Dog is less than a year old, and about 15 pounds. Mix of several things, likely poodle etc.

When I was growing up, Purina "Chow" was the only choice. If you had a dog, it was "Dog Chow", if you had a cat it was "Cat Chow" a rabbit would get "Rabbit Chow."

But now, I go to the pet stores, and I see so many dog food choices. I'm not sure where to begin. I see "grain free" and then a few aisles down I see "Natural Grain". I see Chicken, I see Beef, I see Turkey, and I see one with a mix of Veggies mixed in. There is also some type of refrigerated raw food, which seems very expensive for what it is. So I end up confused and not knowing what to get.

The other factor is I want something "safe." The big Melamine Pet Food Recall of 2007 still hasn't left my mind, although that recall was more than a decade ago.

So, any ideas on which is best?? We have PetSmart, Petco, and a bunch of smaller specialized pet supply stores near us. We also have the farm stores.

thanks!

Jeff Yarchin runs The Pet Place so I'd contact him for insight and suggestions.

We have had good luck feeding Diamond food. More specifically the Diamond Naturals line.

It can be found at most pet stores as well as online through Amazon, Chewy, and I'm sure many others.

We feed a raw diet for all 4 of our dogs. It’s grain free and no fillers where you have to worry about the heart issues that are rumored to be caused by grain free foods.

This supposed issue isn’t because of being grain free but rather the fillers used in grain free foods, namely legumes, peas, and such....and they cause a deficiency in taurine...the lack of taurine is what is actually causing the issues.

Raw food is primarily made from meat, and meat is the primary source of taurine. So that’s why I say you don’t have to worry about those heart issues.

Anyway...if you’re open to trying a raw diet and let me know which brands they have at your local store I could give my recommendations of which one to feed.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ has a lot of good information on the various foods. There is current debate about grain vs non-grain foods, there's no clear answers though.

I generally rotate through very good rated foods, every other bag or so. The hardest thing about only ever going with one dog food is that the dog will get that exact mix of nutrients for long periods, but your particular dog might need a little more or little less of any one certain thing. But varying through multiple foods tends to help that. I know some folks have one food for breakfast, and a separate one at dinner, though that might be a bit much.

One thing to remember though: When your vet went to vet school, that in most cases had a 3 hour class on pet food put on by Purina. I've heard this claim on the internet, and even asked 2 of my dogs vets about it, and they agreed that was about how it went. So they might not be the best ones to give out advice on food, unless they have a specific concern about your particular pet.

We have a poodle mix with food allergies and we feed him food from "Dr. Marty" in Chatsworth, CA.
Its freeze-dried so you have to soak it in water before feeding.
They mail us a box every other month or so.
Its a bit expensive but its the the only thing we've found that does not aggrevate the allergies.

Whatever doesn't come from grocery stores, and is used by serious dog show people, those would be on the approved list to try.

There are lots of great choices out there.

As a company we avoid Science Diet, Purina and Blue Buffalo. I'm not saying these are not good companies but we stay away from them.

1. Avoid anything with corn, wheat, soy of by-products of any kind.

2.'Small Breed' food is a thing. In most cases the only difference is the kibble size. In most cases unless you have a really small pup it's just marketing.

3. Make sure you avoid anything edible that is made or formulated in China.

4. We prefer the smaller family owned companies. Fromm, Acana, Nutrisourse, and PureVita are a few of our favorite dry food makers. There are a bunch. As long as you pay attention to #1,2 and 3. you will be fine.

We love the raw diets but they are pricy. One of ours gets Raw and one doesn't. The one that doesn't can't tolerate it for some reason. For Raw we like Primal, Tuckers and Stella & Chewy.

Raw freeze dried is another option. Stella & Chewy is our choice there.

A small dog doesn't eat as much so a raw diet may work for you.

All family owned pet stores offer a frequent buyer program for most food companies. Big box stores and internet sellers do not have these programs. Buy 10, get one free. They keep track of it for you.

Most consumers think that an independent pet store will always have higher prices than you can get in a big box or on line. 90% of the time we and many pet stores are less expensive, especially when you factor in the frequent buyer programs.

Hope this helps!

Edited to add: I re-read the OP and forgot to mention, if you are shopping the farm stores, Victor is a great, budget friendly food. Some independent stores sell it too.

quote:

Originally posted by K0ZZZ:
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ has a lot of good information on the various foods. There is current debate about grain vs non-grain foods, there's no clear answers though.

I generally rotate through very good rated foods, every other bag or so. The hardest thing about only ever going with one dog food is that the dog will get that exact mix of nutrients for long periods, but your particular dog might need a little more or little less of any one certain thing. But varying through multiple foods tends to help that. I know some folks have one food for breakfast, and a separate one at dinner, though that might be a bit much.

One thing to remember though: When your vet went to vet school, that in most cases had a 3 hour class on pet food put on by Purina. I've heard this claim on the internet, and even asked 2 of my dogs vets about it, and they agreed that was about how it went. So they might not be the best ones to give out advice on food, unless they have a specific concern about your particular pet.

There is good news regarding the FDA's DCM (Heart) investigation. The FDA announced last week that there is no connection with a grain free diet and DCM.

https://www.petbusiness.com/in...LuOSTh1-b3s6kX80-Hb0

Origen Small Breed. Expensive but generally considered one of if the best dry kibble.

We’ve switched to Dr Tim’s and Annamaet and are very pleased.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Whatever doesn't come from grocery stores, and is used by serious dog show people, those would be on the approved list to try.

My mother in law is a breeder & has done dog shows with her dogs

They get 4health from Tractor Supply.

We switched from Beneful to 4health with our dog. $/lb is better too.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
There are lots of great choices out there.

1. Avoid anything with corn, wheat, soy of by-products of any kind.

2.'Small Breed' food is a thing. In most cases the only difference is the kibble size. In most cases unless you have a really small pup it's just marketing.

3. Make sure you avoid anything edible that is made or formulated in China.

Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
There are lots of great choices out there.

1. Avoid anything with corn, wheat, soy of by-products of any kind.

2.'Small Breed' food is a thing. In most cases the only difference is the kibble size. In most cases unless you have a really small pup it's just marketing.

3. Make sure you avoid anything edible that is made or formulated in China.

Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

Yes Jeff. Thanks for the good info.

Lots of good hints here.

Is the China made dog food labeled as such? I'm not sure how to avoid the stuff packaged in China.

thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
There are lots of great choices out there.

1. Avoid anything with corn, wheat, soy of by-products of any kind.

2.'Small Breed' food is a thing. In most cases the only difference is the kibble size. In most cases unless you have a really small pup it's just marketing.

3. Make sure you avoid anything edible that is made or formulated in China.

Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

Yes Jeff. Thanks for the good info.

Lots of good hints here.

Is the China made dog food labeled as such? I'm not sure how to avoid the stuff packaged in China.

thanks again!

Yes, legally that must be disclosed.