[Debbie L]

It has always been a great concern of mine to find a dog food that is both nutritious and one the dogs like and eat. Recently I checked with Dog Food Advisor, as the dog foods at Walmart may not always be considered ideal. So I bought 4Health Beef and Rice Grain Free, as my smaller dog had been scratching a lot and I was afraid he may have been allergic to the grain in the food I was feeding him and a larger dog. However, neither dog seemed to care for it too much so I went to Diamond Naturals which the Advisor gives a high rating. Same thing. I went back to 4Health Salmon and Sweet Potato, and to my surprise the dogs seemed to like this the least.

In the meantime on these foods the dogs are scratching a lot and hair feels dry and rough. I cannot believe these foods are ideal as the fleas are causing dermatitis and thus the larger dog has also lost some hair. A good dog food should help increase their immune systems, thereby repel fleas and mites, and these foods Advisor recommended did not in our case. I’m trying to stay away from the chemical flea and tic repellents as much as possible and going the natural route.

So I went ahead and bought some Beneful, even though Advisor gives it the lowest rating of one star. The dogs are eating it and their hair feels softer and smoother. Plus, neither dog is constantly scratching like on the Advisor recommended foods. I’m sticking with it for now.

[DogFoodie]

Just because a food gets a high rating, doesn’t mean it’s right for every dog.

I have a dog with food intolerance issues that can’t eat 97% of the five star foods. That doesn’t mean those products don’t deserve their ratings.

Feeding Beneful means you gave up and that product ratings mean nothing to you.

[Debbie L]

No, feeding Beneful does not mean that I gave up, and product rating does matter to me. Why would I have bought 4Health and Diamond Naturals if rating meant nothing to me? Your remark there is uncalled for. I didn’t say I’d feed Beneful forevermore, just for now.

Perhaps 4Health and Diamond Naturals have earned their ratings, but what good is a so-called healthy dog food if the dogs won’t eat it? These foods may work for someone else, just didn’t for us and I won’t buy them again. A worker at Tractor Supply told me her dog did not like the 4Health too much either, so perhaps it’s not just an issue with my dogs.

When I noticed some things going on while feeding the dogs the foods from Tractor Supply I got concerned and went to a health store for advice. A gentleman there told me those foods didn’t have enough oil in them, so I began adding a little coconut oil and where the bigger dog had lost hair the hair grew back.

As I said in my original post, my concern is to feed a food that is both nutritious and that the dogs like and will eat. I will no longer buy a food that the dogs sniff and go on their way, and that’s what happened with 4Health and Diamond Naturals.

So Betsy, you take care of your dog and I’ll take care of mine. I’ve had dogs in the past that lived long, healthy lives and were fed good food but not the so-called 5-star foods. Dog food performance is more important than a label.

[Melissaandcrew]

You state that your dogs have fleas severe enough to be causing dermatitis-Put some frontline on them and get the problem under control. No way can the skin/hair repair itself while in this chronic state of attack. We would all love to use only natural flea killers, but the dog’s comfort must come first. In addition, if they have enough fleas to cause dermatitis, then they probably have tapeworms sucking the nutrition right out of them.

[aquariangt]

Cheap food is giving in. It’s equivalent to feeding macdonalds, and there are chemical additives sprayed on the kibble to make it taste better. THATS why your dog will eat it, and their performance won’t be great on beneful.

4health and diamond aren’t great in my opinion either. To help ease your dog into eating something healthier, I’d look in to adding some canned or dehydrated

[Lynn J]

Even dogs with excellent nutrition and a robust immune system can be subject to problems with fleas and or ticks. If you have a real infestation or a pet that is allergic to flea bites, you may have to break down and bring in some prescription flea/tick medication. As for your dogs not liking certain foods, you are right not to waste money on a product that they won’t eat. Hopefully you can find a good quality food that you can afford, they like, and aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients.

[Debbie L]

Actually I have tried some chemical topical flea and tic treatments but these did not seem to be too effective. I applied them as per instructions, but I think fleas and perhaps tics too have become immune to a lot of this stuff. So far I’ve not noticed any definite signs and symptoms of tapeworms. I remember years ago when our family had some property in the deep Texas Hill Country region my dad said he picked six tics off himself in one day. He said he began taking garlic tablets and soon thereafter never got another tic. I’ve read people say they give their dog garlic (not every day) in small quantities and the dog does not have fleas. I’m a firm believer in treating from the inside out.

Back in ’09 my female Collie was aging and her immune system was down, thereby making her more susceptible to fleas. Plus, we had a lot of rain that summer and the vet said that was a factor in the heavy flea load also. I began feeding her Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and within about a month the fleas all but disappeared and she pretty much quit scratching. I didn’t want to use harsh chemicals due to her advanced age. As long as she ate that she was fine, but it doesn’t have the hip/joint stuff in it she needed so I had to add that. She passed in February of 2011 at the age of 14 years and 2 months. I’d try Chicken Soup for the dogs I now have but they have reduced their quantity but gone up in price.

I’ve noticed some places where the dogs have lost hair it is growing back some, so something is working. I’m always looking for ways to keep my dogs healthy and so far these two males, one given to me as a stray when he was a puppy (large mixed breed), and the other a give-a-way no one wanted (Peke-a-Chon), are doing well. Barney is the large dog and Buster the small one.

[InkedMarie]

There are many dog foods out there. If price is an issue, look at Victor, Dr Tim’s, Hi Tek. I would never feed an inferior food as Beneful. If your dog is healthy, practice tough love. Put the food down, leave for 15 min then pick up. He gets no food or treats until the next meal. Pick a quality food, add something healthy such as canned, little yogurt etc.

[Debbie L]

You’re right, InkedMarie, there are many dog foods out there nowdays. Back in the early ’60s when I got my first dog, a female Fox Terrier, there weren’t a lot of dog foods, Purina being the main one then. She was white with three large black spots going down her back and a bunch of little black dots all over, black head with short folded over ears, tan cheeks and eyebrows, and a perfectly shaped small white heart-shaped marking right on top of her head. She lived 14 1/2 years on Purina, born July 21, 1960.

I used to raise goats for many years, and back in the 1980s there were really nothing much to feed them but corn or horse sweet feed. Now there is quite a bit more variety, but just like the dog foods some goat feeds are better, and naturally the better grade goat feeds are the most expensive.

Not to worry, I won’t get Beneful again.

[InkedMarie]

Debbie,
Our (human) good is nowhere near as safe now as it used to be. I believe pet foods are the same way. I hope you find a food!
Fox terrier: smooth or wire? We had two smooth females in the early 90’s.

[Debbie L]

My Fox Terrier was smooth. I’ll find a good dog food, just not one to break the bank though. I often read the ingredients and was surprised mine did not seem to care much for the 4Health. All the bags say 100% balanced nutrition, from the cheapest ones to the most expensive. Of course we know that isn’t true, though.

Ol Roy has been around a long time and I’ve seen a lot of people buy it, but years ago a vet told me it was not good. Another one told me they had seen more dogs with skin problems on Pedigree than any other dog food. I usually stick with Tractor Supply or Orscheln’s when buying dog food. There aren’t too many feed stores around here. At Tractor Supply once I bough Diamond Grain Free and a worker said it was good. I may try that again, probably have to mix with some canned food.

[InkedMarie]

I don’t talk to many with smooths! Regarding food, look still Chewy.com. They have great prices, free shipping & the best return policy I’ve come across: 365 days & they pay for return shipping tho I’ve yet to come across anyone who had to actually return something. They usually tell you to donate it.

[aquariangt]

I believe Earthborn is at tractor supply (correct me if im wrong, I don’t have them) so maybe try that.

As far as getting your dogs to eat, I really recommend adding high value like canned or dehydrated. As I said, the super cheap foods-and baneful in particular-add additives for taste, so even though we know it’s better for them, they may ignore it. Also, don’t be afraid of making your dog be hungry for a day or two…they aren’t cats. they’ll eat

[Author]

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