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Deltas Mom

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I have a legitimate question about food.
We started feeding Delta Iams, but everyone said it's horrible for her. She liked it, was healthy, putting weight on the way she should. Carrying her weight well, normal BM, etc. Then we went to By Nature which had a great rating, but her BMs were infrequent and she had a whole lot of gas. So I switched to Hills Science Diet, the Dermatologist said this would be an okay food for her, she again got normal stool, good energy, not really putting on weight the way we would like (you can see all of her ribs and spine though we give a little more than the recommendations) but it's still considered a horrible food.
So my question is...if your dog likes it and is doing great on a certain food...what makes it so horrible...especially if they are healthy. I'm not trying to sound like a B, but it's a legitimate question. I love my pup so much and only want the best for her, and would be willing to switch to another food if I knew she wasn't getting something healthy...if it was making her sick or something. I know her breeder had her on Eukanuba when we got her...here that is considered a horrible food. He switched the older dogs to Ole Roy and I know that's not a good one because all the color in it changed her urine red. But what is so wrong with Iams and Eukanuba...if they were really that horrible wouldn't the companies have gone out of business by now? I used to have a Lab that was on Iams...he was healthy as a horse.
Sorry if this sounds horrible and I'm willing take what's dished at me...I just had that question and wanted to know the answer. A lot, if not most of you have had more bullies than me or had yours a lot longer...I trust much of the information I get here and have recevied a lot of help. I was just curious...and bored at work so I thought I'd ask. Thanks y'all8-[
 
#2 ·
I had always fed my pets Iams, but then read the ingredients. As with most of the "common" dog foods, corn and/or meal is a primary ingredient. We noticed Zoe was having numerous poorly formed stools. We feed on a schedule and follow the recommended amounts for here age. She was also incredibily gassy. We found Holistic Select for large breed puppies and it has been great. She has been very easy to train as she poops like clock work and the gas is very minimal.
 
#3 ·
Well, opinions are just that.
Many of the "lower quality foods" contains fillers, byproducts, grain and preservatives etc. etc. and some have had major recalls. Feeding the higher quality foods usually gets you better ingredients and higher calorie counts. Thus you feed less and get the same results.
My dogs used to always get Pedigree growing up. They were healthy and lived long lives. I think if the dog does well on it and is healthy, go for it.
My Dad bought a pup (german shorthair) and he poops all day long. I suggested he use a higher quality food to see if it changed at all. Well the dog still pooped a lot (not as much though) and gained weight. My dad said he was "sh***ng grease pencils" so he went back to Pedigree. The dog is doing fine and besides pooping a lot, is perfectly healthy.
Now I think my Dad was just feeding him too much of the better food which would have given a different result. But he's not the type to take advice so I let it go.
Anyway, that's what I've heard. More people will chime in I'm sure.
 
#4 ·
You are what you eat. You feel fine when you eat McDonalds right? But is it healthy for you? Hell no. Is it giving you vitamins and nutrients? Not many. A dog won't die on iams. But its not what they should be eating. It took me a long time to find a food that worked for Murphy. But now that I did, his coat looks amazing, his poops are regular and small, he has energy, and his body weight is great. A lot of times dogs on bad foods like aims and science diet look healthy, but you dont know what it's doing to their system.

But do what you feel is best.
 
#5 ·
Some people can eat junk food their entire lives and appear in average shape and have no health problems... some people (like me) can look at a cake and get an extra tire around the waist and feel sluggish... same can go for dogs I am sure. If we feed their bodies the best foods and take care of it fine tuned, yes of course there will be a significant improvement, but its an ongoing effort and not a quick change IMO. If your dog seems to be doing fine on it then there are no obvious reasons to stop unless you want to. We know eating clean is better for us, improve our quality and longevity. At the end of the day though we have to what is within your means.
 
#6 ·
When you look at foods like Iams, Pedigree, and SD there are some pretty questionable ingredients. Corn is a filler that provides no actual nutrients. Dogs just like humans can't digest corn - it comes out the same way it goes in. Animal digest is enough to scare me away from any food because you don't know what exactly is in it - could be hair, hooves, or road kill.

If you are looking for a middle of the road food I highly suggest Kirklands Signature or Diamond Naturals.
 
#7 ·
murphysmommy said:
You are what you eat. You feel fine when you eat McDonalds right? But is it healthy for you? Hell no. Is it giving you vitamins and nutrients? Not many. A dog won't die on iams. But its not what they should be eating. It took me a long time to find a food that worked for Murphy. But now that I did, his coat looks amazing, his poops are regular and small, he has energy, and his body weight is great. A lot of times dogs on bad foods like aims and science diet look healthy, but you dont know what it's doing to their system.

But do what you feel is best.
Click to expand...
I know someone that lost three cats due to their last recall ;)
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Thanks for the input y'all. I was really just curious and for some reason it hit me at that one point at work. I've never heard of Kirklands, but did see Diamond at Tractor Supply. It's been a big deal trying to get my husband used to switching Delta's food. I'm cautious about it because we've had so many allergy issues and I'm afraid to change the diet and see more issues. But that's just me being fearful. We've also had some strains in our budget due to all of her treatments. It put us in the whole a lot more than we expected. I may check out the price for diamond and look into changing. It was so amazing to me though that we were paying $40 for a bag of SD at PetSmart and now we pay $42 for one that's even larger at Tractor. Have to give major props to all the people that posted the stuff about Tractor. Now to work on the hubby (his parent's dog eats Ole Roy so it'll be a push)
 
#11 ·
Deltas Mom said:
Thanks for the input y'all. I was really just curious and for some reason it hit me at that one point at work. I've never heard of Kirklands, but did see Diamond at Tractor Supply. It's been a big deal trying to get my husband used to switching Delta's food. I'm cautious about it because we've had so many allergy issues and I'm afraid to change the diet and see more issues. But that's just me being fearful. We've also had some strains in our budget due to all of her treatments. It put us in the whole a lot more than we expected. I may check out the price for diamond and look into changing. It was so amazing to me though that we were paying $40 for a bag of SD at PetSmart and now we pay $42 for one that's even larger at Tractor. Have to give major props to all the people that posted the stuff about Tractor. Now to work on the hubby (his parent's dog eats Ole Roy so it'll be a push)
Click to expand...
For the same price you can get Blue Buffalo or Avoderm at petsmart and that may be more palitable for your dog. Harley will not eat Science Diet and the same for my previous dog.
 
#12 ·
Personally, I just look at the dog. If it is maintaining a good weight, has good BMs, good energy levels, clear eyed, etc. then I am happy.

I am by no means a food nazi. I don't spend hours researching foods, I just try them out and judge by the way my dogs react to them.

An interesting thing to consider, many of the world's top competition dogs are on foods that many people claim are "crap". Yet, clearly, the food is good enough to allow a dog to maintain a very high level of performance and working requirement. Just some food for thought.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Forever Pit, I guess this was what I was getting at. I agree with you that if it makes her happy and she's healthy then I'll be happy. On her last food it got to the point where she wouldn't even eat. Now, she's practiaclly pushing me down the stairs to get dinner..."hey mom...I get dinner at 6:30...now it's 6:32...can we please eat" :)
 
#14 ·
Our four year old AB was being fed Pedigree when we adopted her a few months ago. She had dry ,itchy,skin and some other coat/skin challenges. We switched her to Taste of the Wild and her skin problems went away in less than a month. I am fairly certain that she has an allergy to grain products. Several people have mentioned TSC. They often have unadvertised specials that you have to go in the store to discover. Currently our TSC store has the Taste of the Wild in the 30 pound bags for less than $40.We also switched our twelve pound little dog over to the new food. Her coat improved and her volume of poop went down almost immediately.By the way,the Diamond Naturals are perfectly fine if your dog can handle grain. Good luck.
 
#15 ·
I have witnessed huge changes with dogs with food switches. I'm personally not comfortable feeding or recommending products that have recall after recall or that contain useless fillers and chemical preservatives. I will admit that genetics play a huge roll in a dog's well being but I believe you should at least feed a dog the best possible food that meets your budget. I have many Canine Police customers that find that their dogs perform much better on a quality diet. They will actually fork money out of their own pockets even though the "commercial brands" are covered by the department. People are getting more and more educated about their own health and diets so they are reading the labels when it concerns their pets.
 
#16 ·
The only food I have found that keeps my lab from having sarin grade gas at night is SD.

I have tried several high dollar brands with Harley and some low dollar ones, but for whatever reason it felt like we were sitting in a WW1 trench without a gas mask. On SD, Harley maintains his weight, has a great coat and plenty of get up and go.

For our new bully, we are going to start on the same path as Harley. Start on the reputable brands first and see what fits best. Thank god the Royal Canin has got his little tummy settled for now.
 
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