Why Have We Been Spending So Much On Fancy Food?

[Guest jettcricket]

I only feed my precious Bootsy grass-fed unicorn with the occasional cage-free platypus egg for a treat. Sure, it can be hard to find and it costs a lot, but I love him too much to feed him anything else.

 

 

:rotfl

 

Now that's funny stuff!

 

I'm not sure why people give a rat's patootie what other people think of their choices when it comes to dog food.

 

I happen to feed George some fairly pricey stuff, but I grew up with BEAUTIFUL English Setters who ate Puppy Chow and then Dog Chow. They were gorgeous, their coats were glossy, and when they did eventually die, it was from stuff old dogs die from no matter WHAT you feed them.

Yep...I think you hit the nail on the head. Losing both Jett and Cricket to cancer I remember telling my vet, "But I feed them such good food" (they both ate Innova and did very well on it). My vet told me, "I understand and hear what your saying but a lot of it comes down to genetics". I now feed my kids Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato. Yep, it's pricey, but they all do so well on it including my fosters. So I guess I'll continue to be a food snob.

[JerseyGirlInOz]

I only feed my precious Bootsy grass-fed unicorn with the occasional cage-free platypus egg for a treat. Sure, it can be hard to find and it costs a lot, but I love him too much to feed him anything else.

 

 

Passion would like to come live with you

 

*I* would like to come live with you!

[Pippin]

I only feed my precious Bootsy grass-fed unicorn with the occasional cage-free platypus egg for a treat. Sure, it can be hard to find and it costs a lot, but I love him too much to feed him anything else.

 

 

Passion would like to come live with you

 

 

Pippin would turn up his nose at that.

[Pippin]

16yr old Zoe the IG turns up her nose at kibble, anymore. So last winter, I switched her to canned food. Talked with Doc about choices at the store, and compared ingredients in some of the brands. She gets Pedigree canned, with Doc's blessing (it has less fat than the others I considered). A co-worker tried to tell me I was doing her a disservice, and I should have her on ... Merrick?... instead. Like the rest of you, I've done the expensive food and the less expensive food, as well as raw, and cooking for my dogs over the last 8 years.

[krissn333]

We've tried a great many foods over the years...with a larger pack of dogs who have various sensitivities, and several who have medical issues, when we found TOTW and discovered we could buy it at the local feed store, I was overjoyed. As premium foods go, it's very affordable, which I also like it's just what works for us.

 

The store was out of our TOTW pacific stream a few weeks ago, so I bought a bag of the Canidae grain free salmon, thinking it would be virtually the same. Well let me tell you, it wasn't. Ace and Fritz both had diarrhea immediately and Pinky had horrible gas. Thankfully my parents had bought several bags of the TOTW and were able to lend me a bag. The pups were back to normal immediately. It was really odd but not a mistake I will make again.

 

Our go-to food if TOTW is unavailable is Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon, but it's $65/bag. In trying to save some money, I went for the Canidae, but I won't ever do that again!

[Guest sirsmom]

we've found the best mix: 1/2 Purina One shredded blend chicken for good flavor and 1/2 iams lamb for fiber. Works like a charm; everyone eats it all immediately, firm output and nice coats. Price is so right during tough times like this.

[Guest UpperHandAndy]

I've been reading this post for a while, and have stayed away from replying because I don't want to come across as a food snob myself. Personally, I don't see it that way. When I started with my first (as an adult) dog, a min pin, it was about the best. He's since turned into a real big PITA as far as kibble goes, and really won't touch it. He's been on a variety of foods, from Nutro, Eukunuba, Iams, Royal Canin, Beneful, Blue, etc.....finally started giving him some wet before we got Andy just because he ATE it. I came across an article about what goes into commercial dog food, and it made me want to vomit. After reading that, I just couldn't give that stuff to my dog(s)....So, I started doing a lot of research, and started looking at a lot of dog food reviews. After my research, I chose The Honest Kitchen for Jack (the min pin), and then for Andy as well. Andy was on ProPlan when we got him, and after looking up the review, got it him off it ASAP. He now does Fromm's along with THK. I'm happy with the combo. Yes, it's a little pricier, but I want food that not only does well as far as health, and something they will eat, but also something that makes me feel like I'm feeding them as well as I can (staying away from fillers, coloring, chemicals, by-products, etc) - plus, YOU could eat THK. I wouldn't, but you could. JMHO, but that's how I feel about it. They are my babies, and I do want to do the best I can for them.

Edited July 13, 2011 by UpperHandAndy

[Gryffenne]

I kicked my food snobbery years ago when my son was an infant. He had to be on a soy formula. I bought THE most expensive because it was "the best", right? Wrong. After trying different brands, I finally, out of desperation, tried the store brand version of Isomil. He thrived on it. He was a happy, content, healthy baby. It was what was "Best" for him, and that was the most important factor... not price, or what others thought. Whatever the difference was between Isomil and the store brand version of it, I haven't a clue, but it was a key factor that made all the difference in the world.

 

Fast forward to Sammi. I've tried many of the designer and top brands that are touted about here. I discovered that the higher "quality" the brand supposedly was, the looser the poop and deadlier the gas. We did try Raw for a while, but living in BFE, it was far too costly to continue while trying to maintain a healthy diet with being dependent on the grocery store and one meat market for her meals when I was unemployed. After searching and comparing nutritional values of different kibbles, I tried Paws Premium and WOW! She loves it! Firm, healthy poop (unless it is a heatwave), no dry skin/hair. In fact, I haven't had to supplement her diet for her coat since starting out on PP. Her weight is maintained (even after the stress of the move, she only dropped 1/2 a pound). She is energetic (for a greyhound) And besides healing from a scratch on her eye, she is healthy and happy.

 

Eventually, once bills are caught up and I have something in my savings again, I will be buying a freezer and going back to Raw again, but for now, we've found a kibble that works great for her.

[Guest firegypsy]

thanks for this thread. I wanted to do right by my pups and got Orijen ($70 for 30 pounds!) and while they love it, Darby's stool is VERY loose. I'm thinking it would be good to back down a bit and try something else to see if she can regulate. Interesting to read that some do better on less expensive food.

[vsrenard]

We don't feed unicorn or platypus here, but pretty close. They get chicken breast or ground turkey with potatoes, veggies, some dark beer, and other vitamins for one meal, whatever kibble I feel like buying for the other meal. At my folks' house they eat Purina or some other 'fast food' because they are more picky there. At home, we usually feed TOTW, Nutro, Nature's Balance, or whatever catches my eye.

 

Last night they got chicken breast marinated in garlic and white wine, served with carrots and potatoes. I ate a frozen pizza.

[Guest 7ct5]

I have a little secret to share with the picky eaters!

 

I have a senior non-grey, who doesn't eat plain kibble anymore. I think she's a bit spoiled in her food choices - but she doesn't have many teeth and has been particular about food her whole life. I started to mix her kibble with canned dog food, but it was expensive, stinky, and we went through it so fast. Then one day I ran out of canned food and tried a meat baby food instead (had purchased it to make dog treats). The stuff is great! I only need to mix a spoonful in with the rest of her dry food and she eats the whole thing. A little glass jar lasts a few meals, can be purchased everywhere, and isn't as gross to me as the mystery-meat in canned food. She only littles the pure meat ones, not the meat dinners (ie. first ingredient is carrots - smart dog ). I could probably grind up my own meat a fraction of the price, but if you want something really convenient try the baby aisle.

 

I used to feed TOTW with good results. Its hard to tell how much the food affected my dogs, one had really dry skin - but I think its environmental. I've found that Blue Buffalo is great - the dogs have never been so firm! But it is pricey and I'm very tempted to switch back to something a little more practical.

[Guest sweetpea]

<snip> but I want food that not only does well as far as health, and something they will eat, but also something that makes me feel like I'm feeding them as well as I can (staying away from fillers, coloring, chemicals, by-products, etc) - plus, YOU could eat THK. I wouldn't, but you could. JMHO, but that's how I feel about it. They are my babies, and I do want to do the best I can for them.

 

Which is why we're all here.

 

Sometimes you have to compromise, I would love to be able to feed Sweetpea food that is "perfect" (however you want

to define perfect).

 

Ultimately her health comes first. Ending up at the E-vet with a bag of bloody poo was a quick and decisive judgement on

how little my silly opinions about dog food matter. I spent months home-cooking her food, but that wasn't optimal

for her either. She was still soft-serve, still gassy, still gurgly.

 

Unlike a previous poster, I do believe that what comes out the other end is a good indicator

of how well the GI is processing. I know how awful I feel when I have gas and diarhea, I was never comfortable with

that being a "norm" for Sweetpea.

 

So I kept trying, and experimenting, and all my fancy criterian whittled away to two:

1~would she eat it?

2~Would her gut process it efficiently and consistently?

 

In desperation I flashed back to a post from Pam, about Iams in the green bag.

I bought the little bag, mini-chunks. We have never looked back.

 

She eats her fill (sometimes it's a full portion, sometimes she leaves a little behind, just to mess with my head)

her poops are the kind you dream about (you know you do!)

We haven't had any recurrence of the gastric distress that we battled with for the first 2 1/2 years she lived here.

 

I feel like qualifies as me doing the best I can for her.

 

Buzzy

[Gryffenne]

A little glass jar lasts a few meals, can be purchased everywhere, and isn't as gross to me as the mystery-meat in canned food.

You never tasted that stuff, did you?

 

I remember when I had ferrets and one had to have surgery. To feed her while she was recovering, it meant making "duck soup" and using a feeding syringe. (This is before I became a mother, btw. The only baby foods I was familiar with were: The first foods applesauce and Blueberry Buckle) Duck Soup required "first foods" meats. Out of curiosity, I tried a taste of first foods beef. Oh Dear God! I gagged so badly. Vowed never to feed those to my children. In fact, when my son was born, one of the gifts from my mother was actually a babyfood grinder!

 

But I will remember that tip about the meats if Sammi ever becomes picky in her old age. Her motto seems to be- the stinkier = the tastier

Edited July 24, 2011 by Gryffenne

[Guest felicity]

Although I want the best for my greyhound, I think many in this thread are correct that no food will really harm the dog. I choose what to feed based on considerations of environmental and ethical concerns. As someone who is currently in China, I can tell you that I would not want my dog eating animal products from here. Although I am not saying that any american dog foods contain meat from these conditions, some animals here are grazed on landfills and then loaded with antibiotics, which I personally find atrocious. Of course, factory farmed animals in the US aren't particularly happy and healthy either. I personally am a vegetarian low-impact eater, and although my greyhound is not vegetarian, I also try to ensure that he eats ethically responsible food too.... of course, these are all personal choices, so its really what works for each dog and owner.

[Guest 7ct5]

A little glass jar lasts a few meals, can be purchased everywhere, and isn't as gross to me as the mystery-meat in canned food.

You never tasted that stuff, did you?

 

 

 

 

Hah I haven't, but I do wonder what kind of mother the cashiers think I am purchasing only canned ham, turkey, and beef broth flavored baby food jars! To be fair, they do smell - when I was on vacation for a week and left a relative in charge, she said she couldn't take the stinky baby food and bought the $3/can dog stuff instead. IMO, neither is as bad as some of the stuff cats eat.

 

 

I've been on a smoothie kick lately and made one for the dogs - vegetables and cooked chicken. Cheap and easy! They both happily ate it on top of the kibble ... I'm hoping the extra greens will help one of them eat less grass.

[Guest Ledalia]

We feed Chicken Soup to Odin and are really happy with it. It's not the best of the best but not the worst either - a perfect balance of decent food and budget. I am a bit of a food snob, to be honest... we actively try to avoid corn and soy in his diet. When we first adopted him we fed him Sam's Club brand which was full of corn, soy, and by-products. The end result was constant diarrhea and gas. Once we switched to Chicken Soup he finally produced a nice, solid stool. Having said that, however, I have a friend who was feeding her dog Iams and then switched to Blue Buffalo. Her dog became really sick and didn't improve until she switched him back to Iams. There is no universal best dog food out there, and high end foods may not necessarily be better, it really depends on your hound. I think that as pet owners we should strive to find the best food we can afford that our babies also love and thrive on.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I have been avoiding this Thread until now. It could litterly drive you crazy .I have asked my Vet a dozen times about Food (good or bad ). I have been feeding Morty ProPlan as long as we had him and now I add a Bag of Natures Choice Grain Free Salmon,Sweet Potato and Pumpkin to the Pro Plan and Voila , he likes it

[Guest bluefawn]

I have tried most of the kibble brands over the years, and I find that my hounds do very well on the good basic brands, but I do not buy any brands that contain animal by-products. That is the one thing I look for in the ingredient lists. When I bought my 2 whippets, their breeder told me she feeds only Iams. She has 40+ world champions, and all of her dogs are gorgeous and healthy. I tried TOTW for mine, and none of them really liked it. I had my greyhound Penny on Wellness Senior for a while, but when I lost my job I could no longer afford it. I stay in the same price range that equals out to about $1,00/lb., and, as I said, make sure there are no animal by-products in it. Their coats are very shiny, their teeth look great, and their stools are firm. Those are the 3 most important things to me.

[Guest firegypsy]

so am I reading correctly that you're happy with Iams? Is there a particular formula?

[Hubcitypam]

All the Iams have worked the same for us. I feed green bag chicken mini chunks. Have tried red bag lamb but none of my crew have ever really liked lamb. Healthy Naturals is good too, but a tad more expensive.

 

I can't tell you how many times in the past 5 years people on this forum and others have told my suggestion of Iams was the answer to their runny poop problem. It's the beet pulp.

***apologies to long time members that have seen this countless times -- I trot this story out about as often as I trot out Abbey Lou ***

 

My Bridgeboy Rex had colitis and a terrible stomach. I spent what seemed like 487 hours online researching food and standing in pet stores reading labels. We tried Natual Balance limited ingredient formulas, (novel protein and grain free) California Natural (limited ingredient), Wellness (expensive) and a couple of others. Still nothing would come out of Rex that I could scoop from the yard instead of hose in.

 

One day after spending about 20 minutes in the kibble aisle fretting about what to try next I said "to hell with it" and tossed a green bag of Iams in my cart. I had fed Iams for years before those "in the know" told me all about the demon corn. A day or so into transition Rex's poop started firming up and when it was all Iams one could bounce his poops off the sidewalk if one were so inclined. He also used to have terrible bouts with gurgly tummy that would be so loud they'd wake me at night. After switching to Iams they stopped.

 

 

 

[Batmom]

Gidget, who can't have the higher-protein foods on a regular basis, does really well on IAMs Lamb & Rice (red bag) and seems to love it (I admit, she loves all food items ).

[Guest Bean_Scotch]

I've been reading this post for a while, and have stayed away from replying because I don't want to come across as a food snob myself. Personally, I don't see it that way. When I started with my first (as an adult) dog, a min pin, it was about the best. He's since turned into a real big PITA as far as kibble goes, and really won't touch it. He's been on a variety of foods, from Nutro, Eukunuba, Iams, Royal Canin, Beneful, Blue, etc.....finally started giving him some wet before we got Andy just because he ATE it. I came across an article about what goes into commercial dog food, and it made me want to vomit. After reading that, I just couldn't give that stuff to my dog(s)....So, I started doing a lot of research, and started looking at a lot of dog food reviews. After my research, I chose The Honest Kitchen for Jack (the min pin), and then for Andy as well. Andy was on ProPlan when we got him, and after looking up the review, got it him off it ASAP. He now does Fromm's along with THK. I'm happy with the combo. Yes, it's a little pricier, but I want food that not only does well as far as health, and something they will eat, but also something that makes me feel like I'm feeding them as well as I can (staying away from fillers, coloring, chemicals, by-products, etc) - plus, YOU could eat THK. I wouldn't, but you could. JMHO, but that's how I feel about it. They are my babies, and I do want to do the best I can for them.

 

I've fed ProPlan to my crew and have even had fosters on it. I actually even recommend it to new adopters..I would really feel insulted if a forever family wanted to 'get their dog of it ASAP' as if I somehow did a disservice to their dog when he's doing, well, remarkably well on it. Perhaps that's all the foster family could afford to feed.

[Guest verthib]

The cheap stuff is full of by-products, corn, crappy fillers, etc. It's NOT good for your dogs. It's not that we are buying fancy stuff, we are buying quality food that they deserve to eat. Those cheap brands have internal organs, beaks, hooves, eye balls, etc. YUK! And dogs are carnivores, not herbivores, they should not be eating so much Corn as fillers. Just my two cents.

[Guest firegypsy]

The cheap stuff is full of by-products, corn, crappy fillers, etc. It's NOT good for your dogs. It's not that we are buying fancy stuff, we are buying quality food that they deserve to eat. Those cheap brands have internal organs, beaks, hooves, eye balls, etc. YUK! And dogs are carnivores, not herbivores, they should not be eating so much Corn as fillers. Just my two cents.

 

 

I agree. I wouldn't feed that junk to my kids and I don't want to feed it to my dogs. However I started out on seriously fancy stuff and it wasn't good for them. I stepped down ( to another feed that had 5 star rating) and that was better, but still not perfect. Right now I'm weighing my options. Currently I'm cooking them rice and sweet potatoes to put in their food to help bind things up a bit. I won't do GMO corn, animal by-products etc. But it does seem my pups do well on carbs.

[Guest sirsmom]

I have tried most of the kibble brands over the years, and I find that my hounds do very well on the good basic brands, but I do not buy any brands that contain animal by-products. That is the one thing I look for in the ingredient lists. When I bought my 2 whippets, their breeder told me she feeds only Iams. She has 40+ world champions, and all of her dogs are gorgeous and healthy. I tried TOTW for mine, and none of them really liked it. I had my greyhound Penny on Wellness Senior for a while, but when I lost my job I could no longer afford it. I stay in the same price range that equals out to about $1,00/lb., and, as I said, make sure there are no animal by-products in it. Their coats are very shiny, their teeth look great, and their stools are firm. Those are the 3 most important things to me.

 

I believe most of the Iams products contain chicken by-products, though. I find nothing wrong with it personally.