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Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. (** Since your dog is still a puppy, make sure the get the "puppy food" variety of whatever brand of dog food you choose.** ) A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/...
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/o...
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/...
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssou...
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.a...
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp...
Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)
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Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.
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When switching foods, do it slowly. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
interested in supporting your dog's health and getting the most bang for your buck when you buy dog food? here is a list of foods to check out - all are grain free and some have exotic meats in case your dogs have become sensitive to the common meats like chicken, beef and lamb.
Nature's Variety (raw instinct kibble, canned, raw frozen, dehydrated)
Innova EVO - canned & kibble
Ziwipeak
Primal Raw Pet Foods
Wysong Au Jus All Meats
Northwest Naturals Raw Dog Food
Natural Balance Fish & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food
Natural Balance Potato & Duck Dog Food Allergy Formula
Raw Advantage Organic Critical Care for Dogs & Cats
Raw Advantage Organic Only Meat
Timberwolf Wild & Natural
Northwest Naturals Raw Dog Food
FarMore Raw Food Diets
Sojos Europa Grain-Free Dog Food Mix
Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Dry Dog Food
Solid Gold Green Tripe Canned Food
Iceland Pet Pate for Dogs
Canine Caviar Canned Food for Cats and Dogs
why grain free foods? a dog's intestines do not have the biles and enzymes to break down grains and get the nutrients out to fuel the body. the grain goes in and the grain comes out, mostly undigested, so the dog has bigger poops - basically it's just money being pooped out after each meal. for some dogs the undigested grains will cause problems like IBS.
instead of paying for poop why not pay for ingredients that fuel our pets and support their over all wellness?
By the way Nature's Variety Kibble is the one I use. I also feed them hamburg and rice or chicken and rice that I cook myself.
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