It looks like Purina dog food is in the news again.
Look, I don’t know what to think here. My last dog ate Purina food all his life and lived a healthy, happy life til cancer got him at 13. My current rescue border collie is also healthy as could be at 10ish and I’ve always fed her Beneful. It looks like these claims might be nothing and are at least unproven - but I’m thinking of switching brands anyways.
Does anyone have advice on dog food? I’m looking for something you can buy at the grocery store (not $50 bags at the vet). I’m all for giving the girl something healthier than I have been, but I’m not anxious to overpay.
I hope I’m in the right forum - I’ve occasionally posted, but mostly just lurk.
I wouldn’t worry about the Beneful too much. I’ve fed my dogs Beneful on and off over the years with no deleterious effects.
I currently use Purina Pro Plan, sporting dog blend, for my 3 setters. I have one with a very delicate stomach and he has no problem eating this food and thriving without any digestive upsets whatsoever.
It’s not super cheap, but not outrageous either. It costs me about $1/lb. I’m on auto-delivery from Amazon, but can also pick up bags at Petco and Petsmart, although they are higher in pricing.
You always run a risk when you feed a dog the same brand all the time. If the brand of food is deficient, feeding the same brand exacerbates the situation. There have been some famous cases of this effect. I know there are stories that you can’t switch brands or your dog will reject it/ get sick/ whatever. All I can say is I rotated my dog’s food on a regular basis through the top brands and she never turned it down or got sick. She died at 13 of cancer.
I stopped buying the grocery store brands quite a long time ago. They are better than they once were, but between questionable ingredients and too much filler, you can do better. Not necessarily for much more per pound than the self-designated “premium” brands.
Purina in particular puts far more into its packaging design and marketing than its food research, any more.
I quit feeding dog food awhile back. The manufacturers are buying the same by-products and don’t care what’s in it. Between the road kill, euthanized pets, never mind the preservatives, fungi, and other possible contaminants.
I used to feed Pro-Plan and was happy with it, but my previous two dogs are dead. One died of cancer at 12, the other lived to be 14. I don’t blame the food for their deaths, nor do I consider them untimely, BUT “my dog never got sick” kind of falls apart when it ends up dying of cancer, doesn’t it?
My current dog is 16 and has so much energy he is still a huge pain in the ass!
I concoct doggy stews from a wide variety of meats and vegetables, probably a third meat and two-thirds vegetables, plus homemade stock, plain gelatin and glucosamine supplements. I usually make a large batch and freeze it in small containers. It would be safe for human consumption, though I personally would not eat it, as I include a lot of gross cartilage and stuff.
Another Taste of the Wild fan, here. Mostly the High Prairie dry, but we’ll get different kinds (like the Pacific Stream) every so often for variety. Occasionally he gets some wet food mixed with dry as a treat.
I’d say that it’s probably a misinterpretation of advice. Generally, if you switch to a new type of food, it’s not a bad idea to do it gradually, over a couple/few days (1:3 new:old, then 1:1 new:old, 3:1 new:old, then all new). Some dogs CAN have sensitive digestive systems, and a gradual change won’t hurt dogs who have cast iron stomachs, so it’s a good rule of thumb.
I can see that easily “telephoning” into DON’T SWITCH TYPES OF FOOD EVER.
My dog gets quite flatulent when we abruptly switch brands (which we have had to do a couple of times on account of recalls). Doesn’t seem to bother HIM, but…p.u. He is always super happy to switch, but in general he’s a happy dog.
My next-door neighbor fed her dog Beneful his whole life. He was a big dog and lived to be 13 or 14.
I haven’t had that problem with my dogs, but definitely with my cat. He will happily eat anything put in front of him, but when we switch, he really stinks up the joint. One brand in particular, Delicat, led us to dub it Smellicat and take it permanently off the shopping list.
My doggie with the sensitive stomach can even be switched, but I do have to follow the gradual schedule mentioned above. He doesn’t get flatulent, but he does throw up his food if the change isn’t gradual.
I posted about this on my FB page today, and a friend who’s quite knowledgeable about animals (she’s a farmer with a degree in Animal Science, and keeps up with this kind of stuff) said this:
Unfortunately, I have to feed my cats food with corn in it, because one of them is on a special diet (Hills c/d, for urinary tract health) and our vet told us it was fine for all the cats to eat it since it’s too hard to split them out for feeding (they free-feed). I’m just hoping that for the price we pay for the Hills, they at least clean their machines and maintain a consistent quality level.
I’ve asked him if it has to be Hill’s, and he said it was a certain formulation that works on the type of stone my cat had. I can ask him about switching, though. All the cats like the Hill’s. In fact, they like it a little too much.
Thanks for all the replies so far folks. I’m thinking of just diversifying her diet a little and trying some of the other dog foods you have all recommended.
My cat is on prescription Purina U/R and has been for a couple of years now, and loves it, and the urinary problems he had have disappeared. The vet prescribed a different brand which I can’t remember now, but the cat wouldn’t eat it.
