Dog food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I came on here to ask the same question. A lot of the brands suggested so far are listed as "grain free," which the FDA has warned may cause heart disease in dogs (see https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm and https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm.) Taste of the Wild, for example, lists potatoes, peas, and pea protein high up on their ingredient list, which is problematic according to the FDA.

My puppy was being fed Purina ProPlan at the Humane Society before we adopted him. The dog trainer we hired said it was "crap." However, I'm thinking about returning to ProPlan. Any other recs?

No, the FDA says dog foods listing peas, legumes or potatoes high in the ingredient list may be linked to heart disease. This is from the first link you posted: "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. "

ToTW, Merrick, Fromm are not in this category. I can't speak to the others listed. But your trainer is right- ProPlan is crap. It would never be considered for my dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fromm

+1

[Anonymous]

Wellness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I came on here to ask the same question. A lot of the brands suggested so far are listed as "grain free," which the FDA has warned may cause heart disease in dogs (see https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm and https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm.) Taste of the Wild, for example, lists potatoes, peas, and pea protein high up on their ingredient list, which is problematic according to the FDA.

My puppy was being fed Purina ProPlan at the Humane Society before we adopted him. The dog trainer we hired said it was "crap." However, I'm thinking about returning to ProPlan. Any other recs?

No, the FDA says dog foods listing peas, legumes or potatoes high in the ingredient list may be linked to heart disease. This is from the first link you posted: "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. "

ToTW, Merrick, Fromm are not in this category. I can't speak to the others listed. But your trainer is right- ProPlan is crap. It would never be considered for my dog.

+1

[Anonymous]

Breeders and Humane Societies use brands like ProPlan because they're cheaper. Long term, dogs need better quality food. Scientists and veterinarians have researched to make food that meets dogs needs, specifically.

We stick with Royal Canin, but change for different stages - puppy, skin issues, gastro issues, weight control, now we're on mature consult. Royal Canin has important supplements in it. If you make your own, you really have to research that you're meeting your dog's nutritional requirements.

Grain free is not necessary, unless your vet suggests it for a specific reason. Good quality grain is important and is used in good dog food - there's a difference.

[Anonymous]

We breed and train GSDs. We feed our dogs Taste of the Wild. But we had a Shepherd years ago that reacted badly to any of the higher quality foods. The only food he tolerated well was simple Purina Dog Chow. He was extremely healthy.

[Anonymous]

My dog has done Eukanuba for 9 years. That's what his breeder gave him when I adopted him and I've moved him from puppy to adult and now senior small breed. He has been a healthy weight, has a healthy coat, and has done very well on it. I figure if it's working, why change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I came on here to ask the same question. A lot of the brands suggested so far are listed as "grain free," which the FDA has warned may cause heart disease in dogs (see https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm and https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm.) Taste of the Wild, for example, lists potatoes, peas, and pea protein high up on their ingredient list, which is problematic according to the FDA.

My puppy was being fed Purina ProPlan at the Humane Society before we adopted him. The dog trainer we hired said it was "crap." However, I'm thinking about returning to ProPlan. Any other recs?

No, the FDA says dog foods listing peas, legumes or potatoes high in the ingredient list may be linked to heart disease. This is from the first link you posted: "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. "

ToTW, Merrick, Fromm are not in this category. I can't speak to the others listed. But your trainer is right- ProPlan is crap. It would never be considered for my dog.

Here is the deal. Grain free, potatoes, pulses, etc. , are not the reason they may develop heart disease. It is that if they are the primary ingredients, the dog gets less taurine- which is the problem....not the actual other ingredients. Having said that , grain free is not necessary, but that alone is not causing the heart disease. They need some meat.

[Anonymous]

We use Nutro.

[Anonymous]

I recently switched to Open Farm and my dog loves it. I add in some wet or raw food, and I switch brands and “flavors” of the wet/raw food to give my dog some variety.

[Anonymous]

ALL dog food by law in this country has to be edible to humans. ALL dog food.

So you don't need to be cooking at home or spending a fortune on what you're feeding your dogs.

What you do have to do is make sure they get the right amount of food, the right amount of exercise and the right shots and protections against parasites and diseases.

[Anonymous]

Wellness core

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I came on here to ask the same question. A lot of the brands suggested so far are listed as "grain free," which the FDA has warned may cause heart disease in dogs (see https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm and https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm.) Taste of the Wild, for example, lists potatoes, peas, and pea protein high up on their ingredient list, which is problematic according to the FDA.

My puppy was being fed Purina ProPlan at the Humane Society before we adopted him. The dog trainer we hired said it was "crap." However, I'm thinking about returning to ProPlan. Any other recs?

No, the FDA says dog foods listing peas, legumes or potatoes high in the ingredient list may be linked to heart disease. This is from the first link you posted: "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. "

ToTW, Merrick, Fromm are not in this category. I can't speak to the others listed. But your trainer is right- ProPlan is crap. It would never be considered for my dog.

Here is the deal. Grain free, potatoes, pulses, etc. , are not the reason they may develop heart disease. It is that if they are the primary ingredients, the dog gets less taurine- which is the problem....not the actual other ingredients. Having said that , grain free is not necessary, but that alone is not causing the heart disease. They need some meat.

So, in theory, you could continue to feed your dog a grain-free kibble and supplement with a high-taurine protein like chicken?

Our puppy has been eating TOTW, and I still haven't decided what to do.The version of TOTW we buy has lentils, peas, pea flour, and potatoes as the 5th-7th and 9th ingredients. Sweet potatoes are 3rd. The vet recommended Nutro or Eukanuba, but there are recent horror stories about Nutro online.

Has anyone switched away from TOTW and if so, to what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I came on here to ask the same question. A lot of the brands suggested so far are listed as "grain free," which the FDA has warned may cause heart disease in dogs (see https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm and https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm.) Taste of the Wild, for example, lists potatoes, peas, and pea protein high up on their ingredient list, which is problematic according to the FDA.

My puppy was being fed Purina ProPlan at the Humane Society before we adopted him. The dog trainer we hired said it was "crap." However, I'm thinking about returning to ProPlan. Any other recs?

No, the FDA says dog foods listing peas, legumes or potatoes high in the ingredient list may be linked to heart disease. This is from the first link you posted: "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients. Early reports from the veterinary cardiology community indicate that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source of nutrition for time periods ranging from months to years. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM. "

ToTW, Merrick, Fromm are not in this category. I can't speak to the others listed. But your trainer is right- ProPlan is crap. It would never be considered for my dog.

Here is the deal. Grain free, potatoes, pulses, etc. , are not the reason they may develop heart disease. It is that if they are the primary ingredients, the dog gets less taurine- which is the problem....not the actual other ingredients. Having said that , grain free is not necessary, but that alone is not causing the heart disease. They need some meat.

So, in theory, you could continue to feed your dog a grain-free kibble and supplement with a high-taurine protein like chicken?

Our puppy has been eating TOTW, and I still haven't decided what to do.The version of TOTW we buy has lentils, peas, pea flour, and potatoes as the 5th-7th and 9th ingredients. Sweet potatoes are 3rd. The vet recommended Nutro or Eukanuba, but there are recent horror stories about Nutro online.

Has anyone switched away from TOTW and if so, to what?

What is wrong with TOTW? To my knowledge it has a perfectly fine level of taurine. It is what we have fed for years.

[Anonymous]

According to this generally non-alarmist article, the TOTW formula we buy (Sierra Mountain) may be of concern:

"If you feed your dog a food that contains any potatoes, peas, lentils, or other seeds of legumes (such as chickpeas/garbanzo beans, soybeans, other types of beans, and alfalfa seeds), look at the ingredients list. If the food contains one or more of these ingredients high up on the ingredients list, has several of these ingredients, and/or is a limited-ingredient diet – typically, one containing only one animal protein source and one or two carbohydrate sources – the possibility is good that the food is one of the type that is being looked at as possibly causing a higher incidence of DCM.

"In contrast, foods that are not limited-ingredient foods and contain just one of those ingredients, or that have one or two of these ingredients fairly low on the ingredients list (say, as the fifth or sixth or lower-level ingredient/s on the list), are not the kind of diet that has been connected with DCM."

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/Please-Dont-Panic-About-the-Grain-Free-Thing-21893-1.html

It has several of the named ingredients, and if you include sweet potatoes, one is fairly high on the ingredient list. It's also lamb-based, and I gather that lamb is relatively low in taurine.

(This is our first dog, and I know nothing about dog food. We buy this because it's what the breeder recommended. She has since switched to Purina ProPlan.)