I have been reading alot of threads about what types of food everyone feeds their loved ones but what would be the best? I have been feeding Rocky science diets now for 7 months but I would like to give him something different but I dont know what to get? Also his breath is starting to go way south and the vet says that it is the breed is there truth to that?
Science Diet? good or bad
- Thread starter kansaskid
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No truth at all to the bad breath as a breed trait theory. LOL - that's a new one, don't think I've ever heard that before.
Bad breath is usually caused by dirty or decaying teeth. So unless you feed a raw diet or give plenty of raw bones to chew on, it is important to take care of your dog's teeth through regular cleaning (and that applies to all dogs, not just boxers). Bad breath can also be caused by health problems, usually internal organs, so that is something to bear in mind if it isn't improved by a better diet and some attention to his teeth.
As for Science Diet: not a good dog food at all. It is loaded with cheap filler and by-products, and also uses carcinogenic preservatives. There are plenty of good foods out there though. I can't tell you which one is the best - no kibble has yet been invented that works great for every dog. So it is a matter of choosing something with good quality ingredients and seeing how it works for your individual dog. If he thrives on whatever you choose, great. If not, try something different until you find a food (or foods) that he does well on. Information on how to choose a good dry dog food can be found here: www.boxerworld.com/feeding
Bad breath is usually caused by dirty or decaying teeth. So unless you feed a raw diet or give plenty of raw bones to chew on, it is important to take care of your dog's teeth through regular cleaning (and that applies to all dogs, not just boxers). Bad breath can also be caused by health problems, usually internal organs, so that is something to bear in mind if it isn't improved by a better diet and some attention to his teeth.
As for Science Diet: not a good dog food at all. It is loaded with cheap filler and by-products, and also uses carcinogenic preservatives. There are plenty of good foods out there though. I can't tell you which one is the best - no kibble has yet been invented that works great for every dog. So it is a matter of choosing something with good quality ingredients and seeing how it works for your individual dog. If he thrives on whatever you choose, great. If not, try something different until you find a food (or foods) that he does well on. Information on how to choose a good dry dog food can be found here: www.boxerworld.com/feeding
Oakley's Mom
Boxer Pal
Canidae
We switched about a month or two ago from Hill's Puppy Prescription diet to Canidae. He just loves it and he has stopped his frequent itching.
We switched about a month or two ago from Hill's Puppy Prescription diet to Canidae. He just loves it and he has stopped his frequent itching.
There is no single best food. Doesn't exist.kansaskid said:
As already said, there are a number of very good kibbles but there is no guarantee that each of them will produce good results for every dog, no single food that works for everyone. What works great for one person's dog may produce diarrhoea and vomitting in another. As a result, people's opinions of various foods will vary.
Boxer_Mom
Boxer Buddy
I would agree, there is no single best food out there. BUT I would have to say there is a best "route" to take....towards natural and holistic foods. If you cannot feed a raw diet due to time and/or money, there are some great holistic choices that have no cheap fillers, contain human grade ingredients and have nothing artificial, including chemical preservatives (ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT)... Some examples are: Wellness, Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack Holistic, Flint River, Chicken Soup, etc. Anything with corn or cheap fillers in the first 3 ingredients isn't a good food. Good luck!
wnt2adpt
Boxer Booster
I've tried to find the best too!
I read all about food on this forum, and then made a trip to the store. I have not been able to find Canidae or any of the others that Boxer_Mom has listed. (Wellness, Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack Holistic, Flint River, Chicken Soup, etc).
We compared Science Diet, Eukanuba, Nutro, and a few others that were really bad (Beneful, Iams - did you know Eukanuba is Iams?). Science Diet and Eukanuba were full of corn meal, corn gluten meal, by-products - not what I'd want to feed my doggie! Beneful was probably the worst that I checked out. The best out of these that I found was Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice. It was the only one that did not contain by-products or some type of corn.
Comparing the brands' ingredients is the best way I've found to find the food you want. The most expensive isn't always the best. I would like to move to a more natural diet as time progesses. I hope you find one that is right for you! Good luck!
Erin
I read all about food on this forum, and then made a trip to the store. I have not been able to find Canidae or any of the others that Boxer_Mom has listed. (Wellness, Innova, California Natural, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack Holistic, Flint River, Chicken Soup, etc).
We compared Science Diet, Eukanuba, Nutro, and a few others that were really bad (Beneful, Iams - did you know Eukanuba is Iams?). Science Diet and Eukanuba were full of corn meal, corn gluten meal, by-products - not what I'd want to feed my doggie! Beneful was probably the worst that I checked out. The best out of these that I found was Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice. It was the only one that did not contain by-products or some type of corn.
Comparing the brands' ingredients is the best way I've found to find the food you want. The most expensive isn't always the best. I would like to move to a more natural diet as time progesses. I hope you find one that is right for you! Good luck!
Erin
Boxer_Mom
Boxer Buddy
Hi Erin, You won't find all the holistic natural foods at a grocery or chain type pet food stores (i.e. Petsmart, Petco, etc). They are sold at Agways, natural feed stores, holistic pet food stores, etc. You would have to search on each type of food's website and they will tell you where you can buy their food closest to you. Nutro Natural Choice is a good food, but it still is rice heavy, and has beet pulp and gluten. Better than Iams though! I think people just have to find what works for them; personally I still believe a natural food (with no chemical preservatives, by-products, corn, glutens, etc) is better for any dog. But to each his own! :-Dwnt2adpt said:
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