There is a recent thread on this very subject.

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Thread

I've been feeding Canidae lately. The kibble is a of size that I can feed the tiny dog and the large dog out of the same bag.

I also feed Nature's Menu.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature's Menu

Since you have a GSD, you may or may not find yourself dealing with numerous health issues.

GSD's have a very sensitive stomach and they are prone to food allergies.

I have three dogs, two are on IVD, venison and potato. The other is on Artemis.

IVD is the best as far as I'm concerned. I've used it for well over 12 years with great success. I lost a Shepard/Lab two years ago, she was 14 and had three major health issues. She was on it for about 10 years. I attribute the diet (and exercise) to her long life and ability to deal with all of her health problems.

The major thing I find interesting, is what comes out the other end. It's just not like that of dogs fed on other less expensive foods.

An added bonus was I had no scare during the pet food crisis.

SG

An added bonus was I had no scare during the pet food crisis.

SG
Hi Spirit, just so you know the IVD diets are part of Royal Canine now and some royal canine products were recalled that had a certain rice gluten in it, including some of the IVD line.
To the OP as far as some of the better foods out there ...Eagle pac holisitc select, Canidae, Blackwoods would be my 3 best choices.
If you can't find these foods near you Canidae and Eagle pac HS can be bought from www.waggintails.com and Blackwoods can be ordered through a private distributer. If you just type in blackwoodpetfood.com in your search engine it will bring you to their sight.

The truth is nobody really knows.

I'm feeding Canidae now too. It agrees with all four of my dogs' tummies better than anything else I've tried and they all really like it. I like the kibble size too. I've heard from an awful lot of folks who use it and swear by it.

Does GSD stand for German Shepherd Dog? (had to look that one up!). If so, I'd suggest you add glucosamine/condroitin tablets to his food, as GSDs tend to get arthritis and hip dysplasia.

I'm happy that there are many choices of high-quality foods for dogs and cats nowadays. Food coloring, preservatives and corn meal are some ingredients we have learned to avoid.

We feed Canidae kibble to the 2-year-old white boxer we got from rescue two months ago. I'm not sure what he was eating before we got him, but his stools were large and soft with obvious mucus. He was also scrawny, with every rib showing.

With the Canidae his stools are now small, dark and dry. He has good energy, his ribs don't show and his fur is looking better. It comes in chicken, lamb and fish flavors, which we alternate.

Our vet approves of this food choice.

Our other dog is a 7-year-old German Shepherd/Labrador/Pit Bull mix (another rescue) and because she had developed urinary tract problems we feed her C/D kibble from the veterinarian and a daily cranberry capsule. (She also gets Rimadyl to combat pain/inflammation from her osteoarthritis)

We give both the dogs glucosamine/condroitin and also a daily fish oil capsule.

I feed my 2 Dachshunds Royal Canin.(kibble) Never seen it listed anywhere during the recall? My dogs are very finiky eaters and it is customized for the breed. They love it!!!

That is a loaded question :D and you'll find everyone has their own opinion on the topic. It also depends on how your dog does on the particular food, so you may need to try a few different brands to find one that works well for him. To do this, I would suggest first buying a smaller bag (so you don't have a lot of waste in case it doesn't work) and switching the food gradually by mixing with the old food.

Since GSDs are a large breed, you shouldn't be feeding a puppy food because it can cause too fast growth and contribute to joint problems (to which this breed is already prone). A good quality "all life stages" food would be a very good choice.

Rather than saying one food is the best, I prefer to group them kind of like this:

Top group: Innova (includes California Natural and Evo brands), Canidae, Timberwolf, Solid Gold, Wellness, and similar

Middle group: Kirkland (from Costco), Diamond, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Nutro, Eukanuba

Bottom group: Purina, Iams, Science Diet, etc.

This is not to say that products in each group are the same in quality, of course there are differences because it's just a rough categorization. You'll find that many large pet stores don't carry the higher end foods - in that case it's helpful to Google the company and see if they have a "store locator" feature on their website. Also, some times feed stores carry these brands or are able to order them for you.

In terms of protein choice (chicken, lamb, etc.) it's hard to say as it has to do with your dog and if he has any sensitivities. I would try a food that has good ingredients, and experiment with the different (i.e. lamb or fish) versions if needed.

I might put certain types of Purina in the middle group.

The most important thing to do when buying dog food is to read the ingredient list and understand what those terms mean ...

I would want a food that has more meat meal, less grains and minimal to no byproducts.

Here is a link that might be useful: dog food labels

I would not recommend purchasing ANY pet food you can purchase at a supermarket. Trader Joes has very affordable, great canned food, and Natural Balance carries a huge variety of food, from meat sticks to dry food

I feed my poodle two brands just for variety. Innova and Canidae

There's really a best group of foods then see what your dog does best on from the group. My German Shepherd eats Eagle holistic chicken as her base food but then she also gets high quality canned and Nature's Variety frozen raw. Some brands to consider would be Eagle, their holistic line, Innova, Evo, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics or Orrijen.

Lisa

For anyone that might be interested take a look at wholesomehound.com . I don't think you will find a low quality food there and there is a large variety. This is located in my city and I personally know the lady that owns this website. She is very interested in the welfare of dogs and does rotweiler rescues. If you ever feed canned food one that mine really like is Evanger's Roasted Chicken Drummet Dinner. It has bones that are safe because they are only steamed rather than cooked. My toy poodles also like to eat the cat's food which is Serengeti. She said it's the same ingredients as Timberwolf, just smaller.

The best food for your dog, unless you yourself are elderly, having something like HIV or the dog in question has a serious medical problem or is VERY old would be a raw meat diet, all dogs require the chewing action of stripping meat from bones if you wish to avoid dental cleanings. www.Haretoday.com is a great place to get started. If you must feed canned/kibble types I'd go for Innova evo or Orijen supplemented with RMB ( raw meaty bones) to help keep teeth issues at bay

I am a fan of Wysong, and have fed it to my cats for 15 years. My vet always exclaims over the quality of my cats' coats, teeth, overall health. I think the thing that differentiates Wysong from most other pet foods (and I am not familiar with all the brands listed on this thread) is that Wysong is a proponent of low-heat or no-heat processing, and minimal processing. You could read all kinds of stuff on their website for hours, but here's some highlights:

Wysong "Feeding Pets as Nature Intended, Part 1"

Wysong "Feeding Pets as Nature Intended, Part 2"

Here is a link that might be useful: Wysong Home Page

Our late dog (lived to 16 yrs.) was raised on Purina Dog Chow and table scraps. She was never sick a day in her life until her last 6 months when she had multiple problems due to old age. (She was a 50lb. dog so had a long life) We never allowed her to be over-weight and she got plenty of exercise.

The table scraps never consisted of junk food, BTW. We will be getting a new pup soon and will feed her the same way. I don't believe most commercial dog foods have enough protein, and we always supplemented with plenty of extra chicken and beef.

The worlds oldest dog, ( I kid you not) died at 29! so 16 is about 50-60 0r so in human years I assume most vet lifespans are off because I'll bet hills or purina makes them, so a 15 year old cat would be 50 or so in human years- which come to think is about the same age a human would"kick the bucket'if he/she ate nothing but fast food.

So 20-30 is IMO an average life span for cats that live away from a feral lifestyle but still eat like their wild forebears- for dogs 20 or 19 at the very least assuming they get good vet care and dont have a breed related fualt ( hips, eyes, breathing/ect)

Note these are just guesses and opinions as to explain the serious heath issues caused by poor diet, anything purina makes is going to be lower that Innova/ Ziwi peak, its just the way it is- any biz that puts alot of cash into advertizing isnt going to put alot of what they say into marit with their product, money would see to that

I am choosing between two kittens from the same litter. Both are girls. I am more attracted to the appearance of one of them, but they are both lovely. One kitten is more outgoing and brave. She had no qualms about coming over to me, or exploring the room we were in which was not her usual room in the house. The other is more timid, quieter; she was very afraid the first couple of minutes, but then settled into my lap and didn't really move much, but enjoyed being quietly stroked in my lap. I have a 14-year-old cat at home who is very lively and active - you could never guess he's 14, but of course he's not young either. Perhaps the quieter one would be easier for him? Or is it better to have a more outgoing less timid cat in general? Someone told me that a more lively outgoing cat is a sign of being more robust in health cause of their energy - is that true? Or will it be easier on both me and older cat to have a quieter kitten in the house?

These kittens are about 9-10 weeks old, and the owner said they won't leave her house until 12 weeks. She said if I come back and visit next week, I may find the timid cat more outgoing as she gets a little older, and so perhaps the braver one is just more advanced for her age. Or maybe not. Maybe that's just their personalities as they are now.

Which is a better choice - a quiet sweet but timid kitten, or a brave outgoing social kitten? P.S. I like the looks of the timid kitten better, but that's not really so important.

Sorry! I meant to post my message as a new thread! I guess I was reading the pet food thread and forgot to get out of it before submitting my post. I will post it as a new thread.

I personally feed Honest Kitchen Embark to my GS. Embark is good for puppies and adults. I feed it because it is made with human grade ingredients...but that might not be important to you. I order mine at http://www.naturalpetwarehouse.com
Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Embark at naturalpetwarehouse.com

Lots of pet foods are now available, but be careful as it might cause harm to your pets, better be careful from choosing brands.

Here is a link that might be useful: holistic pet food reviews