What brands of dog food do I feed my dog? Should I feed him wet or dry food?

Never feed grocery store pet food or any brand advertised on TV. Although big box stores like Petco have a few good choices, you are best off going to a pet food speciality store. Look at the ingredient lable on your pet food. Dog food should never have corn, wheat, soy, gluten, sorghum, or by-products. Any named meat (chicken, beef, lamb, ect), healthy carbs (rice, oatmeal, potato), and veggies are all ok. At Petco or Petsmart look for: Solid Gold Holistic Select Blue Natural Balance Merrick Natures Variety Innova At a pet food speciality store look for: Precise Fromm Nutrisource Nutrisca Lotus Acana Orijen Although canned food helps keep a dog well hydrated, it is not essential for healthy dogs. It's also expensive. I would recommend choosing the best quality dry you can afford and use canned only if your vet feels more water is necessary.

Do not switch wet and dry dog foods from day to day. That will upset your dog's stomach and give him diarrhea and could lead to bloating. From what I gather, the best type of food to feed your dog is a combination of wet and dry food. I feed my German Shepherd puppy about two cups of Purina Puppy Chow with a 1/4 can of Pedigree wet dog food and mix it up really well for him. Don't feed only wet food, he needs dry food to help keep his teeth clean. If you're only going to feed dry food, wet it with some warm water, but just barely. As for a brand, look for a dog food that has meat as one of the first four ingredients, and make sure that in those first four ingredients fat is not one of them. Stay away from generic, cheap food. If you start a dog food and your dog isn't digesting it well (loose stool, gas, etc.) SLOWLY switch to a different brand. Mix in a little more of the new food every time you feed over about a week. Treats shouldn't be used to put weight on your dog. Treats are just that, TREATS. Even for training I don't give my puppy his Canine Carry outs, I use bits of his dry dog food. It works just as well for him and it's healthier since he's working on his repetition and goes through MANY treats. He gets his Carry outs when he goes to bed in his cage, sometimes during the day but very rarely, he has to do something special to get his "special" treats that he really likes. There is a recall on some brands of food, I think because of the possibility of Salmonella poisoning. Google pet food recalls for a list of foods you should stay away from. If you're still not sure what brand is best, ask for a recommendation from your vet.

I used to feed my dog the Kirkland brand, but then they had a recall. We now feed them Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato. Pippa(our greyhound)eats the Rachel Ray food from Wegmans. It's also good to give your dogs milkbone treats, all of the dogs I know love them. P.S., this is all dry food... I hope it helps! :)

Beneful is one of the worst brands of dog food on the market. You should stick to premium quality brands such as Blue Buffalo, Innova, Nature's Variety, Canidae. Feeding canned food alone is not good for a dog's teeth unless you opt to clean their teeth more frequently. You would also have to feed more of canned food for the dog to feel full, which would cost more. Dry food is more convenient and cheaper. Dry foods do NOT cause skin troubles and are not bad for the kidneys unless you choose to feed a low quality full of fillers. Premium quality foods with real meat as the first ingredient is actually better for a dog's skin and coat

We use purina. Our vet also recommended that we give rice mixed with veges and chicken when our dog had trouble gaining weight after having puppies - we were feeding her 2-3times a day but she wasn't gaining weight. but the rice suggestion worked and she was back to normal in a matter of days! And I have also seen that work on rescued dogs who are as skinny as a stick and the difference after a week was awesome!! Its also a good idea to use a combination of dry and wet food. Think about it - Would you like to eat the same thing EVERYDAY? I know I wouldn't :) If your unsure go and browse some animal care sites such as SPCA

Go to the pet store and stare reading labels, you will never feed Beneful again. Look for a food that had meat as the first ingredient. NO by products, wheat or corn. I do not feed can food, but dry food with a little microwaved chicken on it. If you do canned food read the label may are really high in sodium. feed the wet food and dry food together, dogs have sensitive stomachs and changing their food each day will be a problem. You won't find good food at the grocery store, there are some at the big box pet stores, the best place to go is the smaller pet supply stores. My favorite brand is Evanger's which you will only find at the smaller pet stores. Oh FYI, our local rep has forgotten her lunch at shows and eaten the food, the chicken legs and thighs, are chicken and water. They are also the only dog food company with their own manufacturing plant. Before I learned about GOOD food, I feed Beneful, an added advantage is the poop clean up with higher quality food is way less. The dogs process more of the foods so there is less waste.

any good canned food would be OK , try a range to see what he likes , don't feed dry food it can wreck the kidneys and cause skin trouble, if you must use it , soak it in water first it will swell up to near twice the volume, if it does that in the stomach of a small cat or dog it would cause instant dehydration