Dog Food

[cooldood]

I feed my dog people food. I figure if it is good enough for me it is good enough for him

 

[ibglowin]

Diamond Pet foods (which makes Kirkland/Costco pet foods) also makes quite a few of the Tractor Supply foods.

 

[roger80465]

Guys, I have cats but have been reading this forum since we are looking to change foods. I googled Kirkland and got a web page that terrified me. It appears to be legit, and folks are saying that after using kirkland for years the latest purchased bags are making pets very sick and some are dying. Again, the site looks legit to me but please realize I am no expert.

www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/kirkland_pet_food.html

I'm checking out tractor supply next.

Pam in cinti

My wife and I are involved with retired greyhound adoption. If you want to start a lively conversation on the newsgroup, just ask the question "what do you feed your hound?" This website was mentioned this week and set off a considerable panic within the group, since a significant percentage of the grey owners feed Kirkland food. Several people posed this question - "who are these people and are they legit?" Seems like a fair question and nobody can fine out the pedigree (so to speak) of consumeraffairs.com. Since people have had consistently good luck with Kirkland, their consensus was that this was one of 'those' sites on the web with an axe to grind with Kirkland. As for the vast majority of greyhound owners locally, it will be business as usual.

 

[ibglowin]

I have been feeding Kirkland either stand alone alone or now as a 50/50 blend with Orijen since 2006. Costco is one of the most trusted and consumer praised companies in the nation. They stand behind anything they sell 100%. I am a little skeptical of those reviews. To become "consumer affairs" accredited a company must pay them a monthly fee. If you'd don't agree to pay the fee not only are you not "accredited" but they will not forward any complaints or problems associated with your products. Sounds a little like blackmail to me.

 

[Jimyson]

And something like the reviews state that are enough to kill loads of animals would likely flag a recall.

 

[willie]

We have lost a few dogs to cancer. So we now only use a quality food with real meat, potatoes and more vegetables, rice and fruit food dry or can. We try to keep them away from wheat, corn, and soy. And we drink only filtered fluoride free water and so do our dogs. Our diets are not 100% perfect but we try hard.

Will

 

[Deezil]

I've been feeding my mutt Blue Buffalo from the dreaded pet stores, but by-and-large, it's quality food. I kept him on the puppy food longer than recommended because I liked the dietary balance of it more but eventually shifted him to the adult food after he quit growing, both taller and wider. He's always been a healthy weight, has a healthy coat, clear eyes and more energy than I can get him to spend. He eats both the Chicken & Lamb bags with the same enthusiasm.

The Wilderness brand from Blue Buffalo, has a higher protein content and lower Carb content than the regular line, so that's what the Corgi gets (prone to obesity/over eating), but my Pitbull-Bullmastiff looks great on the normal brand

 

[ibglowin]

Blue Buffalo is probably one of the best/better choices you can make from the pet megachains. But it is also made by Diamond Pet Foods! There is not a whole lot of players.

 

[GaDawg]

A lot of dogs with ear problems have yeast infections and grain based food maker it worst. Blue Buffalo, Diamond Pet Foods, etc. cost more than Ole Roy, etc. but a good quality dog food is a lot cheaper than a vet bill.

 

[codeman]

Whatever the case, you want to rotate the protein source at least every 3 months.
Try to stick with the same brand but instead of feeding chicken all the time switch to lamb or beef or whatever a few times a year. This will help prevent them from becoming allergic to a food.
After all, in the wild they'd be eating several protein sources multiple times a week.

I go to a place that carries really off the wall foods like alligator, ostrich, kangaroo, seaweed. It's very high quality.

 

[JDC]

Not all People food OK

I feed my dog people food. I figure if it is good enough for me it is good enough for him

Dogs should not eat:

Grapes & Raisins
Alcohol
Chocolate
Raw Bread dough
Macadamia Nuts
Avacados
Hops
Onions or Garlic
Sugar Free Chewing gum (Xylitol)
Coffee/Tea

Garlic powder used to be sold as a supplement to ward off fleas - now it is listed as a big no-no.

 

[codeman]

Dogs should not eat:

Grapes & Raisins
Alcohol
Chocolate
Raw Bread dough
Macadamia Nuts
Avacados
Hops
Onions or Garlic
Sugar Free Chewing gum (Xylitol)
Coffee/Tea

Garlic powder used to be sold as a supplement to ward off fleas - now it is listed as a big no-no.

There's a brand of dog good called Avoderm, it has a lot of avocados in it.

 

[sour_grapes]

I go to a place that carries really off the wall foods like alligator, ostrich, kangaroo, seaweed. It's very high quality.

Ruff! Tastes like chicken! Ruff Ruff!!

 

[cooldood]

Dogs should not eat:

Grapes & Raisins
Alcohol
Chocolate
Raw Bread dough
Macadamia Nuts
Avacados
Hops
Onions or Garlic
Sugar Free Chewing gum (Xylitol)
Coffee/Tea

Garlic powder used to be sold as a supplement to ward off fleas - now it is listed as a big no-no.

I don't feed him ALL people food. I don't feed him anything on the list.
Although I must admit I never thought of feeding him avacados but maybe because I would rather take a kick in ()*^% before I ate them myself.

 

[Turock]

I think if you have a dog with food allergies, then you'll probably need to experiment with dog food that addresses that issue. But you might have to try a couple different ones to find the one your dog does best on. Just like with humans--unless you know exactly what food he's allergic to, it takes experimenting to find the offending food so you can eliminate it.

I don't have these issues with my dogs so I've not had to do this. My dogs have OTHER issues---like my part beagle eating the sunflower seeds under the bird feeders. She is so food addicted that she'll even attack me and start chewing on my shirt if I have dripped something on it!!! She cruises the basement looking for spiders to eat!! I've never had a beagle before--and let tell ya, it's a whole new adventure for me!!

 

[Julie]

I think if you have a dog with food allergies, then you'll probably need to experiment with dog food that addresses that issue. But you might have to try a couple different ones to find the one your dog does best on. Just like with humans--unless you know exactly what food he's allergic to, it takes experimenting to find the offending food so you can eliminate it.

I don't have these issues with my dogs so I've not had to do this. My dogs have OTHER issues---like my part beagle eating the sunflower seeds under the bird feeders. She is so food addicted that she'll even attack me and start chewing on my shirt if I have dripped something on it!!! She cruises the basement looking for spiders to eat!! I've never had a beagle before--and let tell ya, it's a whole new adventure for me!!

My dog that has the allergies is part beagle and pat bosten terrier, lol, and she definitely has her own mine about what she wants and what she wants to do. She doesn't attack but will sit in one spot for hours on end to get a treat or whatever it is she wants. Now my boxer, Jesse, will life has to be exploded in her mouth or she at least has to lick it!

 

[JDC]

There's a brand of dog good called Avoderm, it has a lot of avocados in it.

I guess technically only the leaves, skin, and pits of the Avocado should be avoided - and I think it only causes some minor gastric distress anyhoo. I have seen Avoderm on the shelves, but had never really looked at it. They claim to only use the oil & "meat".