Any advice/opinions on this dog food? Switching from puppy to adult food...

We are currently feeding Rose Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul. It's time to switch to an adult food, and I was hoping for some advice/opinions about foods. These are the ones I'm currently considering. The Wysong may be hard to get, but since she has anal gland issues, I was thinking of trying it since it has raw in it, and I think I read it might help (?) (though the shredded wheat may be helping ).

Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul: http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/dogs/dry_food/adult_dog_formula/

Protein: 24% Fat: 14%
Calories: 3,593 kcal/kg (336 kcal/cup) Calculated ME
Available in 6 lb, 18 lb and 35 lb bags.
Ingredients

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, ocean fish meal, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, dried kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberries, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Wysong Nurture with Free Range Pheasant: http://www.wysong.net/products/nurturefr-natural-healthy-dog-cat-food.php



GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (Min)
39.0%


Crude Fat (Min)
13.0%


Crude Fiber (Max)
3.0%


Moisture (Max)
12.0%


Taurine (Min)
0.26%




Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Giblets, Pheasant, Poultry Fat, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Oat Groats, Whole Egg, DL-Methionine, Salt, Taurine, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Coconut, Sage Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Kelp, Garlic, Black Pepper, Artichoke, Dried Bacillus suhtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Produ|ct, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product, Dried Yeast Culture, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Ascorbic Acid, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement.

Canidae: http://www.canidae.com/dogs/single-grain-protein-plus/dry-more.html

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein
(min.)
29.00%

Crude Fat
(min.)
14.00%

Crude Fiber
(max.)
4.00%

Moisture
(max.)
10.00%

Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)
(min.)
3.10%

Iron(min.)
160.00
mg/kg
Zinc(min.)
160.00
mg/kg
Vitamin E
(min.)
200.00
IU/kg
Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3)*
(min.)
0.40%

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
(min.)
50.00
mg/kg
Lactobacillus Acidophilus*
(min.)
100 million
CFU/lb.
Cellulase* (a)
(min.)
100
CMCU/kg

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.(a) One Carboxymethyl Cellulose Unit (CMCU) liberates one micromole of reducing sugar (expressed as glucose equivalents) in one minute under the conditions of the assay.


CANIDAE All Natural Ingredients
Chicken, turkey meal, brown rice, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), chicken meal, lamb meal, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, natural mixed tocopherols, suncured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta-carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, papaya, pineapple.

A lot of people like those brands and they have fine ingredients -- really it is up to what your dog likes and you are happy with. Personally I feel a lot of these kinds of foods are overpriced and trendy in their ingredients and I like to feed something simpler and generally less costly, and then add 'real' food rather than relying on extruded dry foods to which vitamins and minerals have to be added back in to make them nutritionally adequate (as you can see from those ingredients lists -- most of what is in all the trendy ingredients (papaya?!) is lost in the processing).

Many people including many breeders never feed puppy food -- feeling it is a bit of marketing hype more or less -- but if you've been using a puppy food you could either just move to the adult version of whatever you fed as puppy food or try something new.

Thanks, Karlin . I think I will probably just move her to the adult version of Chicken Soup. The price isn't that bad, and she seems to like it okay. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have personal experience with "store brands" vs. the pricier ones. I could feed our 60 lb. boxer with the severe heart issues Canidae and keep her a healthy weight for the same amount of money per month as I was spending on Pedigree with our previous dog, a 40 lb Corgi (that was a shock), and one of our cats who had a rough coat all her life, ended up having a soft, lovely coat when I switched from Science Diet to Felidae. It was just so surprising (and I felt bad that she was obviously missing something diet wise, and I didn't realize it). It's just figuring out what the point is that makes one better than the other :huh: without overpaying. So far, I've gotten that meat/meal as the first ingredient (as opposed to corn) is supposed to be better and produce less, um, waste . I just don't know what the "point of diminishing returns" is with ingredients vs. price.

And yes, I admit to being a little food obsessed now , as I also have a cat who has kidney disease and is allergic to fish, and had 2 cats with hyperthyroidism, who all would free feed out of the same bowl, so I have had to turn into a bit of a rabid label reader, icon_nwunsure. I drive myself nuts .