The Food Debate

Why would you feed your pup anything but the best right? It's no different than feeding your child in that what you feed them now can help them grow into an alert, healthy and well adjusted adult. This isn't a dog food ad but going through the process of having another puppy, I've become very aware of the foods that are out there because I want to do what's right for my little guy.

When I had Chase, I didn't fully understand why some foods were better than others and pretty much just thought they were all the same. I bought the cheap stuff because I was on a budget working for Alternative Youth Adventures and quite honestly, never once looked at the ingredients of the food I was giving him. At some point he started throwing the food back up so I asked my cousin what I should be feeding him and she suggested a lamb and rice formula. I chose Iams because I thought they had a good reputation and it wasn't as expensive as some of the other higher end brands and as long as it was lamb and rice, never thought twice about it.

Last winter I took a job as a food rep for Chuck Latham and Associates; a distributor for pet products. The interesting thing about this company is that they distribute many products and many different high end food brands. They had me doing demos for Avoderm at a PetSmart in Bozeman, which meant I had to do some research so I knew what I was talking about when promoting this particular brand. CLA sent me a ton of info on what to look for in high quality foods. I learned a lot when reading up on Avoderm but where the real education came was actually talking to the staff at PetSmart.

What you need to know is that in general the Walmarts and grocery stores aren't going to carry premium pet foods because they're too expensive. In the pet stores, they have the isles set up to promote the best foods first and as you go to the back of the store, the lower quality foods take up those isles. The problem is, is those higher quality foods are also more expensive and that does matter for many of us--especially us seasonal workers. You do have options though.

What I learned by talking to the staff at PetSmart is to look at the labels and specifically, the ingredients. The first thing you should see is the protein such as chicken or lamb or beef. Whole chicken is good but actually, chicken meal is better because it's a more concentrated source of protein. Chicken bi-product is not so good because it's the beaks and feet and bones. It's still protein but it's not as good as chicken or chicken meal. Non-the-less, you should always see the protein listed first because that's going to be the main ingredient.

All pet food is going to have filler. Your dog needs it for roughage and it can add nutrients if it's the right filler. Corn and wheat fillers are in general, bad. As a rule of thumb, I stay away from corn or wheat. It can lead to more problems with skin conditions, yeast infections and ear problems. Brewers rice or brown rice and other vegetables are good.

You should also look at the crude protein and crude fat. I would say anything over 22% minimum protein is ok. For puppies, you need more but too much protein isn't good either unless your dogs are crazy active working dogs. Crude fat should be around 10 to 12 percent and again, for very active dogs it can be higher.

Using these basic guidelines, this is what I found for my little guy. Nutro was very good and so was Avoderm. They both were high in protein and had the right fillers. They both however, are expensive. Nutro was about $25 for 17.5 pounds. That's not horrible but still a bit much. Avoderm is much more. Science Diet is also very expensive and it goes against the guidelines I learned although it is the most promoted food by vets. When I asked the PetSmart employees they ALL said it was because Science Diet is in the pockets of many of the vets and have cornered the market. In general, Iams is not good either. The lamb and rice formula is better but not great. Interestingly enough, I found a Rachel Ray brand of dog food called Just Six at Walmart that was only about $15 for a 13 or 14 pound bag. Unfortunately, they don't make a puppy food and you have to go to Walmart to get it.

Ok, so here's the gem in all of this. I went to Costco yesterday and checked out the Kirkland brand of Super Premium Puppy Food. Of all the foods I researched, this food was the most consistent with what I learned about what should be in a dog food. They use real chicken and chicken meal, brown rice, egg and a bunch of other vegetables. The protein is at a minimum of 26% and they include many supplements that are good for a puppy's development. And here's the kicker; it's only $14 for a 20lb bag. And, Cutter will eat it. (That's important too. You have to find a food your dog will eat.)

The bottom line is that you all should do the research for yourselves if you're concerned about what your little guys are eating. I definitely am after having Chase and what happened to him. I would never suggest that the food I was giving him caused the cancer in his bones but I'm not going to take chances.

Keep 'em where they live...