Best Dog Food & Cat Food Options for Your Healthy Pet!

Before purchasing my Standard Poodle I researched everything possible, including food and nutrition, for one year. I have fed him 'satin balls' since the day I brought him home at 3 months of age; satin balls contains molasses. As I write, my Poodle is 21 weeks and returned earlier from booster shots, etc. The Vet, Nurse and Receptionist all commented on how exceptionally healthy my Poodle is. I didn't need them to tell me that but it sure was nice. You can find 'satin balls' recipe online and it is no more expensive than the store bought dog food Besure there is no sugar added to your molasses. FYI; I also give him wheatgerm. Let me know if you want the recipe.

I started feeding both my dogs a frozen, pre-made raw dog food from a local pet store. I love it and so do my dogs but it is pretty expensive. Is there a way I can make cheaper version of this at home? Thanks!

Dear all pet owners who are feeding raw,

I hope to start feeding my dog raw, but would like some advice/ suggestions first from seasoned raw-feeders. How did you go about the transition from their previous food to raw? Did you just start putting raw meat on their plate and they eat it? And how did you sterilize the food? Did you take extra precaution on washing around the dog's mouth after feeding? My dog is an indoor pet, he loves to lick (us) and sleeps with us on the bed, so hygiene is of my main concern.

Thank you very much in advance. Looking forward to your feedback!

Natural Cat Food: I just read a person's comments that they rescued a stray kitten and cooked up a batch of chicken stew with lots of veggies. While rescuing kitties is commendable, and the chicken veggie stew may be a cut above canned or dried, it is still not the natural diet of a feline.

Please folks, this is the information highway. Find out how to make your beloved pets a healthy, natural RAW diet of ground chicken, rabbit or a combination, complete with finely ground bones. You can do it!

I stopped feeding my yorkies commerical food afer the recall. This is what I came up with (one has allergies). I boil about 3 chicken thighs, pick meat and skin off the bone. In the broth I boil white rice. When rice is done chop up the chicken and skin and add to rice. Mix in some canned green beans or peas, with a little pumpkin. You can freeze this in small portions sizes. When ready to eat microwave it and add 1/4 chopped slice cheese to top. My yorkies also take a pettab and for treats they eat raw baby carrots. If your baby only spits up occassionly it could be acid reflux the one with allergies also has this problem for that I use 1/4 of a pepcid ac tab he weighs 8 lbs so ajust as needed. good luck

I'd like to thank everyone for their posts, they are very informative. My sister has a Maltese and we feed him name brand food. We notice that he sleeps a lot, and he's not at all interested in his food. We have been in the process of switching to all natural and Organic foods and would like to switch Maverick (the maltese) to Organic as well, it would be nice to give him homemade recipes but he tends to throw up a lot of the human food we give him, except lettuce, tomato, and carrots, plus we don't have much time to prepare homemade food for him. Although we love him and from reading all of your posts I can tell that he will do a lot better on Organic and Natural foods. Anybody have any suggestions on simple recipes, Natural dog foods, or supplements we could give him? I heard something about flaxseed oil. Input and Suggestions are very much appreciated.

P.S. we would like to switch him to organic as soon as possible!

God Bless,
Manna

I have a 32 lb mixed breed. I would like to know the amount daily to feed and the cost associated with the raw food diet. Thank you!

Reply to James Garfield in OH What you said about keeping the same diet is a bunch of hooey. My dogs NEVER eat the same thing twice in a row. Never have any stomach problems. I feed totally raw, organic. My dogs have clean teeth, fresh breath, glossy coats, good skin, clear eyes & ears & tons of energy. All this cooked, processed garbage on the market causes the same diseases in pets & humans, i.e. diabetes, heart conditions. I certainly hope you research & educate yourself on proper nutrition. I feel sorry for your dog being on processed foods & medicene from the vet. I started raw feeding 8 years ago when my Dachshund was chemically poisoned (inhaled) on pretty green grass while traveling. The conventional vets did more damage with a well known perscription diet, lactulose & round after round of antibiotics & surgery. My dog kept going downhill til I researched & changed her diet to raw. Those vets thought I was crazy but could not figure out WHY her skin & ears cleared up & her stomach settled. I think they were sad they were not getting my money anymore. I now only use a homeopatheic/osteopathic vet. My pack is extemely healthy.

Vaccination are another source of potential problems. People, please educate yourself on the host of troubles these can cause. There are tests to see if they are needed, tittering (sp?) Most pets are severly over vaccinated.

I had the same question about catfood and found out one such ethical and *very* good small company that manufactures healthy dog food and human foods as well.

See Wysong and a picture of my healthy cat who agrees ;-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycandre/3269424506/

Kal the cat was also successfully treated of ear mite with Ted dog mange cure adapted for cats in 2007 - he has been w/o mites since - see him there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycandre/1459080973/

Interested to know where your dog food is manufactured? We just came across this website while looking for more information on the brand we feed our dogs. From reviewing the site, we discovered that the brand we buy (Blackwood) does not manufacture their own food. In fact, the wet food and dry food is manufactured in 2 different places! This appears to be the case with many small companies.

Unfortunately, the page is not a complete list and the website administrators haven't updated it since May of 2007, but you might still find it interesting: http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/manufacturers.htm

I am glad to see that you took the initiative to take care of your dogs health; it's nice to know that I am not alone with my "way of thinking." I wanted to add a side note for you though...Try avoiding canned vegetables and/or fruit because they have no nutritional value left. It is only good as a filler. Also, with some of the research I've done I have found out that when you microwave food it changes the molecules in such a way that the food becomes toxic to the body. By all means, don't take my word for it; do some research for yourself. Microwaves should be avoided if possible.

I wish you the best of luck with your dogs' health.

I'm glad that you posted a comment on Taste of the Wild. I too switched to this brand from another equally good brand. I switched because my newly adopted pet was consistently having runny/loose stools. Once I switched my two dogs over to Taste of the Wild they are both more regular. I have recently implemented raw food into their diet also; a small portion with every meal. I wish you the best of luck with your dogs health.

Body welts: My dog was wound up after I gave her a bath. It was great to see her acting so cheerful. The next day she was lethargic, she would not eat or even go outside.

I took her to my veteranarian who was perplexed. He thought she was shot with a bb gun. I took her to another veteranarian only to find she suffered from an allergic reaction to dog food. Never use another family's dog food. If your dog enjoys one food I would not suggest a sudden change. My dog is a pedigreed mutt of 5 different terriers. I immediately returned her back to her diet along with taking meds the veteranarian gave her. Use only a good name brand of dog food. Whenever you have someone dog sit for you make sure he or she never changes the food. It may cause a serious problem.

Sophia, I agree with you! I have always felt that dogs (esp young dogs) who get cancer can be linked to the brand of food the owners were feeding it. Every owner I have talked to who had a dog that died young of cancer was feeding their dog the cheapest dog food possible.

I hate seeing these "organic", "natural" dog foods with a minimum of 22% crude protein!! Do people realize that these so called crude proteins come from animals that have been put to sleep?! They even leave their collars on! And the "rendering" does not get rid of the barbituates used to put the animal down. I could no longer stand the stinky greasy kibble first thing each morning, so I started making the dogs dinner with brown rice, ground turkey 85/15 which is the fat content, black beans with no spice, vegeall, cottage cheese, and canned salmon. And any vege leftovers, like sweet potatoes and green beans. They love it! Before they would spit kibble all over the floor and pick 1 chunk at a time to eat, it took forever!! Some of them would not even eat it! And they made a huge mess where kibble rolled under the stove and fridge to feed mice! Now 3 yrs later they are all sleek and shiny and not fat at all even though they are at their max weight. I love this boiled chicken recipe. I think I will try it next, they love oatmeal!!

PS: my local vet tried to act like I did not know enough about dog nutrition to make a decent dog meal but I figured anything is better than feeding my dogs other ill animals full of drugs and other such horrors!! Seems as though the vets are just as bad as the Doctors for humans!

Raw Diet for Dogs (or cats or ferrets):

My 2 large breed dogs (Rotweiller & German Shepherd) have been on a raw diet for almost 2 years and are doing great. I have gotten most of my information from a Yahoo Group called 'rawfeeding'. They have over 13,000 members, up from 8,000 when I joined 2 yrs ago.

The dogs get only muscle meat, raw bone that is connected to the muscle meat and organs (the squidgy type) for vital nutrients. 80% meat/10% bone/10% organ

I advertise on different sites for freezer burnt meat and get a great variety. My freezer is always full. Chicken is best to start with for the first month, then start adding other meat gradually.

My guys have chicken, beef, pork, venison, elk, buffalo, rabbit, fish, etc. They haven't turned anything down, yet.

Stay away from processed meat like bacon, sausage, ham, lunch meat, hot dogs, etc. I rarely eat that food, either.

I thought that garlic was not good for pets.

Taste of The Wild : This food is grain free and fairly good on price. My golden has been on it for two years and we love it. Because there are no grains, there are no allergies or skin problems. Unfortunately i cant afford to feed my dog strictly raw diet food, but we do supplement some raw food each month. Taste of the wild provides your dog with exotic sources of protein, so he doesn't get bored. Quail, duck, turnkey, venison, bison, real salmon and a few other meats are the basic sources of protein. This along with feeding him raw bones and some raw food assure me that my dog is healthy and isn't experiencing any discomfort.

Thank you, Terese from Long Beach, Ca.

After reading your post, I have purchased some dog food from Flint River Ranch. I have 2 Toy Poodles. The female is 5 years old. She is smaller with shorter legs and body. The male is about 3 years old. He is taller with longer thin body. (Yes they are spayed and neutered). The female has allergies of some kind. We haven't found out what she's allergic too.

I was already using Wellness Brand Super 5 Mix. But the problem with it was they wouldn't eat it unless I added something to it. So after I read your post, I was happy to look into this Flint River brand. I loved what I read on the reviews of this food. So I ordered the lamb meal from them. They do eat this food without anything added and I think it's helping her with her skin problems.

She doesn't scratch as much as before. She seems much more content and I think maybe with changing her food; she will eventually be cured of the constant scratching. Our other dog has no allergies and does well on any food if it's one they will eat. We have always tried to get a quality brand dog food without any bad ingredients, to keep them healthy.

I do have some of the Wellness food left. I started with adding the new brand with this one so they could adjust. I was surprised to see them eating both brands. I only put them in the pan side by side and did not mix them. So I wonder why with having both brands that they would eat the one they wouldn't eat before. That was puzzling to me.

Both these foods in my opinion are healthy foods and I know there are others out there. I have no interest in any brands, except looking to keep my babies healthy and happy.

At 7 months old my purebreed German Shephard was given 2-3 years to live due to extreme allergies. Although she looked fine on the outside, Her hair was flaky, skin under her armpits was blackened. She was underwieght (not a terrible thing for GSD), and refused to eat. Prior to us picking her up her old owner were told by the vet to switch her to "Science Diet" This is what made her worse...they returned her to the breeder. Thank God the breeder immediatly switched her to Natural balance Duck or Lamb....this did a little good. When we got her at 6 1/2 months she refused to eat...barely eating when coaxed. She had plenty of energy, but wasnt putting on wieght. From 6 month to 1 1/2 years she weighed 51-55 pounds! The vets all said she probably was allergic to Cow, Chicken etc....no one had answers.

Well my husband spent 3 weeks on the internet researching and came up with Honest Kitchen a dehydrated barf diet (we cant feed full barf without a yard...too messy....problem is our finicky eater didnt eat it. Then we stumbled on a VERY reasonable and excellent brand "Flint River Ranch".

Within 6 months she was given a clean bill of health (although not as good, I think Natural Balance helped in this process). Since then we have also fed Wellness brand (she need loads of protein) because of the added vitamins and minerals, but with shipping it is alot more, where Flint River includes shipping and can be ordered from a distributor out of state to avoid sales tax (We order from Arizonia and it ships from Southern Cal that day!) Now at 2 1/2 she is healthy and beautiful, weighing in at 70+. She also can eat Chicken brand (vets told us to avoid it), but loves the trout and Lamb.

At ALL cost do NOT feed Science Diet, purina or any other national brands...always go for smaller healthier alternatives. I believe the extra cost will be saved in vet bills later....pay more now, or a lot more later.

I would like to comment on the Whole Foods 365 brand of pet food. It is easy to think that all products carried at Whole Foods are great and natural...I used to. I looked at the ingredients in their 365 brand pet food. Their adult dog kibble contains the following:

Chicken by-product meal, rice, corn meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract), corn gluten meal, ground wheat, beet pulp, natural flavors, flax seed, dried egg product, canola oil, brewers dried yeast, salt potassium chloride, taurine, l-lysine, rosemary extract, l-carnitine. Vitamins: choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin D3 supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement. Minerals: zinc, polysaccharide complex, iron, polysaccharide complex, manganese polysaccharide complex and polysaccharide complex, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium, iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.

Among the first ingredients are by-products, corn, wheat, beet pulp and so on. NOT GOOD INGREDIENTS! Not only are they not good sources of protein, but they cause a number of problems. I caution everyone to stay far away from corn, wheat, soy, or by-products with your pets!

After much research, I've purchased Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice for my dog who has allergies and ear infections. The reviews on this food is outstanding and it's as close as you can get to homemade. I'll let you know how it works!

Here's are ingredients from 3 brands of dog food that we have used over the past 5 years. We've been happy with all three brands, but like Akeela mentions, it's still food from a bag!

Note: We also add slightly undercooked ground beef, chicken or turkey and a hint of flax seed oil to each meal.

The Blue Buffalo Company http://www.bluebuff.com/
Lamb and Brown Rice for Adult Dogs

Ingredients:

Deboned Lamb, Lamb Meal, Whole Ground Barley, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Rye, Fish Meal, Whole Potatoes, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Natural Flavor, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Flaxseed, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Kelp Meal, Taurine, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric, Garlic, Herring Oil (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Fructooligosaccharides, Monooligosaccharides, Dried Chicory Root, Black Malted Barley, Oil of Rosemary, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin C, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Calcium Phosphate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc), Iron Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron), Copper Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper), Manganese Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese), Potassium Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Potassium), Cobalt Proteinate (source of Chelated Cobalt), Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Salt, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bifidobacterium thermophilum, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein 22.0% min
Crude Fat 12.0% min
Crude Fiber 4.5% max
Moisture 10.0% max
Calcium 1.3% min
Phosphorus 1.0% min
L-Carnitine* 100 mg/kg min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.40% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 1.80% min
Beta Carotene* 5.0 mg/kg min
Glucosamine* 400 mg/kg max

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

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Blackwood 4000 http://www.blackwoodpetfood.com/
Senior & Overweight - Low Fat

Note: our dogs gained too much weight on the adult formula, so we switched to Senior

INGREDIENTS:

Poultry Meal, Ground Rice, Ground Corn, Dried Potato Product, Oatmeal, Plain Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Natural Flavors, Chicken Fat [Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (Source of Vitamin E) and Citric Acid}, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Whole Eggs, Flax Meal, Lecithin, Salt, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Dried Whey, Dried Garlic, Dried Cheese, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Vegetable Oil, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate,Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein, not less than 20.00%
Crude fat, not less than 7.00%
Crude fiber, not more than 4.00%
Crude moisture, not more than 11.00%

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LOTUS (http://lotuspetfoods.com/dogfood_lamb.html)
Lamb Recipe

Note: Sold only in Los Angeles

Lamb, Lamb Meal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Deboned White Fish, Ground Oats, Oil Blend (Olive Oil, Salmon Oil, and Evening Primrose Oil), preserved with mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E) and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sea Salt, Dried Whole Egg, Brewers Dried Yeast, Fresh Whole Garlic, Fresh Whole Sweet Peas, Fresh Whole Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Whole Carrots, Fresh Whole Green Apples, Ground FlaxSeed, Dried Kelp, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Shidigera Extract, GrapeSeed Extract, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Lactis, and Lactobacillus Casei, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E Supplement), Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Manganese Proteinate (amino acidchelate), Copper Proteinate (amino acidchelate), and Zinc Proteinate (amino acidchelate), Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, and Vitamin B12 Supplement

Newman's Own Organics: Does anyone have any feedback on this brand of dog food. My senior lab/shepard regained vitality and finally healed her elbow sores on this diet. I now feed this to my rescued pitbull terrier along with 1/2 boiled egg in the morning and give blueberries, broccoli and chicken as "treats". She's got a glossy coat and tons of energy. But, you never know. It's still dog food from a bag.

First thank you for the amazing amounts of help you share. Through the inspiration of your readers I decided to put my Golden Retriever older puppy on a more informed diet than feeding her retail store junk. I give her a natural kibble and she is doing well. In the interest of protecting her joints in old age I have her on a supplement. To take it one step further I give her a teaspoon of flaxseed oil in her meals each day. After six months I noticed that she is not shedding profusely as a former golden did. I do brush her regularly but there is no excessive hair all over the house. Plus I noticed that her pads are very soft. Perhaps this could help a hair challenged pet owner out there? Aside from strengthening her body she has the benefit of a very healthy coat!

I feed my dogs Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. It is organic, humans could eat it. The senior type has glucosamen condroiten for joint wellness. My 8 year old big girl runs around like a puppy. They offer feline food as well. The expence is not so great, not nearly as much as a certain type of food that a lot of vets sell. One of my friends had her dog on Nutro Maxx and the dog threw up all the time and had terrible poop problems. I get the canned chicken soup for the pet lovers soul, spoon it on a cookie sheet in table spoon chunks. Bake it for 20 min at 350 it makes cookies for them. I also have an allergy dog, he was on perscription dog food. I took him off and put him back on the Chicken Soup dog food. He has done just fine. Also look for corn, dogs and cats should not hav enay corn in their food. It is just filler.
This food also has had no fatalities. A while ago when we had that awful contaminated pet food scare. This brand was exempt from that. Due to its organic ingrediants.

I have a rescue dog who came to me with torn ACLs in both of her back knees. She could barely walk. I found a product called Traumeel. It is an all natural anti-inflammatory, analgesic that is GREAT for muscle pains, aches, injuries, sprains, bruises, arthritis, muscle inflammation, etc. It has changed my dog's life. She is running around like a puppy until I get the money for her expensive surgeries. I use the liquid form and drop it on her food twice a day. This is perfectly safe for dogs and cats. It is actually a human product but has been successfully been used on animals for years.

For those of you who have dogs with skin problems, skin allergies, please consider a raw diet. This is something that is becoming more well known and is growing in popularity. Commercial dog foods are the cause of so many health problems in pets. My three dogs and one cat have been eating a raw diet for two years now. Raw meaty bones, some organ meat, and then a couple times a week, a few supplements like fish oil, yogurt, raw egg, kale. It's similar to something called the BARF diet for pets, but a simplified version. Two books by Tom Lonsdale, Raw Meaty Bones, and Work Wonders, are a good place to start reading about the diet. There are web sites and yahoogroups as well. My dogs teeth are super clean and white (even my 9yr old lab) because they're eating like their ancestors did; ripping the meat off bones, chomping on bone (raw bones only -- cooked bones are a choking hazard). Sicne starting this diet, besides being overall healthier pets, other benefits: clear anal glands because the poop is a bit harder, healthier skin and coat, no dog smell or doggy breath, much less poop because no fillers, etc., as in dry food I never have to clean up poop in my yard! Natural diet means natural poop; in a few days, it turns white and crumbles away. Also, my dogs are happier. They love the raw diet. I had one very stubborn cat who I just couldn't get to transition to a raw diet, so I fed her Evo, the more natural dry food. That did help her allergies, but I still would rather she went raw.