I think Patty was right and the food was doing more harm than good in your case.

You report that your dog is doing well on Blue right now and you have a recheck in November. If it were me, I would continue to feed Blue and see what her values are at the recheck. If her creatinine and BUN are slightly elevated, I would consider switching to one of the foods on the list of non-prescription foods. My choice would be the Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Chicken Recipe and/or Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Whitefish & Sweet Potato.

I hope this is helpful. Again, I would really recommend checking out the dogaware site. There is so much information available. I would read through it before going to your recheck in November so you can be prepared.

[atavuss]

Hello everyone, I have a 13 y.o. JRT that is in good health, not over weight, he is not very active. Because of large dogs that run loose in the neighborhood he does not get taken for walks, he is a indoor dog and has been since we got him as a rescue when he was five.
He was on Eagle brand lamb kibble from when we got him until about 6 months ago because the local pet stores stopped carrying the Eagle brand. I switched him over to Taste of the Wild Sierra, he will sometimes leave food in his food dish, more so than he did with the Eagle brand. He has gas and smaller and less well formed stools compared to when he was on the Eagle brand. He is constantly chewing his feet and licking since he has been on the Taste of the Wild food and he does this much more than when he was on the Eagle brand.
Should I give him more time to get used to the Taste of the Wild food as it is supposedly a better kibble or should I change him over to something like Orijen’s Senior kibble?
Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

[CaptJohn]

Hello. I have been feeding my 3 year old Golden Retriever Blue Buffalo Dry food since he was old enough to have it. Personally, I am impressed by the ingredients. However, my Vet has been on me about the fact that the ingredients could cause him kidney stones as he gets older. Plus the food is not a good balance of nutrients. Too high in some and too low in others. I don’t know much about the chemistry of the nutrients! Lastly, he mentioned that the outside sources that Blue uses run several brands through their extruders and can easily contaminate the food.

He is recommending Eukanuba or Science. I am not trying to start a debate of which food is better, but, I am interested in knowing any opinions on the comments about the Blue Buffalo. I would like to keep him on that but am a bit worried why my vet is so concerned.

I also do not want to bash my vet. He is a very good vet and I do trust him totally. I also know that he is not trying to sell me the food his clinic sells. In fact, he gave me a coupon to a store for the Eukanuba. So, I am very concerned!

Thank you for your input!

[pugmomsandy]

Look into Amicus and Nature’s Logic, Nutrisource small/med breed puppy, Nutrisource grain free Lamb, Nature’s Select Hi-Pro, Brothers Complete Beef, and Nature’s Select grain free (this looks almost identical to Evangers grain free). After he’s been eating mod-high protein foods for a while, you might also try some Instinct and Back to Basics High Protein, or Core small breed. These are the smallest kibbles I’ve used. Feed a variety of foods. No need to pick just one. Evangers has had some issues in the past – stealing electricity, a food testing for the wrong protein as it was labeled. I cross out gluten (Royal Canin) from my list of foods in general. http://dogtorj.com/what-is-food-intolerance/gluten-intolerance/

[Oceans11]

Thank you pugdmomsandy for your thoughts. I hope our little guy doesn’t have any gastrointestinal issues. We haven’t had a puppy in a good while. Over the years we have raised many great wonderful dogs (Shepherds and Dobermans) but never a little dog. After reading so much about diets for dogs, it’s a wonder our dogs lived to ripe old ages and never had digestive problems being raised first on Purina Puppy Chow and later on Iames dry kibble. Now after doing some reading and being educated on this forum, I feel so guilty having fed our dogs the same food day in and day out. I feel like a novice dog owner now and am thankful to everyone for sharing their wisdom and making this my number one go-to web site. I have to admit that right now after trying to take everything in, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but thankful that so much helpful information is available.

[hwhalen]

I’ve been giving my 4lb, 2 year old, healthy Maltese Royal Canin Xsmall Adult” dry food as the breeder recommended that brand since he was a puppy. I’ve tried others including Merrick (which he would not eat at all). I’ve been very leery of all foods given all the recent issues. Recently I was introduced to Evangers Grain-Free dry food via a boutique dog shop. He loved the sample he tried and the treats. I’m just wondering a) should I move away from Royal Canin since it had under 3 stars rating; b) would Evangers be something suitable for this breed and size; c) which of the grain free dry is best? I’m very nervous about trying new foods and of course like everyone wants to give my dog what’s best. Thank you.