Originally Posted by
soberbyker
Wet or dry, and why.
—Dry. We have her on ProPlan Sport All Stages 26/16 chicken and rice. We have her on that because it is what her breeder recommended. She also regularly gets fresh salmon, broiled or boiled chicken, sardines, and various fruits and vegetables (berries, apples, carrots, spinach, zucchini, yams, squash). These are added to her food.
The following are concerning dry.
I've read a lot of bad things about corn in the diet, yet Pro Plan, which has a few corn ingredients listed, seems to be a popular food with some on this forum, why? and is corn really that bad?
—As above, we have Hoku on ProPlan because that is the breeder's recommendation. The breeder has been breeding Labs for decades, and I trust her judgment. Vast quantities of corn are probably not a good thing, but most human beings eat more corn in incidental doses (fillers, sweeteners, etc.) than anything that is found in dog food. It's hype.
How long before you wean your puppy off of puppy food and/or the food he came from the breeder with?
—Hoku switched to All-Stages when she was about 12 weeks old.
Is grain free all natural really a better diet?
—No. Some dogs profit from it if they have physical conditions that make grains difficult to digest. Otherwise, absolutely not. It's as much of a fad as the "gluten free" thing (and don't get me going—my mother had celiac disease, so I am well aware of the real dangers of gluten if someone is actually celiac).
If you find a food your dog likes why "rotate" foods? Is there a problem with always feeding the same food if the dog seems to enjoy it?
—At present, I don't rotate, but Hoku does get a rotating variety of additional fresh foods. I may introduce one high quality rotation kibble as she gets a bit older.
Does anyone have experience with Berkley and Jensen Chicken and Brown Rice, a slightly less costly "Natural" dog food.
—As a Pacific Northwest honest to god flannel-and-jeans wearing, tree-hugging, pescatarian who literally eats no junk food whatever, the word "Natural" as a marketing gimmick makes me want to scream. It is meaningless. Ignore it. Read labels. Buy (and eat) good food (you and your dogs!). "Natural" means nothing; "organic" doesn't mean what most people think it means, and "GMO" has become a cry of hysteria. (There are things I definitely avoid, such as BGH—I don't eat much dairy, anyway—and corn syrup, anything artificial, etc.: but labels like "natural" and "grain free" and "organic" and all that have been massively overused and are just confusing people. Drives me crazy.
Just figure out what works for you (financially, in terms of availability) and what works for your dog, and stick to it.