need advice on dog food

[hapixbuni]

as of now i have my 8 week pittie on beneful puppy formula and my almost 8 yr old maltese on kibbles and bits small breed. after reading around some threads i see that both of these are pretty bad in the long run. i also hate having to buy from 2 different brands seeing as how i like to put the kibble in 1 big storage container for easy feeding, although right now id have to seperate them anyhow since Sammys on adult formula and Romeos on puppy. but anyways, what is a good quality (doesnt have to be the best), even priced brand out there that is offered in most petstores like petsmart and such. im looking for something that once my pittie starts eating adult food, will be the same as what my maltese would be eating, so it needs to be something that would be beneful for small and large breeds. i want a good all around based dry food that will keep my maltese heathly (and my adult pittie) in long run, as well a good puppy formula that will help my pittie grow big and strong and heathy! thanks.

[opokki]

The best thing I can think of at PetSmart is Nutro but maybe another poster will know of something else.

Petco carries Natural Balance which is good.

Pet Supplies Plus (if you have one in your area) often carries some of the better brands. What they carry probably depends on your location. Mine carries Solid Gold, Natural Blend, Merrick, Canidae, & Eagle Pack which are all good.

[Blaster]

Any Purina dog food is good. I fed my old dog Purina Pro Plan all of her life. The new do gets Purina One as I can get it at Walmart not just a specialty dog store.

[Sibe]

There are some excellent brands in the natural pet stores. Canidae seems to be perfect for my puppies. They are growing and developing well on this. :)

[seraphicia]

Purina really isn't a good brand in any respects, the others that've been suggested are okay. I use Naure's Select who delivers and bought in bulk is pretty inexpensive. There was another thread about this, that mentions all the good brands out there, the really ones are pretty expensive but worth it if you have the money at the time. Pet supply plus if you have one in your area offers them at decent prices, as was already said. Some petsmarts carry a couple of the better brands like natural balance, it really has to do with your location.

[Dalesmom]

Dale eats Purina One and is doing so well on it.
You can certainly do a lot worse for food then Purina One Lamb and Rice and it is affordable which for some people is an important factor when choosing food. If you cannot afford to spend $50.00 on a bag of food then the best thing to do is research the lower costing food and pick the best one out of those. It is very important to know what ingredients are in a dog food and why those ingredients are good or bad for your dog. Some dogs do wonderfully on foods like Canidae (which is a more expensive brand) others do not, it all depends on your dog. Good Luck finding a brand that works best for your furkids.
Dale's Mom

[smoothladyhellfire]

how is 'kibbles n bits'? when i first got my girl, she was on pedigree,thts what the folks who had her before said they fed he,and my pitt before didreal well on it, but this girl didnt seem to like it, wouldnt eat much at all,so i bought a few small bags of dog food for her to try, she kinda liked the 'gravy train', but then ive heard thats not really good,she didnt have much energy o that and got sick of it quick.but the kibbles n bits she really seems to like , shes got energy ( but not too much, lol, not bouncing off the walls) her coats soft and shiny, bathroom is regular...also, are raw eggs ok for them now and again?( like one or two every other weeks or so) she loves eggs! i just crack it open and pour into a bowl and she laps it right down!! shes also been doing really well, training wise,with treats of ham or bologna..but i dont overdue it, and ive foud its best to keep lessons short, but often.. right now im working on her not taking food off of any table or surface other than the floor ( if food hits the floor, i figure its officialy hers) shes picked up on this very quickly..this dog rocks... she'll so never see inside of a shelter again!

[Woof]

Smoothladyhellfire:

I like to recomend that you try a food approved by The Whole Dog Journal.

These foods are free of Corn, Wheat, and by-products. As a result they are more nutritious and require your dog to eat less as well. So even though they cost more per lbs. they may be cheaper to feed.

I sell and recomend Innova, Solid Gold and Wellness, but there are others. If you go online to any of these manufacturers you will find a list of dealers near you. Those dealers should be happy to provide you with free samples.

www.naturapet.com
www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/wellness_overview.html

[Woof]

Smoothladyhellfire:

I like to recomend that you try a food approved by The Whole Dog Journal.

These foods are free of Corn, Wheat, and by-products. As a result they are more nutritious and require your dog to eat less as well. So even though they cost more per lbs. they may be cheaper to feed.

I sell and recomend Innova, Solid Gold and Wellness, but there are others. If you go online to any of these manufacturers you will find a list of dealers near you. Those dealers should be happy to provide you with free samples.

www.naturapet.com
www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/wellness_overview.html

Oh, In my opinion Kibbles and bits is trash. Comapre the ingredients and feeding guidlines.

[migrandl]

Candidae All Stages is really good. And the newest reccommendation is that dogs be fed adult food from puppy on up to keep the growth at a steady pace to avoid bone/joint issues. I've got a newf and the Candidae is working great with the goopy ears and skin problems that sometimes come along with newfies.