Questions about dog food to be answered by people who own dogs.?

I feed my dog pedigree chump every day for lunch and dinner(obviously i give her more than just that, she gets porridge for breakfast, dog treats, food scraps such as chicken, turkey etc now and then). Is food like Pedigree chump good for dogs? I have a sneaking suspicion it cant be very good and is full of chemicals and other crap. I sometimes give my dog organic dog food from healthfood shops but it's not very convient as it's not always available and Pedigree has vegetables and pasta in the tin and I like my dog to have a bit of variety. What brand of dog food do you give your dog? And does anyone have any evidence dog food on the shelves is bad?I have a West Highland Terrier. I give her small breakfast, lunch and dinner and little treats now and then during the day. She is a very good weight and healthy.I also will not buy my dog Iams as its tested on dogs. Sick Sick Sick.

I feed my dogs Iams, I find that it has everything that the dogs need nutrients wise. It also expands in the dogs stomach so that their not as hungry all the time.

Key thing to look for when choosing a dog food is that one of the first 3 ingredients listed is an actual meat product like chicken, beef, lamb, etc. That is the main ingredient so it would be listed first, not last or in the middle.What kind of dog do you have that you feed it that often?? My Labs are only fed twice per day per the vet's recommendation. Oh and I feed them ProPlan.

I've always been told that the % protein in a dog food is the most important thing to check when comparing dog feed.Feeding scraps can encourage a dog to hold off eating his food and wait for the scraps.......and perfecting the begging technique.Find a food your dog likes and has a comparably high level of protein and stick with it. Variety is not essential for dogs.

Pedigree, Iams and Eukanuba are crap. complete and utter crap. never feed your dog something you can buy at the grocery store. go with a high quality food like NUTRO or ROYAL CANIN. You have to go to the pet store to get it and its about twice the price. You get what you pay for with dog food.with NUTRO your dog will use more of the food and produce less waste. the skin and caot will be noticably heathier, joint movement will improve. your dog will have added energy.

No pedigree is nasty. It has by products, corn, and possilby food dye. All things that should be avoided in dog food.Go to these sites on dog food nutritionhttp://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=mainI feed chicken soup for the dog lover's soulHere are the ingridientsChicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid. Your ingridientsGround yellow corn, meat and bone meal, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat (preserved with bha/bht), wheat mill run, natural poultry flavor, rice, salt, potassium chloride, caramel color, wheat flour, wheat gluten, vegetable oil, vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin e], l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin c*], vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin b1], biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement [vitamin b2], vitamin d3 supplement, vitamin b12 supplement), trace minerals (zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide).See the difference in quality?

Pedigree is crap. It's like Mcdonalds for dog...just a lot of fillers and by-products and chemicals and not a lot of nutritional value.I prefer the all-natural and organic brands. My dogs absolutely LOVE the Whole Food's brands of dog food if there is a Whole Foods by you. It's really reasonable too...the Performance type I get is 15lbs for 13 dollars. There are also some good choices in the pet store as well. Castor and Pollux has a good line and so does Natural Balance, though they are a little pricey, but worth it I think if you consider that your dogs is getting a much better quality and nutritional value from it. My thought is that the extra money I spend on the organic/all-natural food, I will save down the line on vet bills for ailments caused by poor nutrition.

My friend whos a vet tec calls that food Pedi-sh*t. Its trash..I only feed my samoa a mix between Iams, Science Diet, and Eukanuba depending on whats on sale. Although dont switchup your dogs food like that...they will get sick...but samoa can handel it. Either of those three are my choices.

OK you may find this funny ! I have Springer Spaniel and we Feed him dry ed Food , The ones you get in massive bag for about 20.00 . Also he eats like every ones Food that they don't eat after Dinner and Tea Time , Also me and my brothers eat allot of Kebabs and Chips and we also Feed him this . People say don't Feed Dogs Chocolate but at Xmas He had eaten Whole box of Celebrations Hes really fit dog so i wouldn't worry about what you feed him , Also hes never been to the Vet and hes like 4 -5 Years old now.

I feed my dog science diet because my vet tells me it is the absolute best food to give your dog. It makes him poop a little more (3times a day) but his looks great and hes always been healthy.

Try Wellness, Canindae or Natural Balance. All very good foods and very little fillers Also, stop with the people food, not good for dogs. Dog Food Only!

The best brands I know of are Wellness (which I feed my dogs), Timberwolf, Innova and Eagle Pack, all of which can be found at most pet stores (sorry, not at retail superstores). The food you are using right now has high amounts of corn and wheat (very bad for dogs and can shorten their life span and cause numerous long term health problems) and can also contain meat by-products (ground up chicken beaks, feet, bowels other gross meat toss-aways). While the pet store foods are more expensive, you dog will not eat as much because they do not have the fillers that commercial brands, including Purina, Iams, Science Diet, Pedigree, Eukanuba, etc. I used Science Diet Natural for years because I though a natural food would be best. After years of skin problems, allergies, diabetes and other pet health problems, I switched to Wellness. Within two weeks my animals were all more energized. Skin problems cleared up as well as congestion in my one cat. The change has also alleviated some of the swelling my collie has from arthritis so she can move easier.Also, thank you for not feeding your dog Iams (who also owns Eukanuba). They like people to think they are a good animal company but are out to simply make money off of poor quality, expensive food.

I feed my Bull Terrier NUTRIENCE "Derma". she has food allergys and this keeps her skin white and her mood happy.the vet slammed my choice in diet before I got onto this brand, and the supermarket variety is just high fibre horse body. a lot of filling with little goodness. even when its good, the amount of fibre is just to satisfy their hunger, and only makes my dog crap more often with bigger turds.the new food is 3 times the cost, but i can feed her 3 times less, and she is healthier and has smaller and more firm stools. at the end of the month the cost isnt that much more than feeding her rubbish.a happy pet is a healthy one.

I like Solid Gold products. My dogs do very well on them.

First of all, I will tell you my experiance with the "well known" brands of food. My dog had been fed pedigree by her previous owners. We wanted the best for her and went to the pet store to talk to the man in the pet food section. The first think he said was that if I feed my dog that "crap" I shouldn't expect her to be as healthy or to live as long.Look at the first few ingredients. I guarentee they are some sort of corn or grain. In most Pedigree it is corn. To put it as the pet store guy did "ever looked at YOUR poop after eating corn? Think of how much a dog will take from that..."Your dog needs nutrience and protien in the forms of meats and meat products. Anything that is a byproduct is generally just unhealthy. I feed my dog nutrience because the guy recommended it as a great food for a decent price. Good dog foods can cost anywhere from $50-$100 for a large bag, and nutrience comes in at $50 for the biggest bag, with a "buy 10, get one free" policy.Here are a few websites about dog foods:http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nutrition.htmhttp://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=97Also, remember that when switching food it should take up to two weeks and expect there to be diahrea, or other odd stool.Try and mix the food, new to old, 1 to 8 for two days, then 1:4 for two days, then 3:8 for two days, etc. Also, don't be upset if the dog rejects the new food... just add a little bit more of the old stuff and make even more gradual changes.Congradulations on keeping your dog happier, healthier... and maybe even reducing possible vet bills!

talk to your vet they generally know what types of food are best.

I've always fed my dogs regular ol' dog food from the grocery store and light to moderate table food and they lived long, healthy lives. I really don't understand all the controversy over dog food and whether or not to feed table scraps. Dogs are omnivores and scavengers, table scraps are the primary reason dogs became domesticated animals in the first place. Anyhoo, I say if there is a concern for what the dog is eating then feed it "people" food that you prepare for him/her. It sounds a little fussy but we had a neighbor that did that for her dog and cats and it became routine.

Check out:www.dogfoodanalysis.comand, www.dogfoodproject.comA dog food with corn is a crap food. Corn is a filler, and cheap, Manufacturers that use it are only interested in profit, as they know that corn is not digestible with dogs and dogs do not need it. I recommend the following brands:Natural BalanceMerrickNature's RecipeCalifornia NaturalsEage PackAvoDermInnovaI would never touch these with a 10-foot pole:PedigreePurina in any of its forms, including, ONE, Beneful, Pro Plan, Purina Naturals, etcetera.IamsEukanubastore brands of any kindScience DietNutroand plenty more.

I will not feed my dog Pedigree. I feel that it's not quality food. I'm becoming really picky about what I feed my puppy. I currently have her on Nutro dry food and pouch food. I notice that she does asorb thet food very well, because when she poops she doesn't have anything come out.When looking for dog food one thing to make sure is that the first ingredients are meat products in the dog food and corn is @ the bottom of the list if need be, perferable with no corn. Corn is consider a filler in dog foods and it's not asorbed by dogs (just like humans). I am online @ the Pedigree website and the ingredients for the dry dog food is horrible. The first ingredient is corn which is mainly a filler.PEDIGREE SMALL BREED ™ Food for Adult Dogs:Ground Whole Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Meat and Bone Meal, Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Mill Run, Potassium ChlorideThis is horrible. I could never feed my dog with these ingredients at the beginnig. This bag is just full of fillers.Once again in a different dry food product PEDIGREE WITH CHICKEN, RICE & VEGETABLES™ Food For Dogs - DryINGREDIENTSGround Whole Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-product Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor.Did you look @ their pouch foods: PEDIGREE® LITTLE CHAMPIONS® COMPLETE NUTRITION in the FLAVOR-LOCK™ POUCH Healthy Start for Puppies Morsels in Sauce with LambSUFFICIENT WATER FOR PROCESSING, CHICKEN, MEAT BY-PRODUCTS, DRIED EGG PRODUCT, WHEAT GLUTEN, STARCH, WHEAT This is Nutro, which is what I feed my dog:NATURAL CHOICE® PUPPY Lamb Meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Rice Gluten, Ground Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural FlavorNATURAL CHOICE® PUPPY FOODYankee Pot Roast Entrée Chunks in Gravy The PouchBeef Broth, Beef Liver, Beef, Chicken, Wheat Gluten, Brown Rice Flour, Sunflower Oil, Peas, CarrotsBasically my perosnal opinion: This is crap. Sorry to say. You should switch your dog over to another more nutrious food. Good LUck.

If your dog is healthy, and Pedigree is the dog food that you can afford then I wouldn't recommend that you change it. It sounds like you have your dog on a routine with food and it works.Changing dog food back and forth can cause digestive problems. Better to stick with the one you can feed the dog regularly.I feed my dogs Nature's Recipe Venison and Rice together with Pet Botanics Lamb Log (for two of my dogs) and Pet Botanics Beef Log for one of my dogs.My dogs are all rescues and I live in a part of the country where skin allergies are common in dogs. That is why I feed the Venison brand and why one eats beef log (she doesn't tolerate lamb well).Sometimes I give them plain yogurt, or cottage cheese, a few tablespoons full (they are med-large sized dogs) and a few of canned pumpkin pie filling, not spiced.They get treats that are good for their teeth and they get vitamins.Again, they were rescues that were run down and it took a lot to get them in shape. You say your dog is healthy, so why change anything?Some common foods you don't want to give your dog that can have a negative effect on them or be dangerous are : Chocolate, especially Baker's Chocolate and dark chocolate, onions, grapes.The other day someone was asking about which is the better food to feed her dog. Her dog ate Authority which is a healthy brand that is affordable. His coat was very healthy and she thought it would be good to change his food to "Chicken Soup for the Dog" or something like that. It's a high priced doggie health food. Great food. But her dog's skin got flaky on it. She asked if she should stick with Authority or go with Chicken Soup brand. People told her about all the bad bad things in many commercial dog foods and she decided to go with Chicken Soup brand. I think it was a mistake. The dog was HEALTHY with what he was eating and now she will feed her dog something that didn't agree with him, caused flaking, based on the price and supposed "better" quality.I'd totally recommend staying with the Pedigree and your current food routine for your dog. IT WORKS.