In your opinion, Best & worst dog foods out there?

I personally feed two types of food to my dogs.My 3 Border Collies eat Canidae my Golden only eat's Dick Van Patten (venison). I have worked at the main chains of pet food sellers and have heard raves about Dick Van Patten and Canidae, I have also been bombarded (As have we all actually) by Hills (makers of Science Diet) that there food is the best, well after being force feed this info for years, I myself swore by it... until I switched vets and learned some true truth about the food. Dogs unlike humans can not digest wheat plain and simple no fluff, no lies. Working at the last pet store I was greeted by science diet rep, nice lady there for the money and the money only. Long story short after asking why by products (wheat/corn) were used she told me that is was a protein source... now correct me if I am wrong please but when did you last see a wild dog/ wolf stalking a corn field for a ear of corn?!?!?! Not I not ever... last one I saw was chasing down one of my own cows!! (I scared him off the cows fine by the way hehe) so if a wolf wants meat and not corn why must we as consumers be force feed info that are dogs require corn/wheat as there main protein source... If you want true answers please see my source I'm pulling this from Mary gives you the straight facts. Next thing that I must get off my chest as long as I am here is the other fillers that are added to most dogs foods... and I'm not talking about bone, hoof and the like, my own dogs get raw uncooked bones as treats (large bones such as soup bones you get from your local butcher not chicken bones!) but we are talking about fecal matter... yes sounds weird but its true.... they take intestines from the source (sheep, cow, chicken ect.) and add them to the blend.. its a harmless filler or so we are told... now anyone with a 5th grade education in science knows not to eat fecal matter for it harbors the most amount of germs in a body (its no different for a dog folks) so my suggestion is to read the books below and pull your own answers from there.. It also gets on the next subject of shots for your dogs... I wont go there for this is for food comments area but read the books check them out buy them, but they will open your eyes to a better and healthier life for your dog. One last thing before I hop of this soap box is feeding a better food may cost more but you can feed less food (they actually can use 90% of the food) and there is less waste (so you can maybe take a weekend off from cleaning up the backyard) so in short please feed a good food, and do research on the food before jumping in.

I never got why meal was bad, meal means every thing ground together, bone meal or corn meal sould not be the first ingredient. But dogs do not have the same digestion as humans and as Americans or Europeans yeah we don't eat feet, or tails an stuff but in other countries every part of the animal is consumed.

I liek Blue and Innova, but then again they can be said to be over priced and all those foods you mentioned are required to meet minimum standards, some people believe all dry and bagged food is crap and only use raw or fresh materials.

So the best is Fresh home made animal food, with raw bones and real pieces of meat.

But most dogs will gobble down even the cheapest food with just as much glee as they would a 50 dollar bag of food

Hi! :) Five best is really a hard decision because there are a lot of good and bad dog foods). 1.Merrick 2. Solid Gold 3. Wellness 4. Blue Buffalo Organics 5. Innove/Evo/California Naturals Worst foods 1.Ol' Roy (Any store brand (like from the grocery store) 2. Alpo 3. Purina Dog Chow/Beneful 4. Pedigree 5. Kibbles and Bits or Science Diet

First of all, I agree with your opinion regarding the foods you have mentioned - CRAP.

Secondly, "meal" is not a bad thing. Wolves and feral dogs eat the whole carcass in the wild. Even bones.

I try to look for items where the first ingredient is chicken, or lamb or beef, and if the second ingredient is meal, I will only accept it if I know what kind of meal they are talking about. Like "fish meal, chicken meal" etc.

Wysong is a good food and the company preaches the use of different kinds of forms of diet for dogs and cats. They have an internet site. Holistic and natural ingredients.

Other's I like and feel is of good quality, with holistic and natural ingredients:

Holistic Eagle Pack, Ultra Performatrim, Solid Gold, Natural Blend. All these brands also have internet sites.

If you have a membership at Costco, they have a good dog food which is their Kirkland brand. It's not holistic, however, it is made with natural ingredients and full of vitamins and minerals and vegetables and rice.

Lastly, buy your dog food at a pet food supply specific store. Not a grocery store, or wal-mart for that matter. Up here we have Pet Value (Canada), Ryans. They have the best prices. Don't buy from a pet store - they have a high mark-up.

The staff/owner of these stores have gone to great lengths to be educated by the pet food companies about the products. They rely on the results from their customers as well. And you should have a very large selection to choose from. Dozens of brands.

In closing, I don't trust my vet anymore. They carried Hills Diet blends, and I found out they are owned by Science Diet. The quality of that food has gone way down. An expensive waste.

P.S. Some grains are essential for the dog's diet. In the wild the animals they eat are generally plant eaters and they get those creatures stomach contents to eat.

G.

The best choices:

Merrick, California Naturals, Flint River Ranch, Nature's Recipe, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Canidae, Natural Balance, Home-cooked!

The absolute worst:

Any brand included in the Menu Foods recall, Pedigree, Ol Roy, Nutro, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Eagle Pack, and the worst choice of all...RAW.

Anything with corn, wheat, ground/brewers rice, or by-products I stay far away from. I also stay away from products that use "meat meal" because I prefer the whole meat product instead.

In my opinion, Merrick or home-cooked is the best choice you can feed you dog.

Worst food - Kibbles n' Bits, no question about it. Everytime I see someone toting a bag in the grocery store, I just want to take it and throw it where it belongs - the trash. My next most hated food is Science Diet . . .just because so many people are led to believe it's so wonderful.

Best? Orijen. Unfortunetly, it's made in Canada and I can't get a hold of a bag. Something you can get easier in America? I'd say Innova Evo. I also really love the ingredients of Blue Buffalo, which is what I feed.

Meal isn't necessarily bad. It's more dyes, sugars, synthetic K, by products, generic meats & fats, poor grains, n' such . . .according to what I've learned.

GOOD

~ Innova

~ California Natural

~ Wellness

~ Solid Gold

~ Canidae

BAD

- Pedigree

- Lucky Dog

- Beneful

- Purina

- Ol' Roy

- Homebrands

- Iams

- Science Diet

- Eukanuba

- Chum

Some meals are okay (bone meal, chicken meal etc.) but when the meal is made from a filler (corn, wheat's etc.), that's when it's bad.

foods that i consider "good" r ones that the first ingredient is a meat. if the first ingredient on the bag is something like corn, then stay away from it. it takes more to fill the dog up and it is cheap. corn is just a filler used so that they can make the food more cheaply and produce a low quality food that they can sell very cheap so more people by it just for that reason. always check the ingredient label. i feed my dogs this

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/prod...

it takes less to fill him up so i dont have to buy it as often which actually saves me a little money

see dogs r carnivores their anscestors r carnivores. therefore if u have cats they will generally go for the cat food. cat food has more protein in it. so u always want to buy a dog food with a lot of meat and poultry in it

Check the aspca website for all updated info on the pet food contamination and then check out my source for a great food from a company that has been in existance for 9 years and offers a holistic food formulated by a holistic vet.

No corn, wheat or rice protein concentrate-all nutrient dense ingredients with probiotics for a healthy digestive tract and immune system. Only sold online to ensure freshness as it does not get mass manufactured and shipped to stores where it sits on shelves. I have been feeding this food for almost 6 months now and my dogs love it and have great improved health from eating it . I found this company while searching for a better diet for my dogs (4) and have been completly satisfied and love that it ships direct to me. Go to my source and investigate it as the site is very informative and user friendly.

The best of health to you and your dogs.

I am in 100% agreement with Dr. Martin Goldsteins list.

Ideal - Healthiest

1. Hunted, raw prey (not realistic in modern society)

2. Fresh raw meats, bones, organ meats with very small amounts of fresh vegetables. Include a well-rounded vitamin/mineral mix and omega 3 essential fatty acids (salmon oil). You can prepare your own raw diet using meat/bone pieces and parts, or you can use pre-prepared ground products such as Bravo! and Nature’s Variety.

3. Fresh cooked meats, calcium, organ meat, with very small amounts of fresh vegetables. Include a vitamin/mineral mix, and omega 3 essential fatty acids (salmon oil). There are several books on the market that help you create your own home-cooked diet. It’s best to follow the recipes in these books.

4. Ultra Premium commercial canned foods and augmented with some fresh, raw foods. Canned foods, which are lower in carbohydrates, are much better for your pet than dry kibble. Some of the brands I like are Nature’s Variety, Merrick, and Evanger’s. These products are mostly meat, are usually grain-free, and very low in carbohydrates. The meat they use is human quality and they do not use by-products or chemical preservatives.

5. As in #4 above, but adding fresh cooked foods

6. Ultra Premium canned commercial foods WITHOUT fresh raw or cooked foods added

7. Super Premium canned foods are very much like the brands above, but they use more grains. They still use good quality meats and don't contain by-products. Brand examples: Solid Gold, Innova, Pet Promise.

8. Super Premium grain-free dry food (kibble) like Instinct by Nature’s Variety

9. Premium canned foods. These brands use substantially less meat. Water is often the number 1 ingredient (in the Ultra Premium brands meat is the number one ingredient), they use meat by-products (poor quality waste parts) and they usually contain significant amounts of grains and chemical preservatives. Often, if all the grains are added together, they would equal or exceed the meat. The meat quality is OK, but just barely.

10. Super Premium kibble like Innova, Prairie, Canidae, and Timberwolf

Worst - Unhealthy

11. Grocery store brands – canned or dry. These contain very little meat, are made with substantial amounts of meat by-products, and primarily consist of grain and grain by-products. The rendered meat used in these products came from condemned animals, ie – animals that were deemed unfit for human consumption. These products normally contain artificial colors, flavors and chemical preservatives.

Bad-Iams and Purina- they test on animals!!GRRRRRR

OK-Pedigree-they donate money to help pound puppy's!Yay!

Good-The Goodlifes Recipe-my dog strives on it!

Now i just want to add this on~What to you and me is good- may be good for different reasons,and we can all have different opinions on different brands!That isn't what makes us wrong, what makes us wrong is insulting other food without any proof or trying it, and considering it bad!One last thing Almost every food you will find has 'meal' in it...Chicken by-product meal is an excellent source of protein since it naturally contains each of the amino acids essential to carnivorous animals, such as dogs and cats.

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I hope you find this answer some what informative!

ADDED: There is NO reason why i should get a thumbs down for this, it was a question based upon opinion, and i only stated my OPINION! just because it may not be what you want to hear, or what you agree with, there is no set in stone single optional opinion!Every brand claims they are the best, but its what you believe in. Just like your Religion!