Need a review: Safe pet food brands

[supernova]

I need a review. There have been so many recalls and warnings lately I'm getting confused about safe brands of pet food.

What do you feed your pets? I have three cats and a 23 lb dog. All are adults, except one cat that is about 14 months and I think is still growing (part Maine Coon, very large feet for his size.)


I really like the Blue Buffalo brands but they are expensive and we have had to supplement with some from the grocery store.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Wellness! Our two choc. labs are thriving on it.

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx

It got rave reviews in a great periodical we once subscribed to - http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

Not inexpensive or easy to find...but highly recommended it seems.

[Walk away]

9. I am also a Wellness parent (with a dab of Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie mixed in)...

but they have had recalls too. The last one was for Kitty food but they were very forthcoming about it and it is very rare. Unless you are going to make your own (and even "people food" has it's bad days) shit happens. The important thing is that it is detected, reported and made public right away.

[hollysmom]

2. link

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Right now, I have a cat with digestive problems,

so he is on a special diet from the vet, and I have tried to find other foods that will not screw up his system without success.

But prior to Sammy, I had always fed my cats Purina One with no problems. My first kitties lived to 17 and 18 years old, with this their main diet. I know it isn't one of the top rated pet foods, but it was in the mid-price range and seemed to be a good food. My vet said that most of the pet foods on the market are fine for a healthy animal.

[intheflow]

4. Taste of the Wild.

I swear by it! When I moved from Mississippi to Colorado my lab/shepherd mix developed some allergies and dry skin. Talked with a vet tech at a dog park and she recommended Taste of the Wild. His allergies cleared up in a month and his coat is so soft and shiny - and his overall health and vitality so good that many people comment on what a handsome young dog he is, even though he's almost 8 now.

When I moved in with my boyfriend, he had two cats he'd inherited from an ex who skipped town and left her cats. He was feeding them whatever was cheapest from the grocery store. the girl cat had awful mats in her dingy fur, the boy had horribly runny eyes, and they both barfed all the time. We switched them to TotW and now, a year later, her fur is soft, glossy and 100% mat-free, and his eyes have only a hint of the weepies. I'd say they're down form barfing daily to barfing 1x a month, mostly when they're stressed.

Taste of the Wild is made in the US. Full disclosure impels me to note that their parent company is Diamond Pet Foods which has had two recalls since 2005, neither of which involved their Taste of the Wild brand.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

[City Lights]

5. I give a thumbsup to Wellness and Taste of the Wild.

Our cats eat Wellness CORE canned and a combination of Wellness CORE and Taste of the Wild dry.

[matt819]

6. Same here.

Taste of the wild for the dogs.

If I went that direction for the cats, I'd go broke, so they pretty much get little friskies, and then I switch around for the dry food.

[arikara]

7. Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken is one of the best for our 2 cats

We have one with a tender stomach who brings anything back up that doesn't agree with him; which is pretty much everything else. Solid gold is excellent quality, more pricey than grocery store brands but healthier for them too.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/

[prideinmysoldier]

8. Pet Food

Blue Buffalo is all I've fed my Aussie since he was 6wks old. He turns 2yrs old 17 Apr.

[Texasgal]

10. I cannot say enough about Wellness brand

We feed our dogs this brand and have had no problems. I find they defecate less and their coats look shiny. The seem to eat less too.

Before my 17 year old cat passed of old age she also ate wellness. I cannot say enough good things about it.

It's a bit more expensive than grocery store food, but the fact that my babies eat less of it works out financially in the long run.

[SalviaBlue]

11. I use Wellness for my Lab.

I am very happy with it.

[mopinko]

12. purina

daughter works in a big box pet store and their name for purina is- dog wont die.
my vet has a lot of respect for their research and quality control, and their zoo diets, etc.
i would feed it now except that i have a dog with allergies. i have had several dogs live to healthy ripe old age on purina.

[IrishAyes]

13. Consider cooking your own pet food

Online recipes are legion.

But if you go with store bought, it never hurts to buy enough so you can feed at least 2 weeks behind the day it was purchased. That way if there is a recall, you're less likely to accidentally give your pets tainted food. There are some brands now, I think, that are so fresh they must be kept refrigerated, so that wouldn't work for them. But at least you have a number of other good choices. Don't forget Eukanuba - many police departments feed that to their service dogs.

I cook in large batches and then throw the extra into the freezer. Fortunately I live where deer are plentiful, and so are hunters. Venison is great for dogs and probably cats too. One deer a year was usually enough for my two Chows and me since I use it judiciously. Now with just 2 little dogs to feed, it will be even more economical. The dogs prefer plain, but I cook mine in barbeque sauce - just pouring it on after cooking doesn't work too well.