Iams is not a premium food, you are better off with Candidae or Solid Gold or another premium food. Furthermore, Iams conducts very unpleasant animal testing, I would not purchase any of their products for that reason alone.

Sure, premium food is more expensive, but you save money in the long run by ensuring better health for your pets, and lower vet bills. You can also supplement with raw veggies and fruits, a little bit of cottage cheese, etc. Good nutrition is important for all of us, 2-legged or 4-legged.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iams

Feeding crappy dog food, which Iams is, has cost me high Vet bills and for my dog to suffer with food allergies which are common in dogs.

I have to agree with the previous posts.

I feed high quality stuff with no fillers that comes from a health food store for pets. It is a bit pricey, but I've fed it for years and know it's kept my vet bills down.

SG

I've fed Eukanuba for years.

I know some people don't care for it much, but my girls (well, girl, I lost one of my pups last week) have thrived on it.

Iams and Purina are junk food for dogs. We are using Nutro which is a midrange priced food. I had our vet look at the ingredient list and he agreed it was a good food. I feed the sensitive stomach formula to my old gal and the boys get food for less active dogs since one boy had a bit of weight problem six months ago. We are starting to go back to the regular Nutro after the next weigh in.

Nutro is available at pet stores like Pet Smart. It is pricey but more affordable than foods like Solid Gold. It would be a good choice if you are on a budget and want to feed your dogs the best food you can.

Also, when switching foods, don't just stop feeding one food and replace it with another. Start with 1/2 and 1/2 for a week, then 3/4 and 1/4 for a week and then all of the new food. Good luck!!

We also feed Nutro, different flavors, and have used it for a number of years both old dogs and puppies. They do have a program that after you buy 10 bags, you get one free. Hey, every bit helps. Also, the better food provides better nutrition and they may need less to satisfy them. Not sure if that is a fact or not.

We've fed both Solid Gold and currently Innova. With a high quality, nutrition-rich food, you don't have to give them as much. My golden retirevers get 1 1/2 cups a day. If we were using a cheaper food, they'd need at least twice as much.
Also, less filler means less poop.

A high quality diet promotes good health which translates into lower vet expenses.

Where do you get the Innova?

Most of what's in those grocery store foods is filler like corn and other grains so that's why it is not necessary to feed as much of the premium foods. Of course that also means a lot less cleanup out in the yard or whereever! The cost difference really is quite nominal.

Innova is only sold at small pet boutiques and I've found it's a pain to get and it's a bit of overkill for most people unless your dog is involved with lots of physical activity, agility and so on. You can go to their web site. Just google it to find local dealers.

The only reason I switched from Solid Gold to Innova is that my vet recommended changing their diet every so often. After a few months of Innova, I'll probably go back to Solid Gold. I had to hunt a bit to find a source for the Solid Gold, but found a pet nutrition store about 15 miles away with a wonderful proprietor. She carries both brands (as well as healthy, low fat treats). She also carried a soft blow up collar that replaces the Elizabethan collar that I have had to use sometimes. It's much nicer - doesn't restrict their vision and is more comfortable.

I feed our Lab, Science Diet Lamb and Rice. Yeah it is high priced, but I only have one dog and think she might as well have one of the best. She gets 1.5 cups in the morning and 1.5 cups in the evening. Maintains a perfect weight of about 60 lbs and has the perfect indentation behind the ribs in the waste when viewed from above.

One thing I noticed with the higher priced food, less waste in the yard to pick up. So she doesn't get bored, every once in a while I mix in some hard-boiled egg or make a broth from chicken innards and chop up the liver/heart/gizzard for her or I will save meat scraps for her. That keeps her interested in the food, not that Labs really loose interest in food. :-) Everytime I go to the vet for her annual check up and shots, they always comment on her shiny coat and nice figure and ask what I feed her. I say, "Science Diet" and they nod as if to say, "Ah, that explains it". In the fall, I mix a tablespoon or two of Science Diet canned dog food in her kibble during the winter once a day to give her a little more fat during hunting season to aid in those long cold water retrieves.

BN

The best thing about solid gold, aside from the hermetically sealed bags, perfect size and texture kibble, is that that they sell it at petco stores nationwide. So it's becoming more and more convenient to feed your dogs good food now that the chain stores are listening to consumers and stocking the natural foods.

qq, that's good to know - we had to drive a long ways to get SG. I'm glad to hear it's going to be more available. We got started on it when I asked the breeder what she fed her dogs.

Pawprint, here's a really interesting article with comparisons of different dry dog foods.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kibble

Petsmart has Blue Buffalo. I don't know anything about it though. After talking with the people at these stores they say they will start carrying more of these brands and they are selling like hot cakes. Lets hope the food manufactures don't have some silliness about not wanting to sell to chain stores for some reason.

Feed my dog Canidae and my cat felidae. Top notch ingredients. I can buy a 40lb bag of canidae for around $30 in the DC area. Keep it stored in an airtight container. I really dont think it cost that much more than the el cheapo dog food, then when u consider better food usually results in a healthier dog, thus less vets bills, its a bargain! Solid Gold is a super 1 as well.

My dog got sick (allergies) on Iams. I nearly put her down until someone suggested to me that I change her diet. Doh! Avoid anything with preservatives.

We had to put her down 2 weeks ago at the age of 15, but until her kidneys started to fail and we had to put her on a special diet, we fed her either Nature's Recipe or Natural Balance. Since she lived to be 15, I'd say the food was pretty good.

petra, that link is a terrific one. In fact, when we got our Golden puppy, the breeder gave us a binder full of information and resources and that full section (info about kibble) was included. We decided that we would not feed our dogs anything less than human grade.

Wellness is very good too. It's human grade and all the other good things it needs to be but isn't on the list. I give my dogs Wellness Super 5 chicken, a dry kibble. They love it and are healthy. A 30 lb. bag costs me $40.

I feed Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Dogfood. I know... stoopid name. It ranks up there with Blue Buffalo, Canidae, Wellness, NaturalBalance, Solid Gold, etc. No corn or meat meal (UGH!). I pay $30 for a 30lb bag. I work my dog HARD in Schutzhund three or four days a week and she looks great. She's 70lb and I feed her 3 cups split a day.

My story is that I fed Science DIet to my two labs....after a year they were getting chronic ear and skin infections...tons of $$$ on vet visits.

Switched them to Wellness and things improved...less visits.

Switched them to Urban WOlf that you add your own meat to...no more ear or skin infections, no gas, great teeth etc.

Long story short....I spend way less in total even though my food bill is higher.

Meant to say that Whole DOg Journal, which has a website comapres food on an annual basis. SD and Iams don't even make it to the list. There are many others that do. If you are brave google how dog food is made.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2007 Whole Dog Dry Food Review

Have you guys ever heard of Natures Choice or Natural Choice (something like that)? I'm at work right now and I don't have the bad in front of me but that's what I feed my boxer and I just don't know how good it is for her. I read through the ingredients and it didn't have any fillers in like the first 5-6 items. I bought it from Petsmart and that's the only place I have found it but they told me that its the same as Science Diet but I'm just not buying the name, is what they said. Now, I just last week found this other brand its called "Pet Promise". The big thing on the front of the bag is, it says "Let Byproducts be bygones" It says that there is: NO Animal Byproducts, NO added growth hormones, NO antibiotic-fed protein, NO rendered meats or fats, NO brain or spinal tissue, No artifical colors, flavors or preservatives. This is all on the front cover of the bag. It also says (I'm reading right from the bag) "Natural Dog Food with added vitamins and minerals" I went and bought a small bad of this food because I was so curious about it. Have any of you heard of it?? I don't want to feed it to my babies though unless I find more about it out but it is VERY expensive. Please let me know if anybody has heard of it.

Thanks, Elycia

Does anybody subscribe to Whole Dog Journal? I would love to read the list but don't want to subscribe.
Any cutters and pasters here?

I no longer subscribe but I have the 2005 food review....I can e-mail it to you if you want... just send me an e-mail to laura at gleasonroad dot com

Why We Like Whole Foods
T The rationale for our annual dry dog food selection and review.
here are basically two main camps
in the dog food manufacturing business.
The overwhelming majority of
the industry belongs in one camp; not
surprisingly, were fans of the other.
LetÂs call the first group Camp A, as in
"A vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin." These
are the people who think that it doesnÂt
matter what ingredients a dog food contains,
as long as the end result contains the recommended
daily amounts of vitamins,
minerals, and major nutrients (protein and
fat) needed by dogs.
The goal of nutritionists and feed formulators
in Camp A is to manufacture a
palatable product that contains at least as
much total nutrition as required by law for
the least amount of money. "Camp A Dog
Food" has to be tasty enough to appeal to
dogs palates (if dogs wonÂt eat it, it wonÂt
sell); it has to meet the "nutrient profiles"
established by the Association of American
Feed Control Officials (AAFCO, an advisory
body that crafts model legislation for
states to enact); and it has to be as profitable
for its maker as possible.
HereÂs a fact that makes denizens of
Camp A very happy: They can use practically
anything as an ingredient in Camp A
Dog Food  that is, anything that is "generally
recognized as safe" (GRAS) for dogs.
So  duh!  they canÂt use poison, any
substances known to cause injury to dogs,
ingredients that contain harmful levels of
pesticides, or feed that has been "contaminated
with filth."
But they can use all sorts of low-cost
by-products of the human food or food animal
feed manufacturing industry, such as
chicken by-products (chicken heads, feet,
and guts), brewers rice (small fragments of
rice kernels that have been separated from
the larger kernels of milled rice), or corn
gluten meal (the dried residue from corn
after the removal of the larger part of the
starch and germ, and the separation of the
bran by the process employed in the manufacture
of corn starch or syrup).
Each of these ingredients (and many
other by-products) cost little when compared
to their original forms (in this case,
chicken, rice, and corn), and yet they still
can be mixed with other ingredients to make
up a "complete and balanced" dog food.
How can that be?
First, all dry dog foods are formulated
with a vitamin/mineral "premix" that ensures
the final product contains at least the
minimum amounts of the vitamins and minerals
deemed necessary (the AAFCO nutrient
profiles) to maintain dogs in certain demographics
("maintenance" or "growth and
reproduction"). ThatÂs because the cooking
process (whether itÂs an extruded or baked
food) pretty much destroys all the vitamins
present in the food ingredients, and because
(with a couple of exceptions) the ingredients
lack the minerals dogs need.
As far as the "macronutrients" (protein
and fat) are concerned, there are any number
of ways that a dog food maker can reach
the target levels of these nutrients. The most
profitable method is to mix large amounts
of inexpensive proteins and fats with small
amounts of high-quality, energy-dense
proteins and fats.
YouÂll note that we didnÂt mention carbohydrates.
While itÂs hard for many people
to believe, given that the vast majority of
us have fed carb-loaded kibble to our dogs
NUTRITION
all our lives, dogs have no carbohydrate
requirements. Studies have proven that a
dog can get along just fine on a diet that
contains zero carbs. Kibble is loaded with
carbs because a) dogs can utilize them as a
source of energy; b) carbs can facilitate absorption
of other nutrients in the gut; c)
when you are making a food that only needs
to be about 18 percent protein and 8 percent
fat, you need a lot of other stuff to flesh
out the formula, and d) carbs are inexpensive
(relative to fat and protein).
Plus, as it turns out, if a food mixture
that contains more than about 45 percent
animal products goes through an extruder
(the kibble-making machine), the machine
literally gums up and grinds to a halt.
B is for "better"
Contrast all that with this:
Ingredient quality, not cost, is of utmost
importance to Camp B dog food makers.
Camp B manufacturers aim to produce the
The Whole Dog Journal
WHAT YOU CAN DO . . .
Look for foods that meet our
selection criteria and are available
in your area. Understand
that they will cost more.
Switch foods slowly, replacing
your dogÂs old food with a new
food, bit by bit, over the course
of a week or more.
Watch your dog carefully for
signs that a food does or does
not work well for him. Switch
foods if you see signs of intolerance,
such as infected ears, gas,
itchy skin or paws, goopy eyes.

NUTRITION
Health improves when food does, too.
Copyright © 2005, Belvoir Media Group, LLC THE WHOLE DOG JOURNAL : 7
highest-quality food they can, and they have
set their prices accordingly. These are the
people who pay top dollar for chicken from
companies who will guarantee that no longdead
birds get into the processing plant.
Who buy premium low-ash lamb from New
Zealand, and grass-fed beef from organic
ranchers. Who develop long-term relationships
with growers who produce the best
crops consistently.
These people are happy when consumers
ask them for proof of the quality of their
ingredients, or for tours of their plants.
Also, nutritionists in this camp feel certain
that foods are more than the sum of their
vitamin, mineral, fat, and protein contents.
Even though neither the FDA nor AAFCO
has studied and proven it yet, Camp B Dog
Food formulators believe there are beneficial
substances in whole, high-quality foods
that are not yet fully recognized or understood.
These include enzymes, probiotics,
prebiotics, and even antibodies (found in
colostrum and eggs).
Phytochemicals (chemicals found in
plants) are another huge class of substances
that scientists are just now learning about.
Many powerful antioxidants have been found
in plants, such as lycopene (in tomatoes and
cranberries), polyphenols (green tea), limonene
(citrus), flavonoids (pycnog-enol,
grapeseed, green tea, cayenne), and curcumin
(tumeric). Other herbs, fruits, vegetables, and
spices are yielding substances with anticancer
properties, such as allylic sulfides (garlic),
capsaicin (cayenne), and carotenoids (vitamin
A precursors found in yellow, orange, and
dark green fruits and veggies).
Camp B nutritionists also intuit that there
are beneficial interactions between whole
foods  synergies we donÂt yet understand.
Come over to our camp
What proof do we have that Camp B Dog
Food is any better than Camp AÂs? WeÂve
seen the results ourselves, and so have our
readers. Upgrade your dogÂs food, and, if
youÂre paying close attention, youÂll notice
many improvements. He stops licking his
feet. His ear infections go away and donÂt
return. His anal glands donÂt require squeezing.
His eyes clear up and his coat gets
thicker and shinier. His behavior might even
improve. DoesnÂt all that seem worth a trip
to Camp B?
If so, check out the list of B-type foods
on our "approved" foods list (next pages),
or, using the same selection criteria we used
to choose the foods on our list, evaluate your
favorite dog food.
 We look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal proteins. We like
manufacturers to disclose the approximate percentage of meat, poultry, or fish in
their food, but they rarely will, so we look for foods that appear to have lots of
animal protein. Ingredients are listed in order or their weight, so ideally a food will
have one or two animal proteins in the first few ingredients. Understand that whole
meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) contains a lot of water weight. If a food list starts out
with chicken, and there is no other animal protein listed until 7th or 8th on the list,
the food does not actually contain a lot of animal protein. But if it starts out with
chicken, and chicken (or another animal) "meal" (essentially dehydrated chicken) is
number two or three on the list, chances are the product contains an admirable amount
of animal protein. Animal proteins tend to be more digestible and palatable than
plant proteins and offer a wider array of essential and nonessential amino acids.
 We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products.
ItÂs just about impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products used by a food
manufacturer. WeÂve spoken to representatives who swore they used only the finest
sources of by-products, but when asked, they all say that! The fact is, there is a much
wider range of quality in the by-products available for pet food manufacturing than
there is for whole meats. Whole meats are expensive, and because they are expensive,
dog food makers insist on their quality to an extent that is unreasonable when
buying bargain-basement by-products. So, because the quality cannot be confirmed,
we advise that you just avoid foods that contain by-products. NOTE: Some of our
past selections do contain meat and/or poultry by-products. To winnow down our
list to the very best foods possible, we no longer select products that contain meat or
poultry by-products.
 We reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. "Animal
fat" is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin.
"Meat meal" could be anything. We shudder.
 We look for the use of whole grains and vegetables. That said, some grains
and vegetables have valuable constituents that accomplish specific tasks in a dog
food formula. We donÂt think itÂs worth getting too excited about one vegetable
fragment and one grain by-product on the ingredients panel. Our tolerance diminishes
in direct proportion to the number of fragments and by-products contained in
a food and the prominence on a label; the more there are, and/or the higher they
appear on the ingredients list, the lower-quality the food.
 We eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives listed
on their ingredients panels. NOTE: Some ingredients  usually fats, and some fish
products  arrive at the pet food factory containing artificial preservatives; these do
not have to be disclosed on the ingredient list, since the maker did not add them.
 We eliminate all foods with added sweeteners. Dogs, like people, enjoy sweet
foods. Like people, they can develop a taste for these nutritionally empty calories.
To meet our approval, food need not offer the following. But we like it when they do.
 We really appreciate it when the date-code or production code is easy to find,
read, and interpret.
 The more items listed on a product labelÂs "guaranteed analysis," the better.
 We like to see the caloric content of the food listed on the label.
 It makes things so much easier when all of the food makerÂs contact information
(address, phone, Web address) is listed on its product labels.
 We feel better when a food has passed an AAFCO feeding trial.
 We appreciate organic ingredients.
WDJÂs Dry Dog Food Selection Criteria
8:FEBRUARY 2005 Copyright © 2005, Belvoir Media Group, LLC
Artemis
Artemis Pet Foods
Canoga Park, CA
(800) 282-5876
artemispetfood.com
Azmira
Azmira Holistic Animal Care
Tucson, AZ
(800) 497-5665
azmira.com
Back to Basics
Beowulf Natural Foods
Syracuse, NY
(800) 219-2558
beowulfs.com
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Canine
Bench & Field Pet Foods
Mishawaka, IN
(800) 525-4802
benchandfield.com
Blue Buffalo
The Blue Buffalo Company
Wilton, CT
(800) 919-2833
bluebuff.com
Burns
Burns Pet Nutrition
Chesterston, IN
(877) 983-9651
bpn4u.com
California Natural
Natura Pet Products
Santa Clara, CA
(800) 532-7261
naturapet.com
Canidae
Canidae Corp.
San Luis Obispo, CA
(800) 398-1600
canidae.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet LoverÂs Soul
Diamond Pet Products (a division of Schell & Kampeter)
Meta, MO
(800) 442-0402
chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
Drs. Foster & Smith
Drs. Foster & Smith
Rhinelander, WI
(800) 826-7206
drsfostersmith.com
Eagle Pack Holistic Select
Eagle Pet Products, Inc.
Mishawaka, IN
(800) 255-5959
eaglepack.com
Flint River
Flint River Ranch
Riverside, CA
(909) 682-5048
(sold through independent reps)
Previous Selections on WDJÂs "Approved Dry Foods" list
Foundations
Petcurean Pet Nutrition
Abbotsford, BC
(866) 864-6112
petcurean.com
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals
Fromm Family Foods
Mequon, WI
(800) 325-6331
frommfamilyfoods.com
Go! Natural
Petcurean Pet Nutrition
Abbotsford, BC
(866) 864-6112
petcurean.com
Hund-N-Flocken
Solid Gold Health Products for Pets
El Cajon, CA
(800) 364-4863
solidgoldhealth.com
Innova
Natura Pet Products
Santa Clara, CA
(800) 532-7261
naturapet.com
Karma Organic
Natura Pet Products
Santa Clara, CA
(800) 532-7261
karmaorganic.com
Lick Your Chops
Healthy Pet Foods, Inc.
West Chester, PA
(800) 821-4640
healthypetfoodsinc.com
Lifespan
Petguard
Green Cove Springs, FL
(800) 877-petguard
petguard.com
Limited Diets
Innovative Veterinary Diets
Pittsburg, PA
(800) 359-4483
(sold through veterinarians only)
Merrick Pet Foods
Merrick Pet Care
Hereford, TX
(800) 664-7387
merrickpetcare.com
Mmillennia
Solid Gold Health Products for Pets
El Cajon, CA
(800) 364-4863
solidgoldhealth.com
Natural Balance Ultra Premium
Dick Van PattenÂs Natural Balance
Pacoima, CA
(800) 829-4493
naturalbalanceinc.com
Copyright © 2005, Belvoir Media Group, LLC THE WHOLE DOG JOURNAL : 9

to WDJs "Approved Dry Foods" list
Newmans Own Organics
Newmans Own Organics
Aptos, CA
(800) 865-2866
newmansownorganics.com
Organix
Castor & Pollux Pet Works
Clackamas, OR
(800) 875-7518
castorpolluxpet.com
PHD Viand
Perfect Health Diet Products, Inc.
Elmsford, NY
(800) 743-1502
phdproducts.com
Pinnacle
Breeders Choice Pet Foods
Irwindale, CA
(800) 255-4286
breeders-choice.com
Prairie
Natures Variety
Lincoln, NE
(888) 519-7387
naturesvariety.com
Prime Life
Owen & Mandeville Pet Products
Oxford, CT
(888) 881-7703
ompetproducts.com
Royal Canin Natural Blend
Royal Canin USA, Inc.
St. Peters, MO
(800) 592-6687 (US); (800) 527-2673 (Can)
royalcanin.us
Timberwolf Organics
Yukon Nutritional Co.
Dundee, FL
(863) 439-0049
timberwolforganics.com
VeRUS
VeRUS Pet Foods, Inc.
Abingdon, MD
(888) 828-3787
veruspetfoods.com
Wellness
Old Mother Hubbard
Lowell, MA
(800) 225-0904
oldmotherhubbard.com
Wysong
Wysong Corporation
Midland, MI
(800) 748-0188
wysong.net
VARIETY, FIRST 6 INGREDIENTS,
MAKER, CONTACT INFO MIN.% PROTEIN, FAT; MAX.% FIBER, MOISTURE

New in 2005

by Nature BrightLife
by Nature Pet & Animal
Feeds (a division of
Blue Seal Feeds, Inc.)
Londonderry, NH
(800) 367-2730
bynaturepetfoods.com
Canine Caviar
Canine Caviar Pet Foods
Anaheim, CA
(800) 392-7898
caninecaviar.com
Cloud Star Kibble
Cloud Star Corporation
San Luis Obispo, CA
(800) 361-9079
cloudstar.com
Evolve
Triumph Pet Industries Inc.
Warwick, NY
(800) 331-5144
evolvepet.com
Natural Choice Ultra
Nutro Products, Inc.
City of Industry, CA
(800) 833-5330
nutroproducts.com
Premium Edge
Premium Edge Pet Foods
(a division of
Schell & Kampeter)
Meta, MO
(800) 977-8797
premiumedgepetfood.com
Wellness Simple
Food Solutions
Old Mother Hubbard
Lovell, MA
(800) 225-0904
oldmotherhubbard.com
"Canine Formula": Chicken meal, lamb meal,
barley, rice, oats, chicken fat . . .
28% protein; 18% fat;
5% fiber; 11% moisture
Awesome food from a sincere company. They offer
full disclosure of any info needed. Seven nutrients
(beyond the required four) listed on the Guaranteed
Analysis (GA). Our kind of folks.
"Chicken & Pearl Millet Adult": Chicken meal,
pearl millet, brown rice, chicken fat, white fish
meal, alfalfa meal . . .
26% protein; 16% fat; 4% fiber; 8% moisture
Maker also lists (though not in the GA) levels of
the entire AAFCO nutrient profile, and then some.
Contains lots of herbs and Omega-3 and -6 EFAs.
"Chicken": Chicken meal, barley, brown rice, deboned
chicken, oats, vegetable oil . . .
30% protein; 9% fat; 2% fiber; 10% moisture
Formula also contains lots of whole fruits, herbs,
and vegetables. Order from maker for direct ship
to your door, free for orders of $50 or more.
"Adult": Lamb, chicken meal, brown rice, white
rice, chicken fat, rice bran . . .
25% protein; 15% fat; 5.5% fiber; 10% moisture
Recent improvements in this food, from a company
with a 60-year history, have edged it onto our list,
rice-heavy as it appears to be. But it illustrates that
the industry is slowly moving in the direction of
"Camp B." Hurray!
"Adult": Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, lamb
meal, rice bran, sunflower oil ...
26% protein; 12% fat;
4% fiber; 10% moisture
75-year-old company follows
suit. Nutro includes probiotics, herbs, glucosamine,
and chondroitin in this rejuvenated line.
"Adult": Chicken, chicken meal, brown rice,
cracked pearled barley, white rice, turkey meal . . .
26% protein; 15% fat; 3% fiber; 10% moisture
And yet another long-established, big player in the
market adds a "Camp B" food to its lineup. Eight
additional nutrients, including Omega-3 and -6,
glucosamine, and chondroitin listed on its GA.
"Venison": Brown rice, venison, brown rice
protein, flaxseed, sunflower oil, natural venison
flavor . . .
21% protein; 12% fat; 3% fiber; 11%moisture
Meant to be used in an elimination diet,
to help identify whether a dog is allergic
to or intolerant of certain ingredients.
Also comes in a duck variety.

Thanks Patches! I appreciate the info.

Hi Pawprint1, long time, no see.
I guess the answer to your question is that Iams is not so good and Dog Chow is worse. Sorry. DH tels me that Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul is the least expensive "good" food. He says it is a great value, you get a lot of good food for the price. Unfortunately, good foods are not cheap. We have followed the Whole Dog Journal guidelines for years. The advantage of these premium foods is that they are filling, so you may find that you are able to feed far less than you do now. Our Megan was probably about the same weight as your hound - 70 lbs. We would give her 3/4 of a cup to a cup twice a day. You also get less poop when you use these good foods.

Best of luck, how about more pictures of your big dogs?