Rate my puppy's dog food!

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, as a matter of interest.

My breeder recommended feeding my puppy Pedigree Healthy Start puppy food.

My vet concurred.

I stopped at a high end pet store and when I mentioned the Pedigree the chick behind the counter acted like I’m feeding Voltaire poison.

Sooo, what do you folks think?

Poison or perfectly good dog food?

FWIW, I’m not going to switch brands - puppy likes it and both breeder and vet said that for my type of dog a food with a lower grade protein is better (the breed is prone to kidney problems.)

2

Well, I tried it and, except for a bitter aftertaste and slight case of the trots, it seems to do the trick.

3

Um, that’s not exactly what I had in mind, but…

GOOD EFFORT!!

4

Considering that a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine and a dog breeder both recommend it for your particular breed of dog, I’d go with their advice instead of the store clerk.

5

Both my sister-in-law and one of my close friends from college are now veterinarians, and they have both said that the education they got in canine nutrition at veterinary school (Virginia Tech and Tufts University) was far from comprehensive. It is a fact that most of the nutrition education is sponsored by dog food companies that have a stake in selling their products.

Here’s the ingredient list for Pedigree Healthy Start Puppy food:

INGREDIENTS: GROUND YELLOW CORN, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, RICE, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS, SOURCE OF VITAMIN E), NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, WHEAT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, WHEAT FLOUR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, TAURINE*, VITAMINS (DL-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], CHOLINE CHLORIDE,L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*], VITAMIN A ACETATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), MARIGOLD MEAL (SOURCE OF LUTEIN*), TRACE MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE).

Corn is a cheap protein source, and you will see that it is in the top spot. It is not as digestible as meat sources or some higher quality grains.

The second ingredient, chicken by-product meal, is also inferior because it is basically a lips-and-assholes type of ingredient. It’s a little better than if it just said “poultry by-product meal”, the vaguer the ingredient name, the more of a mystery what’s really in there.

The next 2 ingredients, rice and corn gluten meal, confirm that this is a mostly cheap grain based food. The mysterious “animal fat”, which could contain ANYTHING (including boiled down euthanized pets, I kid you not), is pretty icky. The only thing it has going for it is at least they are using a natural preservative for the fat rather than BHT.

This is the kind of food that leads to greasy, dandruff filled coats, bad gas, and eye boogers. Also, many dogs are allergic to corn. I don’t know what breed of pup this is, but many Golden Retrievers have legendary corn based allergies leading to all sorts of skin problems and ear infections.

Here is a great page to help youevaluate commercial dog foods. You might also want to subscribe to The Whole Dog Journal, they do a yearly review of the top dog foods.

Good luck with your puppy! :slight_smile:

6

I’ve fed my wolf hybrid, Zen, on Pedigree all of his life and he’s fit as a fiddle. I specifically asked my veterinarian whether I should switch to a more expensive exorbitant lamb and rice (::cough:: Iams ::cough::slight_smile: type of feed. He said that over-nutrition was more often the problem than any lack of proper sustenance. In the absence of any comment otherwise by the most trustworthy animal doctor I have ever met, I’m sticking with Pedigree.

7

I would say that I typically agree with Miabella. Many, many, many dogs do have problems with grain-based dog foods as she (I suppose Miabella’s a she) describes. However, if your dog is doing fine on a particular kind of food, then feel free to stick with it. As long as there are no horrible effects like hair loss or excessive gas, the worst side effect would probably be larger-than-necessary stools from incomplete digestion. As for vets not necessarily recommending the best foods because of sponsorships, it is well-known that Science Diet in particular is the sponsor of many veterinary programs, so is often recommended by many vets because they get lots of free stuff for it. My vet gave me a “puppy packet” full of stuff, which included a free sample of Science Diet such-and-such. She told me to ignore that because the food I had decided on was much better.

I feed my Weim Iams Large Breed Puppy food. He’s ten months old now and couldn’t be healthier. Weimaraners in general are known for allergies and sensitivities to poor food, from bone plate and growth problems from improper protein sources and amounts during puppyhood to moderate/severe skin and hair problems.

I’ve fed many a dog cheaper grain-based foods, but for an inside dog (of which my Weim is the first, thanks to me no longer living with my parents) I think I would have greater objection to the constant farting :).

8

Oh, and by the way, you said your breeder recommended that food to you. Depending on the breeder, they may not necessarily recommend the best food, either. The breeder from which my dog came sent him home with a bag of Purina Puppy Chow. :rolleyes: See my previous comments about Weim’s specific sensitivities to cheaper foods. He had horrible pimples for weeks until we weaned him off that junk. Most puppies get a few pimples, but he was loaded.

9

I rate it as a 2. Not hot.

Oh wait … :smack:

10

Ah, interesting points.

So, just to complicate (simplify?) things:

  1. Both vet and breeder said that not every type of dog should have the ultra deluxe, high-protein, prime-rib quality dog food - it does depend on the breed - specifically, large working dogs do need this type, but small, fluffy, lazy dogs do not.

  2. Secondly, protein from too rich a source can be more difficult for the kidneys to process - dogs (as well as people) with a know preponderance for kidney disease are not recommended consume a protein rich diet.

  3. The puppy in question has no dog zits, has a beautiful smooth coat, shiny and free of dandruff. His turds are smalish and well formed, and he is growing normally.

Does this change anyone’s opinion?

11

Keep in mind that Pedigree has a breeder program that translates into breeders getting literally $100 of dollars in coupons for each litter they breed if they push their food. And unless it is for a specific nutrition related medical issue, I have made it a policy to never listen to what vets recommend in regards to food. Unless they have made the extra effort, most vets know nothing about most commercially available foods.

I don’t like Pedigree, my dogs have never done well on it. I think it is overpriced, you get to pay for all te advertising they do. But that said, if your pup is doing well on it, go for it.

12

As Magayuk said, and I said earlier (but probably got lost in the rest of my ramblings), if your dog does fine with it, then great! It won’t hurt anything, and you’ll save some money. If your dog ever did develop problems such as those described, you may consider switching foods. Many food producers have different types of food that differ in nutritional content specially made to address certain problems. My dog’s Iams Large Breed Puppy food has slightly lower protein content (IIRC) than the regular adult food, because too much protein for large, fast-growing puppies can lead to bone and joint problems. My cat’s on Iams Weight Control, and has lost more than a pound since the last time she was at the vet. Pedigree probably has similar “specialty” foods also if your dog develops any future diet problems.

So, your points don’t change my opinion. . .my opinion is that many dogs do just fine on just about any old thing you give them to eat. Many dogs don’t, though, and require extra consideration. So, nobody thinks you’re feeding your dog bad food (there are “zealots” out there who would certainly tell you that, though), but if he starts gimping around, going bald, hacking, farting, and pooping all over, then you’re a horrible person :D.

Finally, I don’t think stuff like Iams is even thought of much as “ultra deluxe. . .prime rib quality” food. Those monikers may be better suited to stuff like Nutro, Nature’s Choice, or the B.A.R.F. diet (bones and raw foods IIRC, where you actually go and buy meat and bones, grind them up, freeze it, and feed), or maybe even for a lot of the wet dog food in those cans–that stuff can get expensive.

13

The expense of various foods can be wildly misleading. The true cost is the cost per serving rather than the cost for an equivalently sized bag. Our Rottie Ilsa eats 3 cups a day of Canidae, to sustain her she would need twice as much Pedigree.

When you compute the cost per serving or per day there is very little difference. Another plus is that you have much less to (ahem) dispose of on their walks.

Good luck with your puppy Alice, pictures may be in order.

14

I actually have a few pics here, on my machine, but for some reason I can’t get them to show up on my page.

It’s very odd.

Anyhoo, puppy seems to be a healthy body weight and has loads of energy so I think the PHS is working ok. I’m interested in what people have to say about it though. :slight_smile: