[Becky]

Hi. From reading through all the posts on this site I've read that Eukanuba is not a great food. We like lots of others have been recommended it by the vets, she said 'its the best'. My little Vinnie is only 10 weeks and don't seem to be having any real problems with it, although we need to mix it with something to make him it and sometimes he goes a bit mad afterwards (but I think thats just him having fun). My question is really what is the best thing I can give him, theres so many things out there and so many different things said about all of them - I'm confused :? Thanks

 

[My3Blullys]

I wold say to check the dog food rating thread. That should give you a good idea.

 

[halo]

This is just my opinion

In my opinion , Feed what you are comfortable with and that is doing good with your dog. As my vet told me just make sure its a premium food not the grocery store stuff cause that is all junk. I myself try to stay away from any color additives such as dyes etc.
I use mostly Lamb & Rice products it seems to be the best as far as being easly digestable.I also don't know how true this is but i was told that If you feed them junk there body doesn't absorb the food and they pass more waste. The better the food the more it gets absorbed and the less and more routine they go otty.
So far I find mine are like that my 2 older dogs I found if it was junk they went the bathroom a lot more often and when I feed premium brand they went less and more routine so I don't know if this helps I hope it does. I find there is just too many confusion on the food issue because everyone has their own preferences and every dog is different.

 

[bella_blue]

There really is no "best" food for every single dog. Each dogs has its own dietary needs. Some ingredients to stay away from, however, are:

-corn
-wheat
-soy
-artificial coloring
-by-products (questionable, inconsistent protein sources)
-unidentified protein sources such as "meat meal"
-BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin (dangerous preservatives)


Some ingredients to look for are:

-an identified protein sources as the first ingredient (unless you are feeding a specific allergy formula such as DVP Potato and Duck)
-ideally, meat protein as 2 or 3 out of the first 5 ingredients
-flaxseed (great for the skin and aids in digestion)
-fruits and vegetables (although some people argue that dogs don't need them in their diets, they do provide nutrients)

 

[HausMommy]

Not just flaxseed, but the oil.

As Bella said, there is no food that is great for every dog. If corn is listed in the top 3 ingredients, I'd stay away from that food. If an ingredient is listed as "poultry fat" "animal fat" or "meat meal" I'd stay away from that too. Look for foods that have vegetables in them, like peas, or fruits. Also, look for food that has glucosomine in it.

Here is a website that will help identify what ingredients are for:
http://www.redbandannapetfood.com/ingredient.htm

augrad posted that a while back