Pet Consumer Report RE: Top 5 dog foods

[Sheenagirl]

I was researching the top dog food brands and found an interesting report: http://www.Petconsumerreport.com/dog_food.htm

This Pet Consumer Report lists the following (in their opinion) top five brands:
Rated #1 - Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard
Rated #2 - Azmira by Azmira Holistic Animal Care
Rated #3 - Canidae and Felidae by Canidae Pet Food
Rated #4 - Back to Basics by Beowulf Natural Feeds
Rated #5 - Sojourner by Sojourner Farms

I personally haven't heard of most of these - curious reading though. Sheena was on IVD, switched to Canidae and now on Wellness - so this report was interesting reading to me. I was also intrigued by what was suggested as far as switching brands from one premium to another premium to get the most out of all of them. Anyone else heard of this switching foods back and forth? :)

[ladawn]

I've always heard DON'T switch brands back and forth. I have had to switch Daisy three times in the 5 months she has been with me (first I was feeding her low quality food--that was before I joined this board, then I couldn't find Canidae for almost a month and put her on Wellness, she would eat it but not with the gusto that she had for Canidae so I switched her back to Canidae). Daisy has an iron stomach so we didn't experience any problems but I'm curious to hear what others say about switching.

[rglogan]

Before I starting BARFing, I fed the dogs Canidae & Solid Gold. I started them out on Canidae. They seems to grow tired of it so I switched to Solid Gold. One meal, Canidae, the next meal, Solid Gold. I had no problems, and my boy has a sensitive stomach.

[Troy]

I would like to know how foods like Wysong and Sojourner who have ingredients Corn and Yellow Corn Meal...beat out a product like Innova and Solid Gold???

I agree Canidae and Wellness are solid foods.

I want to know who did the "research" on this???

[Homerhomer]

I am not sure why sojourner would be even compared with other foods. The suggestion is to use it as an addition to raw feeding why others are complete foods.

[AngelBunny]

Sheenagirl:

I switch around the 3 Wellness types--sweet potato & fish, lamb, & chicken--to give the dogs different amino acids. They also get frozen raw beef marrow bones & fruits & veggies.

ladawn:

I've never had any problems changing foods, cold turkey. But then none of my dogs has ever had anything remotely like IBD--CIS (cast iron stomachs) is more like it.

[alexav]

I would really like to try Wellness, but where in the Schnikies can I find it without paying HUGE$$$ for shipping?

The price of the food is fine, but 24.65 to ship one bag?

I live in Utah, the Kibbles 'n' bits/Attaboy capital of the world, where people look at you strange when you say your dogs live in the house with you. Well, maybe it just seems that way, this week I've had alot of really uneducated HILLBILLIES for clients!!!

:) O.K.....I'm fine now.....
Does anyone know, if the rumor is true that Petco will be carrying Wellness? They do carry other OMH products but the food section of the website is under construction and on the OMH site, when I typed in "UT", it wouldn't give me anything!:(

Thanks in advance for your help.

[CarolineS]

Originally posted by Troy
I want to know who did the "research" on this???

The same people who are advertising "Buy Today and Get $10 OFF!" ;)

[Dagos-Dad]

alexav,
When we fed Wellness I got the local feed store to special order up a bag for me and they got an extra one for them to try. In return I gave them a guaranteed sale every 2 weeks. Next thing you know more people are asking for it so the store starts carrying it all the time. Go to your local feed store and see if they will special order for you. You may have to settle for a different brand depending on their supplier and the stores customer service, but they also may find their customer base expanding. It doesn’t hurt to inquire.

[BarryMcD]

I also don't see how brands like Innova or Flint River Ranch aren't near the top!

Sheenagirl wrote:
> I was also intrigued by what was suggested as far > as switching brands from one premium to another
> premium to get the most out of all of them.
> Anyone else heard of this switching foods back
> and forth?

Yes, I switch and combine different brands, and for particular reasons. For example, research over the past ten years has shown that large breed pups need less fat, calcium, and total energy per day than smaller breeds. In fact, feeding a large breed pup like a Rottie a high fat or high calcium food can contribute to bone and joint problems later in life. For example, the recommended range of calcium content in kibble for all puppies is 1%--2.5%. But the recommendation for large breed dogs is from 1-2% maximum, and preferably in the lower quarter of this range.

I have a 3 month old Rott pup, and after doing a lot of research, I settled on Innova Puppy Formula as the best food for her. However, like many of the holistic and super premium brands, Innova does not make a large breed puppy formula that takes these newer nutritional guidelines into account.

(Ironically, many of the poor-quality grocery and pet store brands do make large breed puppy formulas that conform exactly to the recommended ratios!)

I don't have the bag in front of me, but the Innova comes in a bit high in the calcium range at something like 1.7 or 1.9%, and it also has a total ME of 500 kcal/cup, which is a bit more energy than the large breed guidelines suggest. On the other hand, Nutro Natural Choice makes a large breed formula which has the proper amounts of these nutrients (calcium is 1.1%, right at the bottom of the recommended range for large breeds, and 389 kcal/cup, almost exactly the recommended ME for large breed pups.)

Since I believe that Nutro is about the best of the "premium" foods, (though it does not equal the quality of a super premium like Innova), I combine or switch between the Innova Puppy Formula--which has everything I want but is a bit toward the high end in calcium and carbohydrates, and the Nutro which tends toward the lower end of the range for these same nutrients. By combining the two in a precise ratio, I can create a "mixed" or hybrid kibble that has any amount of calcium and carbohydrates between the high values of Innova and the lower values of Nutro.

I do a similar thing with my adult Rottie, combining or periodically switching between Bil Jac, a brand that's high level and quality of protein have just about single-handedly cured major hair loss problems, and another brand's Large Breed Adult Formula so the Rott gets some of the special nutrients and different nutritional ratios recommended for large breed dogs.

I know other friends who switch between chicken, lamb, and other meat formulas frequently because they believe they are providing a wider variety of amino acids. So there are some very good reasons for either combining or switching frequently between brands or formulas, one being the humane practice of not forcing an animal to eat the same thing every day for its entire life!

Finally, regarding the idea that dogs must be switched slowly from one food to another, I believe this is largely an urban myth! And I can give you dozens of researched facts as well as personal stories to support this. I'll just mention a few.

1) Many people find that there is very little problem swiitching from a poor quality brand to a higher quality brand. I believe that most reports of diarhea and other digestive upsets that accompany a sudden change in foods are the result of first using a poor quailty food to begin with and then switching to another poor quality food.

It is not that dogs have sensitive stomachs, it is that we feed them garbage that would make anyone sick. It is a testimony to the adaptablility and efficiency of a dog's digestive system that they can adjust to and tolerate the poor quality grain-based foods that most owners feed them! I have switched cold turkey with four dogs, one of them the pup I mentioned above, and not a one had any symptoms or problems eating Bil Jac on Monday and Innova on Tuesday, or Flint River on Wednesday and Wellness on Thursday, with a real beef steak for a treat on Friday!

2) If dogs as a species must eat the same base food every day and cannot change foods within 24 hours, then they are the only creature on this planet with such screwed up digestive systems!

3) In nature, feral dogs and wolves do not eat the same formula every day. They eat a variety of things, probably something totally different every meal, and on some days they eat nothing! Just because we domesticated this animal, it's suddenly got Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or what?

4) Some reaction to a change in foods is perfectly normal. If I eat a lot of cabbage and beans tonight, you probably wouldn't want to be hanging around me tomorrow! All humans and animals have digestive changes--occasional gas, hard stool, loose stool, heart burn, etc. based on what they ate recently. But when some folks see that little Fido has one or two soft stools, they blame it on switching foods and treat it like a case of cancer. It's a perfectly normal temporary reaction--but again, one I have never seen in any of my dogs!

I am not saying that there are some dogs may react dramatically to a fast change in diet. There are dogs that have sensitive stomachs, but the breed as a whole can certainly tolerate a variety of foods.

So, Sheenagirl, I would go with what is to me common sense, and not with the traditional dogma that says you need to switch from one food to another one piece of kibble at a time! Give your dogs some variety for the sake of nutrional balance and for their eating pleasure! Try a quick switch from one quality food to another and see if it affects your dog in any major way? I'm betting it won't.

BarryMcD

[moonbeam]

Not all Wysong foods have corn in them, or wheat. I have some Wysong Synorgon around that I add to BARF and put in treat balls. There is no corn or wheat in it. Make sure you're checking the formula and not just the brand.

[mario sepulveda]

I have also been wondering about this adding to/ switching /mixing food deal,,,i have been feeding my 5mt old female rottie and 6year old lab a mixer of super preiumn large puppy and adult dog kibble each (same maker)with occasional extras thrown in evening meals ,examples being ,tuna,yogurt,cottage chesse,eggs,veggies, fresh slightly cooked meat(chicken,beef,turkey)They also get a fresh good size bone a couple of times a month,,, ,the pup is doing fine (good soild waste,weight normal for age and size, 52 lbs @20'' tall) but the lab is graining weight (need to cut the extras out for him) :(,,,Now I want to switch to Canidae but I dont want to waste two 40 lb bags of the stuff Ive been givieng them left, so Im going to mix in alittle of the Canidae with the already mixed kibble and see how it goes and if they eat it ,Ill keep mixing it all together till all the first stuff is gone and then Ill just be feeding canidae with occasional extras,So what do you all think???Sounds too crazy??......Thanks

[Sheenagirl]

Mario,
If I had two 40 lb. bags left over, I would be mixing them together and feeding the same way you just posted. Try it, if it doesn't seem to agree with your dogs then - donate to your nearest shelter??