# HELP!!! Picking the Best Puppy and Adult Food



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

My vet likes All stages formulas after 12 weeks. Mine all eat FROMM's Chicken a la Veg and love it. They have a lot of different formulas.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

All of my boys, including my almost 3 month old, eat Acana All Life Stages. We have had no issues with gas, runny poos or anything. 

I should add, that my guys also eat raw for supper.


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## Portia18 (Aug 5, 2012)

*puppy food*

Honestly There are a lot of people on here with valuable advice. I will say that every dog is different. Finding what works best for your own dog is what matters. I am still not sure about the whole high protein thing vs calcium phosporus ratios. Because to be truly honest people are giving an opinion based on what they have read. I have yet to meet an owner who says my goldens throught the years have been on a particular food and lived healthy long lives. 
What I can say is that my dog was on Blue Buffalo Large breed puppy and her skin was great and her stool too. I took her off it because she had a urinary issue which i believe had nothing to do with the food. I was not happy on Wellness LBP, too many poops a day and stool a little too soft and she had flaky skin. I am hearing more and more about Fromm and many people on here rave about it. They have never had any recalls. Their formulas are made to switch weekly or monthly easily. I am trying Fromm pork and applesauce. I know Acana is supposed to be great and if the high protein doesnt make you nervous go for it. Good Luck in your search. I hope you find a food you love!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

We've been feeding Eukanuba for over 25 years with success. The dogs have lived long healthy lives on it. (Maxi for example is 13 1/2 and still going strong.)

I believe Pointgold has good luck with ProPlan over a similar amout of time.

As far as puppies and grain free diets go I agree with your Vet, they're fad diets. If you got a puppy from us you would void the warranty by feeding a grain free diet.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Listen to your vet.


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## furry and four paws (May 10, 2012)

I am not one to recommend any particular brand, I totally advocate learning and understanding what we are feeding our dogs and why. I'm sorry IMO your vet is wrong. If all the new foods were such fads why would the old brands be coming out with their versions of these newer products. Swampcollie I'm glad the old standbys work for you, please by all means keep using them. My point is there has been a lot of research into animal nutrition in the last 25 years. Many of the newer products are the result of this research. Are some hype and marketing based on what attracts buyers today of course, thats why I say understand what and why you are buying anything.

I've read most of the reviewing sites on the web for dog foods. What I like better are the nutrition articles in Whole Dog Journal. They are easy to read and cite all their information sources.

As I've stated, my crew gets several types of high end dry(grain and grain free),EFA,extra omega 3, yogurt,fruits,vegetables,cooked eggs and cooked meat. I'm not breaking the bank feeding 4dogs who are all very healthy and happy


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## Goldengal9 (Apr 18, 2012)

We feed our previous Golden's eukanuba and they always did well on it. I'm feeding the new puppy fromms because her breeder was and she dies well on it.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

we feed our Rose Blue Buffalo - she is 9 weeks old so we give her the large breed puppy formula dry food. Stay away from anything that shows byproducts on the back ingredient label. Everything is in the fine print. Many people think that because Iams or Eukanuba is more expensive it is good food but it actually contains euthanized cats and dogs. Here is some info on what byproduct actually means: The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Claudia M said:


> we feed our Rose Blue Buffalo - she is 9 weeks old so we give her the large breed puppy formula dry food. Stay away from anything that shows byproducts on the back ingredient label. Everything is in the fine print. Many people think that because Iams or Eukanuba is more expensive it is good food but it actually contains euthanized cats and dogs. Here is some info on what byproduct actually means: The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food.


Iams and Euk contain chicken by products, not meat meal/by-products that your article discusses. Some brands do contain meat meal, but not Iams/Euk. Dead cats and dogs are not in their products.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

There are a lot of different foods to choose from. We fed Max Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food until Max was about 16 months old and he did well. The Eukanuba adult food did not agree with him, however.

We fed Kirkland Large Breed Chicken and Rice from Costco when we switched Max to adult. We were concerned about the Diamond recalls and the high grain content. We did some research, and switched to Acana Wild Prairie. It is grain free and high in protein. His coat looks looks better, his stool is good and he seems to have more energy.

This is what worked for Max. You need to pick a food that works for your dog.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Claudia M said:


> we feed our Rose Blue Buffalo - she is 9 weeks old so we give her the large breed puppy formula dry food. Stay away from anything that shows byproducts on the back ingredient label. Everything is in the fine print. Many people think that because Iams or Eukanuba is more expensive it is good food but it actually contains euthanized cats and dogs. Here is some info on what byproduct actually means: The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food.


 
That article was debunked years ago. Sorry there aren't any Euthanised pets In Iams or Eukanuba nor Pro Plan for that matter. 

BB is a different food however it is not a better food. There is no evidence what so ever substantiating that the molecules of protein, fat and carbohydrate are somehow miraculously superior to other products. 

In order to substantiate to me that Blue is a BETTER food they would have to undertake long term (life long) feeding trials with more than a small handfull of animals. If you didn't know it, they DO NOT. Undertaking such reasearch takes an enormous commitment in both time and money. Companies like Iams and Purina make that commitment, companies like Blue do not. 

You can't determine whether a food delivers superior nutrition simply by reading the ingredient panel on the side of the bag. Life just isn't that simple. Reading the ingredient panel is the starting point, it's not the end. Seeing the actual results delivered over a dog(s) (or in some cases several hundred dogs) lifetime(s) is the true test of the performance of a product.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

The article also tells you what chicken byproduct means. Also IAMS/EUK are owned by Procter and Gamble who have been exposed several times for their cruel and painful experiments on cats and dogs in their research for pet food.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Claudia M said:


> The article also tells you what chicken byproduct means. Also IAMS/EUK are owned by Procter and Gamble who have been exposed several times for their cruel and painful experiments on cats and dogs in their research for pet food.


Chicken by products are fine if pet grade. Plenty of good protein there. Some people forget........you are feeding a pet, not a child. And the rest of your post is PETA related. Not worthy of discussion.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

I would recommend Fromm LB Puppy or Earthborn Puppy Vantage. I feel the ingredients are quality, a trustworthy company, and I like the results Im getting with my adults. I fed my adults an all life stage food as puppies. I'm ok with that as well-- Acana would be my first choice. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

Native is better than what you switched to, and a very good deal. I will always use products with performance roots rather than ones made in a marketing department. How many formulas does Blue Buffalo have? If a food or a website is aimed at making you think it is people food, then stay away.

Stay with a chicken and rice food with beet pulp as the main fiber source. If anyone tells you grains are a big cause of allergies, ask for proof and bet money because its does not exist.


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## fourgoldens (Dec 29, 2007)

Best food is a loaded question. FWIW; We've been using primarily Fromm for the last 25-27 years. Excellent company and track record. Being we have to order Fromm we also use NutriSource (also makes Pure Vita and Natural Planet Organics) as a back up as it is stocked at our local store. NutriSource is also a good company and track record. No digestion issues for either the golden or newfie when switching foods.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

Blue Buff has like 5 puppy formulas, 12 adult and 3 senior dry food. I prefer to stay with the dry food. As Rose gets older I will mix some of the Blue Wilderness canned with the dry. Since she is only 9 weeks I try to keep with one thing that works and not compromise her digestive system with too many alternatives. The Large puppy breed formula has chicken and brown rice as the main two ingredients. The order on the ingredient list tells you what the food base is. They are supposed to be listed by quantity order.


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

msdogs1976 said:


> Chicken by products are fine if pet grade. Plenty of good protein there. Some people forget........you are feeding a pet, not a child. And the rest of your post is PETA related. Not worthy of discussion.



I am not a big fan of PETA but I do give them credit where credit is due. Those investigations were quite comprehensive and I simply do not agree with anyone mistreating an animal even the ones I am allergic to.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Claudia M said:


> we feed our Rose Blue Buffalo - she is 9 weeks old so we give her the large breed puppy formula dry food. Stay away from anything that shows byproducts on the back ingredient label. Everything is in the fine print. Many people think that because Iams or Eukanuba is more expensive it is good food but it actually contains euthanized cats and dogs. Here is some info on what byproduct actually means: The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food.


IAMS and Eukanuba are both cheaper than Blue Buffalo, just FYI, and there is zero evidence, zero, that any of their food contains euthanized pets. None of the Eukanuba foods use "meat byproduct meal." I don't believe any IAMS blends do, but I'm not as familiar with the product line. I'd be curious if anybody can post an IAMS food ingredient list that contains "meat byproduct." They do use "chicken byproduct meal" in many foods, but the only difference between "chicken meal" and "chicken byproduct meal" is that the byproduct contains ground and dried skin, bone, and organ meat in addition to the muscle meat. It's a different ingredient with a wider nutrient profile, not an inferior one. Any raw feeder will tell you that bones, organs, and skin make good nutrition.

There's a big difference between reality and what some of these alarmist websites will post. The big scary stories based on zero evidence just distract from the real things that pet food companies could be doing better.

Blue Buffalo mysteriously sickened a bunch of dogs about a couple of years ago, and the problem was traced to contaminated processing equipment. It doesn't make them a bad company, but it does sort of prove that the "holistic" label means nothing.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Almost no nutrition education is given to vets in school. Hence, unless they educate themselves they are not a great source of knowledge in this subject. All foods are not created equal and there are several really good foods on the market. Just educate yourself from various sources and try several. Not all foods work for all dogs. My vet sells Hill's but I would never use their foods. They just get a great deal on it and sell it to people who have not done their research.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

msdogs1976 said:


> Chicken by products are fine if pet grade. Plenty of good protein there. Some people forget........you are feeding a pet, not a child. And the rest of your post is PETA related. Not worthy of discussion.


You forget you are feeding a living being, dog or child, what you feed them is vital to the health of any living thing. Read the ingredients. If I can't feed it to a child I don't want my dogs eating it.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Tayla's Mom said:


> Almost no nutrition education is given to vets in school. Hence, unless they educate themselves they are not a great source of knowledge in this subject. All foods are not created equal and there are several really good foods on the market. Just educate yourself from various sources and try several. Not all foods work for all dogs. My vet sells Hill's but I would never use their foods. They just get a great deal on it and sell it to people who have not done their research.


You hear this line about how vets don't have any nutrition education said a lot on pet food rating websites, but the truth is that one of the things vets learn in vet school is how to educate themselves properly on science-based examination of complex issues that relate to the animals they care for.

So your vet _is_ a good resource, generally speaking, on what to feed a dog. I'm sure there are incompetent vets, but for the most part, they're highly educated in these issues.


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