-- What kind of dog food and dog treats do you like?
 

I am dog-sitting this week and next - Mom's Shih Tzu 'Josie' really enjoys Crave, both CHICKEN PATÉ and BEEF PATÉ flavors. We just shifted from a different manufacturer (looked delish!)

Much more manageable and she devoured it!

Thanks in advance for your discussion and/or input - Pic below.

How about treats? Those were marked down to half price!

What brand+flavor(s) of dog food and dog treats do you enjoy?

Thanks again!

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I don’t eat dog food or dog treats.


But that Crave might be good with scrambled eggs

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Dogs like variety, just like people. IMHO

For our Goldendoodle and her pups we feed Royal Canin. It’s pretty expensive(60 bucks for a 30 pound bag) at Petsmart but we’ve noticed quite a difference in her since we switched. She’s more regular and her smell has improved dramatically.

delicious - thank you for sharing!

I like milk bones. I'd buy them more often if I had a dog

In our extended family, there have been a number of dogs, and there wasn't one of them, even when they weren't feeling well, that didn't go crazy for Beggin Strips.

A couple of them, when they young, we had to break it into pieces because they'd get so amped up [whining and hyperventilating and everything] they'd try to swallow it whole.

But then, they've all been medium-ish sized dogs. Don't know about giant doggies are purse puppies.

Only dog that gets near my bone is Billay’s mom.

Woof woof!!!

brisket bones from butcher :thumb:

I'd give them a chew bone instead. Keep them occupied for hours. And it's healthy!

Same here.

Pretty funny because I was about to post I have bought my dogs a lot of different treats and they love Milk Bones the best.

No idea why, there must be doggy crack in them or something.

ROFL

Check out some of the big foot guys videos for pointers on treats.

I used to feed my neighbors dog antifreeze nuggets but he quit coming around. Don't know what happened to him.

I feed my two boxers Eukanuba. They have a breed specific food that works well for them. It's about $50 for a big bag but it's worth it. They require less of the food since their body processes more into energy. That also means better poops and also less of it. These two have sensitive stomachs. My last pair of boxes didn't so I fed them Nature's Recipe. It's a decent mid level food.
For treats they Blue Buffalo treats and also the occasional Greenie for their teeth.

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I amazed at how many dog foods and treats get recalls and most of the time it doesn't make the news. I'm signed up at this place and get an email every time it happens, so I can make sure my brands aren't on it.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

If you want to sign up for the recall alerts, go here:

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall-alerts/

Good to know. Thanks.

You got it, it's saved me once already. Everyone of them gets recalled at some point in time, it doesn't matter on the cost, or the quality of the food. I figured I would post that up for the dog owners around here and hopefully it helps someone in the future.

Probably in a very small minority, but we make our own food for our dogs. Ground beef, salmon, green beans and yogurt. It really seems to keep them pretty healthy, and they love it. I’m sure I wouldn’t mind eating it myself in a pinch either. Not sure it would be better than that crave stuff though!

Carrots.

OMG DELICIOUS!!

My dog Sam likes this food called Stella & Chewys - It's freeze dried raw food, he loves it. He also likes Cesars pate, but he doesn't like the non pate variety as much. He's a picky eater, which is odd for a dog.

As far as treats, he likes just about anything that smells like meat...but he won't eat standard dog biscuits like Milkbone.

My dogs love Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free dog food. They also go apeshit for ALPO T-Bonz dog treats.

I don't give my dog treats. Being owned by me is treat enough.

Both of our labs are on Fromm. It’s a little pricey, but they’re really healthy.

You can keep a bag of 'baby carrots' in the fridge to use as a snack for your dog. Or a bag of 'babies' in your basement if your dog is a Pitt Bull.

Peanut butter/billay

I gave mine treats for training how to walk properly without pulling and also to learn tricks. They are great motivators. Now, I just give them to them once in a while for the hell of it.

ROFL

Dongster, you should give the poor beast treats just for having to hang around your dirty old legs. :D

What does everyone do for flea meds?

I like burying my bone in Billay's mom's mud hole

FYP

I use ALPO Variety Snaps for Dog Treats. My dogs go "NUTS" for these. I've used these to teach my (8) dogs almost every trick there is. Just about $2.80 per box at Walmart. Break them into smaller pieces for small dogs.

Trifexis. The vets that sell this stuff want you to give it to the dog every month. I give it to them every 3 months. Works just the same. Been doing it for years and still no fleas.

Kirkland brand lamb & rice dry food is good for my dog. I've had her on other brands and her hair would start falling out in patches and she didn't look as healthy. Occasionally I'll give her some canned food for a treat and she loves that.

For treats, kirkland biscuits or just milkbones. The occasional tortilla chip, carrot, apple slice without the skin. Any time I cook a bunch of boneless chicken breasts I cook one separately without any oil or spices and give some to her.

My dog likes those too-vet gives him a milk bone he just drops it on the floor

This. All of the grocery stores around me package bones that I'll boil then give to my large dogs.

As far as dog specific treats- Mother Hubbard has several sizes and come in a variety pack. Blue Buffalo makes a variety of soft treats. Good ole' Milk Bones go over well. Peanut butter.. My guys also get treats with glucosamine and chondroitin

Edit- Then again, I've been called white trash here because I own a pit mix and a presa canario so what do I know?

My lapdog eats Sportmix 24/20 as his regular food, and gets a raw carrots for a treat.

Science Diet Advanced Fitness and for treats I give her milk bones, Greenies, and beggin BBQ treats.. I told her that we are from KC and you will eat BBQ gotdammit

We use Kirkland weight management for our Great Pyr. She doesn't get a lot of treats, so whatever we have at the moment. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b5d7f64392.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c07ed38ce2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...50316a15b6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7578ed8046.jpg

That's like a polar bear dog.

Beautiful beautiful animal.

That breed will be our next purchase.

My dog will eat anything. He even likes to eat the cat turds that are in the litter box.

Be prepared for a really large dog that doesn't become full grown until about 2. And they have pretty short lifespans - only 10 years or so.

I was pretty shocked that my pug/chihuahua loves baby carrots more than anything.

We just adopted a lab mix about a month ago, and we feed her Taste of the Wild. Rated well by https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/, not rated well by a vet I just took her to.

Sorry vet, I'm not feeding her that Science Diet kickback $$ bullshit they're always shilling. That shit's garbage.

Yeah, Science Diet is not good, despite their rep. We feed out cats Blue Buffalo and can really tell a difference in their coats and skin.

Kirkland food and treats for our three dogs. They all look healthy. Most importantly there are far fewer rotten dog farts than with the cheap stuff. Bought Science Diet for the longest time, but I've been happy with the price cut and quality of the Kirkland stuff.

Kirkland is good, Taste of the Wild is good. Dogfoodadvisor is a great site to use.

Just look at the ingredients - if it's loaded with grain and filler, it isn't good food.

And NEVER buy Science Diet. It's horrible food AND it's over-priced.

Yup. I worked for a vet for several years when I was younger and not one of the vets/other techs fed it to their dogs. I feed Blue Buffalo to my guys but Taste of the Wild is another good brand for sure.

My dog is half asleep next to me and if I ask, "Do you want a carrot?" he'll jump up and go stand by the fridge. They're supposed to help keep their teeth clean, too.

My male (RIP) and female presas eat/ate anything and everything. Fruits, vegetables, obviously meats, etc. Isabella will eat lettuce, pickles, flaming hot Cheetos, sour Skittles, you name it...

Now my pit/American bulldog is far more picky.

Hmm. I got carrots that’ll probably go to waste and 4 dogs who aren’t that picky. Gonna give it a whirl

Yup - frozen baby carrots (for puppies anyway).

Since they're frozen it takes them a little work and it helps make them feel a little better when they're teething. And for some weird reason freezing them makes them digest a little better so there aren't as many carrot shards in their poop.

I've always used them as training tools because those treats will just fatten them up too much. And since I've always had large breed dogs, you have to be really careful about their weight when they're young so their hips grow together well.

Carrots have a number of health benefits and don't have all the extra calories that don't do them any good.

If your dog won't eat those, try the charcoal based plain 'dog bone' biscuits. Jam a few of those into a Kong, slather peanut butter over the hole and then freeze that. The frozen peanut butter takes them awhile to lick through (while not getting it everywhere) and then they'll know on that kong for awhile trying to break those charcoal biscuits up to get to them. And they help with gas.

I'll look my stuff up when I get home. The vet put us on chewable flea/tick medication that's 1000x easier than that old school topical shit we used to use (interceptor).

I'm pretty sure it's Simparica; we're very pleased with it.

Sam dog likes this food called Stella and Chewys, it's freeze dried raw food and a bit pricey, but he's a very picky eater. We also mix in Cesars wet food. If he is being really stubborn, I'll cut up a piece of lunch meat or fry and egg and mix it in. That usually entices him enough to chow down.

For treats, there is some high end dog treat he likes that my wife buys that he likes, can't remember the name of them. He also enjoys "Paw Tree" treats, which is a multi-level marketing dog food business that my wife is loosely involved with. My wife owns and operates a boutique petsitting company here in Los Angeles, so she offers that line of food and treats to her clients.

i think thats what mine are on too. works great

When I first got my labs (about 15 years ago) I did a ton of research on dog foods and yeah, there's undeniably a class of dog food that is just a cut above everyone else. Stuff like Taste of the Wild is the best of the best, no doubt.

And then there's shit like Old Roy that I wouldn't feed a stray.

But I needed to find a happy medium in there; a good food that doesn't cost $2-3 per pound. Easily the best I've been able to find in that regard (and I re-did my homework in December when we got the Rot) was Diamond Naturals. It's not Blue Buffalo but man I have 2 labs and a Rotty to feed - that's 12+ cups of food per DAY. I don't spend that much on my own food and when you look at preferred ranges as well as the ingredients lists (though be a little wary of that list as well; it's easier to manipulate than you realize unless you really go down a rabbit hole), it's not as good as Blue Buffalo but it's a very good food in its own right.

So yeah, if you're able to swing it, go ahead and splurge on Blue Buffalo, Addiction, Anameat, Taste of the Wild, Origen, etc... (personally I think Royal Canin is overhyped). But if you have large dogs (or worse, several of them), look into Diamond's Naturals line. Their regular line is meh, but the Naturals is damn solid, well priced and has always worked great for my dogs. Maybe a liiiiiitle more salt than I'd prefer in there so if you have a breed with heart disease issues, just keep an eye out (annual checkups should spot valve deterioration) but even then it's within easily acceptable ranges.

I also switched to the chewable flea/tick. I love it. No more topical meds on the furniture and don't have to worry about my nieces touching that shit. The stuff my vet gave us is called NexGard. Still use Heartgard for heartworm prevention

yep, we use diamond naturals also.

and we have 2 boxers and a full grown rot to feed. shit adds up. literally LMAO.

My dog won't eat carrots. She loves cabbage, though, which I think is weird.

We feed her the Kirkland grainless dry food, though she gets raw meat scraps and eggs sometimes too. Treats are Pupperonis (cut up), those freeze dried chicken things Costco sells and bulk grainless dog biscuits from North40. She doesn't get a ton of treats, though.

Edit; Dog tax

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X3 It's a great food that I have been using for years. Both the German Shepherd and the Doberman really like the Lamb.

My 2nd lab was my 1st lab's littermate and had to be returned (shitty owners who thought they had a shitty dog - they did not, he was awesome). His breeder knew my dad who called asking me if I knew anyone that wanted a dog. We were looking for a 2nd so obviously we said yes.

He simply wasn't the same color as his brother. Then when I got him and put him on the Naturals. Within about 6 weeks, IIRC, his coat had gone from the drab brown you see on a lot of chocolates to the same deep mocha color that my 1st boy had (still has, in fact).

I dropped 10-12 lbs of shitty weight off him and he was just a great looking pup. Same as people, really - proper nutrition and exercise makes more difference than you'll ever imagine.

I did switch them off the lamb and rice over to the chicken and rice to try to help with gas when they were 8 or so. Then on Senor they were both on the chicken, egg and oatmeal. I think I'll probably kick the Rotty over to lamb and rice when he gets off the large breed puppy.

They make a Naturals 'grain free' that I've pondered but haven't tried yet. May end up giving that a shot; $40 for a 28 lb bag vs. $40 for the 40 lb bag of the usual stuff. It's not prohibitively expensive but I just haven't had the time to dig too deeply into it.

The first dog I ever got (now w/ my old man) ate Diamond Naturals for 8+ years while I had her. You explained it perfectly - not terrible, not the ultra-best, but still very good food, especially for the price. I'd highly recommend that brand, too.

That's the one variation I couldn't get my dog to eat much of. She lovoooved the chicken, though!

Unfortunately, Diamond was one of the companies involved in the "melamine" scandal, IIRC. They've been a "no go" for a long time in this house. Used to feed Diamond exclusive for the hounds until stories of dogs dying started emerging.

Story time again re: the 2.5 year old lab mix I just adopted.

Took her to the free wellness checkup at a local vet (which sucked - the vet looked at her for approx. 3 minutes and was done). He asked about food, and I mentioned we started her on Taste of the Wild after much research. He proceeded to tell me how bad that grain-free type of food is and how many problems they've seen with it. Recommended the big-brand food (Purina, etc.).

Needless to say, I'm looking for a new vet.

They both like the chicken as well, but it doesn't agree with the Doberman's system for some reason and that's not fun to clean up, lamb it is. :D I remember once I was in a jam when the wife forgot to tell me we were out of food. It was late so I borrowed some food from a neighbor who was dinking around in his back yard. After eating it, both dogs were exploding the next day, turns out it was Ol Roy. Man did I feel bad. The one and only time they have had that garbage.

Bacon Bacon Bacon and eggs

Gravy Train and mashed potatoes.

The wife makes dog treats using the spent grain from my brew batches, along with flour and peanut butter. Haven't met a dog yet that didn't love them.

Informative post and sound advice, so much filler and garbage in many of the big brands.

I have two 8 year old Aussie/Border Collie mixes and did a ton of research when they were puppies on food. I was shocked at the amount of data available on food options and how much garbage was stuffed in there. Blue Buffalo was rated as outstanding in all aspects and it has been my choice for 8+ years for them. Both are extremely active and have had zero health issues even though they get in at least an hour of pretty high intensity play on a daily basis. Both have fairly sensitive stomachs and are like clockwork on BB, overall seems to be a great product, just my two cents.

We raise pups for Leader dogs for the blind. Their requirement is for ProPlan all life stages 26/16. Its a cut above Purina One (Doesn't have soy and corn content is lower).
We have heard of Golden Retrievers on grain free diets having serious problems because of an enzyme that is missing so if you have a goofy Golden, check for that.
Diamond Naturals we have used (have had no problems), but we used to feed Premium Edge which is another cut above that. Really liked that food, but we have simplified.
My motto is no corn, wheat or soy, because you find that in the yard.
We have 4 at the house and they are all Labs

I have no doubt Blue Buffalo is good food but our dogs couldn't handle it. We have weird dogs though, they eat Fresh Pet now.

I'm glad this thread has finally gotten some traffic - some of your all's ideas look and/or sound super delish!

Thank you!

I tried canned Alpo meatballs once when I was a kid. They smelled so good, but had a slightly metallic and gamey taste to them.

We tricked one of our buddies into eating Jerky Treats. He honestly had no idea until we told him.

When I was a kid my sister dared me to eat a dog treat that looked exactly like a Hershey's Kiss. I told her I that if I ate one, she had to eat one. She agreed, so I ate one and it was so, so awful, but I wanted her to eat one too. So I tried to play it off like it was great, and then I puked. She didn't eat one.:(