Any Suggestions On A Dog Food

[kimw30]

Hey I have a rat terrier dog who is 4 years old and her name is Prissy and she is currently on Purina EN dog food because some of the other ones we tried made her have diarrhea so the vet put her on Purina EN. She has started to have a rash and she is very constipated now, I dont know if it could be the food. She is getting very skinny because she will not eat the food now. But even when she will eat the food she is skinny, she will not gain weight. Any suggestions on a good food or is Purina a good food. I have had several people tell me that purina isnt a very good food.

 

[Dogster]

Check out this website http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ It gives a list of the best dog foods to feed your dog. I recommend the 4-5 star dog foods. I would suggest something for dogs with sensitive stomachs, for your dog, nothing too rich. You can maybe try canned food, if you're worried that Prissy won't eat dry food.

Here's a link to the rating of the food you're feeding Prissy now: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-veterinary-diets-en-dry/ As you can see, it's not a good food. I think Prissy may be constipated because of all the grains in that food. Dogs don't digest grains well, that may be Prissy's case. Maybe try to find a food with potatoes or sweet potatoes as the carbohydrate source.

As southerngirl suggested on the other thread, you can read about different kinds of foods here: http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/how-to-spot-great-dog-food.3308/
There is a lot of excellent advice about how to choose the right dog food for your dog.

Hope this helps

 

[Maura]

Purina foods are not high quality, though there is some variance within the brand. The first three ingredients in Purina EN are grains. I would look for a food that has a named meat or meat meal as the first ingredient and has no grain. The website listed above rates foods from 6 stars to 1 star. When I feed kibble I buy Taste of the Wild, which is a six star food, but is the cheapest of the top rated foods. The six star foods may be too rich for your dog, so you could also consider a five star food. A top rated food will balance your dog's weight and help her system to detox.

Veterinarians are rarely knowledgeable about dog food. They are not nutritionists, more like diagnosticians, so you really need to do your own research. I had one vet insist that I should switch a sick dog from a 6 star food (TOTW) to a 2 star food, because 25 years ago the 2 star food was formulated differently and was a good food.