Dog Information

What is the best dry dog food for my Lab and mixed small breed puppy?

I have been feeding my 1year old Lab Purina dog chow, but read an Answer yesterday that this was a bad choice. I am also getting a small,terrier mix puppy this weekend and want to start her out on a good food. Any recommendations? Please don't condemn me for my dog food choice - I know now it was a bad one. I researched it yesterday after seeing the Dogfood analysis link.

Public Comments

1. Natures Variety Its free of fillers and bad things that can make your dog fat!http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1136
2. It is hard to say what is good and what is bad dog food anymore so don't be too hard on yourself. I was feeding my dogs Iams 1.5 years ago because I thought it was one of the better brands and it turns out a lot of dogs got sick off of it... Now I go to Sam's Club and buy them Exceed, it's about $22 for a 50lb bag I think. It is healthy and not very expensive. Something else I do is feed them cooked rice w/ their food because they love it so much (to the point they won't eat the food without it! They just look at me and walk away if there is no rice in there!). Good luck!
3. Eukanuba medium breed will be fine for both (dogs seem to love the chicken flavored one This was recommended for me for my 4 dogs of different breeds and sizes Rottweilers, husky and Pomeranian it's worked out great for all of them and is a great food without all those bad fillers in the cheaper foods!
4. There is always going to be something in dog food that you dont like for your dog-no dog food is going to be perfect-it was made to be convient and cheap. Dry dog food is better than wet. Research different dog foods, and find one you like best. Also look on the AVMA website to see the pet food recalls. Personally, my lab eats purina puppy chow, and we have never had problems w/ it in all of our labs we own/owned. But research so that you pick it b/c you like it best, not b/c someone else told you it is good.
5. First I don't think condemning you would be the right thing to do. Sounds like you care, and that is very commendable. I agree that Purina dog chow isn't a good choice. I have tried it and I noticed that my dogs stool was very yellow (undigested corn) and very loose. If I were you, I simply would look at the dogs stool and let that determine what is the right food. It should be dark (It means it was digested well), firm and compact. Smaller dogs need smaller sized bits to eat. They have a hard time eating chunks that are large. I don’t like watering down the food if I can get away with it. It’s better for the dog’s teeth to have hard food to help remove tater. Read the dog food bag. The first three ingredients’ is what the majority of the food is made up of. I like feeding my dogs something with rice in it. It agrees with them better and they like it too. Corn is harder for dog to digest, but not necessarily bad. They just need more of it to get what they need. That is harder on your pocket and can possible lead to weight gain for the dog and makes lots of poop! Just buy smaller sizes of dog food till you see that the stool looks right, and you don’t have to feed the dog as much food to maintain a healthy weight. Also the dogs coat will have a healthier look to it with the right dog food as well.