# Need recommendations for dry food



## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Purina Pro Plan has had really good reccomendations on here. I just recently posted a thread asking for idea, and that was something that was highly posted.

I'm not sure if it can be found in the grocery store, but it is in major pet stores. Petsmart, PetCo., etc.

I am unsure of the senior diet question.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I am feeding Pro Plan to my 15 months old and he does great on it. He was also raised on the Pro Plan LB puppy food. He is on an adult food now.

So far, I have no beef with Pro Plan. I have never tried Beneful and I would not try it.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

If you want to get away from Purina, I feed Orijen adult to my show dogs. Also Acana is the same company. VERY excellent food, the best out there and trustworthy for many years now. I use Orijen Adult, and what I love about it is that it has FIVE protein sources instead of the usual one, like all chicken or all beef, so it is a varied diet in itself. Also my dogs have LOVED it just plain and dry for over 6 years now. They don't get tired of it so I don't have to switch around or top it with anything.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

See, that is what bothers me about Orijen, the different meat protein sources all combined. If a dog is allergic to one of the protein sources - it is hard to find out which one it is in such a combination diet.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

That's true but if they are doing well on it, there is no need to worry. My one dog has allergies, and I'm SO glad I got him tested because along with corn he is allergic to Alfalfa and Kelp, so that's why he can no longer eat Orijen, or most good dry foods. He is not allergic to ANY protein sources. Most of the really good foods have sun dried kelp or alfalfa so he is now on raw and special canned. I did have him on Purina Pro Plan Grain Free, but he bloated on that last summer. He survived the surgery thank goodness, but I've been scared to feed him that since.


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## Yaichi's Mom (Jul 21, 2012)

I second Acana/Orijen.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I feed my two Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach, they've been eating it for four years, doing really well on it. They both have sensitive stomachs. It does not contain corn, wheat or soy. I switched to this after several members recommended it, I would not have even considered a Purina product if it weren't for the recommendations. I had adopted my boy, he had stomach issues from the beginning and was 15-20 lbs. underweight when I got him. I tried various brands and formulas. The PPP SSS is what finally worked for him. 

There are a lot of members feeding various Purina Pro Plan formulas. As long as my two continue to do well on it, I will continue feeding it. 

Keep in mind, not all dogs will do well on a certain brand or formula, what works for one dog might not work for your dog.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

Lots of good breeders feed Purina Pro Plan, and if I had 10 plus dogs to feed I would have to also. It's about half the price of Orijen or Acana. But since I don't have that many dogs I want the best, and Orijen is all human grade local organic ingredients, with no worries of poisons or chemicals or anything artificial. That's what I want for my boys. The piece of mind is worth it to me!


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Carmel said:


> Lots of good breeders feed Purina Pro Plan, and if I had 10 plus dogs to feed I would have to also. It's about half the price of Orijen or Acana. But since I don't have that many dogs I want the best, and Orijen is all human grade local organic ingredients, with no worries of poisons or chemicals or anything artificial. That's what I want for my boys. The piece of mind is worth it to me!


But can any processed kibble really be considered 'the best'? When out in the wild there is no kibble. Feeding purely off raw meats and vegetables. Even though Orijen is all human grade, the food is still processed into kibble, and what is in it to keep it fresh for so long? I don't feed raw, but I don't think it's fair to classify one brand of kibble as the best. It may be the best for YOUR dogs, but it isn't the best for EVERY dog.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Moose15 said:


> But can any processed kibble really be considered 'the best'? When out in the wild there is no kibble. Feeding purely off raw meats and vegetables. Even though Orijen is all human grade, the food is still processed into kibble, and what is in it to keep it fresh for so long? I don't feed raw, but I don't think it's fair to classify one brand of kibble as the best. It may be the best for YOUR dogs, but it isn't the best for EVERY dog.


So true ... Kibble is kibble is STILL kibble ... but some are worse than others ! 
Kibble is Kibble is STILL Kibble - The Whole Dog 

" At *110* degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 43 degrees Centigrade), two of the 8 essential amino acids, tryptophan and lysine, are destroyed.
When food is cooked above 117 degrees F for only three minutes or longer, the following deleterious changes begin and progressively cause increased nutritional damage as higher temperatures are applied over prolonged periods of time:
*proteins coagulate
*high temperatures denature protein molecular structure, leading to deficiency of some essential amino acids
*carbohydrates caramelize
*overly heated fats generate numerous carcinogens including acrolein, nitrosamines, hydrocarbons, and benzopyrene (one of the most potent cancer-causing agents known)
*natural fibers break down, cellulose is completely changed from its natural condition: it loses its ability to sweep the alimentary canal clean
*30% to 50% of vitamins and minerals are destroyed
*100% of enzymes are damaged, the body’s enzyme potential is depleted which drains energy needed to maintain and repair tissue and organ systems, thereby shortening the life span.
Remember, the rendering process alone takes place at a minimum of 280 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes! " ...


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

Carmel said:


> That's true but if they are doing well on it, there is no need to worry. My one dog has allergies, and I'm SO glad I got him tested because along with corn he is allergic to Alfalfa and Kelp, so that's why he can no longer eat Orijen, or most good dry foods. He is not allergic to ANY protein sources. Most of the really good foods have sun dried kelp or alfalfa so he is now on raw and special canned. I did have him on Purina Pro Plan Grain Free, but he bloated on that last summer. He survived the surgery thank goodness, but I've been scared to feed him that since.


I thought we could avoid bloating by not feeding within an hour of exercise. How did your dog bloat?


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

Moose15 said:


> But can any processed kibble really be considered 'the best'? When out in the wild there is no kibble. Feeding purely off raw meats and vegetables. Even though Orijen is all human grade, the food is still processed into kibble, and what is in it to keep it fresh for so long? I don't feed raw, but I don't think it's fair to classify one brand of kibble as the best. It may be the best for YOUR dogs, but it isn't the best for EVERY dog.


 That's true of course but IF you must feed processed kibble it's the best. Look it up on ratings, recommendations, etc... If a company like Purina uses crap for ingredients on some of their products, how do you really know that they don't use it on other products? Taste of the Wild comes from Diamond, who has had many recalls. They asked for a better food, and I'm assuming they mean kibble. Raw would be best of course, but you can't just throw your dog pure meat everyday, and you really need to know what you are doing feeding raw. I feed raw for one meal a day, but I had to do tons of research to make sure I was doing it right.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

Susan: w/ Summit we climb said:


> I thought we could avoid bloating by not feeding within an hour of exercise. How did your dog bloat?


He had been on Pro Plan Grain free and pretty gassy for about 6 months after the allergy testing. The night he bloated he ate about 5pm and was cut open with a twisted stomach at about 9:30 pm. The stomach was full of gas, bile, and mush expanded dry dog food. He did not exercise after dinner but there was someone staying at my house with her dogs as we were going to a show together the next day. We think it was stress mostly but I stopped feeding him kibble all together. He had been fine on Orijen for his first 5 years, but once he was switched to Pro Plan he was really gassy a lot. My other Newf and Golden do great on Orijen and are/were not allergic. No gas issues or pudding poos. But anyway, I will not feed my one that bloated kibble ever again. Just too scared.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

I still don't think it is fair to say one food is better than the other. It is all on preference, and what does well with each dog. At the end of the day, it is still only kibble, which isn't the best no matter how you look at it. The nutrients on the bag are what is put into the kibble to make it, but after cooking and processing, I don't think those nutrients are of the same caliber.

"According to the textbook Nutritional Value of Food Processing, 3rd Edition, (by Karmas, Harris, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold) which is written for food chemists in the industrial processed food industry: changes that occur during processing either result in nutrient loss or destruction. Heat processing has a detrimental effect on nutrients since thermal degradation of nutrients can and does occur. Reduction in nutrient content depends on the severity of the thermal processing."

I feed a kibble, and I am okay with that, but I just don't think it is fair/right to say one food is the BEST of the BEST. That just simply isn't true, and just because they/we/I don't use Orijen, that doesn't mean that we don't want whats best for our dog. Our best is just different than your best.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

Hey Moose, I don't think anyone is saying it's not ok to feed whatever you feed. I think when someone is looking for the best dry food for their dog, they are given recommendations. That's what I did. I've been showing dogs for over 10 years now, and I know for a FACT that all kibble is NOT the same. If you want to be competitive, you need your dogs to be glowing with health from the inside out, and that starts with nutrition. I will not feed corn or soy based kibble to my dogs or cats. I also have horses and wouldn't feed them beef, they are not built for it, so why would you feed your dog 90% corn with a spraying of chicken fat over the top? If a company makes dry dog food and gets their ingredients from China, loads it with artificial colors and preservatives, and causes kidney failure, diabetes and general ill health, why would you give that to a beloved pet? If you must feed kibble, it is best to find the very best that you can afford made by a good company with human grade ingredients.


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## Rush2112 (Oct 15, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies, and I appreciate the healthy discussion here, but does anyone else have any other recommendations for me? Thanks.


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## Atis (Jul 8, 2014)

Going on a Dog forum and asking for a food recommendation is like going to a car forum and asking for an oil recommendation. You will get a lot of good advice mixed with a lot of emotion. Many points here are valid and many of the foods suggested are good I've used several of them. May I suggest a web site I found very helpful in selecting and educating on how to select foods Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor . I would go to this site and start by researching some of the foods mentioned here and you will see why some of them may be a good choice and others not so good.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

Carmel said:


> He had been on Pro Plan Grain free and pretty gassy for about 6 months after the allergy testing. The night he bloated he ate about 5pm and was cut open with a twisted stomach at about 9:30 pm. The stomach was full of gas, bile, and mush expanded dry dog food. He did not exercise after dinner but there was someone staying at my house with her dogs as we were going to a show together the next day. We think it was stress mostly but I stopped feeding him kibble all together. He had been fine on Orijen for his first 5 years, but once he was switched to Pro Plan he was really gassy a lot. My other Newf and Golden do great on Orijen and are/were not allergic. No gas issues or pudding poos. But anyway, I will not feed my one that bloated kibble ever again. Just too scared.



That is so scary. Did you change anything else after the bloat incident or just the food?


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

Christen113 said:


> That is so scary. Did you change anything else after the bloat incident or just the food?


Yes it's SO very scary and I'm still nervous about him.  His stomach was tacked to the abdominal wall so it cannot twist again, and I am and eliminating any foods that seem to cause him excess gassiness. I also keep Pepto Bismal Tablets on hand and if he seems gassy I will give him a couple. That's what his vet told me to do.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Carmel said:


> He had been on Pro Plan Grain free and pretty gassy for about 6 months after the allergy testing. The night he bloated he ate about 5pm and was cut open with a twisted stomach at about 9:30 pm. The stomach was full of gas, bile, and mush expanded dry dog food. He did not exercise after dinner but there was someone staying at my house with her dogs as we were going to a show together the next day. We think it was stress mostly but I stopped feeding him kibble all together. He had been fine on Orijen for his first 5 years, but once he was switched to Pro Plan he was really gassy a lot. My other Newf and Golden do great on Orijen and are/were not allergic. No gas issues or pudding poos. But anyway, I will not feed my one that bloated kibble ever again. Just too scared.


Just read an interesting article on bloat today Preventing Bloat In Dogs


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

_Carmel_, for clarification, was your dog that bloated a Golden Retriever?


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

To whoever posted a link to the dog food advisor, mind you, the dog food advisor is a human dentist. So, what the heck does he know about canine nutrition? 
Any of us can look into dog foods, create a website and call ourselves experts. 
I agree wit whoever said that each dog is different and what diet agrees with one dog, may be the totally wrong diet for another.


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## Carmel (Feb 9, 2015)

TheZ's said:


> _Carmel_, for clarification, was your dog that bloated a Golden Retriever?


No it was one of my Newfs.


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