# need suggestions on dog food



## tjrutz (May 28, 2013)

What do yall use! I've got a Bassett hound and a yorkie! They are both older dogs 7 and 9 yrs old! I've been using Purina but I have been hearing some mixed opinions on it! My hound has back problems so he doesn't get a lot of excersize so I'm also wondering if I need a diet type food for him! Thanks for any input!


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## JuliaH (May 28, 2013)

I have been using Purina Pro Plan for years. I have changed several times due to cost, but always come back to it... won't ever change again    Purina One is very good as is Pro Plan.


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## ryano (May 29, 2013)

tjrutz said:


> What do yall use! I've got a Bassett hound and a yorkie! They are both older dogs 7 and 9 yrs old! I've been using Purina but I have been hearing some mixed opinions on it! My hound has back problems so he doesn't get a lot of excersize so I'm also wondering if I need a diet type food for him! Thanks for any input!



Purina what?   Chances are if its not Purina Pro Plan or Purina One, its corn based garbage food.  Puppy Chow and Dog Chow are not good foods.    

I feed my Lab Purina Pro Plan Performance or known now as Pro Plan Sport and it works great for her but that would NOT be a good blend for a dog that doesnt get much exercize as its very high in protein and fat.   Pro Plan has a weight management blend though.

Make sure to check the ingredients. Im not saying go with what I suggest but you at least want a meat listed as the #1 ingredient IMO instead of corn like most grocery store bought foods are, no matter what you go with.

A lot of people also like Eukanuba.   I have calculated it out and it cost me about .80 cents a day to feed my dog a good, decent food.  Thats nothing.


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## cmfireman (May 29, 2013)

I feed 4Health performance and weight control from Tractor Supply. 

I know its a Diamond product, but seems to be working well for a decent price. I was feeding Taste of the Wild but it got too expensive.


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## TurkeyH90 (May 29, 2013)

Iams makes a good weight control that comes in a blue bag at most grocery stores. Trimmed my female lab up after she was fixed and quit exercising near as much do to my other dog dying. I have since moved out to the country and she roams 5 acres with my new dog. Had to take her off the weight control when she got to looking poor. I now have them experimentally on Sportmix.


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## ky55 (May 29, 2013)

We've had good luck with Science Diet.


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## Dub (Jun 2, 2013)

ky55 said:


> We've had good luck with Science Diet.



Yup.  Hill's Science Diet has been good for us, too.


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## StikR (Jun 2, 2013)

Victor blue bag is $31 for a 40lb bag and is gonna be hard to beat for the money.  No (zero) corn in it.  I just switched to it in my kennel.  Less food, less poop, hard black tootsie rolls, happy and healthy dogs.  I'm feeding 12 dogs


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## ryano (Jun 4, 2013)

StikR said:


> Victor blue bag is $31 for a 40lb bag and is gonna be hard to beat for the money.  No (zero) corn in it.  I just switched to it in my kennel.  Less food, less poop, hard black tootsie rolls, happy and healthy dogs.  I'm feeding 12 dogs



Where do you buy this at?   Im getting about tired of Pro Plans price hikes and am pondering on a change and am looking for a meat based food.  They have went up another 20% + since I bought it last.


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## Greenhead (Jun 4, 2013)

*Food*

Taste of The Wild. Pricey but Awesome. Feeding my pup the Venison and Bison flavor. Around Acworth it's 46.00 a bag. I ordered mine at Pet Supplies.com. Got free shipping and paid 40.50 delivered. No Tax. No Corn either.


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## Buzz (Jun 4, 2013)

For my adult dog, I use Orijen.    Very good stuff, no grains, no byproducts, extremely healthy.    The dookies are tiny for the size of the dog.    I used the blue puppy formula on my lab / gsp mix because I didn't know how big she might get and didn't want the high levels of protein in her development.  She will be a year in two months and I will switch her to Orijen as well.   It's not cheap, in fact it's rather expensive, but they also eat far less of it.   My insanely active 70# GSP eats about 3 cups a day instead of the 5-6 cups he'd eat of lower quality foods, so that puts things in some perspective as well.

Check out this site, there are others.   

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Most anything you get from a big brand label is crap.   If you can get it at Wal Mart or a grocery store it's probably a 1 star food just above the level of poison.  Several have mentioned Science Diet.  It's basically the same cheap crap repackaged from many of the inferior products.      Most independent labs are rather harsh on Science Diet.   Dog Food Anaysis and Dog Food Advisor give it one star, because of cancer causing ingredients, poor fillers, and poor quality proteins.    Bottom of the barrel.

Taste of the Wild that Greenhead mentioned is very good too.

I use MrChewey to deliver their foods monthly.


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## laurelwood (Jun 16, 2013)

Victor!  I was feeding Taste of the Wild and my dogs did okay on it, but after 3 recalls in the last couple of years I wanted a non-Diamond product.  Victor is made by a family-owned company in Texas and 90% of their ingredients come from within 200 miles of their plant.  They've never had a recall and Dog Food Advisor gave it 5 stars, their highest rating.  I feed the grain-free, but even their regular food has no corn, wheat or soy.

My dogs are doing great on it.  I have one that has never been a good eater until I switched him to Victor and now he's cleaning up every meal.  I've always had trouble keeping weight on my two, and I've had to cut both of them back.

I order it from http://www.victorpet.com/
Free shipping, delivered right to my house and since I'm not paying sales tax it's cheaper than the TOTW!


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## quackwacker (Jun 16, 2013)

Still having good luck with Black Gold.  33$ 50lb bag.  Im feeding the 26/18 black bag.


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## DukTruk (Jun 17, 2013)

Any food that is meat based is far superior to corn based diets.  READ THE INGREDIENTS ON THE BACK OF THE BAG!!!  The first item listed is the primary ingredient (45-60%) of whats in the bag.  If its not meat, keep looking.  You typically have to search for Science Diet and Purina products that meet this qualification.

In regards to "weight reduction" foods.  THEY ARE CRAP, I DON'T CARE WHO MAKES THEM.  If you want your dog to lose weight, here is a really, really complicated formula to follow:

FEED LESS FOOD!!!

Less of a high quality food is better for the dog than too much of a "weight reduction" food.  You should be able to feel your dogs ribs with light pressure.  If you can't do that, feed less.  If they are "pronounced" feed more.  Simple.

We feed a brand called Fromm.  Others we have fed and had good results from are:
-Eukanuba Sporting Performance
-Native (level 2 or 3)
-Fromm (What we are feeding now)

Brands that we have seen that have OK ingredients
-4 Health (made by Diamond, not a huge fan of Diamond)
-Costco (Kirkland) Premium (not sure who makes it, but the ingredients list looks pretty good)
-Taste of the Wild
-Blue Buffalo
-One of the premium "store brands" at either Petco or Petsmart

A good rule of thumb is that unless you are buying it straight from the butcher, you can't get good dog food in your typical grocery store.

PS.  I am a professional dog trainer and breeder, but I can't mention that here as the moderators get a bit testy.....


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## JuliaH (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi Duk 

Just because folks can get confused... meat based is meat, not meat meal, to me. Like Chicken, etc. not poultry meal, etc. 

Your thoughts are solicited if different 

Julia


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## DukTruk (Jun 17, 2013)

Meat is preferred.  Meat meal is acceptable.  Meat meal is the "rest of the animal" (the parts of the animal that humans don't eat, peckers and scratchers as my granddad used to say).  The biggest issue with the meal is that the raw materials that are in it are good but they bake all the nutrients out.  However, the guaranteed analysis is done BEFORE the product is baked (thus making the numbers very different).  This is pretty common amongst dog food manufacturers.  Of the list I provided, Native doesn't do this and neither does Fromm.  I'm sure there are others, but I'm not aware of them.

PS. I am a professional dog trainer and breeder, but I can't mention that here as the moderators get a bit testy.....


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## JuliaH (Jun 17, 2013)

Meat is my preferred first ingredient too. Pro Plan Performance has it, and every time I have gone to less expensive dog foods I have been incredibly sorry. 

A lot of people, though, opt for price over ingredients.  

Julia


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## grouper throat (Jun 17, 2013)

River run 24/20 but my dogs have as many miles under them during the season as my truck so they're very active. If they like the food you're feeding and not having problems then I wouldn't change.


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## ryano (Aug 7, 2013)

I have swapped my Lab over to Victor Performance Formula and couldnt be happier. 

She is doing great on it and Im buying a bigger bag (40#) than the Pro Plan for less money.  Frankly, I got tired of Pro Plans price hikes and having to drive 40 miles roundtrip out of my way to get it.

Its a 4-5 star food on the dog food rating sites.


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## Bkeepr (Aug 7, 2013)

Victor, any food with corn in it gives my dog the runs!


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## Joe Overby (Aug 7, 2013)

I was a die hard Eukanuba guy for 10 years...they continually jack their price up and finally restricted distribution in my neck of the woods...last straw...I have since switched to Victor...red bag 24/20...been on it 2 months now and oh my the difference. I could care less about dog food advisors biased opinions...I care about what I see in my kennel day in and day out...this food is the real deal.


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## ryano (Aug 7, 2013)

Joe Overby said:


> I could care less about dog food advisors biased opinions.



I totally agree.


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## king killer delete (Aug 7, 2013)

I am feeding Iams but I can honestly say that way back when I fed Jim Dandy, Sunshine you name if it came in a bag it got fed and my dogs did well. I have fed eukanuba but that was along time ago.


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## Turkey Trax (Aug 7, 2013)

also made the switch to Victor and my dogs all look great. They're regular. and have plenty of energy. And paying almost half the price i was on PP Sport.


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## Doc Olly (Aug 8, 2013)

Royal Canin. They put a lot of research into their diets. Might be a bit pricey but it is top notch!


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## waterdogs (Aug 8, 2013)

I have always fed Purina Pro plan but its getting priced out. I only buy it when it's on sale atPets supply plus in Athens. It's usually around 40 dollars a bag, on sale.I found a place in Jefferson ga. That has the Victor. Great price on it. They even told me to bring in a  old bag of PP and they would look at what's in it, to see what fits my need. They carry 6 different from victor. I'm going to Give it a try.


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## waterdogs (Aug 8, 2013)

High energy 36 dollars professional 36.99. Plus 39.00.  Ultra pro.  42.00


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## Joe Overby (Aug 9, 2013)

Lincoln... call me before you buy please...


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## nhancedsvt (Aug 9, 2013)

Wish someone carried the Victor around me. PPP got too expensive and I've been trying to find a better alternative locally with no success.


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## JuliaH (Aug 9, 2013)

I have tried alternatives to PPP, including Loyall and back in its heyday, Black Gold. Have not used some of the other premium foods mentioned here, but I get my PPP for $38.99 + tax and as many bags as I want... pm me for more information on that, if interested.

The most important thing is, tho, I have used PPP for most of 7 years with NO problems, no weight issues, no other issues... and I cannot say that for ANY other dog food I have tried... 

On one brand, I had a pup knuckle over in front. Scared me and I got it corrected in time. She is fine now. When I contacted the company to talk with them about their ingredients/process/etc. I did not get very far.  The salesman said he talked with someone and everything was ok. I will never change brands again. That could have been a permanent disability for an otherwise good dog, or she might have had to be put down. PPP for as long as I have dogs... 

When I cannot afford to feed them well, I will cut back on numbers, or sell out.  Keep this in mind as you shop around. Black Gold and Loyall were not the only other brands I used, but those were 2 I can think of right now... 

Here is a picture of what that pup looked like for a few days. Thankfully it was caught early and managed so she got normal again. Needless to say, I gave the rest of that dog food away to someone with only adult dogs. By the way, this one pup was the only one I have ever had that was abnormal.


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## huntchesies (Aug 9, 2013)

Blackgold still works for my dogs.  Have no complaints and my dogs have ate different feeds in the past.


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## JuliaH (Aug 9, 2013)

Hi 

When I used Black Gold, I didn't like the results on the Black bag, so I went to the Red bag (as expensive as PPP at that level).  

I think it is what works best for all of us, but price should be a much lower consideration than quality of the food we are feeding... 

My dogs are competition  dogs, a couple of elder dogs, some that are bred from time to time and puppies now and then. I have a limited amount of space so need a dog food that covers all the range of dogs I am feeding. 

The most important thing is what you are saying.... dogs doing fine. When their needs are met, without the formula being skewed, as in the dog food that caused the problem in the picture I shared, then all is well. 

Price just must not be what moves us from what we like and our dogs do well on to other brands that might not do as well...

Julia


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## KNorman (Aug 9, 2013)

For me, I rate dog feed on three criteria:

1. How the dogs do on it. I work the heck out of my dogs, so they need to have the protein and fat from a 30/20 performance feed. I'm not sold on the really high protein feed like Innova (I think like 38 pro) for retrievers...maybe a sled dog who utilizes it, but not a retriever.

2. Availability. It needs to be readily available. I'm not going to drive 50 miles to get dog food. 

3. Cost. I rate cost by cal/cup. In the end, if you skimp on cal/cup, you just end up feeding more. 

The feed that meets these three criteria for me have been
Pro Plan Performance, Eukanuba Performance, and PMI Exclusive Performance. 

Out of those three, I prefer Eukanuba Performance, but it's expensive as heck. So....I feed Pro Plan Performance. I get lots of coupons for free bags at trials and Purina sponsors trials. So, I haven't paid for a bag of PPP in about 4 months. 

Victor Performance has been getting a lot of run with my training group, but I just don't see it. We work the heck out of our dogs, and the ones on Victor seem to run out of steam on that last big bird, while the Euk Perf and PPP dogs seem to have some still left in their tanks. 

Guess in the end, it's a personal choice, but I haven't been disappointed with the three feeds I've mentioned.


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## ryano (Aug 9, 2013)

JuliaH said:


> think it is what works best for all of us, but price should be a much lower consideration than quality of the food we are feeding...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I totally agree with you. Price isnt the ONLY reason I switched from PPP though.   Im going on the recommendation of two close friends and a pro trainer or two of which Victor is working out very well for them.

Although I could not care less about dogfoodadvisors and other similar sites opinions, Pro Plan just isnt a very well liked or rated food while Victor is 4 or 5 stars and Im getting a bigger bag for less money.

I was buying 37.5# of PPP for 36.99 then it went to 43.99 and then 46.99 + tax.  At that point Im done.  Plus I was having to drive 40 + miles roundtrip out of my way to get it.   Im gonna be getting 40#s of Victor for around 35.00 out the door 15 minutes from my house.

Believe me, I was as big a fan of Pro Plan as you are but I have been enlightened by people I trust, the Victor food Im feeding is working out great, she loves it and I doubt I will ever turn back at this point   Another thing Ive noticed is my girls yeast infection in her left ear seems to not be as bad now.  Was it the food?  I have no idea!  

Not trying to change your mind or anything. Im glad PPP is working out for you.


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## ryano (Aug 9, 2013)

KNorman said:


> 2. Availability. It needs to be readily available. I'm not going to drive 50 miles to get dog food.



Which is exactly what I was having to do for PPP.   Ahh the joys of living in a small town.  Victor however, is readily available within minutes of me.

I dont run trials and while I at least try to give my dog some work 5-6 days a week, she isnt and never will be any kind of high performance retriever.  Shes just an ol backyard bred mutt that likes to pick up birds.   I have not noticed any decrease in performance out of her though and none of my friends who DO work the heck out of their dogs have either.

I agree, when it comes down to it, its a personal choice though    My choice is now Victor green bag.


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## JuliaH (Aug 9, 2013)

Hi there 

Yes, PPP works great for me... and that's what counts... whatever we feed our dogs.  You might be back tho, in the long run 

I do have to drive about 40 +/- to Macon to get my dog food, but I have learned to buy enough for 2 -3 months to pay for the fuel.  Doing that balances out my trip costs with cost of dog food. 

Under normal times I go through a bag a week, and use a measuring cup for feeding. Of course, I have done that with every dog food. Suggested amounts to feed (adjusted for activity) are there for a reason. 

The worst trouble I got into off PPP was that one pup. Never had seen it before. Never want to see it again.  Nice firm and small stools, healthy and good coated dogs/pups, along with the energy they need to perform is important. 

Another thing I like is that if I have questions I CAN get past the salespeople and store clerks to get those questions answered by people who know...  I had a huge discussion with my vet that went on and on, cuz he was a Science Diet guy (another dog food I tried) and I dug deep to find out the quality stuff I wanted to know   (I did not feed SD for long... ugh! They have good prescription food, but the kennel packs and other dog food filled my kennel with poop!)

I hope, rather than talking people into our favorite dog foods so much, that we help with the education of folks into WHY to use a good food that we can have confidence in   We will never agree on brands...lol. 

By the way, I don't like those dog food advisor sites much. Most of them are terribly biased toward one brand or another 

Another thing I do is keep an eye on the FDA recall lists for dog food... has sure helped me at times. 

Julia






ryano said:


> I totally agree with you. Price isnt the ONLY reason I switched from PPP though.   Im going on the recommendation of two close friends and a pro trainer or two of which Victor is working out very well for them.
> 
> Although I could not care less about dogfoodadvisors and other similar sites opinions, Pro Plan just isnt a very well liked or rated food while Victor is 4 or 5 stars and Im getting a bigger bag for less money.
> 
> ...


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## Joe Overby (Aug 9, 2013)

You know Julia...its funny..in my world we tend to have 4 types of people. PPP people, Euk people, whatever's cheapest people, and then the people who are always on the latest fad. I was one of the Euk people...and boy did I LOVE that food. But I order food by the pallet..wanna guess what a pallet of Euk costs me?? Oh yeah and I feed a pallet a month...I absolutely despised PPP....mainly because I NEVER saw ANY of what you are seeing in it..my dogs stools were loose, coats were awful, and weight was poor..across the board! Even tried PMI...now their 30/20 food was excellent but their puppy food is garbage...to be nice. Unlike KNorman, I have not noticed a fall off on that "last big bird" and I don't feed Victors 30/20..I feed their 24/20. Dog food truly is a ford/Chevy debate but in the end it comes down to what the individual dog does best on..not what our egos think is best. Unless its Science Diet or anything made by Diamond....then you're just poisoning your dog. 
Huntchessies....fwiw...if you're going to continue to feed black gold you'll be better off putting the food in the trashcan and feeding your dog the bag it came in...BTW, Jim feeds Victor too.


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## krazybronco2 (Aug 9, 2013)

right now im feeding Loyall 31/20 and im getting the same results (performance wise) with it as I was when belle was on PPP with less waste. I also don't have to go out of the way to get it just a few houses down from me. but her coat is beautiful smooth and glossy. everyone that sees her comments on her coat and how soft it is.


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## JuliaH (Aug 9, 2013)

Joe,  On a good 30/20 you should be able to raise your pups, feed your active adults and even feed your seniors on it. Seniors are the ones to watch most closely, as protein at old age is not as important and can give them problems, if they are prone to kidney problems, or stuff like that....

I have noticed the different groups too, and it is always interesting..


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## mschlapa (Aug 9, 2013)

I fed Euk for many years too and put up with the price hikes. I had a problem several years ago and it happened from the end of one bag to the first feeding out of the next. I called and found out the company had made some changes and with it came a formula change. I also fed Victor for about 6-8 months but noticed my dogs performance dropped off some and also their recovery time increased. I went back to the Nutri-Source Super Performance that is available in my area and couldn't be happier. That being said I hunt and work my dogs much more than the average person. I have seen a feed called Dr Tims that interests me. I was quoted a decent price buying a pallet with shipping. If I could find someone else willing to go in with me I would try it. I know a few folks that are feeding it and are very satisfied with it.


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## waterdogs (Aug 9, 2013)

joe overby said:


> lincoln... Call me before you buy please...



will do


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## huntchesies (Aug 10, 2013)

Yeah I knew Jim had swapped last year.  My dog that was with him at the time did fine with it and a dog that I have now was on loyal when she was at the trainer in Alabama.  I'.m not knocking any of them.


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