# Anyone Feeding Dog Chow?



## TrackInDirt (Nov 27, 2007)

By any chance, does anyone here feed Purina Dog Chow? 

I'm not interested in the ingredient list - I have the ingredients on the bag in front of me, thanks  Please don't lecture me on how it's not a 5 star WDJ top 10 food, and I know the Dog Food Project or whatever the name of that food ratings website is doesn't recommend it. 

Now that's out of the way, lol, I just want honest opinions on this formula based on those who have fed it. Positive & negative. I was unable to purchase my regular brand of dog food last week, and the plain Puppy Chow was seemingly the best food available, and at a fair price. So I purchased a 20lb bag to hold my pack over until I could find either their regular food or something "better". Well, five days on the Chow and I'm thinking THIS is going to be our food from now on ... Let's see. All of mine have just begun blowing coat recently, so the fur wasn't looking to great. They're still shedding, but HOLY CRAP has their coat improved! Has softened and has quite the healthy glow. They were having some digestive issues on their former food & I was having a time keeping weight on the more active ones. They have all, at this point, gained much needed weight but have rock hard muscling. Stools are firm & well digested. So firm, in fact, that after several hours, their poops are beginning to turn white - I remember the last kibble that had that effect on their stools was Eukanuba, several yeras ago, before the formula was screwed up by P & G. Their coats are just so glossy I can't get over it. They look like I'm spending a million bucks on their food! 

So, I admit I'm still a bit sceptical of the results. Also, I'm thinking maybe it's just the Puppy Chow that is decent, and the regular Dog Chow may not be? Which is why I'd love to hear from anyone who has fed Dog Chow


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I know someone who feeds their Lab Purina Dog Chow. Of course, she's also not spayed and has been bred accidentally, is kept in a kennel 24/7, and has never been vaccinated. So I can't say I'm impressed with their dog-keeping skills, but she looks fine. My grandma's dog was eating some nasty semi-moist junk, ended up at the vet's office for a week, the vet made her switch to Dog Chow Senior, and the dog really did improve dramatically. I suppose the improvement depends on what you were feeding the dog before. Dog Chow is certainly better than Ol' Roy, Pedigree, or a store brand. 

To analyze the first 5 ingredients----first ingredient is ground yellow corn. I guess whole corn is better than some grain fraction, but I don't like to see a grain as the first ingredient. Dogs need more meat than that. Second ingredient is poultry by-product meal. It's good to see a meat meal as second ingredient, but the whole thought of poultry by-products does not thrill me. Third is corn gluten meal. A corn fraction, one that increases the protein percentage. Whether a dog can process a grain-based protein is another story. Fourth ingredient is soybean meal. Another grain-based protein. Fifth ingredient is beef tallow preserved with vitamin E. Definitely better than using BHA or another nasty preservative. And it's good that they listed what animal the fat came from. Puppy Chow has the same list of ingredients, but with brewer's rice as the fourth ingredient, with soybean meal and beef tallow as fifth and sixth, respectively.

Al in all, you could do a lot worse than Purina Dog Chow. Certainly plenty of dogs have lived long, reasonably healthy lives eating it. Purina supposedly has one of the best vitamin/mineral mixes in the industry. But I would only feed it to my dogs if I was totally broke. I prefer that they get a more meat-based food, not to mention that they're allergic to corn.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Purina Puppy Chow is nasty. The ingredients are bottom of the barrell and I wouldn't feed it to my dog. 
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1840&cat=all


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## TrackInDirt (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks for the replies - but I don't need to hear an immature reply such as the food is "nasty". I'm well aware of the ingredients. 

Before the Puppy Chow I fed numerous diets including but not limited to Timberwolf Organics, Blackwood, Back To Basics, Canidae, Nutro Ultra/Natural Choice, Iams, Healthwise (Natura). Fed raw from '01 - '04 ... dogs were a mess when I finally wisened up and took them off. Fed Purina One for 6 months before going to Puppy Chow - dogs were doing well, have been feeding it on/off for a few years, but the differences with the "Chow" are notable. I'm more of a believer in the vitamin premix/digestability of a food over ingredients. Have had the worst results on foods with the best ingredients. 

So if anyone else has personal experience with Dog Chow, please let me know  Would appreciate not hearing how "icky" it is based on the ingredients - I have been in dogs longer than some here have been alive and fully understand what each ingredient is and concepts such as splitting, etc.


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## Admiral Beez (Apr 11, 2008)

I don't think you're going to find too many people admitting here that they feed Dog Chow. Of course, it's probably the top or second most fed dog food in the USA (equal or close to Old Roy), so someone must be feeding it.

When I first got my puppy I was feeding him puppy chow, but then switched to TLC Pet Food on my vet's recommendation.

There is a LOT of spin and marketing in pet food, with everyone throwing around terms like holistic, organic, natural, grain-free, gluten-free, free-range, etc, etc.... Do a little digging and you'll quickly see that most of these are bogus marketing terms and labeling spin to help differentiate foods from each other. Of course you're not going to find too many here that will agree with that line of thinking, since that'd be akin to posting that Obama is the best on a right wing website.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

I never have fed Purina dog chow and never will. While you can raise a dog on it, it is not a quality diet at all. It's roughly equivalent to raising a child on nothing but McDonald's hamburgers. If finances are a part of the problem, I would go with something such as Pro Plan but not the low end dog chow. 

But, remember one thing. Feeding a better quality diet usually translates into savings in the long run.


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

TrackInDirt said:


> Before the Puppy Chow I fed numerous diets including but not limited to Timberwolf Organics, Blackwood, Back To Basics, Canidae, Nutro Ultra/Natural Choice, Iams, Healthwise (Natura). Fed raw from '01 - '04 ... dogs were a mess when I finally wisened up and took them off. Fed Purina One for 6 months before going to Puppy Chow - dogs were doing well, have been feeding it on/off for a few years, but the differences with the "Chow" are notable. I'm more of a believer in the vitamin premix/digestability of a food over ingredients. Have had the worst results on foods with the best ingredients.


The problems that your dogs were having before, were they digestive issues? Some of the healthier dog foods can be to rich for a lot of dogs. You might try somethig simpilier like California Naturals. 

But if you do really want to stick with a corn based food, I would go a step up from dog chow. You might get the same results with Pro Plan or Eukanuba. I fed both of those for a while and my dog did pretty good on it. They do better now on timber wolf organics, but thats my dogs not yours. 

Every dog adjusts to a diet differently. The point is to find what works best for your dogs, but also somethig that will be healthy in the long run.


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## AkiraleShiba (Dec 9, 2007)

When Akira arrived he was fed puppy chow. His coat was mate and full of dandruff. After a couple of days on Orijen his coat looked fabulous and the dandruff was gone. By the way why do you ask the question if you know the ingredients are not great quality-wise?


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## SMoore (Nov 9, 2007)

When I was working at Petsmart there was a girl who fed her dogs Purina Dog Chow, she said her parents used to raise Husky's and always had good luck with Puppy Chow and Dog Chow, I saw her dog come into the store several times and the dog seemed perfectly healthy. He had a beautiful coat, didn't like under or over fed was at a healthy weight. 

However, like people have said the ingredients are not the best or top of the line but i'm also a believer in "if it works just stick with it". I have my dogs on Blue Buffalo Wilderness and my shepherd on Solid Gold but only because she has so many allergies to grains in food and so does my collie mix and both of those foods work for them both really well. 

So, all in all I say stick with it if they are doing so well. I agree that maybe trying Pro Plan wouldn't be a horrible idea. The vet I go to buys it for her dogs and they are beautiful. She prefers it to Science Diet. From what I can tell it doesn't cost too much more than Dog Chow and seems to be better ingredients.

Just a thought I suppose, anyhow i'm glad you found something that works so well for your dogs. It was a nightmare finding the right food for mine.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

TrackInDirt said:


> Thanks for the replies - but I don't need to hear an immature reply such as the food is "nasty". I'm well aware of the ingredients.




BUT, it _is_ nasty.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

BoxMeIn21 said:


> BUT, it _is_ nasty.


Hehe, YUP! But some people are too ignorant to realize that... wonder if they feed their kids McDonalds everyday...
Nessa


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## French Ring (Mar 29, 2008)

Yuck, I don't think I will feed that to my dogs ever; however, my dogs eat raw.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

TrackInDirt said:


> All of mine have just begun blowing coat recently, so the fur wasn't looking to great. They're still shedding, but HOLY CRAP has their coat improved! Has softened and has quite the healthy glow.


Blowing coat will do that... no matter what they are eating, I wouldnt go praising the food too much for that.



> Stools are firm & well digested. So firm, in fact, that after several hours, their poops are beginning to turn white -


No Kibble fed dogs stools will begin to turn white in a few hours??? This makes no sense what so ever. and as a raw feeder, white poops are NOT something you are looking for, that usually means something is improperly balanced.



> I remember the last kibble that had that effect on their stools was Eukanuba, several yeras ago, before the formula was screwed up by P & G. Their coats are just so glossy I can't get over it. They look like I'm spending a million bucks on their food!


But they are blowing coat???



> So, I admit I'm still a bit sceptical of the results. Also, I'm thinking maybe it's just the Puppy Chow that is decent, and the regular Dog Chow may not be? Which is why I'd love to hear from anyone who has fed Dog Chow


Puppy and adult formula of Purina is basically the same, actually it is in all dog foods. Not a whole lot of variations to be honest. 

I dont see what you are seeking here, you say you KNOW the food is crap and are quick to point out that you have been in dogs longer than most of us have been alive, but that really doesnt mean you have much knowledge. Some of us have taken our pets and families nutrition to the "next level" and spend hours researching and understanding every last aspect of food (human or pet) By all means this does not mean they know it all, you never will....

I fed Pedigree and Dog Chow before yes... want my honest review or just the review you want to hear?

My dogs did "fine" on it, we were at the vets often over the same old issues, runny poop, flaky dry skin, yeast infections in ears and so on, 
I was pointed in the right direction of dog foods by my "feeding mentor" and started doing my research.
I do not regret the switches one bit. My dogs looked good in my eyes before, but since I have learnt what I now know... they dont even compare anymore.

So if its validation for feeding Purina you are seeking... Im sorry I cant think of any reason to give it a thumbs up, I far prefer Costco brand kibble over it.


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## heidiann (Feb 3, 2008)

Wimble Woof said:


> No Kibble fed dogs stools will begin to turn white in a few hours??? This makes no sense what so ever. and as a raw feeder, white poops are NOT something you are looking for, that usually means something is improperly balanced.


This is an off topic question and maybe should be posted as a new thread, but we feed raw and our dogs have white poop. Should they not. It doesn't come out white, but turns white. I thought that was ok??

And On topic...I agree with what you said...my dogs have done "fine" on kibble, but since the switch to raw, I've seen so many positive changes that I don't regret the change one bit.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

heidiann said:


> This is an off topic question and maybe should be posted as a new thread, but we feed raw and our dogs have white poop. Should they not. It doesn't come out white, but turns white. I thought that was ok??
> 
> And On topic...I agree with what you said...my dogs have done "fine" on kibble, but since the switch to raw, I've seen so many positive changes that I don't regret the change one bit.


If it turns white, it's okay here and there - it just usually means you are feeding a lot of bone.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

coming out white and or turning within several hours, not something you want.
Turning white over a few weeks, normal for raw fed with no preservatives.
Kibble on the other hand is chocked full of preservatives and elimination is full of unused junk from the food that typically the poop doesnt change quickly if ever.


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## marleys_mom (Apr 10, 2008)

Well, I am not the most financially stable individual, and I really can't afford to feed Marley the top of the line foods like I would like to... 

That being said, I fed him Puppy Chow the first year of his life and then switched him to the Dog Chow... Well, he kept getting hotspots on his skin. Poor thing itched himself raw and started a severe infection on his neck that required antibiotics. When I took him to the vet, he suggested I switch Marley to Iams, which is what he's been eating ever since. His skin has improved dramatically. I'm no expert so I'm not sure what ingredient was making him itch, but it was certainly something in the Dog Chow.


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## 709Juggalette (Feb 21, 2008)

The beagle rescue I am with feed Puppy Chow and Dog Chow sometimes,when it is donated and the dogs do okay on it.


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## Chindo_Gae_Cerberus (Mar 24, 2008)

The reasons behind your dogs change from one food to the other are far to numerous to list. 
To the point where it doesn't come down to he says/she says, quality or ratings. 

All that matters is the individual dog, at THAT time, and at the current time. 

What isn't working for one dog now, could work beautifully for them in the future. Or vice versa. 

For the record no, I have never had any good experience with pets (not just dogs) on the lower grade foods and believe me, we've fed a variety of those foods over most of my life. 

There was also never a time, once the right food was found (of high quality) that the animal didn't improve over that of a grocery store/lower quality brand.

If you care about how digestible a food is over another, then there's lots of reading material out there on this subject for you.
And I can tell you that Waltham/Advantage, the leading pet food researcher in the entire world (that Science Diet, Purina, etc learned from) state that corn is a terrible highly Indigestible, cheap source of nutrients (basically VOID of nutrients for dogs and cats) and should be AVOIDED in pet foods.

This is their own teachings. 
And yet, as you said, you can see for yourself by looking at whats on those bags you feed. 

So, I've answered your questions. 
Do with it what you will.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> I was unable to purchase my regular brand of dog food last week, and the plain Puppy Chow was seemingly the best food available, and at a fair price. So I purchased a 20lb bag to hold my pack over until I could find either their regular food or something "better". Well, five days on the Chow and I'm thinking THIS is going to be our food from now on ... Let's see. All of mine have just begun blowing coat recently, so the fur wasn't looking to great. They're still shedding, but HOLY CRAP has their coat improved! Has softened and has quite the healthy glow. They were having some digestive issues on their former food & I was having a time keeping weight on the more active ones. They have all, at this point, gained much needed weight but have rock hard muscling. Stools are firm & well digested. So firm, in fact, that after several hours, their poops are beginning to turn white - I remember the last kibble that had that effect on their stools was Eukanuba, several yeras ago, before the formula was screwed up by P & G. Their coats are just so glossy I can't get over it. They look like I'm spending a million bucks on their food!




I hate to burst your bubble, but, ONE WEEK is not enough time to see changes in coat brought about by the food change.


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

I'm very surprised to see some of the negative responses here! And the misinformation, such as corn is a highly indigestable ingredient as per the research of food companies such as Purina & Walthams  Where is THAT coming from??!! GROUND corn is actually quite digestable, and I prefer it in a kibble due to the fact that it's so rich with B vitamins that my dog's coats are always in great shape with little to no supplementation on foods w/ corn. That being said, I do give liquid vitamins and raw meat 1-2x a week, at most. I have highly active hunting Beagles and if you run your dogs 3-4 hour a day on average, 2-3+ times weekly, you are going to have a pack of run down hounds should their feed be inferior. 

Honestly, ALL kibble is a processed product. So the "McDonalds" argument doesn't fly. Canidae, Wellness, Chicken Soup are all processed foods, though they are *marketed* quite differently than something like Dog Chow. For the record, I've been guilted into believing that I needed to feed holistic foods, and my dogs did not do well long term on any one of them. Now I just feed my dogs like dogs, not humans. They are much healthier and better off than when I was breaking the bank feeding raw or these holistic diets @ $2 per lb. 

I've been feeding mainly Purina ONE L&R on/off for a few years now. They get that during hunting season and cold weather, and I'll switch them to the lower protein Dog Chow 21/10 during the summer months. My in whelp bitches and puppies are fed either Purina ONE puppy or Puppy Chow - surprisingly, the latter is actually a better feed, and the single best puppy growth and maintenance diet I've ever used. 

I mentioned I feed Purina on/off. A few months ago I started using Merrick again - the Wilderness Blend & Puppy Plate. I had so many problems with this feed. One bitch had her coat turn brittle and so, so thin. Another bitch looked good on it, but after she whelped, she & her pups were plagued with diarrhea. When a newborn pup has diarrhea, it's life threatening  It seemed that we'd just got the diarrhea under control in the pups (but not the dam) when the entire litter broke out in these odd dandruff like brown scabs - very similar to cradle cap in a baby. One pup was covered in them and was getting a hot spot. They were 9 days old and were NOT scratching. To make a long story short, I switched them to Purina ONE puppy. The bitch's milk supply doubled and the condition cleared up. When I weaned the pups and started giving them fresh meat ... yup, those scabs came back with a vengance. And were nixed when they went back on Purina. They're 7 weeks now and eating Puppy Chow, as is my oldest bitch, who is expecting her last litter in a few weeks. She looks awesome! Great muscle tone, coat is flawless, thick, shiny. 
These are the pics of my Purina fed puppers. Not bad for such a cheap, garbage food


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

UrbanBeagles said:


> I'm very surprised to see some of the negative responses here! And the misinformation, such as corn is a highly indigestable ingredient as per the research of food companies such as Purina & Walthams  Where is THAT coming from??!! GROUND corn is actually quite digestable, and I prefer it in a kibble due to the fact that it's so rich with B vitamins that my dog's coats are always in great shape with little to no supplementation on foods w/ corn. That being said, I do give liquid vitamins and raw meat 1-2x a week, at most.



corn has the most of vitamin B6, not B12 though... and it takes one FULL CUP of corn to get 0.622mg of B6 from it. to me, thats not that great. vitamin B6 can be found elsewhere in the diet, and corn is a HIGH allergen in dogs. and where have you found that corn is highly digestable? also, you said your dogs do so great BECAUSE of the corn that you dont have to supplement, but then you say right after that you give supplements...


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I'm not a fan of Dog Chow.

We fed ProPlan a while and they did so so on it. 

Allergy dog does much better on a simple ingredient list so we switched them all to California Natural. Honestly, they all did much much better on that food than Purina. Coats are nicer and softer, they're more muscular, tear staining is down a lot more... and I could go on. There didn't seem to be a big problem with the Purina, but once I switched from it they got better than I'd have imagined.

The absolute BEST my dog did was on raw. We fed it while conditioning him for the show ring. His coat was exceptional, he was rock solid, ear fringe was amazing, eyes completely clear. If I could do that now, I really would.

It's just not feasible right now to feed five dogs raw.


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

GreatDaneMom said:


> corn has the most of vitamin B6, not B12 though... and it takes one FULL CUP of corn to get 0.622mg of B6 from it. to me, thats not that great. vitamin B6 can be found elsewhere in the diet, and corn is a HIGH allergen in dogs. and where have you found that corn is highly digestable? also, you said your dogs do so great BECAUSE of the corn that you dont have to supplement, but then you say right after that you give supplements...



Corn is NOT a major allergen for dogs! In fact, it's not even a minor one. Of course, dogs can be allergic to anything, but it's very rare that corn triggers food allergies. Someone mentioned that Purina's own research had indicated corn was poorly digestable - FALSE. Oh, yes, Purina DID do a study on this subject & these were the results:http://www.purina.com.sg/caredog_article2.html

_Myth 7: Corn causes allergies
Fact 7:
*10 different studies, representing 253 dogs*Roundebush, Guilford , Shanely(2000) Adverse Reactions to Food, Small Animal Clinic Nutrition (4 th edition)

• Beef, dairy products and wheat account for 65% of all reported cases of food allergies
• Chicken, egg, lamb and soy account for 25% of all reported cases of food allergies
• Only 6 confirmed (2.4%) cases of allergies to corn _

If you further read that article it also dispells some other myths about corn ...

Some more great corn articles:
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rate_your_dog_food.shtml
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/the_corn_myth.htm
And a general dog food myth/propoganda dispelling site:
http://www.eastgsd.com/kibblesense/

As for why I supplement my dogs ... Let me just clarify that when I do not supplement, we have no health issues, coat problems, etc. I use a liquid vitamin supplement that contains chelated vitamins/minerals, salmon oil, cranberry. It's an excellent product and very necessary in the winter. I mix warm water and this liquid vitamin in with their kibble to keep them hydrated. Dogs usually don't drink as much in the winter, but it's improtant for them to get that moisture. Especially if I'm going to be running them that day. I would give them vitamins and add a bit of raw meat to their diet (because I do feel that dogs need some raw meat) REGARDLESS of what brand of kibble I feed. However, if the food wasn't working unless I added supplements, I'd have no use for that brand. In the warmer months, their nutritional requirements are pretty much cut in half, so I switch them to the lower protein Purina Dog Chow and nix the "baited water" with the vitamins. They still do well on the food, regardless of the lack of supplementation.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

The MAIN reason I wouldn't feed my dogs Dog Chow is because of one ingredient....."meat and bone meal". This is what comes out of a rendering plant, once the oil is removed to make bio-fuel. I have seen way too much of what goes into the rendering truck to want my dogs to eat that. Chemically euthanized horses, long-dead, half-rotted roadkill deer and raccoon carcasses, bloated dead cows and pigs, etc. Ugh. 

I have a bag of Dog Chow in my garage, to feed to the crows and squirrels (and a stray/free-roaming dog that occasionally comes around). I know "meat and bone meal" is pretty high on the ingredient list, though it's not listed on www.petfooddirect.com , which is where I usually get my ingredient information. I wonder if Purina recently changed their recipe.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

UrbanBeagles said:


> Corn is NOT a major allergen for dogs! In fact, it's not even a minor one. Of course, dogs can be allergic to anything, but it's very rare that corn triggers food allergies. Someone mentioned that Purina's own research had indicated corn was poorly digestable - FALSE. Oh, yes, Purina DID do a study on this subject & these were the results:http://www.purina.com.sg/caredog_article2.html
> 
> _Myth 7: Corn causes allergies
> Fact 7:
> ...


when was the last time you saw dogs grazing in a corn field...


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

GreatDaneMom said:


> when was the last time you saw dogs grazing in a corn field...



Firstlly, that could apply to ANY grain. The barley or sweet potatoes or oatmeal used in a holistic food. Secondly, I take my dogs up to private grounds several times a year for hare & rabbit hunting. We like to joke that it's cow and corn country. Plenty of times my dogs have run a rabbit in a cornfield and they DO graze on cobs. In fact, the border collie owned by the landowner grazes on the corn if he can get into it, and they had to put up a chicken wire fence around their zucchini and tomatoes because the dog was getting into it. My own dogs used to steal the cucumbers and baby tomatoes my neighbor grew before we put up vinyl fencing in the back. They pulled it out through the chain linking and we'd find half eaten squash all over the yard  lol
Now, those mini tomatoes the neighbor grew ... we had one dog that used to squeeze under the fence and pluck the tomatoes off the vine. They ate my basil before I gave up on growing it, and I have to seal up my tiny strawberry patch like Fort Knox in the summer, 'cause the Beagles are CRAZY about my berries!!!!!


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## K8IE (Apr 28, 2008)

Wow...gotta love the whole dog food issue.. 

I will give my personal experience with Dog Chow. Not good. Back when I was younger and before I really understood or got the fact that dogs are meant to eat MEAT, I fed my Boxers Dog Chow, Pedigree, whatever was on sale, really. Don't get me wrong, I loved my dogs, but was raised that "dog food is dog food"... Anyway, both of my dogs suffered allergies, hair loss, itchy, stinky skin, nasty stools, you name it. Then I started doing my research and got the clue that the ingredients in these foods were things my poor dogs were simply not meant to eat if they are to truly thrive and I was causing them to be uncomfortable and unhealthy due to lack of education. I have since changed my ways and now feed (rotating based on convenience) premium kibbles with no corn, wheat, soy, or other things dogs would not eat in the wild) as well as raw meals, home-cooked meals, canned grainless foods, raw eggs, fish, etc... Great results, perfect muscle tone, energy, great health and immunity, and compliments everywhere we go.  As far as some dogs "doing OK" on certain lower quality foods, that is all good and fine for them I suppose, but I want to feed my dog as close to the way nature intends as possible. I would no more feed my horse a steak than to expect my dog to eat mainly corn.


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

K81E ... just because your dogs did not do well with Dog Chow doesn't mean it's not a good food. There are plenty of people who swear by Canidae, although my dogs fell apart on it. I don't say Canidae is garbage because we had poor results with it. I know so many people who successfully feed Purina products that I cannot come to the conclusion it's a poor food due to the ingredients. I'm sure it won't work for some dogs, just as holistic diets don't work for all dogs. 

I'm feeding the lower protein Dog Chow now that the weather is warming up, but we usually feed Purina ONE in the winter. Pups are fed Puppy Chow. All my dogs have glossy coats, they are keeping on weight very well. Turds are firm, and they poop on average 2x daily. No hot spots or skin conditions ... In fact, it's coat blowin' season the shedding is MINIMAL, yet coats are thick. I am in the process of putting up a new kennel run so have most of the dogs in the house right now. We are seeing very little hair and I am getting away with "Swiffering" the floor every other day, and tho I vaccum the area rug daily, the hair doesn't build up on it too badly. No fur tumbleweeds either. The dogs are just thriving. And I am constantly being complemented on their beautiful coats. I wonder why the posters here find it so hard to believe that Dog Chow may not have a fancy ingredient list, but it works ...


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## K8IE (Apr 28, 2008)

UrbanBeagles said:


> K81E ... just because your dogs did not do well with Dog Chow doesn't mean it's not a good food. There are plenty of people who swear by Canidae, although my dogs fell apart on it. I don't say Canidae is garbage because we had poor results with it. I know so many people who successfully feed Purina products that I cannot come to the conclusion it's a poor food due to the ingredients. I'm sure it won't work for some dogs, just as holistic diets don't work for all dogs.
> 
> I'm feeding the lower protein Dog Chow now that the weather is warming up, but we usually feed Purina ONE in the winter. Pups are fed Puppy Chow. All my dogs have glossy coats, they are keeping on weight very well. Turds are firm, and they poop on average 2x daily. No hot spots or skin conditions ... In fact, it's coat blowin' season the shedding is MINIMAL, yet coats are thick. I am in the process of putting up a new kennel run so have most of the dogs in the house right now. We are seeing very little hair and I am getting away with "Swiffering" the floor every other day, and tho I vaccum the area rug daily, the hair doesn't build up on it too badly. No fur tumbleweeds either. The dogs are just thriving. And I am constantly being complemented on their beautiful coats. I wonder why the posters here find it so hard to believe that Dog Chow may not have a fancy ingredient list, but it works ...


That is great that your dogs do well on Purina, and I am certainly not trying to push my educated choices on others, and I do agree that what works for one, does not necessarily work for another. Dog Chow certainly does not work for me or my dog(s) or any of my friends/family's dogs for that matter. As long as people are educated and know exactly what is going into their pet's bodies, what more can be said? I simply believe in feeding my dog what nature intended for him to eat. Even if he looked healthy eating corn all day long, I would not feed it to him.


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## jakl (Apr 24, 2008)

poodleholic said:


> I hate to burst your bubble, but, ONE WEEK is not enough time to see changes in coat brought about by the food change.


 OMG!!!! I HAVE NEVER been around so many snobbish people at once! If dogs werent meant to eat grains and other plant material they wouldn't have grinding teeth (which they do). I am not a breeder, just a dog owner with realistic ideas about things. we have always fed purina and never had a problem with it, our dogs live to ripe old ages, and in good health to boot. In one week, you should start seeing skin and coat changes, with any diet change. I joined this site to learn new things not to hear others be belittled, you should be ashamed of your behavior, a simple question was asked. 
Our dogs have a healthy glow only one of them is slightly over weight, they shed normaly, or less than some other dogs. 
I put the fat one on a weight controll food from a "better" brand some years ago with no results at all. 
Maybe other dogs benifit from these foods, but as for mine, Purina is just fine. and before you say it, no I don't feed my children fast food very often at all.


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## Chindo_Gae_Cerberus (Mar 24, 2008)

Have we decided this topic won't get us anywhere finally?

There's no point going back and forth with this any longer. 

I just hope at least one person has taken it upon themselves to research pet food and the industry as a whole, if only for curiosity reasons.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

UrbanBeagles said:


> K81E ... just because your dogs did not do well with Dog Chow doesn't mean it's not a good food.


You are completely right. What makes it a bad food are the ingredients - plain and simple. While your dogs may do just fine on food filled with crappy ingredients, are you really doing them any justice by feeding it to them? I know many kids who are fit and trim on a daily diet of McDonalds, but does that mean it's good for them? Hell No. 
Why not find a food that has quality ingredients that your dog can thrive on instead. 
It took me a while to find the right diet for my boxers - now I feed raw and I love the results. I am not saying that raw is for everyone, it took me months to decide, but knowing I was doing the best to boost the health and longevity of my dogs was so worth the research.

http://rawfed.com/myths/longevity.html



jakl said:


> OMG!!!! I HAVE NEVER been around so many snobbish people at once! If dogs werent meant to eat grains and other plant material they wouldn't have grinding teeth (which they do).


Ha! 

http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

OK, so I looked at the bag of Dog Chow, and "meat and bone meal" is the 5th ingredient. Meaning that it is a major protein source in the dog food. Ugh.


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## Kibblelady (May 6, 2008)

Hi all, new member here. I followed a reverse link from my site (Kibblesense) to this thread and wanted to comment.

To the OP...does Dog Chow and Puppy Chow have all the minimum required needs for dogs and puppies? Yes however, the kcals are lower due to ingredient quality and therefore cause you to feed more of the food. This can cause a bulk limiting situation where a dog or puppy cannot consume enough to get everything it needs (some need more of some things than others and times of stress or growth can increase need as well.) They are grain based products with low kcals so higher feeding requirements are what IMO make it not a good value.

As for ingredients, if anyone is familar with me on this site from other sites they will know I will argue corn's better points, and there are a lot of them. I also have a page on my site in reference to the myths regarding corn as referenced in this thread. I will not however, recommend a product with meat and bone meal as this is the one bulk ingredient that the FDA did discover pentobarbitol residual in when they did a study. This is the chemical used for euthanizing downed cows so I tend to avoid the ingredient as the effects of constant consumption of this residual is unknown.

I honestly do not really feel there are "terrible" food products out there but just as any other product catagory there are levels of expensive, quality and value and IMO Purina Chows are lower quality in as far as ingredient content and caloric amounts (to me the gold standard of a food.)

Hope this helps, Nice to have found another active nutrition area on a forum as I just love nutrition debate and discussion. I actually created a message board that is specifically for the discussion of pet nutrition for all pets for those that are interested at www.eastgsd.com/forum

Cherri


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