[Nibbler]

I'm Looking for ideas for dog food. Spezza is picky on what he will eat, He was on Iam's from the spca but he doesnt like it so i tried blue buffalo at my moms he didn't like it iv tried alpo today and he just hates the stuff. What brand of food do you use ? Orijin here is retardly expensive, 40 something plus tax for a small bag so thats out of the question.

what i need in the dog food is something thats soft but not wet food, that would work for spezza that is good for him why i need something semi soft is because hes missing 8 teeth, I was also thinking something easy for him to digest and something ment for small dogs. Any suggestions ?

I plan to drive a little over an hour to petsmart in ottawa ontario since hull quebec(where im from) doesn't seem very many selections for foods.

I would prefer a food that I can get at the petshop as well as local supermarket if possible, if not its not a big deal ill just really stock up before hubby goes back to work.


Thanks in advance for all the help:confetti:

 

[Toirtis]

I would seriously consider a slightly moistened Orijen, which is likely to be a lot less expensive at PetSmart than it is where you are (I understand your problems...I do not have enough fingers and toes to count off all the ways I hate Hull). Anything a supermarket carries is nothing I would feed to cockroaches, much less dogs. If you can return to Ottawa 3 times yearly, and get a decent supply of quality food on your Ottawa trip to last 4 months, you are set.

 

[Nibbler]

I would seriously consider a slightly moistened Orijen, which is likely to be a lot less expensive at PetSmart than it is where you are (I understand your problems...I do not have enough fingers and toes to count off all the ways I hate Hull). Anything a supermarket carries is nothing I would feed to cockroaches, much less dogs. If you can return to Ottawa 3 times yearly, and get a decent supply of quality food on your Ottawa trip to last 4 months, you are set.

is orijen soft ? since spezza is missing 8 teeth,it makes it hard to chew for him.

 

[Sasami]

Why can't you feed canned? I was thinking maybe you could mix canned with the dry to make it moist and more palatable.

For dry kibble, you can always add water to the food to make it moist . If you can't get Orijen, look for EVO...I sometimes feed it to my foster dogs and even the picky guys don't normally turn it down. Wellness Core is good but I've had several dogs who didn't like it.

I have a feeling he can eat food just fine, though, even with the missing teeth . My current foster dog is missing teeth and has a severe underbite yet can chew through raw bones no problem. I even know someone who feeds their Dachshund raw...and that dog only has three or four teeth left! I think this is a matter of Spezza being picky, not being unable to chew.

If there's no major reason not to feed canned, I'd definitely consider trying it, even just mixed with dry food. Most dogs LOVE stinky canned food, haha. Try the EVO cans, they're mostly just meat and pretty appealing to dogs.

 

[Jess]

Chuey is usually a picky eater too, but he LOVES canned food. Taste of the Wild and Chicken Soup for the Dog's Soul are his favorites so far, and Chicken Soup even has a senior formula. I mix it in with his dry dog food, and he licks the bowl clean LOL.

 

[Nibbler]

unfortunatley he doesn't like wet food weve tried mixing it in before he wasnt interested , even when its just water hes not interested. Has anyone every tried the brand nutro ?

 

[Jess]

Yeah, Chuey is on the Grain Free Turkey flavored Nutro. This one:
http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-fo...food/grain-free-adult-turkey-meal-potato.aspx


It doesn't have any fillers or by-products, so I think it's a decent food.

 

[Nibbler]

Yeah, Chuey is on the Grain Free Turkey flavored Nutro. This one:
http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-fo...food/grain-free-adult-turkey-meal-potato.aspx


It doesn't have any fillers or by-products, so I think it's a decent food.

We got spezza the chicken one today I think its chicken maybe turkey . lol. he actually likes it im impressed. and my local super market carries it which is suprising

 

[Kendalle]

i think purina beyond is a pretty good food you could try that, they sell it at some super markets and dogs do pretty well on it.

 

[wishbone]

Maybe you can visit this site too for more options and details: dogfoodanalysis.com

 

[jlckao]

Depending on your location, prices might actually vary quite a bit. Here in california, I find EVO is a lot cheaper than orijen, and cheaper than most other grainless food except taste of the wild. Costco actually sells grainless dog food now too, the kibble shape is small, but quite hard (similar to natural balance LID) you might want to add water to soften it up.

 

[Purple-Hops]

If you're looking for kibble Coco fancied Holistic Blend (no nasty by products, grain, corn, soy, etc). I used to soak it overnight and between meals in an air tight container (Bc I once caught mice having a feed out of his open dish in my old house). We tried Chicken Soup kibble (which we won but I hear it's a good price) and while it put Coco worse off there are a lot of dogs who fare well off it. Then we had PC Nutrition First food. It was a great price and was pretty close to holistic (no grains, soy, by-products, corn etc). All the food I fed Coco was available at Dominion, which is our Loblaws company. It might be at Save-Easy but try LOBLAWS!!!! I'm sure Quesbec has Loblaws branches. And you'd be surprised at what the "Natural Value" and "Natural" sections carry!
As Sasami mentioned, he might be able to eat kibble fine. My bf's cat back in NS has NO teeth and he eats as good as, or better than, the other cats!!
As for wet food, the other suggestions are fine (except I don't think senior food makes it any better. New research supports that senior food can mess up dogs for the quality.. But don't quote me on that. I fed Coco regular food because he was active up until his last day) Try "Lick Your Chops". It's another holistic slow stewed recipe. Coco knew what it was just by looking at it unopened, he loved it! You can get like 4 flavors I think.. Also available at Dominion!

Dominion and PC brands are still store brands but they're easily accesible and cheap for the quality.

 

[Jess]

@Amanda: Do you have any links for why senior food is bad? Just curious! When I compare the nutritional info, the main difference I see is that is has lower protein, and it usually has lower fat and less calories. Chuey's dry food is just an adult food, but I thought the senior canned food might be good to try.

 

[Sasami]

@Amanda: Do you have any links for why senior food is bad? Just curious! When I compare the nutritional info, the main difference I see is that is has lower protein, and it usually has lower fat and less calories. Chuey's dry food is just an adult food, but I thought the senior canned food might be good to try.

Hey, I'm not Amanda but I have a couple of links that she may be referring to . Senior foods are a scam IMO, as are most "Puppy" or breed-specific foods. Great marketing gimmick, though, I'll give them that!

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/karen-becker-best-worst-dog-food/

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=feeding_senior_dogs

Seniors actually need higher protein and that protein should be easy to digest (so from meat products as opposed to, say, peas or corn).

 

[Purple-Hops]

Thanks Sasami for the links!! I just remember seeing it on a Marketplace pet food special about 2 years ago No hope of recovering it.. Then on a youtube vid by an acclaimed pet nutritionist.. That's why I said don't quote me!! Bc I had no real evidence, only heresay.

Many older dogs aren't as active, as are overweight dogs, so I think the "gimmick" lies in promoting a reduced carb kibble and to exercise the dog for weightloss. As my only recent experience with a senior dog was Coco, I didn't see the need to reduce his carbs because he was still going for like 4 walks a day and playing leash-less on the street we lived on at night. Plus, if anything, Coco was underweight!

As with any diet, research is important but personal experience is #1

 

[Sasami]

Thanks Sasami for the links!! I just remember seeing it on a Marketplace pet food special about 2 years ago No hope of recovering it.. Then on a youtube vid by an acclaimed pet nutritionist.. That's why I said don't quote me!! Bc I had no real evidence, only heresay.

Many older dogs aren't as active, as are overweight dogs, so I think the "gimmick" lies in promoting a reduced carb kibble and to exercise the dog for weightloss. As my only recent experience with a senior dog was Coco, I didn't see the need to reduce his carbs because he was still going for like 4 walks a day and playing leash-less on the street we lived on at night. Plus, if anything, Coco was underweight!

As with any diet, research is important but personal experience is #1

You know, I think a lot of senior dogs aren't as active because people stop exercising for fear it'll be too much. Gracie is 13 and while she sleeps all day she's still up for long walks and even chases bubbles . Coco was probably the same...you keeping him active, well, kept him active! Which definitely improved his quality of life.

Most of the senior foods I've seen actually had more carbs...or they just switched them. It's amazing how many foods switch from corn to potatoes just so they can say "grain-free"...as if that's sooo much better . Ah well, some of the companies ARE improving now.

 

[Purple-Hops]

That is probably the case. My sister and mother told me to take it easy on Coco..... But they didn't see him playing in the street! Running after his bouncing Kong or taking his leash for a walk The only time he slowed down was in winter, also that was the only time of year I had to carry him as well (bc salt brine irritated him too bad).. Just couldn't say no to him!

I only recently learned that potato was used to replace grains.. Is sweet potato a good ingredient? (as opposed to potato carb... Bc I always thought potato was poison for dogs)

 

[Sasami]

That is probably the case. My sister and mother told me to take it easy on Coco..... But they didn't see him playing in the street! Running after his bouncing Kong or taking his leash for a walk The only time he slowed down was in winter, also that was the only time of year I had to carry him as well (bc salt brine irritated him too bad).. Just couldn't say no to him!

I only recently learned that potato was used to replace grains.. Is sweet potato a good ingredient? (as opposed to potato carb... Bc I always thought potato was poison for dogs)

Carbohydrates in general aren't great for dogs. Dogs that are allergic to grains obviously do better with a potato-based food but for a dog without allergies I don't think the carb source matters all that much. I mean, I'd rather see brown rice used in food instead of brewer's rice...but the difference between using wheat and potatoes is minimal.

When feeding a commercial diet I recommend picking out the one with the most meat and least carbs, provided there aren't any funky deal-breaker ingredients like "meat and bone meal" or sugar.

The problem lately is that since people have begun to preach the benefits of "grain-free" (which often meant more meat), some companies are taking advantage by simply replacing the grains with potatoes. Those foods aren't much better than grain-inclusive foods, they just get to say "grain-free!"

It's impossible to make a dry kibble without carbohydrates of any kind but they should be far down on the list. Unfortunately, I've been seeing grain-free foods lately that have "potatoes" or "sweet potatoes" as the third or even second ingredient!

 

[Purple-Hops]

Oops, I guess it comes with lack of research.. I admit I am ignorant of the fact. While I switched Coco to a "grain free", I think they contained potato instead.

 

[Sasami]

Oops, I guess it comes with lack of research.. I admit I am ignorant of the fact. While I switched Coco to a "grain free", I think they contained potato instead.

No problem, it took me a while to realize it, too! For a while I tended to equate grain-free with more meat.

Potatoes aren't evil or anything, they just shouldn't be high in the ingredients list . I personally don't like my dogs to have carbs at all but there are plenty who do perfectly with them. I have two special needs dogs so it makes sense for me to avoid them completely (I have a dog with food allergies and so-called IBD and another who's prone to yeast infections).