In your opinion....Question about dry dog food

[Sharon]

I first found this website a few weeks after getting our first Cavalier, approx 10 months ago. Our vet put him on Science Diet, but after reading many of the posts on here, I decided to switch him to RC puppy food. He loved this from day 1 and was doing really well on it. A couple of months ago, I switched him to the RC27, which he loved just as much. I also include meats, fruits and veggies in his diet, but the RC was his main food.

Since the recall of RC food last week, I have taken our little chap off the RC27 and just given him home cooked food. I don't really know too much about other dog foods, and there seems to be quite a few threads about the recent recalls and what is good/not good to give your dog.

I would be grateful for anyone's opinion on which dry food is good for an 11 month old Cavalier who has been feed mostly Royal Canin. I am switching from topic to topic trying to work out what is good, what is not good, what is on the recall list and what is not, but am getting a bit muddled with all the different threads and what I should be looking out for.

Any opinions listed on this thread would be greatly appreaciated, as it will help me decide which food to purchase for Wrigley next week.

Thanks!
Sharon

[anniespeeps]

We have been very pleased with Eagle Pack. We originally put Annie on it because of her trouble with her hips. She has improved a lot, but I'm not sure if it's all due to the food. It is a little bit expensive, but well worth it in our opinion.

Anyway, people always comment about how shiny and soft her coat is. Eagle Pack is made from all natural ingredients, and all of the contents come from the USA (with a few exceptions). Their website is www.eaglepack.com. Annie eats the Holistic Select Chicken Meal and Rice Formula. It's made right up the road from us in Mishawaka, Indiana. They have a locater on their web site to find places that sell it in your area.

Dave

[Jessieca]

I personally feed our dog Wellness, and it seems to be a great food for him. We did quite a bit of research when initially choosing a food (he had allergies and a LOT of problems when he was initially eating Eukanuba - the food the breeder had been feeding him), and spoke with our vet about it, and we were recommended on multiple occasions to have him eat Wellness for puppies, so that is what we've been doing so far he seems to like it, and is a very healthy dog. We noticed his coat also appeared much shinier also after switching to this food. From what I have read, it is an excellent food, however I am new to these boards, so I am not sure what the feelings on Wellness are.

[Maxwell&me]

Well~ I used to feed Wellness, and when we got Hogan I had to switch to NB Venison and rice becouse he had tummy trouble on it...( and this is unusual for Wellness...I really loved it for Maxwell) ..and of course now the NB is part of the recall....so now we are 10 days into Merrick Wilderness with one bad day and so far after, so good.

Speaking of the wellness, it is REALLY great for their coat, Max hasnt had the same lovley sheen since the switch....Hmmmm.....perhaps Ill switch him back and give just Hogie the Merrick....

* Where is the little confused smiley face...anyway, insert him here....this recall stuff has been hard on all of us, and thankfully more dogs werent lost......Ill take the inconvience of the food switch*

[Maisie'smom]

I also give my 9 month old Maisie, Wellness. She is doing very well on it and none of their products in the U.S. have been recalled. I check their website daily for any notices.

[Shay]

My Lily is 8 months old and has been on RC since we brought her home. First baby dog, and then RC 27. She was doing great on the RC, but last Friday, I threw out what was left of the 27 and bought Wellness due to the new recall. She has only been on the Wellness for 2 days and her poops have been softer. That is probably because I wasn't able to transition her gradually. I have read great things about Wellness, but I have also read that it causes loose poops and tummy upsets in a lot of dogs. Hopefully, she will adjust to the new food. If not, I'll try something else, and maybe go back to RC, once I feel it's safe.

[Remali]

I've had my two on California Natural for a few months now, and they both do really well on it. Bentley had been having some loose stools with another dog food, and since he's been on California Natural we haven't had any more troubles with the loose stools.

[Sharon]

Can you buy Wellness at Petsmart or PetCo? I have been looking at their websites, but cannot find it listed. I usually shop at Petsmart, as it is the closest to me.

Also, I noticed on PetCo's website that they stock Castor & Pollux. I was looking at the Natural Ultramix Adult Canine Formula. The first ingredients I think are Chicken and Turkey. Their website seems to be quite informative about the recall and what they do and don't use in their products. Just wondered if anyone had tried this, or if it is considered a 'cheap' brand. I am not very clued up when it comes to dog food!

[Gracie's Mommy]

When Gracie came home from the breeder, she was on Nutro Puppy Chicken. I wasn't thrilled with the quality of the Nutro and talked to my vet about it on one of her puppy shot visits. He agreed that Nutro wasn't one of the brands that he recommends. However, he did recommend California Natural due to its limited ingredient list (good for dogs with allergies) and Wellness if allergies aren't a problem. I chose Wellness Super5Mix Chicken because I actually didn't want to have her on a food with so few ingredients at this point, until we need fewer (if allergies become a problem). The Wellness has worked great for us! Her coat is much shinier and she seems to really like it.

Not sure how others feel about this...but, my vet also recommended that we switch brands from time to time, but stick with Chicken/poultry formulas until she gets older. The reason for this is that they liked to have multiple proteins as an "ace up their sleeve" as she gets older and possibly becomes intolerant to certain proteins. So, we stick with chicken because it's what she started with and has always been on...but, the same would go for lamb, or whatever.

Edited to add...forgot to say that I get Wellness at the pet supply store that's run by the vet. However, Pet Supply Plus also has a store nearby that carries Wellness. It's not available at Petco or Petsmart, though. From what I've read here, I think that RC and Natural Balance are the best brands available at those two stores...unfortunately, now their both part of the recall. Also, Om's Mom has been posting some very informative threads about dog food analysis that might be worth a read!

[Shay]

I also checked Petsmart, and didn't see if on their website. I didn't check Petco. I bought mine at Pet Supply Plus. Do you have one of those where you live? They have every dog food you have every heard of nd some I've never heard of. They have a huge selection of all natural and holistic foods. They have Canidae and Invova EVO, whcih I also considered.