I would say that the answers to all those questions is a YES. To a certain degree, all these things happen. Choosing a dog food is a daunting task these days. We used to just go to the store and buy a bag and our dogs ate it up and seemed to never get sick. There are so many different ingredient options out there and all dogs' digestive systems don't seem to be the same. I have my dog on IAMS(basic green bag variety) and she does great on it. I once did get a bad bag of this and she had loose stool and then began to refuse to eat it. I got a refund from IAMS. As soon as I purchased a new bag, she was back to her old self again. I know people that absolutely hate Blue Buffalo because they once had some issues but I know a lot of people that feed it and their dogs seem fit and healthy. Most of our local rescues ask that we give donations of either Purina Dog Chow or Pro Plan because the dogs do well on it with very little issue. These people deal with hundreds of different dogs a year, I believe them to be pretty reliable!

More and more people are choosing raw food to feed their dogs and cats. It's their natural form of food (a dog or cat won't run into a grain field to forage for food when they run away). With so many recalls, people are getting away from processed food. Beneful and Blue Buffalo have had recent recalls.

There are fantastic online sites with the benefits of feeding raw. There's also a Facebook group called BCR (Big Country Raw), that you can check into. Lots of pictures of their pets and the food they feed, and the health benefits.

A lot of dog allergies have been alleviated, the teeth are in wonderful shape, better smelling breath, and more.

The raw food is ground like hamburger and frozen. Thaw an serve. But giving them meaty bones is also good, of course.

Socks,

No, for now I'm OK, thanks, I have several dog foods I order, they are 4.5 and 5 star rated foods. I'm happy with the brands I chose (and so are my dogs). But I've ordered them from different places. And even the good brands I've chosen have a few negative comments.

I just wonder where the negative comments come from, so I can weigh them correctly if they are valid.

I find buying good dog food to be easier than ever. Most every pet store now carries high-quality food brands.

We used to buy from holistic stores that sold the "good" brands, but now, we have so many choices of where to get our dogs' food.

I'm the same as Arkansas. Big green bag of Iams dog food from the grocery store & my dogs haven't had any issues.

I tried Blue Buffalo once because it has breed specific food for a German Shepherd for example. But it's SO expensive.

I've never done the raw food diet, but I used to make their food. In a big crockpot I'd put brown rice, canned or fresh veggies & whatever meat I found onsale. They LOVED their homemade food the best.

My biggest concern is stuff from China.

I've got a dog after being dogless for decades. Due to financial constraints I chose to feed him the house brand kibble from Save-a-Lot, which is mostly grain, with 'meat byproducts' pretty much last on the ingredient list. I've tried in vain to find the source of the ingredients, if anything is Chinese.

My vet told me the important thing is to be consistent, if dog is happy and doing well, don't keep changing the diet, and of course watch the 'treats'. She has no problem with what I'm feeding him. Ryan has gained about 4 pounds over the year since he's come to live with me, his coat is glossy, he's loaded with energy, and appears to be happy and well adjusted. Being part Lab, he has a small black hole where his stomach would be, so I'm careful not to over feed.

When one of our Westie's was 12, he began to fade. He perked up and thrived for another four years on rice, chicken and cottage cheese.

These are *dogs*, not colicky infants. The pet food makers know that dogs don't buy the food; humans do. They market to humans' ideas of what's 'good'.

I have a close family member who is a vet and who echos the comments of kentrees, his/her vet, and chisue.

Many dogs have sensitive stomachs and almost all won't do well with a fast change of food unless a slow transition from one to the other is done. We all want to provide our loved pets foods that are wholesome, free of dangerous contaminents and that provide necessary nutrition. Reality is, any food from a reputable source (including the major brands) that a dog tolerates without side effects or discomforts is the right food. The expensive foo-foo brands don't offer an advantage. Dogs change over the years, develop problems or sensitivities and sometimes special food types or special handling or approaches may be helpful, but for a healthy dog, nothing is gained by doing so when not done at the direction of a vet.

My large dog during adolescent years developed the habit of upchucking at midday. It was suggested I take the day's amount of food and spread it over three meals instead of two, and do so by a feeding a lunch. Problem solved. Treats? Her normal dry dog food. It's all the same to her, food is food.

The WORST thing to do for a dog is to feed them table scraps or other human foods. Those who have this practice don't want to hear this but if you don't want to hear it from me, ask your vet if it's okay. A good one who's honest will say no, for many, many reasons.

I've kept my dogs going beyond their years with home cooking. I don't get how real, unadulterated food is bad for dogs. Any food in it's unaltered state provides excellent nutrition.

Feeding dogs lots of fat, or too much of anything is bad, but all of our dogs have lived very long lives with high-quality dog food and Mama's cooking.

I cook for my little dog . She came to us very undernourished and with intestinal problems . It does not matter what commercial products I have tried she won't eat it and if she does it leads to her being sick . We think she has some severe food allergies and most of the foods contained what she is allergic to . I buy big family sized packages of boneless skinless chicken breast and cook them in the aroma cooker , chop it up , put it in containers in the freezer and take them out as I need to . Some times I add some cooked rice to the chicken for added nutrition . Every time I feed her I add a scoop of probiotics , a sprinkle of a pumpkin and cranberry dry mix , her liquid vitamins , and a splash of apple cider vinegar the vet recommended those additional items . She does well with that diet , the problem comes from us occasionally giving her bites of our food . The 2 foods that she can eat are dry crunchy Spots stew by Halo I buy it at Sprouts and and a wet food called lovesome at Kroger that is chicken and rice with vegetables . We try not to change anything because she is so sensitive . I have a hard time trusting any pet food because I lost one of my beloved cats because of the food that was tainted several years ago and caused kidney failure . I fed him with it once and it was almost immediately ill and had to be put down .

With the counterfeit problems Amazon is having with so many of the products it sells, I would not recommend buying dog food from there. I also no longer trust their reviews because many are fraudulently posted or wrongfully gained. When I buy dog food online, Chewy.com is the only reputatible site I use and I've found the reviews there to be helpful. I also used dogfoodadvisor.com

I also cook for my dog a lot. I supplement the IAMS with chicken and rice or ground beef. She enjoys scrambled eggs also. Very simple.

I also used pumpkin a lot for my senior or sick dogs. Ground turkey and a can of pumpkin puree with some broth. They loved it and I enjoyed the relief of them getting nourishment.

"I don't get how real, unadulterated food is bad for dogs. Any food in it's unaltered state provides excellent nutrition.:

Commercial feeds are produced to meet percentage compositions, healthy digestive systems and the wide diversity of nutrients that research and industry standards have shown to be required for healthy animals. It's sweet how many people put a lot of care and love into feeding their pets but the fact is that unless you're following prescribed recipes of a veterinarian who is board certified in nutrition (of whom there are very few), it's highly unlikely that the homemade concoctions you're preparing have everything your pets need to consume and in the right proportions.

In my experience, fussy eaters (whether animals or children) get that way because they're allowed to get that way. Hungry animals and kids will eat what's put in front of them. If they show a dislike for what they're served, withdraw the food, substitute nothing, and give it again at the next meal. At some point, they'll realize it's either this or nothing and they'll learn to eat and enjoy what they're given.

I've never relied only on homemade meals for my dogs because I know they need all the nutrients included in dog food. I just don't believe that giving "scraps" and homemade meals are necessarily bad.

It depends on what the scraps are. Some are ok, some are not.

"I just don't believe that giving "scraps" and homemade meals are necessarily bad"

Your vet isn't going to share you opinion, mimi. At least the several I know (including my family member) don't. Are you better informed on the topic than they are?

Scraps are also not advisable. Forgetting the potential health problems, giving animals table scraps can result in their begging for food when humans eat. A most annoying habit that's easily avoided.

Animals do best, health-wise and digestively, by eating a nutritionally complete and repetitive mono-food that they tolerate and thrive from .

Elmer, my vet is well aware of our feeding habits (and has never admonished me and has, in fact, told us to feed "people food" when the dogs have GI issues) and based on evidence that my dogs all lived very long lives, you can have your opinion and I'll have mine.

I don't need a dog food nanny!

"Your vet isn't going to share you opinion"

From my own experience. professionals rarely agree 100% on anything. And given that some vet offices receive support from some dog food companies, and they aren't all the same companies, and some vet offices choose not to take this support and choose to think for themselves, one would not expect every vet to support the same ideas about nutrition and feeding.

While I am not a huge fan of the AKC, this is a good article on human food for dogs.

http://www.akc.org/content/health/articles/human-foods-dogs-can-and-cant-eat/

A Veterinarian talks about homemade dog food.

While I realize dogs and people are different, I am sure that they enjoy a little variety as much as we do. The Nutraloaf is a nutritionally complete and repetitive mono-food, an interesting article, I think.

"Animals do best, health-wise and digestively, by eating a nutritionally complete and repetitive mono-food that they tolerate and thrive from ."

Nutraloaf

My dog is 12 or 13--not too sure--a rescue. So what if f I give my dog a few table scraps (say a little filet mignon or scrambled eggs)? I bet the dog thinks, "Wow--this is fantastic--I sure do have the best human ever. Yummy yummy in my tummy." At 13, we've had a lovely life together and I want the dog to be happy provided these scraps aren't upsetting the stomach. I'm looking at my dog sleep right now--the sleep of the well fed hound. BTW, peanut butter ice cream was served for dessert this evening.

mimi, you vet is going to avoid insulting you when you ask a question with an obvious point of view about the answer.

I too see the ethical conflict when a vet sells food. It shouldn't be, but even those that do should be able to answer this question about human food and scraps without the alternative being that the client purchases food from the vet.

My source is my kid, a boarded/certified veterinary specialist (most aren't), who spent 6 years in training/residency after 4 years of vet school after 4 years of undergrad, to study for months twice to pass hard tests with a low pass rate. Works in a referral clinic that doesn't sell food.

Dr Mercola, by the way, is an Osteopath who trained in the 70s, not a Medical Doctor. Ask mdlin what she things of that credential for someone of that age.

Elmer, no matter how hard your kid studied, or what sort of certification he/she has, it is still the opinion of one professional, and hardly a mandate for the feeding practices of each and every dog owner. Opinions, even among experts, vary.

And of course there is the whole debate of longevity vs happiness. A few scraps/treats is hardly a reason to preach to a happy dog and happy owner.

My original post had to do with my worries about the same dog foods with diametrically opposite reviews. I worry about possible contamination, not a couple of Cheetos.

I won't be baited, Lucille. I know that people who say "This must be okay because it's what I've always done" or "there's never been a problem so it must be fine" aren't looking for real information and will attempt to refute it if offered because they don't want to learn that maybe a long standing practice has been ill-advised.

My Lily has seen tons of vets...all have told me the same thing. There's a few people foods that are ok for a dog. Boneless skinless chicken breast boiled without rib meat still attached, white rice in moderation and pumpkin. These should all be fresh without preservatives. There were a few more but I can't remember them. They said most important is to avoid all foods with fat and preservatives. They all also told me a bite or two very occasionally of most foods on our dinner plates are fine for a healthy dog, as long as its a rare treat.

My lab ate Beneful for 16 years with no side effects, The only time he was ever ill was when a fly deposited its eggs on a small wound my dog had and the larvae buried themselves into his neck but to the amazement of the vet and the good care my sister and I gave him he survived the infection.

I just adopted a 9 year old female lab, Chesapeake Bay retriever mix. The previous owner is going to pay for any future vet bills and the food. She had the dog for a year but due to circumstances had to find a good home for it. I asked her what kind of food the dog eats and she said she buys whatever was on sale. The first small bag of food she brought the dog was a lower store brand and caused the dog to be very gassy. I could only get grocery store dog food so looked at the new Beneful bags of food that now list meat as its main ingredient so I bought that to tide me over until I could find a better food. I looked on all the dog review sites and the cost of the so called good dog foods cost way too much. The dog liked the Beneful and it didn't cause the dog to have gas. I was at Costco and saw a bag of food that cost $48 and it was made with salmon and sweet potatoes. The Beneful I used to give my dog was salmon flavoured. The owner didn't bring the food I suggested from Costco but purchased a bag of higher quality store brand food chicken and brown rice and the dog does not like it at all. I told the previous owner I would prefer the dog to be on one type of food so not to cause an upset stomach. I would prefer the salmon and sweet potato. Neither of us can afford the best rated dog foods. I was concerned over the mixed dog food reviews on different sites. This beautiful gentle dog has been moved from her homes 2 times that I know of and hopefully this will be her last home.

Elmer your post was a straw man post, I will not be drawn into it.

I will reiterate my stance that even the best experts differ on feeding practices, and I do not believe that feeding only one type of food with no variance is necessary for a dog's health, although that seems to be your opinion.

I am not a vet but I have always had a closer than average relationship with my vets (leading to long discussions about this and that) and I know a great many people in the animal care industry. Here's my take.

When dogs come in with gastro problems they are asked about what the dog eats. Enter stage left: Selective memory.

Buffy is eating X Brand of of dog food.

Left out of the narrative: Buffy's mommy provides an extra slice of bacon or two each morning when Buffy's mommy prepares her own breakfast. She can't bear to see Buffy's sad eyes while she eats. Also Buffy loves raw hot dogs for treats and those become training treats since all those horrifying chemicals reside in actual treats made for dogs. Buffy often gets into the kitty's tuna when she can. Buffy has been chewing the redwood chips in the garden. Buffy weights 12 pounds. That's a lot of crap for a 12 pound dog to be eating.

Now a large dog can get away with a slice of bacon occasionally. Isn't good for them but won't make much difference if the dog is otherwise healthy and fed a quality dog diet. They could even get away with table scraps for a lot longer. But most of these dogs that get ill are under 25 pounds. At the other end of the scale there are obese and lethargic dogs that are simply being overfed. But of course it must be the dog food.

Dogs don't need variety. Too many people keep trying new brands for no good reason. Even dogs with healthy digestive tracts will often get ill when a new brand is introduced too abruptly. Know your breed and know it's requirements. Especially during the puppy stages. Large breeds grow slowly and have slightly different nutritional requirements versus smaller breeds for slow healthy bone growth. Not different ingredients but a different ratio of protein to fat to carbs.

Common Sense Article

When Smudge was diagnosed hyper-thyroidism last year the vet asked what I'm feeding him. She was appalled and we butted heads about me feeding him a partial raw diet. (Canned and raw). She said she had more problems with animals that come in that are fed a raw diet. She's obviously talking about people who feed completely food scraps without feeding a proper nutritional raw diet. Bones, vitamins, etc. There's a 'raw diet' and 'raw diet'.

She has sold the business to 2 new vets, both women. Everyone there loves Smudge to death, and both vets have said he's in great condition. He got his teeth cleaned a few months ago, and they checked him out fully to see if he could withstand the anesthetic (he's 16). They said he's in great shape. The previous vet said he had abscessed molars and they needed to be pulled. These vets saw that once his teeth were cleaned his molars were in great condition. So a cleaning, and pulling of 3 little wee teeth in the front and all is well.

They said they don't care what I feed him, as long as he's healthy. Raw, or otherwise.

I belong to a raw feeding group on Facebook and the vast majority are dog owners. Their dogs have done remarkable on it. They get lots of veggies, and this person feeds blueberries, pumpkin, some sea kelp, a frozen paw of coconut oil, and the raw food. This one happens to be Turducken!

My friend had a dog in her childhood that almost exclusively was fed table food, and lived to 17 or 18.

dogfoodadvisordotcom is a DENTIST. That is the LAST place I 'd look for dog food information. Just trust the big guys like Purina and Science Diet and Iams. They've been making premium food for many years each. If you have fallen into the no-grain propaganda, they make grain-free food just to please you. Check out this website for some good SCIENTIFIC information (Dr. Remillard is a veterinarian with an advanced degree in animal NUTRITION): PetDiets.com

Trust your gut. If you cannot eat raw food, how can you possibly expect your dog to get any nutrition out of it since it is not balanced.

Here is a review of Purina Dog Chow.

Review, Purina Dog Chow

I agree completely with Pat.

Watchme, to counter your authoritative cite from a scientific expert, a veterinary nutritionist at Cornell Vet School (one of the best in the world), Lucille offers one from a random website run by someone with no technical qualifications and supplemented by comments from other well-meaning but technically uninformed pet owners.

Not all information is of equal value or weight. It's all too easy on the internet to have a website to distribute unsupported or, worse, bogus information. When using the internet, one must always consider the source.

You can trust advice from a professor at Cornell Vet School, the best train the best.

Trust your gut. If you cannot eat raw food, how can you possibly expect your dog to get any nutrition out of it since it is not balanced.

Uhhh, dogs eat cat poop too. It doesn't mean that I can.

Since dogs are carnivores and they'll eat meat in the wild, it's obviously balanced.

The cats are our food tester. This is some bone-in chicken breast. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.

Just to throw in my 2¢ worth... carnivores in the wild may not be
looking to gnaw down on an ear of corn or chew on some wheat, but they
do eat other animals that feed on those foods. So yes, grain is part of
an animals diet.

However, some animals do have grain allergies.
We've had 6 dogs in our 40 years of marriage and 2 of them, both
Goldens, were greatly helped by grain-free diets. All of our other dogs
and cats eat Purina. My mother cooked for all her little dogs
throughout the years. A simple chicken and rice stew with mixed
veggies. All of them lived to an age that was appropriate for their
breed.

I agree with you watchmelol! People definitely have selective memory.

I am a regular at a dog park and I talk to a lot of people about what they feed their dogs. People give their dogs all kinds of junk but they insist on buying a grain free expensive food. "What do you give them for treats?" I ask, "Milk bone dog biscuits are his favorite" they reply. I'm not saying that milk bones are bad but if they have to have a grain free dog food, then why feed a grain filled treat? We have one member that says "My dog LOVES spaghetti sauce". Hum, that's real healthy...NOT! Then they wonder why their dog has loose stool, "must be the apple" he says. Another regular was complaining that her dog had loose stool so I asked her if she'd given him anything new, "I'm giving him some cooked chicken, eggs and broccoli in addition to his dry food but none of that SHOULD be bad for him". They cannot put two and two together and realize that just because chicken, broccoli and egg are supposed to be OK doesn't mean that their dog won't have an issue with it.

Thank you, Elmer.