What dog food is everyone using??

[AspenBud]

Some of the Kirkland brand stuff made by Diamond was recalled last year during the big Diamond salmonella recall.

I've fed the Kirkland stuff and PPP to my dogs and to be honest, I feel I get better results out of Pro Plan Performance. The dogs have more energy, their coat is the same, maintaining their weight is easier, and their poo isn't the soft mess that the Kirkland stuff created. They also have A LOT less gas.

Diamond has a long history of recalls so I've kind of tried to stay away from their products of late.

Bottom line, I've seen dogs that lived 7 years on top of the line dog food and dogs that lived 16 years on generic grocery store food.

Buy what fits your budget and what works best for your dog.

My 

[akirkland]

I agree with you Aspen. Some of the Kirkland brand is junk unfortunately. But Costco has to cater to all walks of life. Natures Domain was safe from the recall though. And yes, some dogs outlive others and I believe food has alot to do with it but its not the sole factor. The one disagreement I have with you is the budget thing. We as hunters ask alot of our hunting dogs. They are better athletes than most of us. We tend to train them better than we do ourselves. To me, I rather spend alot of money on their food. I could buy a less expensive food and I should because it cost alot to feed 2 Labs and another on the way. But I will get one less coffee or one less cheeseburger so they can have the optimal food. Fortunately it doeant come to that but I would cut down on foolish spending to feed them the best if I had to.

[Odell]

Natures Domain from costco! Good food, reasonable price. My golden missed a lot of this year from allergic reactions that had him chewing his feet raw. Switched to Natures domain and doing great.

[87Ford]

Another vote for Nature's Domain.  My Labrador has done well on it..

...it cost alot to feed 2 Labs and another on the way.

I have one with another on the way.  I feel like I'm gonna have my hands full, but three, wow..

[AspenBud]

I agree with you Aspen. Some of the Kirkland brand is junk unfortunately. But Costco has to cater to all walks of life. Natures Domain was safe from the recall though. And yes, some dogs outlive others and I believe food has alot to do with it but its not the sole factor. The one disagreement I have with you is the budget thing. We as hunters ask alot of our hunting dogs. They are better athletes than most of us. We tend to train them better than we do ourselves. To me, I rather spend alot of money on their food. I could buy a less expensive food and I should because it cost alot to feed 2 Labs and another on the way. But I will get one less coffee or one less cheeseburger so they can have the optimal food. Fortunately it doeant come to that but I would cut down on foolish spending to feed them the best if I had to.

I've got no problem with anyone feeding Nature's Domain. Just stating that I get better results with PPP and probably won't ever take my dogs off it.

(Nature's Domain was voluntarily recalled last year by the way as Diamond makes that too)

But if a guy is on a tight budget, I'm sorry plain old Dog Chow isn't going to kill your dog as long as it can maintain its weight on it. I know a guy who runs Pointers on the stuff and as they approach 10 years of age they still are able to work.

If money isn't a concern I would suggest Native Dog Food or having bags of Dr. Tim's shipped to your door.

[Stilly bay]

as far as natures domain goes, nutritionally its a step or two up from purina. look at the first four ingredients on the bags and decide for yourself.

Diamond (who makes natures domain and taste of the wild ) had a good number of recalls but most weren't for food that was contaminated, it was for food that "could be" contaminated, and they were all voluntary- thats a good thing called quality control. purina has had many, many more recalls than diamond has ever dreamed over the course of their years I would wager 100 -1. that being said purina has been around much longer pumps out more food than diamond so it stands to reason they will have more issues, but people turn a blind eye because they are a household name, and birddog people think that just because they endorse X amount of field trials purina must be the best.

most  if not all diamond recalls occurred on the east coast from their east coast factory.

next time people start shouting recall, find out why and what for it. might be trivial.

I fed PPP for a long time, sure it make their craps smaller and firmer -almost inexplicably so- but that was about the only benefit I saw. as the price of PPP went I just couldn't justify paying a premium price for a so-so dog food.

 I switched to Natures domain - which is identical to the premium dog food Taste of the Wild,  just in a different bag- and all of my dog benefitted by the fourth bag.

they maintained a good weight  - with PPP one would lose weight while the other would gain it.

the had firm stools - not the microscopic stools that PPP produced, which I found disturbing at times... where does it all go?

Stamina in the field stayed the same

they could handle the heat better - might be a coincidence

all their coats started to shine - PPP gave one of my labs hot spots
 
its more than affordable @ $33 a bag vs $49 for PPP (its not always on sale)

I am a happy natures domain user, Im sure there are better dog foods out there but not at the same price point.

[AspenBud]

Stilly, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but when was the last time Purina had a recall on Pro Plan/Pro Plan Performance? I'm asking because I can't remember the last time and I would be interested to know.

(I get it for $41.99 regular price)

[Smossy]

Not sure what everyone else said, But if your looking for high protein. For high energy dogs Personally.. I think "Fromm" Four Star Chicken A La Veg Dry Dog Food. Is some of the best on the market available. Period.
Ingredients are as listed in order, straight from the bag.

""Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Menhaden Fish Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Herring Meal, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite. ""

http://www.heartypet.com/p-1479-fromm-four-star-chicken-a-la-veg-dry-dog-food.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=072705116102&gclid=CIqrnrGvw7UCFY97QgodUFEArQ

Is a website that sells it. Also Farm Boys in Spanaway Sells they're entire line of varieties.

Hope this helps.

[Smossy]

Ok I just skimmed through everyones posts. To each theyre own. But this is how I look at it. Anything you buy at large chain stores is like feeding your animals burger king. Sure it works, but Its not whats best for your animals.

Stilly, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but when was the last time Purina had a recall on Pro Plan/Pro Plan Performance? I'm asking because I can't remember the last time and I would be interested to know.

(I get it for $41.99 regular price)

Theres nothing about any Purina products that I like. I personally think they are garbage.
If theyre advertised on tv = garbage.
If you really care about your animals "Not targeting you personally",
Look for specialty foods.
I highly highly recommend "Fromm" brand. They have different variations for meat and or veggy dominant. Depending on your breed of dog, or cat.

[Smossy]

Natures Domain from costco! Good food, reasonable price. My golden missed a lot of this year from allergic reactions that had him chewing his feet raw. Switched to Natures domain and doing great.

Not saying this was the problem at all, But It could be an issue with some peoples animals.
It seems not very many people are aware of flea hypersensitivity.
Just a few flea bites will cause the same effect (that you explained), in which your average pet can take a whole infestation and barely go noticed. Diet does play a role in helping but does not solve the problem. Cheers to everyone and caring to actually look into better feeding/tending theyre animals. Remember your animals are a part of the family, You wouldnt want to be fed garbage, Neither do they, They just cant tell you otherwise.

[Stilly bay]

It seems not very many people are aware of flea hypersensitivity.

  good point.

on a side note about food related problems and allergies...
a lot of people play doctor and guess that the food is their dogs problem and switch it without any further examination. then the new food doesn't solve all their problems or may even create more so they switch again and again... when in reality IF your dog's food is to blame it can take up to three months for that food and its side affects to completely get out of your dogs system... and by that time you have already played russian roulette with a couple other brands trying to solve what ever issues you think your dog may have... save some time money and frustration by going to the vet.

Stilly, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but when was the last time Purina had a recall on Pro Plan/Pro Plan Performance? I'm asking because I can't remember the last time and I would be interested to know.

(I get it for $41.99 regular price)

I can only find it local at that price on sale or with a coupon.
they haven't had a recall on ppp in the last year but they have had recalls and more than Diamond. i think 2007 was purina last big lawsuit where they had a class action lawsuit filed against them for killing a few pets.

here is a list of diamonds recalls for 2012 and 13 so far
diamond
april 30th 2012
april  25th 2102
april 6th 2012

purina:
the most recent recall was january 9th.
july 26th, 2012
july 20th 2012
july 13th 2012
may 11th 2012


all of diamonds recalls were limited and voluntary. meaning they suspected they had a bad batch so they pulled it from the shelves.
from what I could see none of purina's for this time frame were voluntary meaning someone else (FDA) had to call them on their mistake.
anyway this shows that not all recalls can be bad and purina isn't any worse in the recall department than diamond.
http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm

[Smossy]

  good point.
when in reality IF your dog's food is to blame it can take up to three months for that food and its side affects to completely get out of your dogs system... and by that time you have already played russian roulette with a couple other brands trying to solve what ever issues you think your dog may have... save some time money and frustration by going to the vet.

Ohh good point there to! I forgot to mention that part, its a huge factor when transitioning from food to food. Needs to be done slowly over a few week period mixed with its current/new food together, untill hes used to the new food and the transition is complete. Otherwise they could get really sick, have diarrhea, vomit, etc etc.

[AspenBud]

Theres nothing about any Purina products that I like. I personally think they are garbage.
If theyre advertised on tv = garbage.
If you really care about your animals "Not targeting you personally",
Look for specialty foods.
I highly highly recommend "Fromm" brand. They have different variations for meat and or veggy dominant. Depending on your breed of dog, or cat.

What are you basing that on? Ingredients or results?

Again, I've had good results with it. I even know of a field trailer or two who run their dogs for more miles hooked up to a quad and in the field than most average dog owners will and they also feed PPP to their crews.

I also know of a number of people who feed anything but PPP to their dogs and also get good results. To that I say great, whatever works.

[AspenBud]

Stilly, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but when was the last time Purina had a recall on Pro Plan/Pro Plan Performance? I'm asking because I can't remember the last time and I would be interested to know.

(I get it for $41.99 regular price)

I can only find it local at that price on sale or with a coupon.
they haven't had a recall on ppp in the last year but they have had recalls and more than Diamond. i think 2007 was purina last big lawsuit where they had a class action lawsuit filed against them for killing a few pets.

here is a list of diamonds recalls for 2012 and 13 so far
diamond
april 30th 2012
april  25th 2102
april 6th 2012

purina:
the most recent recall was january 9th.
july 26th, 2012
july 20th 2012
july 13th 2012
may 11th 2012


all of diamonds recalls were limited and voluntary. meaning they suspected they had a bad batch so they pulled it from the shelves.
from what I could see none of purina's for this time frame were voluntary meaning someone else (FDA) had to call them on their mistake.
anyway this shows that not all recalls can be bad and purina isn't any worse in the recall department than diamond.
http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm

Not sure what the recall last month was about but based on that link you posted, none of the recalls had anything to do with their dog food let alone Pro Plan or Pro Plan Performance from what I could see.

[Stilly bay]

Stilly, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but when was the last time Purina had a recall on Pro Plan/Pro Plan Performance? I'm asking because I can't remember the last time and I would be interested to know.

(I get it for $41.99 regular price)

I can only find it local at that price on sale or with a coupon.
they haven't had a recall on ppp in the last year but they have had recalls and more than Diamond. i think 2007 was purina last big lawsuit where they had a class action lawsuit filed against them for killing a few pets.

here is a list of diamonds recalls for 2012 and 13 so far
diamond
april 30th 2012
april  25th 2102
april 6th 2012

purina:
the most recent recall was january 9th.
july 26th, 2012
july 20th 2012
july 13th 2012
may 11th 2012


all of diamonds recalls were limited and voluntary. meaning they suspected they had a bad batch so they pulled it from the shelves.
from what I could see none of purina's for this time frame were voluntary meaning someone else (FDA) had to call them on their mistake.
anyway this shows that not all recalls can be bad and purina isn't any worse in the recall department than diamond.
http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm

Not sure what the recall last month was about but based on that link you posted, none of the recalls had anything to do with their dog food let alone Pro Plan or Pro Plan Performance from what I could see.

like I said there was no mention of Pro plan.

it seems like every time diamond is mentioned everyone screams "but they had recalls" as if it were a knee jerk reaction. I am just pointing out that Purina is not with out fault either. while purina's recalls were not all dangerous or even dog food related, neither were all of diamonds. and diamond has more voluntary recalls and is very proactive about QC, which means more to me as a consumer than a company that doesn't do anything until someone else points it out.