posted 10-15-2003 03:40 PM         

http://www.canidae.com/ http://www.canidae.com/

This is the link for Innova/California Naturals web site. These are also excellent foods, but I like to use their "Ingredient Wizard". Grab your bag of dog food and go through the list, looking up each one. They have ingredients listed with explanations that they dont' even use in their foods. They also have a feature where you can compare foods ingredient lists, once you learn what you are looking for in a dog food this will be really helpful.
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

Lastly, The Whole Dog Journal is where I started my education, it was eye openeing to say the leaste. I now have a subscription and look forward to it each month. It covers many issues and topics having to do with dogs, but their Top Dog Foods List is something every dog food manufactuer wants to be on, they explain very well what to look for in a good food.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/index.html

You may also want to learn about feeding raw. Look up the BARF diet.

posted 10-15-2003 04:21 PM         

Maisey, I got on canine caviar web site, interesting that they are big in S Calif but dont sell in Nor CA. and then sell in all of Oregon.

posted 10-16-2003 12:14 AM         

Another food that I have heard good things about and I don't remember having any issues with the ingredients, is Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul. It is a little lower in price I think. A friend of mine feeds her dog this and the dog loves it.

Other good foods:
TimberWolf Organics
Wellness
Solid Gold
Artemis
Go! Natural
Royal Canin
Prairie
Verus
Bench and Field
Burns
Natural Balance
Azmira Classic
Eagle Pack Holistic select
Flint River Ranch
Lifespan
Pinnacle
Wysong maintenance

posted 10-16-2003 06:24 AM         

Our puppy is not nuts over the food. She eats it but if she is not hungry she leaves it and I pick it up after 20-30 minutes. But I also use the kibbles as my training treats. That way I am not stuffing her full of "snacks". She works very well for them. Weird, huh?

She does seem to poop quite a bit, although our two terriers we used to have were on Science Diet their whole lives and they didn't poop that much. I wonder if it's the puppy versus the regular food? Her coat is very shiney.

Also, if feeding her a higher quality food will give her MORE energy, I think I would be in my grave within the month!

posted 10-17-2003 11:30 AM         

Here is the ingredient list for SD canine c/d:

Ingredients
Corn meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soybean mill run, chicken liver flavor, dried egg product, vegetable oil, flaxseed, taurine, preserved with BHT and BHA, minerals (calcium sulfate, salt, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), beta-carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).


Because it is a prescription it changes my expectations a little, I need a food with low protein(19% or lower), sodium, phosphorus and magnesium. My vet also told me that DL-Methionine was needed to prevent more crystals from developing, the reason for the prescription. Looking at the label now I realized that they have changed it, and it no longer has the DL-Methionine in it, something I will ask my vet about. In any case those were the things he told me I needed in a food when I objected to the poor quality of ingredients in SD.

The first ingredient is Corn meal,Corn meal is the entire corn kernel, finely ground.
While the whole corn kernel is nutritious and supplies whole grain nutrition, corn is considered to be highly allergenic. My dog is allergic as are many dogs, some people don't even notice the symptoms their dog is having.
Chicken by-product meal consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices. I have read plenty about companies who do not have good processing practices and all kinds of other stuff ends up in the mix.
Chicken by-product meal is an inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs used, their constantly changing proportions, and their questionable nutritional value. Chicken by-product meal is much less expensive and less digestible than chicken meal, which is considered the single best source of protein. The chicken by-products meal is the ONLY meat source in the ingredients of that list.
Soybean meal is the product obtained by grinding the flakes which remain after removal of most of the oil from soybeans by a solvent or mechanical extraction process.
It is a poor quality protein filler. The "Crude Protein" analysis on pet food labels is only a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food -- not the quality of the protein. Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of human food production, such as soybean meal, to boost protein numbers. Meat is always the best source of quality protein. Meat protein is better absorbed and retained and is higher in essential amino acids like methionine, arginine, and taurine. Soybean meal has a biologic value less than 50% of that of chicken meal.
Soybean mill run is composed of soybean hulls and such bean meats that adhere to the hulls which results from normal milling operations in the production of dehulled soybean meal.Commonly referred to as 'floor sweepings,' this ingredient is nothing more than an inexpensive filler with little or no nutritional value. Only whole ingredients should be used for the benefit of your pet, with no by-products, filler ingredients or pre-processed ingredients.

Corn gluten meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.
Corn gluten meal is a low ash source of protein and acts as a urine acidifier in some cat foods. Remember my dog gets struvite crystals so at first this would seem ok, but I found this advice on Innovas web site: "Cats vs Dogs: While not the best quality source of protein, the use of corn gluten in small amounts offer preventive health benefits for cats. In addition, unlike dogs, cats do not usually show signs of allergic reactions to corn products. Natura does feel strongly, however, that there is no justification for the use of corn gluten in dog foods and considers it to be only a cheap protein filler when used in this manner." So I am not thrilled about that ingredient either.
Chicken liver is the hepatic gland of a chicken. Chicken liver is used in pet foods primarily as a flavor enhancer. I have read this should not be used because this organ can potentially contain a disproportionate amount of toxins from the blood. Flavorings should come from the all natural, meats, fruits and vegetables in a product.
Vegetable oil is the product of vegetables obtained by extracting the oil from seeds or fruits which are processed for edible purposes. The source vegetables for this oil (and their nutrient properties) are unknown. I would prefer to see single-source fats (like chicken fat and sunflower oil) which are high in desirable linoleic acid. Not a huge thing...but again back to quality.
Finally what really disturbs me, BHT and BHA, BHA/BHT is short for Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), both of which are chemical preservatives. BHA and BHT have been banned from human use in many countries. In the US, they are still permitted in pet foods. I want a food that uses no cancer causing chemical preservatives of any kind.
I found that in Canine Caviar and it has actually been less expensive because it's being sold at an introductory price of $2.99 for a 5lb bag. I will say that I looked over some of what Science Diet is now offering and it seems they are getting the message that consumers want good quality ingredients, natural ones. But I still take issue with many of their ingredients. I certainly don't want to pay the same amount of money for their product whan I can get a much better one for the same price.
Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to explain the why in my reasons. I simply want a food that is natural, simple, nutritionally balanced, allergen free, has no cancer causing ingredients or cheap fillers.

posted 10-17-2003 12:45 PM         

Honeybear

posted 10-18-2003 09:55 AM         

The ingredients for the Ultra Premium Dry Dog Food (This was on the Whole Dog Journals Top foods list for 2002)

INGREDIENT LISTING
Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols-a source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Salt, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplements, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Copper Proteinate, Grape Seed Oil, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Inositol, Folic Acid (Vitamin B, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3), Biotin, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Cobalt Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein 23.0% minimum
Crude Fat 13.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% maximum
Moisture 10.0% maximum
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.5% minimum
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.0% minimum

Three out of the first four ingredients are excellent meat sources, no by-products, no allergy causing ingredients(for most dogs).

posted 10-18-2003 10:28 AM         

Thats about 13 miles from Post falls.