Dog Food Qaulity - A must read!!!

[RoughCollies]

At least I think it is a must read, especially for people feeding the lower quality brands.

This is my opinion, however, in a seminar I recently attended, they did use the fact about how often you will go through a high quality food versus a low quality food.

price per bag: 5 paws being the least expensive, 1 paw being most.
How often: 5 paws being the least often, 1 paw being the most.

The dog food pyramid

Top Quality Foods:
example: Solid Gold, Merrick, Innova, California Natural, Blue Buffalo, Flint River, etc.
These are the highest quality commercial food that money can buy. Some are better than others, but on any of these foods, dogs will prosper. Owner will find that their dogs get compliments on how shiny and smooth their coats are from breeders. Vets will ask you for your secret. People will stop you on the street begging to know how you do it. Supplements are not needed with these foods. Because of the high quality of the food, very little is needed to provide the dog with daily essentials. Less food means less waste and less money on a new dog bag.
Price: 1 paw out of 5 for price per bag.
4 paws out of 5 for how often you go through a bag

Medium Quality foods:
example: Nutro, Natures Recipe, Eukanuba Natural, etc.
These foods are good quality foods that will enhance your dogs life. Your dog will have a good coat and will be generally healthy. There may be some fillers, but not enough to really worry. Fillers are bad in any amount, but these foods might be more affordable for some people. Should probably be supplemented with daily vitamins.
Price: 3 paws out of 5 for price per bag
3 paws out of 5 for how often you go through a bag

Low Quality Foods:
example: ProPlan, Science Diet, Kibbles and Bits, Dog Chow, Pedigree, Gravy Train, Eukanuba, Dad's, etc.
These food are filled with fillers. Corn, Wheat, By-products, sugars, sodium, etc. Your dog may have dry, itchy skin and a dull coat. He might easily get sick, have digestive issues, and is higher risk for health issues later on. Must be supplemented or the dog won't be getting much of anything out of it. You will need to feed large amounts, so you will go through TONS of food.
Price: 5 paws out of 5 for price per bag
1 paw out of 5 for how often you go through a bag

Other options: RAW and BARF
both are raw food diets that are excellent for some dogs. Dogs should be in excellent health before feeding this diet, and it will require some research before trying. If done correctly, then this diet may be ideal, but can be costly. Remember: giving your dogs the "bad stuff" from the butcher is the similar to giving by-products. You will have to pay more to get the quality.

[Dobified]

Originally Posted by RoughCollies

Remember: giving your dogs the "bad stuff" from the butcher is the similar to giving by-products. You will have to pay more to get the quality.

Thanks for posting the stuff on the commercial food RC but I have to disagree with this statment.

The " bad stuff from the butcher " is not even close to being half as bad as the By-products they put into commerical foods. Meat by products stand for any kind of animal meat. That means anything. Road kill( anything from skunks to porcupines to deer ), euthanised cats and dogs,diseased meat, literally anything goes.

Now a cheap cut of beef or the trimmings from the butcher are far more healthier then any of that garbage I mentioned above.

Here read this : http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/petfood2.html

That is just one of many documented cases from a rendering plant.

[RoughCollies]

sorry dobe, didn't realize that. I stand corrected.

[Dobified]

No need to apologize RC!!! Most people have no idea what goes into some dog foods. Well actually a lot of dog foods.

My dogs eat better then we do, I swear they do!

[RoughCollies]

lmao.. when most people say that it is complete ****, but when others say it, it is the truth.

[AroHawk Collies]

This was very good and well done RC. I just wanted to state that the best quality foods can not be found in stores. You have to order them and have them shipped to you. Since changing over to Flint River over a year ago I have had the compliments you are refering to, I had one breeder who saw Reese before I changed him over. He was on Iams when I got him I kept him on that for a while because I didnt want to change him right away after getting here because that was a big change in itself. His coat was unhealthy, didnt sparkle, since being on Flint River his coat is healthy, he doesnt itch like he used to and it has it's sparkle back. I also noticed that I don't go to the vets nearly as much as I did when they were on a "store bought" dog food. Their teeth are clean, no dental disease, and Reese who used to get seizures doesn't have them at all anymore. I talked to a holistic vet and she said that the seziures could have been caused by a food allergy and when she sees dogs with seizure problems she has the owners change their food right away to see if that is what it is. I just wish people could see that they get what they pay for. Try explaining that to someone. If you would read the back of your dog food bag you would understand. Or smell and feel the dog food.
Just a little FYI: there is a preservative in most dog foods that is the same stuff as Antifreeze. Antifreeze is poisin to dogs don't you think that is hurting them. Also the food companies spray sweet stuff on the dog food. The one comapany that also owns pilsbury sprays CHOCOLATE on their food, which is not good for dogs.
Do some research on what you really are feeding it could save you a lot of heart ache in the end and money as well

[lanewalk]

In this area I have never seen any of the brands listed in high or medium but all but two of the low quality ones are all over the place here.

I feed Purina 1 lamb and rice and I wondered how it rates. It seems to be working well with Mike and two friends who use Purina seem to have happy health dogs.

[RoughCollies]

Purina One, I would classify with ProPlan. If you check online, you might be surprised at what you find. Look in the phonebook, and read off the names of supply stores. There are a few, like The Natural Pet, around me that carry most of these foods.

[sheplovr]

I have Flint River and have used it alot until I found BHA low cancer level, same thing for preserving. I feel if I am going to pay top dollar it better not have those bad things in it.
Eukanuba because of the high price, people think they are getting the better or best.........NOT!!
I have read books, researched dog foods, have posted on my site, had emails from Philiphines, Brazil, etc asking what is good for them to use then? Well, I do not know what is available in foreign countries, I do know Germany has Happy Dog that is about the best they can get, alot use Pedigree and is sponsers of their Seiger shows over there, bad bad.
I have posted how good apple cider vinegar is for us and dogs. Read about it on www.vomschreknhaus.com, too much to print out here. It is good for alot of things, so inexpensive to have your pet smell like a salad? lol.

[sheplovr]

Forgot to: Best of Luck to you Rough Collies, may you defeat all. At least have a good time and enjoy the trip and people and dogs, I would.