# Help choose dog food!!!



## warren (May 24, 2009)

I am in search of dog food with no corn,wheat,soy,by-products etc... and I've come across James wellbeloved, arden grange, natural choice wholebake, Connolly's dog food but I don't know which one to choose. Please help me choose the best one. Also if you know any online pet stores that ship to europe inform me. Thanks:biggrin:


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Hmm, do you live in Britain? because I havent heard of any of those, maybe someone else can help. The only food I know that ships to europe it Orijen and maybe Acana.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I have no idea what country you're in to know what your options might be, and I've never heard of any of these foods, but i'll try to help as much as I can...

James Wellbeloved (Lamb & Rice) Ingredients:
Rice, lamb meat meal, ground whole barley, whole linseed, lamb fat, lamb gravy, sugar beet pulp, alfalfa, sodium chloride, natural seaweed, calcium carbonate, chicory extract, lysine, D,L-methionine, yucca extract, threonine, JWB special ingredients.


The first ingredient being rice is not impressive at all. The second ingredient is great, but the beet pulp is awful. I personally would never spend money on a dog food with the first ingredient being a grain. Ever. They do make "cereal free" formulas, but even looking over those ingredients the meat content isn't any higher because they just replace the grains with veggies and add no more meat. 


Arden Grange (Lamb & Rice Adult) Ingredients:
Lamb Meal* (min 30%), Whole Grain Rice (min 26%), Whole Grain Maize, Chicken Fat*, Beet Pulp, Dried Brewers Yeast, Egg Powder, Fish Meal*, Linseed, Fish Oil*, Minerals, Vitamins, Nucleotides, Prebiotic FOS, Prebiotic MOS, Cranberry Extract, Chondroitin Sulphate, Glucosamine Sulphate, MSM, Yucca Extract. * Preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract. 

The first ingredient is great. However, it contains beet pulp, and it's in the first five ingredients, not so impressive. Fish meal is good, but too far down the list to really matter. 

Connolly's Adult Dog Food Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oat Flour, Corn, Wheat Flour, Pork Meat Meal, Oat Hulls, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and Citric Acid), Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Pea Protein, Pearled Barley, Oats, Flaxseed, Cheese, Chicken Liver, Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Whole Eggs, Chicory Root Extract, Salt, Zinc Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum,
Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12, Choline Chloride, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Iron Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

The first two ingredients are impressive, but you said you were going for no wheat or corn, which are both in the first five ingredients. The rest of the ingredients aren't bad, though. 

I couldn't fine anything on the wholebake stuff, though. I don't think any of them are that great, the last one had the most good in them IMO, but the corn and wheat in the first five are kind of deal breakers. I'd continue to look into what more choices are for you.


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## Scarlett's Mum (May 28, 2009)

Unosmom said:


> Hmm, do you live in Britain? because I havent heard of any of those, maybe someone else can help. The only food I know that ships to europe it Orijen and maybe Acana.


I haven't heard of these brands, either. Orijen is an excellent grain-free option and I do believe it is available in other countries.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

CorgiPaws said:


> Arden Grange (Lamb & Rice Adult) Ingredients:
> Lamb Meal* (min 30%), Whole Grain Rice (min 26%), Whole Grain Maize, Chicken Fat*, Beet Pulp, Dried Brewers Yeast, Egg Powder, Fish Meal*, Linseed, Fish Oil*, Minerals, Vitamins, Nucleotides, Prebiotic FOS, Prebiotic MOS, Cranberry Extract, Chondroitin Sulphate, Glucosamine Sulphate, MSM, Yucca Extract. * Preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract.
> 
> The first ingredient is great. However, it contains beet pulp, and it's in the first five ingredients, not so impressive. Fish meal is good, but too far down the list to really matter.


Not to mention that "whole grain maize" is a fancy and sneaky way of saying "whole grain CORN"


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

rannmiller said:


> Not to mention that "whole grain maize" is a fancy and sneaky way of saying "whole grain CORN"


I didn't catch that. Seems like they sneek that crap into everything these days.


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## Winniesdad (Nov 25, 2008)

If saving money is a big deal I would feed Haven Naturals. You can get it for less than a buck a pound. The ingredients are pretty decent I think.

*Haven Naturals Adult*
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Stabilized with Tocopherols), Beet Pulp, Fish Meal, Ground Flaxseeds, Natural Flavors, Calcium Carbonate, Yeast Culture, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dried Yeast Fermentation Solubles, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin b12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C).
About Haven Naturals | Haven Naturals - A Safe Place For Natural Pet Nutrition

If money is kinda tight but you can afford a little more then I would go with Taste of the Wild. A 30 pound bag sets ya back about 39 bucks. Thats the dog food that I'm feeding now and it has helped Winnie firm up her stools and she doesn't have gas anymore. I rotate between the Waterfowl and the High Plains. I would stay away from the Pacific Stream fish based because there is some doubt about the Ethoxyquin in their fish products.

*Taste of the Wild*
Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, roasted quail, roasted duck, smoked turkey, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


If money is no object I would probably go with Wellness Core. A 26 pound bag costs around $55.
*Wellness Core*
Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Canola Oil, Chicken Liver, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.

Ack I'm sorry I didn't see the Europe thing....not sure if these foods are available there.


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## deepalisnis (May 24, 2009)

Thanks for sharing that,Every food on the market contains different ingredients, and each one has the potential to cause symptoms of allergy or intolerance in some dogs. Every food contains a different ratio of macro nutrients protein, fat, and carbohydrates and you have to learn by trial and error which ratio works best for your dog.


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## claybuster (Dec 18, 2008)

warren said:


> I am in search of dog food with no corn,wheat,soy,by-products etc... and I've come across James wellbeloved, arden grange, natural choice wholebake, Connolly's dog food but I don't know which one to choose. Please help me choose the best one. Also if you know any online pet stores that ship to europe inform me. Thanks:biggrin:


You have a tough mission because, I have looked at some dry foods in the UK
and they resemble the garbage that we sell here in America. James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange, Burns, etc., and there is nothing impressive to speak of in regards to these diets IMO. And, I have jousted with a few across the pond over at Champdogs forum years back, and those people are just as misguided when it comes to animal nutrition as the people here in the US. That is because marketing of these companies combined with internet myths and you have everone singing the praises of string beans and carrots and forgetting about the good animal proteins dogs need LIKE THOSE FOUND IN BY-PRODUCTS.

Avoiding the corn, yea that is fine because you can't find Gods given corn anymore and it is all genetically modified (GM) corn. Avoiding the wheat, that is also great because they are all guilty of relying on gluten source proteins (because they avoid the yucky stuff like by-products). But you mind as well avoid those gimmick diets as well like those advertising GRAIN-FREE.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see all they have done is replaced the fiber from grain with PLANT FIBER. You've gained no ground in that respect because your goal should be higher animal source proteins and less carbs and fiber, not a fiber swap from grains to flowering plants. Flaxseed is the culprit there along with potatoes to make you think your getting something special when your really getting more or less the same as if you left the grains in there in the first place. It's catchy marketing though and the naive fall for it hook, line and sinker. Avoiding the Soy, another noble quest and a great ingredient to avoid. Soy protein again like gluten protein is what they want to give you when carnivore dog NEEDS animal source proteins and in quantity. These are inferior and cheaper forms of protien which translates into higher profits for these manufacturers. I'm taking what you say a step further by avoiding the Beet Pulp as well, an expansion type fiber (up to 250%)
and linked with bloat in med. size dogs.

You lose me where you say avoid the by-products. Now you've fallen victim to the internet and marketing hype. It is impossible to make and effective safe ration for dogs that will keep them at optimum peak health, thriving and not just surviving, without the LIBERAL INCLUSION OF BY-PRODUCT MEALS.

Good luck in your quest,
I feed Abady Granular (classic) and not sure if they ship overseas.

Charlie


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Oh Claybuster, I just love it when you rant!!!!!!!!!!!!


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