Convince me and tell me why I should not be feeding my Black Lab Eukanuba, IAM'S, or Science Diet. I want to be feeding my dog the right thing and my Vet tells me what I just listed is perfectly fine to be feeding them with, they actually recommended that I feed my dog either Eukanuba or IAM'S, they also said the 2 names I just listed were the same thing just different name's. I read in the previous (Dog Food Question thread) that the brands I listed are not your so called good brands to be feeding my/your dog with. Give me good reasons why I shouldn't feed them this and tell me what I should be going with instead. This is important to me and I want whats best for my pup.
Years ago I fed my dogs Eukanuba at about 30 bucks a bag. (40 lbs)
Then I fell upon hard times and really couldn't afford it anymore. So I switched to Diamond, which was cheaper and they did just as well on it. Then the recall came up last year and I switched to PMI, which they're doing just fine with.
I can afford Euk. again but refuse to buy it for the reason stated above, but you should feed whatever your dogs do best with if your wallet and conscience can do it.
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If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.
Best thing I can say is spend some time researching dog food on the internet. There's lots of information out there that is unbiased, not written by a dog food company representative. Based on what I have read, I won't feed the 3 foods (and ESPECIALLY Science Diet) listed. But someone else reading the same information I did years back and considering their specific dog, may come to a completely different conclusion than I did. I do know of one breeder that currently feeds Diamond, so we just agree to disagree. So far none of her dogs have died from it .
I'll put in a plug for the Whole Dog Journal. For those who don't know what it is, it's the Consumer Reports of the dog world. They are funded entirely by subscription income and accept no advertising so they can be as unbiased as possible. They have articles on everything you can imagine about dogs; and once a year they have their list of what they consider the top rated foods based on ingredients. This year they asked the companies they were reviewing for the source of the their raw materials because of all the problems with food the past year. The number of companies that didn't disclose was eye-opening, including Royal Canin, which I feed. My wife and I are currently drafting an e-mail to RC. Anyway, I highly recommend the WDJ; you can subscibe online and get either a paper copy or online version. It's a little pricey, but well worth it IMHO.
There's no reason to try to convince you of anything. You need to see what feed works best with YOUR dog. You will find the answer by looking at the dogs activity level and general demeaner, stool, weight, performance, coat quality and other indicators. It won't take too much time as long as you watch your dog. Here are my issues with the feeds you list:
Science Diet is marginal quality feed at best. Vets push it because they make a lot of money off it.
IAM's and EUK are NOT the same feed anymore. The Parent company, P&G outsource the manufacturing of these feeds to two different companies. They target Iams as a low cost feed and EUK as a premium quality feed. This is indicative in the quality of ingredients and the feeds themselves.
That said, prior to P&G taking over, Iams and EUK were one company. During this time, they did support some anti-hunter campaigns. They fell under a great deal of scrutiny by the sportsmen community. Since then, they have tried various marketing campaigns to win back the confidence of sportsment.
If I were to choose between one of the three you list, it would be a very easy decision to go with Eukanuba.
That said, I side with EODLT that there is an anti-hunter sentiment in the organization, and I would go with another company because of that.
With all this, don't mess around with a pup. Go with either Eukanuba or Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy Formula (just get what's easiest for you) and don't change until the dog is a year old. Then figure out what works best. You don't want to mess up with bone growth in your pup by playing with feeds, especially with a lab.
Also, you might want to ping DocE. He has a wealth of knowledge in canine nutrition.
ORIGINAL: 4dbird
It's my understanding that corn and wheat are of little nutritional value to dogs, yet they are the main ingrediant in some brands. Am I mistaken?
Wheat is nothing very spectacular from a dog nutrition standpoint, but top quality whole corn that is processed properly is a fine source of available carbohydrates.
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Ignorance can sometimes be cured, but stupid is forever.
Doc E &
HR UH MHR WR SR Black Forest Casey &
HRCH HR UH Sauk River Friar Tucker (titled at 12.5 months)
Another Dog food question!
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