Dog food

I read through the search but did not get a good answer. I need a recomendation for a dog food for my pug. He is 2 years old and healthy. Kinda plump. I don't want an argument just some suggestions. I also may need a place to get this food too. Whether its on line or chain store. thanks.

I've had good luck with Natural Balance original formula small bites (available at Petco) and Innova EVO original poultry formula small bites (which I buy at the local "pet resort" adjacent to/owned by my vets. You're not likely to find a good high quality food available at the grocery store/Walmart/Target, but locally-owned pet boutiques, Petsmart, Petco, local feed & seed stores, and many online resources can make good food accessible.

I'm a firm believer that good food is a good thing, and that no one food is the right food for every dog. When I look for a food, I look for no corn (because dogs can't digest it-- it's purely a filler) and no meat by-products. Many dogs have allergies to grains that haven't been diagnosed. This may manifest itself in many ways, some of which can actually be kind of subtle-- itchiness, chronic ear infections, skin conditions, etc. If that's the case with your healthy pug, then I'd give grain-free a try. If they've been diagnosed with grain allergies, then grain-free is definitely the way to go-- if not, then a "regular" high quality food should be fine.

Also realize that because there's no one "best" food, there will be a little bit of trial and error, so buy small bags at first! My Sammy doesn't have health concerns, but does have a finicky stomach when it comes to gas, so that took some experimenting. Stool quality (I like ones that aren't too big or soft, for my own ease of disposal!) may also take a bit of experimenting.

I second what Ginger said. I'm a proponent of grain free (Orijen, Taste of the Wild). Penny is allergic to corn, wheat, and soy, and was getting a little plumper than she needed to be. When I put her on grain free, she got down to a good weight and has held it for quite a while. Also, no gruesomly expensive and uncomforable (for her) ear infections. But I do agree to do small sizes at first and try various brands out. Just be sure to read the labels and avoid by-products (I don't eat beaks and feathers, and I don't expect Penny to, either).

I'm just a bit opinionated on this topic (really?) But, I manage a store that sells only human grade food, nothing that isn't first sourced (ie: nothing that goes into the food comes from China, but from places the manufacturers know) and no brands that were in the 2007 recall that killed so many pets. I've also gone through a few pet nutrition classes and, while I'm no expert compared to many other here, I feel like I have a decent knowledge. My general philosophy is that nutrition comes from the inside out. Many common problems in canine health can be prevented or managed with good nutrition.

Now that the disclaimers are done.....

I mostly feed a prepared raw diet to my pugs. I have used Primal (currently), Nature's Variety and Stella and Chewey's. Both dogs have done fantastic on this diet. They have very little problem with ear infections and no allergies to food. I also rotate the protein source. Dogs that are fed a variety of proteins (duck, venison, buffalo, rabbit, chicken, beef, tripe, etc) seem to have a lower chance of developing an allergy to a particular protein. "Hypoallergenic" food is not truely hypoallergenic, but used a less common protein source (usually duck).

I have a couple of other brands I would use if I wasn't feeding raw and they are all grain free (very important to me). Those are Instinct (Nature's Variety canned and kibble), Origen (75% protein), Acana (65% protein - same company as Origen), Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw), Ziwi Peak, Wellness, and Before Grains (made my Merrick). But, these are some of the brands we carry and one's I'm most familiar with.

Look for something that is grain free, free of antibiotics and hormones, no colors, salt, sugar, chemicals, artificial preservatives fillers or animal byproducts. Word like "natural" and "holistic" are not regulated in the pet food industry and basically are meaningless.

If you are having weight problems, feed a high quality food for good nutrition but feed less of it (and up the exercise).

I feed Natural Balance Duck & Potato because one of my girls has allergies. I've used several of the NB variations and have been pleased with them all. I get it at PetCo or Pet Supplies Plus.

I agree with the Natural Balance suggestions. I also like Avoderm low cal, if your pug is a bit plump. That is what my fatty Emma is on, and it seems to agree not only with her weight issues, but also her allergies.

Right now I feed Honest Kitchen, which is dehydrated raw-it's great but if you want kibble, I have had always had success with Natural Balance. Around here at least, you can find it at Petco, not Petsmart. The one thing I would say is, whatever food you get (and I agree with the no grain, high quality stuff-most of mine have had allergy issues), don't feed them according to the bag. My pugs are 11 lbs, 16 lbs, and 23 lbs, and they get between 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of food, twice a day. WAY less than the feeding amounts. If he acts starving, you can always bulk up the food with green beans-that is how we got Hooli's extra weight off of him.

Natural Balance here too!! Fish formula.

I feed a range of things depending on the dog. when I feed kibble, I always feed a no grain--I've used Natural Balance LID, Go!, Barking at the Moon, Timberwolf Ocean Blue, Orijen, Evo, Fromm's Surf and Turf and probably some others that I can't remember.

I mostly feed raw--both commercially pre-prepared and home made. I like Healthy Paws, Ultimate Diet and Food4Life (I think that's the name) of the commercially prepared. I avoid raw with eggs as I have a couple of dogs that aren't okay with eggs.

I too go to Petco and get Natural Balance..my lil Bruce looooves it, lol. Seems like it's been working out well for a lot of us on here. *thumbs up*