# The Ultimate Dog Food Poll



## chicagojosh

Hi all,

I thought this would be a useful tool to see the most popular brands. I THINK I got all the major names, and most of the ones I've seen on this board. My bet is that Blue Buffalo wins...we shall see


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## jakeandrenee

I don't see a poll to vote?


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## jakeandrenee

Also is this for puppies or adult dogs?


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## chicagojosh

sorry, I was working on the poll LOL.. puppies and dogs. im just curious to see what's most popular, least popular etc.. 

I kept thinking of more brands so sorry it took at bit to get the poll up


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## we4elves

Diamond?


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## chicagojosh

ah darn, sorry we4elves. I knew I'd forget at least 1 brand. we'll see if i forgot anymore as time goes on.

does anyone know if I can add a voting option at this point?


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## Good_Karma

California Naturals?


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## chicagojosh

sorry again good karma....im sure i could have spent days accumulating more names. if anyone wants to take my poll and build from it feel free. or if anyone knows how to add to the poll?


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## Cluemanti

No way to make this poll open so members can add brands?


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## chicagojosh

Cluemanti, i looked....i can't seem to find a way to add at this point. if anyone knows how please tell me. 

or as i mentioned if someone wants to take the time to do a more extentsive search of all the brands by all means go for it, and post a new poll. or people can keep typing the brand in the thread, but that kinda sucks


so to all previous and future people who's food is not listed: sorry. there are lots out there


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## ChristenHolden

I'm choosing Kirkland because I've been told its the same as Diamond Naturals Jus a diff name used for cost co. Tho I would feed TOTW if it came in 40 pound bags not 30.


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## chicagojosh

70 views but only 14 votes? did i miss that many brands? lol


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## Wolfiesmom

I use Fromms, but I'll bet that it doesn't get many votes. It isn't widely available like Blue Buffalo and some of the others.


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## chicagojosh

fromm's is good stuff... i did actually include that too lol. a couple of my co-workers feed that


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## Veronica1

Diamond naturals here too.


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## kiya

I had to pick Purina, I am making a switch, have one more bag of ProPlan to go thru. I have been on the dog food analysis site for what seems like days, my heads spinning. I'm still not exactly sure which one I'm getting but I know I want to feed better than Purina.


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## chicagojosh

is the kirkland food good? one of the more popluar so far...


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## selzer

I use Kumpi. It is not listed.


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## crisp

chicagojosh said:


> is the kirkland food good? one of the more popluar so far...


 For the price, you can't beat it. According to a few review sites out there its on par or better than some of the leading brands, and whollops the quality of the generic Iams and Purinas. And at $22.00 for 40 pounds, its a steal.

Here is a good link.....Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## kiya

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1733&cat=all

They rate it as 3 star, so it is middle grade. I don't know how easy it is to get if you don't have Costco. I get my food at Petco, buy 10 get 1 free. I have heard that Petco's prices on food can be a little high.


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## Lucy Dog

Puppies vs adults makes a huge difference. This poll would be better if it was age appropriate. Some of the brands you listed should not be fed to puppies.

I also don't see Innova listed and that's a pretty popular brand. Well, was popular. Since P&G took over, i'm switching to orijen once i finish up this last bag.


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## chicagojosh

gotcha...thanks Crisp and Kiya


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## Taylor

Im feeding Nature's Select Chicken Rice and Lamb formula. comes in 50lb bags and free delivery so yeah, I love it.


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## ChristenHolden

Someone on here told be Kirkland was the same as Diamond Naturals. I get it from Tractor Supply with tax I get 40 pounds for 30.50$ one site give it 3 *s another 4*s. So I jus split it and say 3 1/2 *s.  lol.


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## Marissa

I think this is a great poll, I would love it if we could do a similar one for puppies (I have no idea how to do this or I would do it myself lol). I know alot of food recommended for adults are not recommended for puppies so I think it would be beneficial to seperate the two  Great job though!! Im having fun seeing what everyone feeds.


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## Marissa

I should add I am a die hard blue buffalo fan...although I like the looks of Orijen quite a bit !!


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## chicagojosh

hi again all,

it was meant for puppies and adults. maybe i should have seperated them...


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## chicagojosh

why so many views and so little votes? come on everyone...you gotta feed your dog something. dont be shy haha


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## kiya

A vet recommended I take Lakota off puppy food, based on protein, so she's been getting proplan large breed adult for a while. I guess with the high end foods, puppies may do better on puppy formula's where as the lower end of the spectrum, adult is better.
This is helping my dilemma, I really think were getting a Costco membership and try the Kirkland.


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## selzer

we cannot vote if our food is not there. If you had added a item that said "other" on your list, we could vote other.


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## Stogey

Dog Food Reviews, Ratings and Comparisons

Another site about food and nutrition ....


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## Lucy Dog

chicagojosh said:


> hi again all,
> 
> it was meant for puppies and adults. maybe i should have seperated them...


You really shouldn't feed puppies evo and taste of the wild. I'm sure there are a couple more foods on there that puppies shouldnt eat because of the amount of calcium. Good foods for adults aren't always good foods for large breed puppies.

Maybe start a new poll for adults and a new poll specific to puppies. Good foods for adults aren't always good for puppies. 

Also, like selzer suggested, an "other" option would be good to add for foods not listed.


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## Lucy Dog

kiya said:


> A vet recommended I take Lakota off puppy food, based on protein, so she's been getting proplan large breed adult for a while. I guess with the high end foods, puppies may do better on puppy formula's where as the lower end of the spectrum, adult is better.
> This is helping my dilemma, I really think were getting a Costco membership and try the Kirkland.


It's been discussed plenty of times here, but protein isn't the issue for large breed puppies, it's the amount calcium. Too much is no good. Protein is fine. 

Most vets don't know squat about dog food diets, that's why they're always pushing their garbage science diet.


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## cshepherd9

My dog food isn't on here and if there is one thing I have vowed is to never disclose what I am feeding my dog. I feed my dog a good kibble that is not available at the local pet store (I have to go to specialty food store), but I have seen too many "I can't believe you are feeding your dog that junk" comments to know that I don't want to be any part of it.


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## Marissa

cshepherd9 said:


> My dog food isn't on here and if there is one thing I have vowed is to never disclose what I am feeding my dog. I feed my dog a good kibble that is not available at the local pet store (I have to go to specialty food store), but I have seen too many "I can't believe you are feeding your dog that junk" comments to know that I don't want to be any part of it.


 
Now Im curious as to what you feed 

Lucy Dog do you have any opinions on Blue Buffalo for puppies? I have heard some negative comments but I love it for my adults. I am getting a puppy soon and while I plan on feeding what the breeder has him on I am curious to thoughts on this puppy food...


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## Lucy Dog

Marissa said:


> Lucy Dog do you have any opinions on Blue Buffalo for puppies? I have heard some negative comments but I love it for my adults. I am getting a puppy soon and while I plan on feeding what the breeder has him on I am curious to thoughts on this puppy food...


Blue Buffalo is a solid food, but are you feeding the regular Meat and rice formula or their wilderness brand? The regular is fine for a puppy but the wilderness has too much calcium (as do most grain frees) for a large breed puppy. 

I never want to go over 1.7% as the maxium amount of calcium for a puppy/dog under 2 years. The bag usually only shows the minimum percentage so you may have to visit the website or contact the company's customer service for that maximum percentage.


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## chicagojosh

hi lucy dog,

so the TOTW website says it's good for all ages. is that pretty much a lie? I couldn't find the calcium levels on their site either...hmmm thanks


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## Lucy Dog

chicagojosh said:


> hi lucy dog,
> 
> so the TOTW website says it's good for all ages. is that pretty much a lie? I couldn't find the calcium levels on their site either...hmmm thanks


TOTW says it's for all stages because that's what aafco says, but aafco has a VERY broad range of what "all stages" is considered. Way too broad for my comfort. 

Some companies will flat out tell you (wellness and evo, I believe) will flat out tell you not to feed their high calcium formulas to large breed puppies even though aafco says it's ok. 

I would never risk feeding TOTW (max calcium is Atleast 2%) to a GSD younger than 2 years old.


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## Marissa

Thanks Lucy Dog..I feed Wilderness to my adult dogs but thats what I was concerned about with a puppy. 

Isn't Canidae the same way with "all stages" I never undertsood the idea of this because not every stage has the same requirements...


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## Lucy Dog

Marissa said:


> Thanks Lucy Dog..I feed Wilderness to my adult dogs but thats what I was concerned about with a puppy.
> 
> Isn't Canidae the same way with "all stages" I never undertsood the idea of this because not every stage has the same requirements...


Some all stages are perfectly fine. I've fed Innova adult, an all stages formula, to lucy since she was 4 months old. That formula is fine to feed to a large breed puppy because there isn't too much calcium. 

I believe the _*regular*_ canidae all stages has a max calcium of about 1.7% which is on the higher end of the scale of what i'm personally comfortable with, but is fine. Now the canidae _*grain free*_ all stages formula has a max percentage around 2.1% which is too much for a puppy.

It's considered "All stages" because that's how aafco classifies these foods. Only problem with that is that aafco has a very broad range of what they consider "all stages". You need to be especially careful with large breed puppies and the amount of calcium they eat because of how much they grow in the early stages of their life. With small dogs, it's not as much of an issue, but the amount of growth a large breed puppy does, you need to be careful with calcium.

I would not feed wilderness to a puppy if i were you. I'd go with a lower percentage calcium food. If you want to go grain free, orijen has a large breed puppy formula that's around 1.7% max calcium which should be fine, but that's if you want to go grain free. If you don't have to go grain free, pretty much any formula with grains should be ok in terms of calcium amounts.


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## jakeandrenee

I am feeding my puppy Acana grainfree Pacifica....levels are in range...pricey though...


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## sagelfn

cshepherd9 said:


> My dog food isn't on here and if there is one thing I have vowed is to never disclose what I am feeding my dog. I feed my dog a good kibble that is not available at the local pet store (I have to go to specialty food store), but I have seen too many "I can't believe you are feeding your dog that junk" comments to know that I don't want to be any part of it.


If you believe in the food and your dog does well on it then there is no problem. Maybe you should share what you feed to give people more options instead of everyone saying feed Orijen! (I feed it but I like the food and my dog does great on it, its not for everyone though)


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## elisabeth_00117

I voted. 

My dogs (and cats) are on a raw diet. Always have been, always will be.


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## arycrest

Lucy Dog said:


> ...
> I also don't see Innova listed and that's a pretty popular brand. Well, was popular. Since P&G took over, i'm switching to orijen once i finish up this last bag.


The Hooligans currently eat INNOVA with a little of the canned EVO 95% beef.


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## bianca

Molly was on Artemis (best I could find in Australia) but am switching her to RAW


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## Good_Karma

I'm sure the voting is far from over, but what conclusions should we draw from this? Is the top voted food the best food? The best food for the price?

Just curious what ChicagoJosh wanted to learn from this poll, or what he wanted us to learn. 

Or maybe I'm overthinking this and he's just doing market research for fun!


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## Lucy Dog

I think just from the results so far is there is no "best dog food". People are using all different brands and types of diets. Pretty much every decent food on this poll has at least one vote so far. I'm sure if you go outside of this board to people with no knowledge of good and bad dog foods and you'll get plenty of votes for the not-so-great brands. 

My opinion is, as long as you're feeding a food with decent ingredients, the best food is the food that works for your dog/dogs. There is no "best food" out there. There are plenty of good ones, but you have to go with what works for your dog and your situation in the end.


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## Samba

We can only vote for one. I don't feed just one food. We just finished a bag of Evo. Today the boys are making a 200 mile trip so they will be able to pick up Origen easily. On raw diet days, we also feed Embarq by Honest Kitchen. This is an easy travel food too so I like to have it in the routine.


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## Chicagocanine

Maybe an "Other/not listed" option would have been good for people whose foods weren't there?

I chose Nature's Variety since you could only choose one, but I use about half raw food and half Nature's Variety Instinct.


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## Lucy Dog

Samba said:


> We can only vote for one. I don't feed just one food. We just finished a bag of Evo. Today the boys are making a 200 mile trip so they will be able to pick up Origen easily. On raw diet days, we also feed Embarq by Honest Kitchen. This is an easy travel food too so I like to have it in the routine.


You drive 200 miles just to pick up orijen? Why not just get it delivered?


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## Samba

I do get it delivered sometimes and that is less expensive. We live 200 miles round trip from any city of size. I have to drive that far to training clubs, etc. My guys went on a city shopping trip today. 

I have driven 400 miles for Hogan's two "swimming lessons" this month! Jus luv the middle of nowhere livin'.


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## chicagojosh

to answere Karma's question. mainly curiousity. there are sssoo many threads about food, but there wasnt a poll. i just wanted people to vote and see what the most popular brands were


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## chicagojosh

i am suprised to see TOTW as # 1 right now (at 66 votes). BB and Orijen are the most talked about so I expected them to walk away with it...


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## Stogey

Only 66 votes ??? I know there's a lot more people than that on this forum !!! 

Voting is confidential folks so if you're feeding Billy Bobs Pork Feet K9 Deluxe no one will ever know .... 

_*BUMP !!!*_


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## chicagojosh

stogey...it's just like the turnout for a governmental election LOL. up to 68 votes now with over 800 views. about 8%. LOL, although im sure people like me have viewed this thread multiple times. but either way, still only 68 votes and the poll has been active since Friday


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## LaRen616

chicagojosh said:


> stogey...it's just like the turnout for a governmental election LOL. up to 68 votes now with over 800 views. about 8%. LOL, although im sure people like me have viewed this thread multiple times. but either way, still only 68 votes and the poll has been active since Friday


We should be able to vote twice or 3 times, depending on how many dogs we have because not all of our dogs eat the same kibble, some people feed each dog a different kibble.

But I feed both of my boys Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness, and their 3 sister cats eat the same.


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## roxy84

chicagojosh said:


> i am suprised to see TOTW as # 1 right now (at 66 votes). BB and Orijen are the most talked about so I expected them to walk away with it...


its more widely available for most people, and for anyone on a budget who wants to feed a grainless food, its going to be the primary choice. i certainly dont see a poll such as this as any kind of referendum as to which foods are considered of highest quality.


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## chicagojosh

roxy84 said:


> its more widely available for most people, and for anyone on a budget who wants to feed a grainless food, its going to be the primary choice. i certainly dont see a poll such as this as any kind of referendum as to which foods are considered of highest quality.


 
hi Roxy and others,

don't look to deeply into this poll. i was just wondering, and figured others might be too. as i mentioned there are a ton of threads that talk about food, but i have yet to see a poll, so i figured why not.

some people have asked for an "other" option. i didn't do one of those because even if you could pick "other" there is still no place to type in what food you do feed, other than in the thread, which people are doing anyway.

some people want to know what i hoped to learn from the poll. nothing. i was curious and bored at work. however i do think it can be useful for some people.

for example if people are in the midst of deciding what food to feed and they are going back and forth between say Wellness and TOTW. they could come to this poll and see that TOTW is way more popluar. that would likely lead them to wonder why, thus furthering their investigation into each brand, and ultimately making a better decision. (you're welcome in advance lol j/k)

or someone might be feeding Beneful and see this poll. they could then see that absolutly no one feeds beneful. then they would clearly know something has got to be wrong with it. over priced, poor ingrediants etc. 

at face value i think the poll itself can offer a lot of insight into which foods to consider feeding and which one's not too.


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## Good_Karma

chicagojosh said:


> to answere Karma's question. mainly curiousity. there are sssoo many threads about food, but there wasnt a poll. i just wanted people to vote and see what the most popular brands were


Gotcha! My brand is losing big time I'm gonna log in on new account to bump up EVO. I'm so competitive....:dogsledding:


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## chicagojosh

Good_Karma said:


> Gotcha! My brand is losing big time I'm gonna log in on new account to bump up EVO. I'm so competitive....:dogsledding:


LOL, im sure the folks at Evo would love ya for it


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## manb1

We've been using Nutrisource and Steve's raw with excellent results.


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## chicagojosh

bump


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## LaRen616

chicagojosh said:


> bump


I was on the roof! No jk, I was on the balcony. 

As for the "mow your grass" comment..............the yard in the pictures belongs to my ex boyfriend and I dont mow grass, period. I have friends that do it.


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## Kinmartin0789

I feed my pup Royal canin, he's on the baby dog maxi kind since he's only 3 months old. i'll switch him to the GSD pup blend at about 5 months. He loves it.


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## PupperLove

Thanks for the poll Chicagojosh, I was curious as well!!!

I am currently feeding my pup Halo. I haven't heard much about this food, but I was impressed by their website, and they seem to be well aware of what "really goes on" in some of the pet food companies these days. And on sale for $1 per lb, I couldn't pass it up! Next bag though, will be Blue Buffalo. I tend to rotate each time a bag runs out, Jackson seems to transition with no problems at all.


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## Rusty_212

I feed Lana Nature's Recipe. It's not listed so I didn't vote. Anyone use this brand or if it's good? It definitely costs a lot.


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## spyla

looks like TOTW is on the top, does not mean it is best but most used. Must be one of the better brands. I used to use Science Diet Until Shadow was 8 months and then started using TOTW, Shadow is now 14 months and weighed 94.8 lbs yesterday @ the vets office, had to get his teeth checked out.


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## chicagojosh

no problem pupper love. im glad to see were up to 99 votes now! make sure to transition slow onto the BB or it could mess with your pups stomach 




PupperLove said:


> Thanks for the poll Chicagojosh, I was curious as well!!!
> 
> I am currently feeding my pup Halo. I haven't heard much about this food, but I was impressed by their website, and they seem to be well aware of what "really goes on" in some of the pet food companies these days. And on sale for $1 per lb, I couldn't pass it up! Next bag though, will be Blue Buffalo. I tend to rotate each time a bag runs out, Jackson seems to transition with no problems at all.


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## Gsdldy

I feed Diamond naturals but am considering switching to raw


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## Emoore

I feed 4Health.


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## dham1930

I was feed TOTW to 4 of my GSD's but was getting too expesive so took 3 off of it. Changed them to Diamond Chic/rice seems good so far but I really liked TOTW. I was told they have a price increase coming soon too ,up by 5 bucks a bag. However I may be get rid of a few of my guys so than I may be able to go back but my 2 pup's will be on adult food soon too. I woul;d like to Tell the president that the economy is not getting easier for the dog lover who doesnt want to feed their dog junk food.
The Hammond Pack


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## randcwestfall

Kirkland food is repackaged Diamond if you want to save a buck.


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## mrezkill

I didn't realize Taste of the Wild was so popular. I figured most people fed Orijen.


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## Stogey

I was surprised to see Science Diet got absolutely " 0 " votes ! For all the hipe and whatnot over SD when it first came out. I know I was won over by their advertisement. For years that's all I fed my animals thinking I was giving them a good quality meal.


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## lupine

my puppy was on Innova LB Puppy for a year, he is 14 months now, we gradually switched him to Innova Large Bites about 3 months ago. I like the ingredients, and it is rated 5-star. He is healthy over all, except he had pano twice. Interesting to see Innova is not popular here


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## Taylor

lupine said:


> my puppy was on Innova LB Puppy for a year, he is 14 months now, we gradually switched him to Innova Large Bites about 3 months ago. I like the ingredients, and it is rated 5-star. He is healthy over all, except he had pano twice. Interesting to see Innova is not popular here


Innova and Natura products lost their popularity when they were bought out by Proctor and Gamble so yeah, thats why. If you look for some old threads, there is much discussion about it.


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## ChancetheGSD

I voted Blue Buffalo since Chance currently eats their Wilderness formulas (I rotate brands/formulas every 1-2 bags) and he is my "GSD". However, I feed my little dog, Zoey, Taste of the Wild.


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## LaRen616

I am changing from Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness to Taste Of The Wild.

My dogs are sick and I am pretty sure the kibble is the culprit, we are going to the Vet to make sure everything is ok but their is a recall on BBBW right now. 

I am switching to TOTW, it has better ingredients, it is rated 6 star where BBBW is rated a 5 star, it is $20 cheaper than BBBW and it comes in a bigger bag.


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## Fafhrd

I feed TOTW Prairie for his first meal and Blue Buffalo for his second. Too bad we can't choose more than one on the poll. I chose TOTW because I suspect I'll eventually stop buying BB.


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## AEA

I am currently feeding my 4 Month old GSD Pro Plan Selects Turkey & Barley formula but will switch to TOTW when she gets to 1 year.

I am currently feeding my 5 Year old Bengal Cat EVO but will switch to TOTW on the next bag. Part of the reason for this is cost, but mainly because of the Proctor & Gamble buyout of Innova.

So, in the Poll, I am number 27 for TOTW! 
Rated six stars (******) on dogfoodanalysis.com


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## Cluemanti

TOTW just came up with a new formula; Sierra Mountain which is a lamb formula. Ca levels are 1.6 and Pho is 1.0. Too much for my pup but might try it for my older pup. 

Going to transition from Orjien to Solid Gold, guess I will be one of the select few who feed Solid Gold.


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## LaRen616

Cluemanti said:


> TOTW just came up with a new formula; Sierra Mountain which is a lamb formula. Ca levels are 1.6 and Pho is 1.0. Too much for my pup but might try it for my older pup.
> 
> *Going to transition from Orjien to Solid Gold, guess I will be one of the select few who feed Solid Gold*.


Solid Gold is a good food. I used to feed it to my GSD.

Alot of my friends feed it to their dogs.

I think your making a great choice.

:thumbup:


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## Pattycakes

I feed my GSD Blue Buffalo Basics Salmon and Potato formula. 

But after reading a lot of your posts here and on other threads...I'm going to look into TOTW.


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