Dog Kibble, Experience and Opinions

[CindyB59]

I am in the process of switching dog food. Trying to balance various breeds and needs. I free feed ( I know, I know. But in 30+ yrs, it’s worked for all but a golden retriever). Also balance nutrition and poop volume. Cost is not a huge concern, as higher quality seems to equal less volume, so closer to comparison in price in the end…

I really am not a huge raw fan, but may consider i6 down the road

Dogs are 13.5 yr toy poodle, 12 yr standard poodle, 2 yr mini poodle. 4 mo German shepherd.

I’ve fed NutriSource for years. But mini poodle is itchy. Have tried no chicken, limited ingredient, etc with no success. Am giving supps. No skin irritation. Just itchy. Have talked with vet, could be environmental. Have not done testing.

I fed Bil-Jac for years, but standard barfed a lot on it. Switched 9-10 yrs ago

Now, I bring home the puppy. Same thing, itchy but no irritation. Breeder fed purina. I refused, but actually gave in. No improvement on itchy, but tons of icky, mushy poop.

I’m wondering if there is a preservative or something that bothers them. I’m trying Orijin now, but too soon to tell if any improvement. I can find fantastic and horrible reviews on any given brand.

Picture of my miniature alligator just because

[Simkie]

I’ve fed Orijen for years and years and my dogs have always done beautifully on it. It’s a very high quality kibble and a good choice if you’re in the ultra premium market. I hope it works as well for you as it’s worked for my crew!

[CindyB59]

Thank you. I’ve balked at price, but if it works, it’s worth it.

[mommy_peanut]

Chicken is one of the most frequent causes of itchiness.
Dogs can develop sensitivity/allergies over time, same as people.
Even if you feed a “chicken free” food, you still need to check the ingredients & look for poultry/chicken fat, etc. as that is still often used.

I have GSDs.
I switched to raw years ago, but I do use kibble for training & when we travel.
I tend to switch up what kibble I use, but I’ve been using Stella & Chewy’s kibble & their dehydrated foods for the past few months.
No complaints so far.

[IdahoRider]

I have been feeding my 11 month old German Shepherd Dog and my 13 year old Aussie Acana kibble and they love it. I highly recommend it.

The two littles (A Toy Poodle and a Dachshund/Poodle mix get a fish based kibble for small dogs. We drop a few nuggets of frozen raw on their food. They love it.
Sheilah

[Heinz_57]

My two(one 10yo GSD who is prone to issues) do best on a fish-based formula, and after trying many different varieties they are happiest with Earthborn Coastal Catch.

[candyappy]

You are not going to like my answer

I fed Old Roy for decades on a variety of different breeds and never ever had any health issues, illness, itching digestive etc… I did have diabetes in my old girl but she always battled her weight. I no longer free feed as I used to. All my dogs live into their teens usually.

2 1/2 years ago I switched to Purina dog chow. We are on Dog #4 added to our family since then and all are doing wonderfully and just as well as on Old Roy.

I do add cooked chicken to evening kibble since one of mine is super finicky. It is the only thing she will eat consistently. As long as she has chicken she cleans up her 1 daily meal.

They get a variety of dog treats and are not on any supplements, vitamins etc… I do flea drops sparingly in Spring- Fall as needed.

[paintedpony]

I gave up on commercial dog foods after trying countless brands and protein sources. Our poor dog was itchy on all and suffered with perpetual ear infections. I now cook beef, rice and veggies. No more ear infections or constant scratching. Cost is similar to high end kibble.

[luvmyhackney]

I feed Fromm and so far so good. Dog loves it and his coat looks like glass

[CindyB59]

Thanks all. This gives me alternatives if needed.

I did make sure no poultry fat, etc was in food, with no change on poodle.

No right or wrong answers, every dog is different.

[mithril]

I feed mine Farmina Ancestral Grain, switching between lamb & chicken. They do very well on it, better than previous foods I’ve had them on. 5 year old Standard Poodle and 13 year old Irish Setter.

[Weezer]

I don’t have a suggestion but I find this website great for information and reviews of dog food. Good luck! dogfoodadvisor.com

[nzoom13]

I am a huge fan of Farmina…it is a very high quality kibble and Italian made. I feed their cat food to my kitties and they’ve never been better. Since they use fish oil to “coat” their kibble it tends to be quite palatable too!

[Mosey_2003]

I’m feeding Pro Plan and really happy with it

After losing a dog to what I’m pretty sure was a recalled batch of TOTW and the itchy old Cocker doing miserably on all the expensive stuff like Orijen and Acana etc etc I really wanted to go safe with my pup since he’s a Pyr/Anatolian and I’m twitchy about messing him up.

FWIW the itchy old Cocker settled best on Hill’s, of all things.

[Irish_Ei_s]

I’m on your bench.
Mine superthrives on Beneful original but likes it better wetted down, so softer

[stb]

Orijen and Acana are strongly implicated in Nutrionally based canine cardiomyopathy. Fromm is as well. At this point veterinary cardiologists are recommending non grain free foods from the major manufacturers that do actual feeding trials and have nutritionists on staff. These are Purina, Royal Canin, Iams/Eukanuba, and Hill’s.

[S1969]

Food allergies are far less likely than environmental allergies. So, you can change foods until you’re blue in the face and may never address the real issue.

Still useful to research good foods, but it may not fix the problem.

[Simkie]

@stb

Orijen and Acana are strongly implicated in Nutrionally based canine cardiomyopathy. Fromm is as well. At this point veterinary cardiologists are recommending non grain free foods from the major manufacturers that do actual feeding trials and have nutritionists on staff. These are Purina, Royal Canin, Iams/Eukanuba, and Hill’s.

Yeah this was all quietly retracted awhile ago.

[Kemosabe]

I am personally not a fan of kibble unless it is augmented with real food.

I have 8 Australian Shepherds, some are on raw, some are on cooked. My oldest is 14 and the youngest is 2.

The dogs with strong yin, tend to need cooked. The dogs with strong yang tend to do well on raw.

[Minxitbabe]

Depending on your location there is a co-op that does raw across the US if you don’t want to have the hassle of doing it yourself. I have not used it as I did my own blend at home mainly due to freezer space. It is Titan raw dog food that you can apparently get elsewhere but for me the co-op is the only option to get it nearby. My dogs never looked so good or pooped so little when they were on my homemade raw. It got to be too time consuming so we are back on kibble for the younger boys Costcos premium fish based and FreshPet for the old lady. She is winding down in life and no kibble or canned food had kept her interest but we tried FreshPet and she is loving it! Protein is way too low for me to want to feed it to my younger ones but is perfect for the old lady with issues that low protein is good for.