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If you ask me, when it comes to commercial foods, there is no best. Some are better than others, but not one will work for every single dog. Generally, because dogs are carnivores, they need a meat-based food. Ideally, if possible, it's best to choose a food with several meat sources, and at least some of these should be meat *meal*. There should be no corn in the food, and as little grains as possible.
The brands I feed my GSD are Diamond Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, and Solid Gold Wolf King. I feed these in rotation to provide a variety. My GSD also gets one can of Blue Buffalo a month, meaty scraps, and raw suppliments.
All that said, I think that in general the best diet for MOST dogs (and other carnivorous pets) is a homeprepared raw diet. Many veterinarians are against it, but when you see a lot of positive testimonies for it you begin to wonder if Mr. Vet may be misled. (At least I do.) It's like the conspiracy against natural cures. Most modern medicine doctors are against it, yet people have had great success with it. But I won't get into that particular conspiracy here as it's not dog-related.
At any rate, my vet was very impressed with my Papillon mix's improved health after being fed raw for nearly a year. She's not a fan of raw, but told me to keep it up.
Treader's before/after: fc02.deviantart.com
My GSD would be 100% raw-fed too, if I could but afford that.
That said, be aware that a raw diet should not be started on a whim. There are important nutritional and safety guidelines to follow and You need to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Even if you stick to processed foods, I strongly recommend that you do your own research as to what it is better to feed. Do not just take anyone's word for it, look into it yourself and use your head.
There are some on here who claim that they have proof, yet do not provide this proof when asked. One in particular thinks that dog guide schools have the most superior pet care information. Which is based on what? Hear-say? Experience? Studies? While I'm sure he means well, Aster has yet to answer this question though he's been approached about it many times.
At any rate, even professionals can lie, make mistakes, and be misled. I've come to the conclusion that you can't rely fully on any Earthly being, so it's best to just think for yourself and look at all sides with an open mind.
The links I gave above are resources I have found over the past few year. They all make for a good read and give food for thought. Again, do not follow any one source blindly. And these links do contain conflicting information. Thepetcenter.com, for example, recommends brands like Purina (the formulas that actually do contain meat) while other links list Purina as a low-quality food.
Nutro had some problems earlier this year, but they should be resolved. While we know blue Buffalo is behind the ''True Blue" rating system, I suspect other companies sponsor other rating systems behind the scene.
If I was feeding Nutro and my dog was doing well, I wouldn't let fear mongering and hype make me change.
There are so many different brands of dog food because premium foods are very profitable. The so called better ingredients aren't that much more expensive and you can skimp on testing and advertising. It costs nothing to post to dog forums. There is no telling who has bought into the hype, and who is selling dog food.
Hi, Nutro has some questionable ingredients. Cookies has given you excilent advice and some good links to review.
Basically a good food will have a named meat and/or meat meal in the 1st 5 ingredients. No corn, animal digest, byproducts or unnamed protien/meats.
Overall the premium foods don't cost much more then supermarket foods because they provide more calories per cup and you feed less. Here are some threads on Dogster that should help.
Don't be concerned about Aster's paranoid ideas. There isn't a conspiracy of people pushing premium foods as cheap advertising and we are not Blue Buffalo.... sales people posing as concerned dog owners.
However, I have wondered if Aster isn't a Purina dealer in disguise.
Cheers
Mom works for Nutro and thats what she feeds my brother & I ...& those cats of hers!
If you have any questions about any of the ingredients or anything about the company feel free to message me and I will let her know! She may not know the answer but, can send it to someone who does! She loves to talk so feel free to ask if you have any questions or concerns!
None of the Nutro foods in any of the lines contain ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, artificial colors, preservatives, or animal digest.
Mom feeds us the Ultra & Natural Choice line, but we really love the Ultra! It has the 3 different protein sources all in meal form as well as fresh chicken! :D We always eat it right up!
I have been feeding Nutor for 10 years now. I had fed many others including diamond and iams that left my dog s coats looking dull and no shine. Many people at shows ask me what i shampoo my dogs in and i tell them horse and mane shampoo. It is not the shampoo it is the food. I have salukis and they are all very healthy and active. My 14 year old still runs and plays in the backyard. Yes he is not as active as the 1 and 3 year old but he is still running. I also started working for nutro 3 years ago ecause i was using the food. Another thing that i was able to do was toru a plant where nutro can food is made. It was interesting to see all the checks the food goes through before it gets shipped out. Cans are pulled from the line and are both checked by sight and in a lab.. I haved all the confedence in the food and will continue to feed it.
Nutro Dog food reviews; There are many good and poor foods to pick from:
Do some home-work, like you are now...
see here: great site:
dog food experts: en.allexperts.com
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