[Chico's Mama]

I scanned the article...and I agree with some of what they say.

Now, I prefer to do my own research on pet foods rather than have vets tell me what my dog or cats should eat. (vets push science diet...nuff said) articles like this are helpful though in going through the process of choosing a quality pet food.

 

[Chico's Mama]

SEE! Damned money again! Since when has a vet not had time or inclination to put their patients interests over financial gain. Sick.

What did you decide on switching to in the end??

I totally agree about the financial gain. it's kind of scary to know that some vets are concerned with money more than your pets health. i won't bring my pets to vets that sell science diet. i have heard bad things about that food and i know a lot of vets recommend it (as stated in my post above) the vet i bring my pets to doesn't sell science diet.

to time consuming to switch suppliers and let patients know? HA! How hard is it to make a few phone calls and have the shipments of food stopped, make a few more phone calls and get new suppliers...then make up a flyer to give all new and old patients when they come in telling them why that food is no longer recommended and the new food they are selling is better? i think this would only take a few hours. :wave:

 

[Chico's Mama]

OMG my chi is on Science Diet because my vet said it is good...I was actually thinking about changing it because she just turned a year old. I'm glad I read this article.. Can someone tell me what's really bad about Science Diet? I'm really interested now...
Thanks,
Holly

Well, I'm stating this in my honest opinion only about science diet. i have researched quality pet food ingredients and have founf that science diet has a lot of unhealthy ingredients in it; like by-products (which can be from any part of an animal and can be diseased, dying, or already dead animals). science diet also has corn meal listed as its first ingredient in some of their foods, which means it contains A LOT of fillers, not to mention corn isn't reallt digestable to dogs. there are just a lot of bad ingredients in the food...i don't listen to vets when they tell me "oh, science diet is the best your dog should eat it, blah blah blah blah." I do my own research on my pets food, that way i can be confident they're getting food, healthy stuff. again, this is only my opinion about cience diet...a lot of big brand dog food are like science diet, not to mention they are WAAAAY to expensive for the crappy ingredients in them. i'd rather spend that kind of money on a quality food like Wellness, Nutro, Royal Canin, Innova. By doing your homework when it comes to your pets food, you could actually be giving them a longer life and avoiding future health problems that could be associated with "cheap" foods. When a lot of dogs develope skin allergies, it's usually because of their food.

Well, this is just my opinion on the matter. :wave:

 

[Chico's Mama]

The natural foods are only about a dollar more than I pay for Ekanuba. Punky doesn't even eat very much.
Here's the website http://www.api4animals.org/79.htm

That's the great thing about having a chi! You can go out and spend like $10-$15 on a 6-8 pound bag of really healthy food and it will last a while. It takes Chico like 1 and a half to 2 months to finish a bag of food.

 

[Chico's Mama]

Ok so I went to a different pet store and I bought Nutro dog food small bites.I threw away the Science Diet...I made sure there was no By-products and corn meal.Thanks Again
Holly

Nutro is excellent dog food, IMO. Chico ate it as a puppy and had a very smooth, healthy coat. I feed my cats NutroMax gourmet classics because it's the only cat food my Gizmo can eat without throwing up everywhere...so i think that makes it good and i'm stickin with it!

 

[Chico's Mama]

What did you decide on switching to in the end??

Royal Canin's Chi Formula's third ingredient is ground corn.

Which Wellness, do those of you who use it, buy for your Chi?

I found the Wee Bit in the Solid Gold.

Does anyone know if it's important that we buy small breed specific food?

Just waiting now to hear from Abundance Life if they'll ship to Puerto Rico.

At least now I have the choice down to 3. :scratch:

Well, the thing with Nutro is I think it's a good food...the corn gluten meal isn't necessarily harmful, it's just corn is not easily digested by dogs. something helpful to remember is that the farther down the ingredient list a certain ingredient is, the less there is in it...for example: lets say a dog food lists corn gluten meal as the tenth ingredient, and there are 15 ingredients in the food. since corn gluten meal is the 10th out of 15, there really shouldn't be that much in it.

I feed Chico Wellness. I buy him the dry Super5Mix Chicken flavor. (it's in a purple bag) and i also give him the Wellness canned Chicken and Sweet Potato as a treat (thats in a purple can)

I don't think it's THAT important to buy small breed formula versus regular adult formula, because all dog foods list feeding guidelines for dogs 1-15 lbs (small dogs) but you most likely wouldn't want to feed him a Large Breed formula or anything. I have seen the Royal Canin Chihuahua28 formula but i've never given it to Chico. Theres a few people on here who do feed it to their chi's royal canin and they say really great things about the food. whats most important is that your chi likes the food you are feeding. I tried the Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken (gold bag) with Chico and he really didn't like it, but he loves the Wellness.

I'm the same though about Chico's food...I only want the best for him. Here's a link that might be able to help you: http://www.mashvet.com/forms/food_rating1.htm It lists recommended foods..."super premium" being the highest recommended. They also talk about a "human food" diet, but having a dog on that kind of diet is A LOT of work and requires a lot of research and giving supplements...I was considering it but I really don't want to gamble with my chi's health seeing as I have never ever done anything like it before. I hope that link helps you.

 

[Chico's Mama]

i actually don't believe science diet is a bad food !!! it's recommended by vets in the whole world :shock: that article comes over on me as one big ADVERTISEMENT (although i would like to buy it :wink: ) so all the foods are bad and that is the wonderfood :roll:

i know one thing for sure ....it will take a long time to get me eating a big-mac or a sausage again ....bweek , i don't eat a lot of meat because i'm a bit wary of it ....but now i have it massive again ....yak yak yak

ps i'm not throwing my science diet away that's for sure !!!!!

ps 2 ; is it really possible to let a dog get 25 years old ??

kisses nat

i wasn't implying that science diet was gonna basically kill any dog that eats it, i was just trying to explain that it has certain ingredients in it aren't really that good for dogs and that a few people i know that fed it to their dogs ended up having to take them to the vet with skin allergies.

after educating myself about the importance of quality ingredients and the fact that feeding certain foods can actually help dogs live a little longer, i decided to stear clear of any dog food with by-products, BHA/BHT, ethoxyquin, things like that.

"so all the foods are bad and that is the wonderfood :roll:"
I wasn't implying that all dog foods are bad or harmful and that the foods i'm suggesting are perfect or anything, but if someone asks for my advice on a quality pet food, i'm definitely not going to recommend one with by-products or a ton of fillers in it. i just prefer a dog food with ingredients in it that would be good enough for people to eat.

Punky is considering buying her dog the same food I feed my dog and she asked me about it, so i answered her. i wasn't trying to imply that it's the "wonderfood." :lol: there are TONS of pet foods out there which have no soy, fillers, wheat, by-products, etc. and i was just suggesting those to Punky because she asked for advice.

everyone has their own opinions on "quality" dog food. i choose not to go by what vets tell me, i instead educate myself on the matter and go with what i feel is best and what my dog likes. :wave:

 

[Chico's Mama]

wow i didn't react on somebody's post ...so people don't take it personal

as someone said everybody their own opinion ......i read the article and went to the site ...and that's my opinion. so nobody has to feel attacked :wink:

kisses nat

I think we all just need to agree to disagree on this one. We can all bring facts and opinions to the table on this subject, but in the end...who's really right? Nobody knows... :lol:

 

[Chico's Mama]

but don't overreact with saying science hill's and eukanuba etc are bad foods .....they are not.
i believe brands from big chains are crap (i can't name brands , because here they call different) and probably full of things one might better not know.
i know 80 percent of this site feeds their chi's ...eukanuba ,science hill's etc because they believe it's good ...so to predict they are bad is really fishy :wink:

ok, i have to just post this one last little thing...nat, you said you don't believe science diet, eukanuba, etc are not bad foods? well, thats totally great because you are entitled to your opinion :wink: but, you go on to say you believe brands from big chains are crap...i just wanted to point out eukanuba (which is made by Iams) and science diet are HUGE dog food companies. i understand what you mean though....you're probably talking about commercial brands that are sold in grovery stores? science diet and eukanuba are certainly not sold in grocery stores so yes, they are of higher quality...they are premium brands. i just wish those companies would consider changing their formulas to include healthier ingredients...that way they could be listed at super premium foods. :wave:

 

[Chico's Mama]

Re: chihuahua chef

Um, okay, this is probably going to be only the first of many embarassing admissions, but....I actually cook for my chi. I don't feed her "dog food" of any sort if there is any way to avoid it. Now, of course, there is no going back. Carlota (my chi) naturally won't eat anything form a can.

She eats chicken (baked or boiled) vegetables (loves loves loves veggies) eggs (hard boiled) tuna (the only thing from a can she WILL eat) and pasta and rice.

I just don't see why dogs should have to eat "special" food, escpecially if that "special" food is not fit for human consumption. Don't trust it.

Is anyone else out there a star chihuahua chef?

Wow lee, i give you A LOT of credit. having your chi on a diet like that must take tons of work. i know people who have their dogs on a diet like that and they say it's very hard because you have to give supplements and make sure they're getting enough nutrients and everything. i was considering having chico on a diet like that, but honestly it seemed like a lot of work and i'm inexperienced at it...didn't want to gamble with his health.

i bet your chi loves it though! i feed mine a food which is considered "super premium" and most everyone on here is really health concious when it comes to their chi's. we only feed them good food. i don't think you'll find anyone on here who feeds their chi "Alpo" or anything...lol.

Welcome to the forum! Can't wait to see pics of your chi!

 

[Chico's Mama]

Thanx lee! Chico LOVES compliments... I tried the link under your post to see a pic of your chi, but the link doesnt work :?

i talked to this lady who feeds her chi the kind of foods you feed your, and she said her chi won't even LOOK at dog food after being on an all "human food" diet. chi's can be finicky eaters...i had to change chico's puppy food twice and his adult food twice. he loves the food he has now though, thank goodness

 

[Chico's Mama]

Just because Eukaneuba contains by-products does not mean it is not a good diet for your dog.

i agree with ya...i feed chico wellness because he likes it. i just prefer foods that have no by-products and things like that. people have been feeding their dogs foods with by-products in them for YEARS! i just choose not to have chico eat foods with them in them. i personally don't care for eukanuba because its made my Iams, and i don't like how Iams treats the animals they do their testing on...not dissing the food, just dissing the makers of it.

 

[Chico's Mama]

I just posted this over on "what does your Chi eat?". But since it was discussed so much here, I thought I should post it here as well :

Finally made my choice, I settled on Wellness, I ordered the chicken one and also the fish and sweet potato one to give her a little variety.
Plus I ordered a bunch of the biscuits and treats as well. So glad that's settled!

glad ya finally settled on a food :wink: just make sure when you make the switch between your chi's old food and the new food that you do it gradually. you don't want her to get sick.

 

[Chico's Mama]

Is Old Mother Hubbard the same as Wellness?

wellness food is made by the old mother hubbard company, but its not the same. i think old mother hubbard only makes treats, and the wellness and neura are the foods. try going to www.oldmotherhubbard.com it will show you all the foods/treats they make.