Food Recommendation?

E

emmadactryl

Forums Regular
I chat to quite a few Americans on a regular basis on various other dog/pet forums, and one thing that always comes up is the brand of food. It seems like pretty much every recommended food isn't available in Australia, which is seriously annoying since the only ones that are available are apparently really crap.

My kelpie cross most likely has a corn allergy- in addition to his flea allergy dermatitis, fuuuuuun. Since switching him from SuperCoat (basically just corn and cereal) to Nutro Natural Choice Chicken and Oatmeal, I have noticed a huge difference in his coat and the amount of time he spends itching. So I was pretty chuffed. Then I was chatting to a few of said Americans and was told that Nutro isn't a very good dog food and something like Blue Buffalo or Orijen or Wellness or Taste of the Wild was better.

Problem. None of those seem to be available in Australia. I can literally get access to either Nutro; Eukanuba; Optimum; Pedigree; Purina One; Hills Science Diet; Advance; Royal Canin; and Iams. None of the "best brands", apparently.

So just a quick question, fish for opinions: which out of the brands I have access to is "the best" in terms of what I should be feeding?
 
emmadactryl said:
I chat to quite a few Americans on a regular basis on various other dog/pet forums, and one thing that always comes up is the brand of food. It seems like pretty much every recommended food isn't available in Australia, which is seriously annoying since the only ones that are available are apparently really crap.

My kelpie cross most likely has a corn allergy- in addition to his flea allergy dermatitis, fuuuuuun. Since switching him from SuperCoat (basically just corn and cereal) to Nutro Natural Choice Chicken and Oatmeal, I have noticed a huge difference in his coat and the amount of time he spends itching. So I was pretty chuffed. Then I was chatting to a few of said Americans and was told that Nutro isn't a very good dog food and something like Blue Buffalo or Orijen or Wellness or Taste of the Wild was better.

Problem. None of those seem to be available in Australia. I can literally get access to either Nutro; Eukanuba; Optimum; Pedigree; Purina One; Hills Science Diet; Advance; Royal Canin; and Iams. None of the "best brands", apparently.

So just a quick question, fish for opinions: which out of the brands I have access to is "the best" in terms of what I should be feeding?
Click to expand...
I feed Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice- It is better than Purina One, Eukanuba, Pedigree and Iams. My shelties breeder feeds that to her shelties- they all lived for 15 years, and she breeds show dogs. She has been doing it for thirty years. I feel fine feeding Sandstorm this food for these reasons.
Karen
 
Well, I feed Blue Buffalo, but as you already mentioned, it isn't an available option for you.

I'm going to caution you with the grain free foods such as Taste of the Wild. While they are good quality foods, not all dogs can handle a protein rich diet. My dog, for example, has a sensitive stomach and the all protein foods cause him all sorts of digestion issues from diarrhea to vomiting. Some dogs with potential liver issues also can't take the higher protein diets. Just because a food has grain it - good grains like oat and rice - doesn't mean its 'bad'. Dogs are omnivores like us after all.

But, to get back to your question. We do have a few forum members from Australia who may be able to provide some advice on what foods are available there.

As for the food you are feeding now, read the ingredients list and get familiar with what the different terms mean. For example, something with by-product (such as chicken-by-product) means the food is using the scraps, including bone, that aren't fit for human consumption.

Finally - regardless of what ANYONE ELSE SAYS if you dog is doing well on the food you are providing then don't worry about what everyone says. Only you really know your dog. You are NEVER going to get a consistent answer on what food is "best" because all dogs are going to react differently to different foods. (For instance, this forum is very heavily into feeding RAW and grain-free diets.) As long as you are doing the best you can to care for your dog and they are healthy, then keep doing it.
 
I would suggest looking through the RAW diet section of this forum and read some threads on that. Or, if you have a problem with feeding RAW maybe look through some recipes. There are recipes you can use to cook for your dogs, and therefore you know exactly what they are getting. My mom cooks for them, and what she does is she cooks it all in a large roaster pan (veggies and meats) and then she freezes it in containers that hold a couple days worth. Then she thaws them out as she needs them. Her dogs do great on this diet and it isn't terribly time consuming, as she only does the actually cooking every couple of weeks.

Here is a thread that is currently active with this topic:
http://sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=6730
 
Last edited:
emmadactryl said:
I chat to quite a few Americans on a regular basis on various other dog/pet forums, and one thing that always comes up is the brand of food. It seems like pretty much every recommended food isn't available in Australia, which is seriously annoying since the only ones that are available are apparently really crap.

My kelpie cross most likely has a corn allergy- in addition to his flea allergy dermatitis, fuuuuuun. Since switching him from SuperCoat (basically just corn and cereal) to Nutro Natural Choice Chicken and Oatmeal, I have noticed a huge difference in his coat and the amount of time he spends itching. So I was pretty chuffed. Then I was chatting to a few of said Americans and was told that Nutro isn't a very good dog food and something like Blue Buffalo or Orijen or Wellness or Taste of the Wild was better.

Problem. None of those seem to be available in Australia. I can literally get access to either Nutro; Eukanuba; Optimum; Pedigree; Purina One; Hills Science Diet; Advance; Royal Canin; and Iams. None of the "best brands", apparently.

So just a quick question, fish for opinions: which out of the brands I have access to is "the best" in terms of what I should be feeding?
Click to expand...

If your choices are limited then stick with what's working for you. If your pup has shown improvement on Nutro then keep him on Nutro.

Although I prefer holistic food (I feed Wellness myself), I've learned that where some of the bigger brands are concerned, there are some times things that I just won't understand. I had my girl Sadie on a Royal Canin vet food and I was dead set against putting her on it, but I finally did because I'd tried everything else to get her diarrhea and vomiting under control. It was the only food that helped with her problem, and she loved it.

There is another forum member that is from Australia, you may want to ask her what she feeds. Her name is *Caro, you could send her a private message. Here is her profile.

http://www.sheltieforums.com/member.php?u=529
 
danisgoat said:
Not completely true. Some of their varities have high protein, but ones like TOTW Pacific Stream has 25%.
Click to expand...

I know that but you cut out the key words to my statement
While they are good quality foods, not all dogs can handle a protein rich diet. My dog, for example, has a sensitive stomach and the all protein foods cause him all sorts of digestion issues from diarrhea to vomiting.
Click to expand...

Some dogs cannot handle a food with no grain in it no matter how low the protein is. That's not a reflection on the quality of the food, just the individual dog.

I wish I could feed him a variety of TOTW or Blue Wilderness or some other grain free food but his system can't handle it. He even gets diarrhea and vomiting if he eats too much boiled chicken or beef.

Again, that is not a reflection on the quality of grain free foods. It is simply a statement to be cautious because some dog's systems cannot handle a food without the grain.
 
I think what to feed your dog is the second hottest topic on this forum after poop discussions:wink2:
I do think it between your dog and you- what you think is works for your dog and what your dog thinks works for him... I cook for myself and see no reason why I could not do it for my dog... as other people said once you get into that routine you only prepare meals every 2-3-4 weeks however you set it up. You know exactly what you putting in your dog food. And do not ever think that big companies will do a better job making doggie food balanced and you could never do it at home unless you have a nutrition degree...
and yeah, many allergies will come from commercially prepared food, some dogs will be allergic to chicken kibble but perfectly fine with regular raw chicken so those things might need investigation. I would stay away from corn. I do add oat, rice, sweet potatoes to my pup's meals and do not hold grain free though very important.
 
Honestly, we all have to do the best we can with what we have available to us, while still factoring in cost, convenience, and what works for our individual dogs. I have fed Murphy Nutro Natural Choice for his whole life, rotating between different flavors. The Nutro Ultra has always seemed to give him the runs, so I go back to Natural Choice. Here and there I try a different brand, but it's all so mind boggling that I go back to what we know and what works for us. Sometimes I also mix it with another brand--right now I have a small bag of Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Bison mixed in. But I can get Nutro at several different stores and the price is reasonable. The "no by-product" thing is important to me. Recently, thanks to this board, I've been giving him a raw treat (RMB or a frozen patty) a couple times a week. I think raw is wonderful, but I just have to be honest with myself that it's not something I can do full-time right now.

I have no doubt that there are "better" foods out there, but Nutro has worked well for us. Murphy has a nice, shiny coat, and more energy than I know what to do with! Lady is also doing well on the Senior formula, although due to her many years in the puppy mill, I do give her extra supplements--Vibrant Pets and/or kelp and/or glucosamine and/or doggie vitamins...I rotate things around with her a bit and add vegetables to her evening meal since she's having a bit of steroid pudge right now. That's about as complicated as I can handle at the moment. Too much stress in other areas of my life to over-stress about the difference between a 4 star and 5 star kibble. That being said, maybe when things settle down a bit, I might be stressing out over food worse than anyone! LOL...That's what I love about this board though. Everyone is on their own journey with their dogs, and I learn so much! Even if I can't implement it right away, the knowledge and experience here is absolutely invaluable!

But honestly, relax a bit, and if a certain brand is working for you, that's great! It doesn't even have to mean you'll stick with it forever! But for now, you said your dog has seen improvements with it, so you're being a GREAT doggie parent by finding something that works. Someday you might find something even better....or not! You're doing a great job!

-Chris C.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top