What would you pick to feed

[Swampman]

I avoid all corn content in dog food.
I use American Natural Premium made by Fromm in Cedarburg, WI.
http://americannaturalpremium.com/produ ... al-recipe/
I use this feed from weaning to death, $34.00/40# bag.
Sport lived to just shy of 14 years old, Meg, 13 years old and Hammer is 11 and still healthy.
I typically sell my running hounds between 4 to 5 years old, but the above hounds lived their entire lives with me.

Go to the website below and enter the food you feed your hounds and see exactly what your giving them.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... -dog-food/

To each their own, but I believe you get out of them what you put into them.
I would feed raw if I had the time, but feel this is the next best thing.

[BB Beagles]

What would you pick to feed..... What I get the best results out of my hounds with!

What do I feed.... Victor!

[Mitch DeVore]

Why does everybody put so much faith in this dogfoodadviser? I mean what did we ever do without him.Victor is kinda like Reggie,waaay waaay over rated

[BB Beagles]

Who's the dog food advisor? Only person who advises me what to feed my dogs is me! I do understand that dogs react different to different feed. Such as some Reggie dogs perform better than others! Why? Who knows? Why do some Chevys seem to outlast other chevys even though they were same make, same model, come off same line? Everybody talks about price on feed being higher, due to fancy bags, name brands, etc...

LET me ask this question, if your a deer Hunter, what rifle scope would you prefer? A $60 Tasco or a $300 Leopold? I'd save money buy buying cheaper, but in long run I might end up buying 5-6 Tascos due to poor quality when I could've bought the Leupold at the time and still performing the same as when you bought it!

My point is there a lot of things out there we get ripped on! How many guys stop buy McDonald's? EVERYBODY!
Say you order a big Mac extra VALUE meal. Where's the value at. That burger prob cost them bout 50 cents to make, but yet we pay right a $6 for the meal!
Gas we pay $3-$4 a gallon, how much is water were buying and how much are they making off it?

If all feed were pretty much the same, then why do we even have feed conversations for?
The question asked was what would you pick to feed? I feed Victor because I've had the best results out of it so far!

[BB Beagles]

Who's the dog food advisor? Only person who advises me what to feed my dogs is me! I do understand that dogs react different to different feed. Such as some Reggie dogs perform better than others! Why? Who knows? Why do some Chevys seem to outlast other chevys even though they were same make, same model, come off same line? Everybody talks about price on feed being higher, due to fancy bags, name brands, etc...

LET me ask this question, if your a deer Hunter, what rifle scope would you prefer? A $60 Tasco or a $300 Leopold? I'd save money buy buying cheaper, but in long run I might end up buying 5-6 Tascos due to poor quality when I could've bought the Leupold at the time and still performing the same as when you bought it!

My point is there a lot of things out there we get ripped on! How many guys stop buy McDonald's? EVERYBODY!
Say you order a big Mac extra VALUE meal. Where's the value at. That burger prob cost them bout 50 cents to make, but yet we pay right a $6 for the meal!
Gas we pay $3-$4 a gallon, how much is water were buying and how much are they making off it?

If all feed were pretty much the same, then why do we even have feed conversations for?
The question asked was what would you pick to feed? I feed Victor because I've had the best results out of it so far!

[carl arn]

just go down to the factory and watch all the different brands truck leave the same place.its all the same.you ladys need to go run some hounds and stop this my daddy can whip your daddy crap

[littlewoody]

If I was going back to dog food for my hounds it would be blue .

[BB Beagles]

It might all come from the same place and have most of the same ingredients as you say? Who knows? What if the same hamburger meat from McDonalds, Hardees, and Burger King comes from same place? Who knows what they put in them to make them taste different? If I had to choose one to live off of though it would be Burger King. Why? McDonalds runs right threw me and Hardees is to darn expensive! Just the same as dog feed reacts diff to diff hounds. Ive tried a ton of brands and the victor for the price and results have fit my hounds well. Until victor changes the way its made or I cant afford to buy it due to price change, I will continue too use it.

OH YA! My daddy told my buddys daddy bout victor and he said my daddy was right!!! LOL!

My hounds give me their all when I run them, which is on very regular basis. So least I can do is feed them the best Ive found and it has been Victor so far. JMHA.

[ironjawdawgs]

I would pick to feed them a raw meat diet! It's the best and cheapest I can feed them.

[PoCo SLUG]

JOY HIGH PERFORMANCE !! I love this food and the hounds do also! 26/18 .. Omega 6 & 3
I switch about 6 months ago from purina sport , the dogs go great and the cost is about half!. the skin on my hounds has never been healthier and the energy for the hounds to run all day!!

[big creek kennel]

VICTOR DOG FOOD.
A great feed at a fair price.

[eddywilliams]

Purina one smart 26/16 has chicken pieces and doesnt burn your dog up in heat when pounding them .It is costly but I belong to Purina Pro club ,you can mix it also with chow

[Chuck Prather]

I agree with Eddy. I feed Purine One chicken and rice or Pro Plan in winter. Good results!

[HillBeagles]

I posted not long ago Victor because it was cheaper than Pro Plan but now that ive found Pro Plan for $32 a bag I choose purina pro plan 30/20

[warddog]

So far, I have seen several different brands of dry dog feeds cited as what someone would pick. I also see much attention to the dog food advisor that folks put so much faith in which by-the-way is the opinion of the author as whomever that is rates the dry feed Brands according to the ingredient statement and the meat content. Actually the author is comparing dry feed to a raw meat diet and so they put their emphasis on meat content. This is the first time I have even looked at this dog food advisor and it never dawned on me that the info SR PATCH posted came directly from it. I then started to look at the ratings of several of the brands folks stated they would pick to feed and some of them were rated below average in THIS AUTHORS mind. They ranged everywhere from 1 stat to 4 stars BUT what I noticed was that you had to be sure you were looking at the rating for the actual protein/fat ratio you were actually feeding as if folks remember I have stated the only difference in protein/fat is the amounts of the specific ingredients in the formula, NOT the quality or differing of ingredients. Also remember that meat in and of itself is about 80% water so 100 pounds of meat in a formula will cook down to about 20 pounds of meal. Anyone that has made beef or venison jerky will exactly what I am saying. Folks have asked me what I feed and I have not stated that intentionally because my intent was NEVER to knock any brand or pitch for another but rather to try to make consumers understand that there is very little as far as nutritional differences when it comes to dry dog food or people food for that matter. There are however marketing ploys that manufacturers use to grab a portion of your hard earned dollar. In finally reading and researching this dog food advisor I also found that the author even recognized the shortcomings of their reviews and then went on to say this very same thing as I have been telling people from my very first post. FACTS are ALL dry dog foods are of the same basic manufacture of meat meal ( I say meal as all dry foods have been cooked down to meals), grain or seed, fat and oils and from there they add the vitamins and minerals to meet the AFFCO nutritional standard for a dog. For the many who sent me a PM to ask I told them what I fed and have feed BUT also that I would NOT hesitate to change when I could get more bang for my buck. JUST so some that think I'm trying to say I feed some hidden super dry dog food which by the way I never even remotely stated I will tell you I am currently feeding the Pride 24/20 and that is the feed that I was comparing pricing to with Victor. Also remember when comparing price that you also have to do so with the exact protein/fat ratios and that is exactly what I did when I contacted my supplier. I personally could not and can not justify feeding a brand of feed that is even rated by the dig food advisor of 4 stars for roughly $40.00 per 40 pound bag when I can purchase a 3 star rated dry dog food for roughly $20.00 per 50 pound bag. I highly doubt that anyone can prove to me scientifically that the 1 star above rated dog food is 2 times a better bang for my buck. ONE MORE TIME, if you think it is then by all means feed it but I see many folks feeding and recommending 1 and 2 star rated by the dog food advisor dog foods that will probably argue them just as vehemently and that is what the manufacturers skip to the bank on. By the way, I have also feed Sportmix, Hi-Standard, Sextons, Duralife from Rural King, Purina, black gold, diamond, and used to be a dog food dealer in northern Indiana for Sauders as well as Joy ALL with about the same results other than price.



Dog food reviews have at least three valid shortcomings. They can never reveal the true quality of the raw materials that were used to make the products they attempt to judge.

Or the important research and nutritional design effort that went into making these products.

And they cannot evaluate the safety with which the raw materials and products were handled by a company when manufacturing, storing and shipping the finished goods.

So, rating the ultimate “as fed” condition of a specific pet food or predicting product recall events is impossible.


Why It’s Difficult to Control the Quality
of Dog Food Ingredients

Not only do most pet food companies conceal the origin of their ingredients, they also change the sources as well as the quality of those ingredients on a regular basis.

Many raw materials used to make dog foods are bought and sold in commercial-sized lots on the open market.

Bulk prices vary. And so does quality.

From day to day, it’s not unusual for an ingredient to come from a different farm, a different storage facility or a different state.

Even a different country.

Although better companies procure their ingredients directly from trusted manufacturers, others may buy their raw materials through brokers and middlemen.

And many times through less-reputable third party suppliers.

What’s worse, manufacturers are not legally required to report these changes to consumers.

That’s why the method used to review a product is so important.


An Objective Way to Review Dog Food

Although there are many ways to rate a dog food, we’ve settled on using the only reliable information we feel we can consistently trust.

We read and interpret government-regulated pet food labels. Nothing more. And we do this in two simple steps.
1.We study the ingredients list
2.We evaluate the meat content

As reviewers, we don’t test dog food. We don’t taste it. And we rarely trust marketing hype. Manufacturer’s claims. Or the fancy artwork on the package.

Nor should you.


Nagging Questions Persist

Of course, like everyone else, we still yearn to know more…
Where do the ingredients come from?
Are they food grade? Feed grade? Or agricultural rejects?
Are they fresh?
Will my dog like the taste?
Is the kibble the right size for my pet?
Have they been tested for chemical or biological contamination?

These are all legitimate questions. Some of them can be answered by simply visiting a company’s website. Or calling their customer service number.

Yet remember, company information can be biased.. and almost always subject to change.

That’s why we’re reluctant to simply re-broadcast a manufacturer’s marketing message. We fear it could be misleading and provide a false sense of security to our readers.


Getting Help from the Real Life
Experiences of Others

Reviews can never predict results. However, there’s one valuable source of information that can help. It’s easy to access. Practical. And yet commonly overlooked.

Our readers comments.

So, be sure to check out the Comments section at the end of each review for a more complete picture of each dog food.

Before you buy.

There you’ll find a wealth of helpful information from our readers — dog owners and breeders as well as community-minded veterinary professionals, nutritionists and dog food companies.
Tips and suggestions on feeding
Candid opinions about specific dog foods
Reports of real life experiences and results
Comments about a company’s customer service

Best of all, find out whether our readers’ dogs give a “tails up” or a “tails down” to the taste of a particular product.


What Our Stars Really Mean

We tend to dislike dog foods made with by-products — especially plant-based by-products. And we downgrade recipes that contain:
Generic animal fats
Anonymous meat ingredients
Synthetic chemical preservatives
Plant-based meat-protein substitutes

We recognize that protein fed in excess of the minimum nutritional requirement of an animal is simply burned as energy.

However, we also believe in the commonsense logic of mimicking a dog’s natural ancestral diet — in modeling a dog food after what an animal would naturally consume in the wild.

So, we shamelessly favor dog foods rich in meat.

In general, a five star dog food is one that is high in meat content and free of most by-products, suspicious chemicals or plant-based protein boosters.

So, does that mean a one-star dog food is bad for your dog?

No, probably not. A product with a low star rating isn’t necessarily a bad product. Some dogs can thrive on these recipes.

It’s just that we passionately believe you should know what you’re paying for. So, dog foods made with by-products and less meat should, of course, cost less, too.


The Bottom Line

The reviews published on this website are not intended to suggest that feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet. They should only be used as a tool to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

And remember…

Consumers are forever at the mercy of dog food manufacturers. Even with their well-meaning promises and guarantees, each batch of ingredients can be notably different from the previous one.

The variations in quality of the finished foods can be significant.

So, as a policy, we deliberately avoid reporting the source or the condition of the ingredients mentioned in our reviews