Dog Food Choices

Lately alot of you have been asking me about different dog foods.


I'll admit it. I used to be a dog food snob. I sold dog food for a big box petstore, and I believed most of the hoopla the sales reps told us each week when they'd come in with the new promotions.


I was sure that Science Diet killed dogs. I was also sure the beet pulp in Iam's turned dogs' coats red (the good folks at each of these company's competitor's were sure to let us know these nasty trade secrets - most of which are completely BUNK!).


The short of the long is this: There are federal regulations for pet foods and there is some level of accountability that the companies that produce pet foods are held to. It may be a higher level of accountability than most companies that produce herbal supplements are held to, but that's a whole other story.


In essence, most premium foods are pretty good.


You need to find one that works for YOUR dog. I've seen dogs do beautifully on good ol' Purina Dog Chow. I've seen others that could only eat Elk and Sweet Potato diets that cost $65/bag.


I currently happen to feed Science Diet. I used to feed Nutromax. And for a stretch of about 3-4 years, I fed a raw diet that I prepared for the dogs.


Here's what I've learned:

1. If you find a good food, STICK with it.

2. If your dog isn't doing well on it's current food, and you're going to switch the food, do it SLOWLY - it should take about 10 to 14 days of mixing the old and new foods, gradually increasing the new and decreasing the old food.

3. If your dog is having anxiety or aggression issues, you may want to look at a lower protein percentage for that dog's diet. - Dr. Nicholas Dodman suggests 16 to 20 percent protein in his book "The Dog Who Loved Too Much", Bantam Books, 1996, p.68.

4. DO consider the needs of your aging dog, and talk to your veterinarian about switching to a senior diet if your dog is getting up there in years. Some of the new senior diets even help with cognitive fuction (helping to ward off confusion and senility) and most of them support the joints and other health systems of seniors.

5. If you have a large or giant breed puppy, consult your vet and don't overfeed - these breeds can be vastly affected by the food they get as young dogs. In fact, many breeders and veterinarians recommend feeding adult food to giant breed puppies.

Well, that's about it from this end of the leash.