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Posts: 3
From:Philly
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 02-23-2003 08:46 AM         

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I have a 5 month old male shepard and was wondering what the best dog food is to feed him is.

Right now I am giving him Iams puppy food.

It is a bit pricey and was wondering if there was something that was as good but a little less money.

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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-23-2003 07:12 PM         

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Hello and smiles,

I have just spent the last week researching dog foods, the decision depends entirely on what is important to you in a food. I was blown away by the information out there, the choices, and the "bad stuff" that is in the common dog foods on the market. I'll post a link to the Whole Dog Journal for you below, also look at their links page, you'll learn alot and be better prepared to pick a food thats right for your dog. Smiles, Maisey
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

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Posts: 414
From:LOUISIANA,USA
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 02-24-2003 03:14 PM         

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I feed my dogs Purina dog chow and my puppie get the puppy chow.I also buy a small bag of the IAMS and mix in there.I have 10 pitbulls so when I buy dog food I buy 100 lbs at a time.

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Member

Posts: 361
From:Vancouver, BC
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 02-24-2003 03:45 PM         

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Hello
I use Solid Gold dog food. It comes in an air tight container and is good for 1 month after the bag has been opened. It's all natural and very health; however, if you find Imans expensive this stuff isn't for you! But it is great dog food
My dog has a white coat and is very sensitive to what he eats, which is why I must get only the top dog food. This probably is not necessary for yourself.

Also, Eukonoba is what was suggested by my vet...supposed to be just as good as Iams!

[This message has been edited by shmoopie (edited 02-28-2003).]

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New Member

Posts: 3
From:Philly
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 02-24-2003 09:56 PM         

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Thanks for all the replies. I want to give my Pup healthy food and I guess that comes with a price. If truth betold he's worth every penny.

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Posts: 1179
From:,Calif. U.S.A.
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 02-27-2003 03:13 PM         

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I give mine Innova. All natural. It keeps my poodle from having indigestion problems and my terrier from being exta itchy. More expensive than the grocerie store stuff. California Natural is very good too, made by same company as Innova.

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Posts: 361
From:Vancouver, BC
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 02-27-2003 03:51 PM         

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Innova, California and Solid Gold are all from the same comopany...anyone of those are considered great!

[This message has been edited by shmoopie (edited 02-28-2003).]

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Posts: 238
From:miami, fl, usa
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 02-27-2003 08:18 PM         

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where can i purchase these specialty foods? (california natural, sun gold, innova).. my puppy will be 1 yr. on monday and i have had her on Nutro Max Puppy since i got her in may but only because i couldn't find anything that was more "specialty" type.. i will be switching her off of puppy food and would like to use one of these top brands.. i'm in miami florida and i usually go to petsmart but i can't find these brands there!

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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-28-2003 01:54 AM         

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Type those names into your search box and you will find their sites, on the sites they will tell you where you may purchase it retail. I did a taste test with all three of my dogs, only one would eat the Innova, which was the one I wanted them to pick..they all loved one called Precise. I am looking at one called Exclusive too. The Whole Dog Journal has excellent information on what to look for in a dog food, I highly reccomend you take a peek at their top 10 list. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/index.html

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Member

Posts: 361
From:Vancouver, BC
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 02-28-2003 11:45 AM         

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I pick up (I made a mistake with the name...it is actually Solid Gold...oops)
At my pet store (Tysol)...stores like Pet smart yada yada yada do not carry these types of food. You need to go to a little pet store, they will offer the better products for our animals....also at better prices (I find)

I was feeding with Nutro Max as I too thought this was considered a higher grade food; however, when I asked my vet about it she said that Nutro Max lacks a certain nutient which is for the Heart...I immediatley switched to Solid Gold and have found less indigestion problems and softer healthier fur and skin.

[This message has been edited by shmoopie (edited 02-28-2003).]

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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-28-2003 03:09 PM         

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I also was feeding Nutro, but when reading the ingredients (after an education in terms) I discovered that the largest part of content is grains, not only that but it is "grain fragments", which means very little nutrition. They also use "poultry fat" rather than "chicken fat" which is preferred. They are pretty close to the minimum requirments of fitting into the category of those better foods, but for a few extra bucks you can get SOOO much better.

Feed stores and small pet stores or grooming salons for dogs, are a good place to find these foods.

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 02-28-2003 10:57 PM         

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>Innova, California and Solid Gold are all >from the same comopany

Natura makes Innova, California Natural & Healthwise but Solid Gold is made by a different company.
For those trying to locate a retailer for the WDJ foods...most of the companies webpages have store locators on them so you can see if and where they are available in your area.
Petco carries Natural Balance and Natural Blend and the Pet Supplies Plus here carries Solid Gold and Natural Blend.
Im currently feeding my dogs Solid Gold Mmellenia and Timberwolf Organics. Innova is an excellent food and is definately one of my top picks

Vanessa

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 03-01-2003 12:00 AM         

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>I was feeding with Nutro Max as I too >thought this was considered a higher grade >food; however, when I asked my vet about it >she said that Nutro Max lacks a certain >nutient which is for the Heart.

It was a rumor and it was actually the Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice that was accused of being deficient in taurine. It is no longer a concern. Here is the article: http://www.nutroproducts.com/press100201.asp

Vanessa

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Member

Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 03-01-2003 04:07 AM         

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Nutro uses lower grade ingredients though...they do not use whole grains, and the fragmented grains they do use, make up a large portion of the foods content and don't offer much nutrition.(personal opinion based on my own research and the advice of my own vet) I decided today to go with a food called Precise, it is only a little bit more in cost than the Nutro, is easy for me to place each of my three dogs on a food thats right for them, including the one who has a problem with struvite kidney stones, and offers far superior ingredients. I will still mix it up about every four months buying a bag of Innova or Exclusive etc... but I think this brand will work well.

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 03-01-2003 01:04 PM         

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>Nutro uses lower grade ingredients >though...they do not use whole grains

I agree. There are much better foods out there than Nutro but there are also much worse.

Vanessa

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