Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[fairytale.]

What kind of dry dog food do you guys recommend? Some people I know said IAMS, Fromm or Royal Canin but after researching all of them, I’m not sure I like any of them...

My Aussie isn’t eating the brand she’s on now and I’d like to switch it up. Any suggestions would be awesome!

I think diet is really dependent on what you want to feed your dog and the dog you're feeding! What is it that you don't like in a food, and what are things you do like? What has your dog done well on?
The dry foods currently in my rotation/that get fed to my different dogs are Purina One, Beaverdam Hi-Energy, Victor Professional, and Eukanuba Fit Body. The Purina One formulas I've feed seem to have had a really good response from my dogs. My pickiest eater *loves it*. I don't love the ingredients and I don't think she really thrives on it, but I rotate it in because it really is the highest value food (or treat) to her! She gets a tad greasy/stinky and has eye boogers when I feed it, but maintains weight, stool is fine, and she consistently eats her meals. She would rather take it than training treats haha.
I've fed both of my litters Fromm, and my dogs have all eaten it in the past and I'd consider feeding it again. Iams is one that I've looked at but never ended up buying. A lot of collie breeders use it and recommend it, and their studies have been cited in multiple dog seminars I've attended/watched. I'm constantly torn between ingredient reading and also understanding that a lot of these foods with "lower quality" ingredients are thoroughly researched and formulated by veterinary nutritionists. I understand and support either wanting a "clean" ingredient list or wanting a scientifically backed food. But knowing what kind of food you're looking for really helps in being able to suggest foods :)

[Blue_Aussie]

My Aussie is only a year and a half so she been on the Science diet puppy food and adult food. But she hasn’t been interested in her meals at all the last couple months (she’s been to the vet and is healthy). She’s just a picky eater. I’m not sure what I like and don’t like in dog foods yet. I really just want it to be healthy, not cause any sort of problems and I want Mazie to eat it. Thanks for all the info on the brands!

[fairytale.]

My Aussie is only a year and a half so she been on the Science diet puppy food and adult food. But she hasn’t been interested in her meals at all the last couple months (she’s been to the vet and is healthy). She’s just a picky eater. I’m not sure what I like and don’t like in dog foods yet. I really just want it to be healthy, not cause any sort of problems and I want Mazie to eat it. Thanks for all the info on the brands!

I only ask because the foods you mentioned are all pretty different (in my opinion anyway!) but you said you didn't really like any of them. Narrowing down your likes and dislikes will help people give better suggestions. Dogs can have reactions to any kinds of foods, so it is kind of trial and error to figure out what works for your dog! I will say that most people I know have fed Purina Pro Plan and Purina One with minimal complaints.

[Blue_Aussie]

Awesome thanks! I’ll have to see what one I like then c:

[houndoom]

i second who said pro plan, Lucky is doing excellent on it. He's fit and he has a good coat. It's not as expensive as other brands either, i find it to be the perfect cost/quality balance. I wish i could afford to go raw with him, but i have nowhere to fit an extra freezer haha,,,

[eleutheromania]

I’ve used Fromm for 5 years now and had no issues. dogs have done amazing on it including the canned variation. I also add in Dr Harvey’s Dehydrated Blend and give fresh foods too. Other foods i’ve used are Acana and Orijen. My poodle breeder uses TLC and swears by it up and down and his dogs are always in good health, coat, and energy. TLC you can’t find in stores, you have to order directly from the website. Honest Kitchen, Stella and Chewy, and Red barn are some others ive mixed in every now and then with their dry food/wet food.

[Velveteen Hound.]

I’ve used Fromm for 5 years now and had no issues. dogs have done amazing on it including the canned variation. I also add in Dr Harvey’s Dehydrated Blend and give fresh foods too. Other foods i’ve used are Acana and Orijen. My poodle breeder uses TLC and swears by it up and down and his dogs are always in good health, coat, and energy. TLC you can’t find in stores, you have to order directly from the website. Honest Kitchen, Stella and Chewy, and Red barn are some others ive mixed in every now and then with their dry food/wet food.

I really like Fromm from what I have read, and my dog really liked it to for about 4 months. Now he won't touch it ;; He is one of those I have to mix up foods with as well. He goes through periods where he loves a food for a while, and then straight up won't touch it. I'm going to start running out of brands here soon.

[Imzadi83]

I’ve used Fromm for 5 years now and had no issues. dogs have done amazing on it including the canned variation. I also add in Dr Harvey’s Dehydrated Blend and give fresh foods too. Other foods i’ve used are Acana and Orijen. My poodle breeder uses TLC and swears by it up and down and his dogs are always in good health, coat, and energy. TLC you can’t find in stores, you have to order directly from the website. Honest Kitchen, Stella and Chewy, and Red barn are some others ive mixed in every now and then with their dry food/wet food.

I really like Fromm from what I have read, and my dog really liked it to for about 4 months. Now he won't touch it ;; He is one of those I have to mix up foods with as well. He goes through periods where he loves a food for a while, and then straight up won't touch it. I'm going to start running out of brands here soon.

Have you tried adding something to the food, like a spoonful of wet food, some sardines, baby food, etc? What about doling it out throughout the day via training or in puzzle toys? That might be more interesting to him then just eating it out of a bowl all the time.

[fairytale.]

I’ve used Fromm for 5 years now and had no issues. dogs have done amazing on it including the canned variation. I also add in Dr Harvey’s Dehydrated Blend and give fresh foods too. Other foods i’ve used are Acana and Orijen. My poodle breeder uses TLC and swears by it up and down and his dogs are always in good health, coat, and energy. TLC you can’t find in stores, you have to order directly from the website. Honest Kitchen, Stella and Chewy, and Red barn are some others ive mixed in every now and then with their dry food/wet food.

I really like Fromm from what I have read, and my dog really liked it to for about 4 months. Now he won't touch it ;; He is one of those I have to mix up foods with as well. He goes through periods where he loves a food for a while, and then straight up won't touch it. I'm going to start running out of brands here soon.

Have you tried adding something to the food, like a spoonful of wet food, some sardines, baby food, etc? What about doling it out throughout the day via training or in puzzle toys? That might be more interesting to him then just eating it out of a bowl all the time.

Yes, toppers can be super helpful! I'll keep crumbs from the ends of bags of treats, sometimes buy bags of freeze dried treats just to use as toppers. Eggs, kefir, even shredded cheese can be great! Thora is a picky eater and will sometimes just decide once we open a new bag of food that she doesn't like it anymore, so I usually switch brands every other bag. Swapping brands or flavors is a good way to keep them from getting bored of their food or reliant on toppers, and has the added benefit of your pet being used to food switches in case your food is ever recalled.
Puzzle toys are a lifesaver too. If you don't have any, you can always take an old towel and lay it out, sprinkle kibble over it and roll it back up. My dogs love that! Imzadi83 is right, your dog working for their food can really increase the value of whatever you're feeding them. They're less likely to turn it down when they have to earn it vs when they're presented with it.

[Velveteen Hound.]

I’ve used Fromm for 5 years now and had no issues. dogs have done amazing on it including the canned variation. I also add in Dr Harvey’s Dehydrated Blend and give fresh foods too. Other foods i’ve used are Acana and Orijen. My poodle breeder uses TLC and swears by it up and down and his dogs are always in good health, coat, and energy. TLC you can’t find in stores, you have to order directly from the website. Honest Kitchen, Stella and Chewy, and Red barn are some others ive mixed in every now and then with their dry food/wet food.

I really like Fromm from what I have read, and my dog really liked it to for about 4 months. Now he won't touch it ;; He is one of those I have to mix up foods with as well. He goes through periods where he loves a food for a while, and then straight up won't touch it. I'm going to start running out of brands here soon.

Have you tried adding something to the food, like a spoonful of wet food, some sardines, baby food, etc? What about doling it out throughout the day via training or in puzzle toys? That might be more interesting to him then just eating it out of a bowl all the time.

I have tried adding water, adding wet food, adding raw toppers, low sodium broth and many other things. He hits a point where he just won't eat (a substantial amount) till I try something new. It really sucks when I am stuck in the middle of a bag.