Dry dog food help

Hello all!
I would like to know everyones opinion on what the best dry dog food is. I've tried to do some research (hours!) I read many of you feed Burns, but that is not available in the USA. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
:thnku:

That's a hard question - The best food is the one your dog does the best on, but with my rescues, and when I travel, I swear by Canidae Chicken and Rice. Never found another food that not only do my dogs love, but they all seem to do very well on. But I know others have said it can be to rich for their dogs, so it just depends on your dog.

We've just been through a terrible time in trying to get our new pup Chloe onto a food she could tolerate. Her breeder fed her for the first 10 months on a dry food (think its Irish made) called Gain. When I ran out of the supply he gave me when we bought her, I tried her with Mills, James Wellbeloved and Royal Canine (lots of different types). They all disagreed with her and she had a really very upset tummy for a few days as a result.

I finally found a Royal Canine food (Mini junior) that suits her perfect. The kibble is really tiny and as she is really small herself - she can manage to eat it with no hassle. Her stomach is way better and she wolfs her dinner down every day. Can you get Royal Canine in the US?? (probably a stupid question, so sorry if the answer is obvious)

I tried Royal Canine and my pups wouldn't touch it! I'm so frustrated! It's not a stupid question at all! I would ask the same thing. LOL

What a beautiful dog!

i just switched to EVO. and my dogs stools are very very SMALL now!!!!

Evo is a good choice. I feed my finicky little eater a variety of foods as did her breeder. Her breeder liked to give her dogs a variety of foods. My Dixie has no problem at all with different foods. In fact, I think she would be bored with just one food all the time, but that is just the way she eats. I am not saying it is right or wrong. Some of the foods she eats are: Nature's Variety (Prairie), Merrick (Grmmy's Pot Pie), Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Evo, Royal Canine, and Canidae These foods come in different flavors and also with canned food. I sometimes mix a littlle canned with the dry, but she doesn't really like the canned, but I know some of the dogs just devour the Merrick canned food. I think all of the above were listed in the Whole Dog's Journal as being good dry food. Good Luck. Judy

Most of the time if dogs won't eat a food it is simply the dogs holding out for the social interaction of you then trying to persuade them or offer something new -- not a real food issue at all. This breed seems to be particularly smart at copping on that they can get lots of attention and different foods if they simply hold out. Have a read of the finicky eater thread in the Library (Caring for your Cavalier section). It might be the answer, rather than trying lots of different foods.

There really isn't a single 'best' food. The most expensive are not necessarily the best foods either, though anything sold in a supermarket is going to be mediocre quality. Best thing to do is read up on how to interpret dog food labels (there are threads on this in the Library section too) and find a food that appeals in both price and ingredients an stick with that long enough to get the dogs eating consistently. I like to have two or three different foods that I rotate -- once one bag finishes I tend to change flavours or brand the next bag. I feed James Wellbeloved or Royal Canin or homecooked.

We have tried Artemis, Innova, Canidae, Royal Canin, Blue, and California Natural, and Dottie doesn't like ANY of them unless it is mixed with beef, or chicken, or scrambled egg, etc.

I gave up and based on all the rave reviews of the prepared raw food diets, went out and bought Primal Duck. OH MY GOODNESS! She LOVES it, it's gone in 60 seconds or less, and she is a very happy girl. Her stools are much firmer and she is not passing gas (so unlady like) the way she was before. We will see how it goes, but so far, so good!

My Jato loves Canidae Chicken and Rice.

After trying many different foods, we finally settled on Innova Evo Chicken.

Most recently we had tried Merrick Terducken which she liked but for some reason caused her to be pooping like 4 times a day of formed stool, including waking up in the middle of the night. I really don't know why... too much fiber for her, maybe.

I usually add something in to "get her started". Most recently it's been a canned food by Weruva called Funky Chunky Chicken Soup. I only put a little in.

Sometimes I mix in a little steamed chicken or roasted turkey, or frozen raw chicken (forgot the brand, maybe Natures Variety?), or a little shredded cheese.

I know it's my own fault she is somewhat finicky.

It would be good to look at sources like the Whole Dog Journal, and sites like dogfoodanalysis.com, as well as others listed on this board over the last few months. If you search on this board (I mean use the search function), you will find lots of threads with links and specific brands.

I have been feeding Taste of the Wild Pacific Salmon formula off and on for the past few months. The ingredients look really good, Daisy seems to really like it, and she does well on it. It is grain-free, which I think is good. We just finished a bag of Halo's Spot's Stew, which also includes salmon. It looks really good, too.

Look at the ingredients list for lots of meats as the first several ingredients and avoid grain parts like corn gluten, wheat gluten, rice hulls, etc. Also avoid animal fat, unless it's specifically identified as chicken fat. Too many meat meals or meat by-products are also a problem, IMO. I've become a real label reader myself, so I feel pretty confident picking out the winners from the losers.

I like the ingredients of EVO, but Daisy won't touch it, though I've tried it several times. I wish she would. One food she does like right off the bat is "Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul." I hate the kitchy name, but the ingredients do look pretty good.

I've been trying out different foods for my 3, and just lately have settled on Nature's Variety Prairie Venison & Millet dry, Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken dry, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry.

I would love to try them on Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit dry, but have never seen it at the stores. I'm also planning to try foods with salmon or other fish as the protein in the future.

In the past I have fed them Evo, Canidae, California Natural, and Royal Canin, all of which they enjoyed. Geordie and India were eating NV raw frozen rabbit and lamb for a few months recently when we were trying to figure out their food sensitivities.

I totally agree with you! I do spoil them and I think they DO hold out!

She's so pretty!

You may not have to change your food at all. I use Merrick's Dry Food - Turducken variety. Jolly is my finicky eater. So I spoon some canned gravy on the dry food and mix it together and he gobbles it right up. He just doesn't like any plain dry dog food, because I have tried a few different brands. What works for him is a little gravy.

I feed Orijen, a Canadian food that can be purchased in the US at pet specialty shops. The dogs LOVE it and their poops are very compact and easy to clean up. It's also grain-free, high protein.

I sometimes supplement with Nupro Gold to make a gravy as they really seem to like that! Good luck!

PS/ Probably the switching around of the foods all the time was giving her an upset tummy. It can take up to 2 weeks for some dogs to acclimate to a new food.

We are a Castor and Pollux household.

I love and adore the Castor and Pollux brands of food. We've been feeding Romeo (our cat) this since we got him as a wee kitty and he has thrived on it. It was only natural when we got Tybalt to start him on this brand as well. He had been on Iam's at the breeders and we slowly mixed his foods over a couple weeks to get him acclimated to the Castor and Pollux puppy food. It has no by products in it, the ingredients are simple, chicken, dried bits of fruits and veggies, DHA and vitamins and minerals.

So far so good! Whole Dog Journal recommends it!

We've had Bella for almost 3 months now, she's almost 11 months old...at 8 months, the breeder had her on Purina Pro Plan for sensitive skin and stomachs, she would mix in some Merrick wet food. Our veterinarian didn't agree that she should be on a adult food at 8 months, so I took her advice and tried to switch her to a puppy food...we tried Wellness,Flint River Ranch...she would eat them for a few days, then stop...I finally bought some Royal Canine mini, and she loves it! It's not a puppy food, but she eats it, and she eats it dry:razz: Good Luck!

Burns mini bites with nature diet (slightly wet food) combo.