r/DogFood

My JRT weighs 25 lbs. He needs to weigh 22 lbs.

Calculated RER is 400 kcal/day
Calculated MER is 640 kcal/day

I feed him Purina One Healthy Weight (325 kcal/cup) half cup twice daily. Breakfast is around 0700. By noon/early afternoon he is whining for food. I give him 1-1.5 cups of green beans at that time.

By 4:00 he’s whining for food. I feed him dinner at that time.

I walk him 4 miles/day.

When I say he whines for food between meals, I mean he GROANS for food. He searches the house for food. He mouths his food bowl.

I do ignore him. But I promise, I can ignore him until the cows come home and his whining/searching does not relent.

He, like many dogs, does not like my lawn sprinkler. He woke me up at 0400 this morning. Annoyed but proud he alerted me he needed to go potty, I took him out. The sprinklers were on. He didn’t care. He stood midst the sprinklers EATING THE LEAVES OFF A PLANT at 0400 today.

He is hypothyroid, but his T4 is normal on meds.

I’m about to leave now to go read at a coffee shop just to get away from him until dinner time. Either that or let him get obese and be happy.

I cannot feed him less. I worry he’s going to become deficient in something because I’m having to underfeed him.

Please help.

I have an 11 week old male great dane. He was on Purina Pro Plan when he arrived and from day one barley touched it. I took him to the vet and they suggested mixing in some purina pro wet food, still not a fan. I have tried to feed by hand, I put bowls up so when he is actually hungry he eats. I tested his stool - no parasites. He is energetic but on the thin side. I need a very high quality food with protein and grains. I fed my last dane homemade food but he is too young.

I've often read that WSAVA compliant brands have done extensive feeding trials.

Can someone point me to examples of these scientific publications?

I have always given my dogs the same kibble, they always liked it and ate their whole bowl right away. I started using Zesty Paws omega 3 blend on their food morning and night, but quickly realized they can each only have a pump a day according to the bottle. So I gave that to them in the morning, and they wouldn’t eat their dry kibble for dinner. So I got them some unsalted plain chicken bone broth and they LOVED that. But they started getting pickier and pickier, they don’t want the omega 3 oil anymore because it doesn’t soak their food the way the chicken broth does (I think that’s why?) Then I started soaking it with a bit of water and they would eat it but never the full bowl, once they got to the bottom that had no oil they wouldn’t finish their bowls. As far as the chicken broth, we were going through SO much and I feel that it is too much for them so I started watering it down and they also won’t eat that whole bowl. My one dog has started just entirely refusing breakfast no matter what I do. Yes, I have tried just offering dry kibble. That is an absolute no for them now. I wish I never took myself and them down this rabbit hole but we’re already in it and it feels like there’s no coming out so someone please tell me what I can give them that will make them eat their bowls but won’t make them fat. I took them to my parents today and my dad said one of them was looking a little porky. I guess I should start cutting back how much food I give them if I’m adding toppers but they usually don’t eat their whole bowl anyways.

So I'm actually 2 months into my new job. I work in a big European chain pet shop, and I didn't know a lot about pet food when I started.

My manager taught me how to read an ingredient list and judge it. She said Royal Canin and Hill's are not really good quality and that they're sponsored, while Orijen is the best. Acana and Carnilove are great.

I wanted to learn more about this topic, so I did a lot of research. I'm honestly overwhelmed by all the different opinions. I also often read that "pet store employees don't know anything," and I'm ashamed of that.

I'm now watching YouTube videos from Dr. Rea and Pet Food Puzzle Guy, who explain more about nutrition and not just ingredients.

I have no issues with recommending science-based foods for dogs and cats to customers. But then I hear my colleagues say something completely different to a customer.

For example, one month later, a customer came back and said that her senior dog, who had always eaten Royal Canin, sometimes vomits after switching to Acana. My colleague told them they could switch back for a while , but still told the customer that Royal Canin is lower quality.

And I'm in a difficult position. I can speak my opinion, but I don't want to look like a know-it-all — I'm only 2 months in. But I also can't stand watching my colleagues act like they know better when I'm not sure their advice is actually correct.

I like the job, but this has honestly been hard on me sometimes because I really care about giving people accurate information.

I'd like to know if there are any other pet store workers lurking on this forum who have had the same experience, or if anyone has any tips on how to deal with this.

I’m considering switching from PPP to Kirkland because money is tight. After running the numbers of cost per bag, size of the bag, and portion size per meal, I figure I’d save about $20. My dog will be 10yrs old in a few weeks and has been on PPP her entire adult life, she is healthy and happy. Has anyone made a similar change and has an opinion on the matter good or bad? If it’s a less nutrient dense food is a $20 savings even worth it??

Is Royal canine processed and hence not good for my dog? Friends say it’s processed and their dog will get an upset stomach if they don’t have “real food”.. am I doing anything wrong? I feel Royal canine has years of research behind it and therefore good for my dog.. but I am feeling the pressure to feed something more “real”…

Thoughts from dog owners really appreciated.

Hey everyone
So I have a super picky lurcher and whippet puppy who I would like some advice on feeding them.

Honestly they are really well fed. They get a mixture of things but the base of their meals are Lyka, raw from our local pet food show, homemade cooked options and dry from taste of the wild. They get a mix of these items. I also keep tins of wet food from brands I like that I usually use for lazy days or enrichment stuff

But to be completely honest at the moment I am struggling mentally and physically. Therefore things like sourcing their raw and cooking for them has gone to the side. However my 2 won’t always finish their meals if it’s just Lyka and dry. As such I have been leaning in the wet food. But to be completely honest I am pretty picky about what I feed them by I never particularly looked at the wet foods because they were an occasional treat item. But because I am leaning on them more I have been feeling guilty about this, but honestly don’t have the energy to research options

As such I thought I might come here to find out everyone’s favorite options. Things I look for are good ingredients (not a huge fan of fillers), smaller sizes in packaging (something I can finish their tin or pouch between both the dogs but they also get a bit of dry and or Lyka) and a variety of options to interest the novelty element. Would also love suggestions that are cost effective as I’m leaning on it more at the moment.

We have a 1 year and 2 month old golden doodle, she's great, she's never had much gut issues other than in January.

We had started with Boreal shortly after getting her (September 2025) and she ate it so we stuck with it. She seemed to get tired of a flavor so we started to switch back and forth to the same "limited ingredient" branded grain free food from Boreal until she was like I don't like it at all around Christmas (2025) time.

We were desperate and were trying cheap kibble and cheap we foods, anything, to get her to eat, she was eating the wet food no problem, kibble was hit and miss, we bought so many cheap crap foods but eventually landed on a Legacy branded kibble.

Before going to this kibble, we gave her a bland chicken / rice for a week to reset her gut as the diarrhea was insane. We gave her a dewormer (from vet) in case it was also a problem. We transitioned to the Legacy kibble with some chicken and rice to eventually only the kibble but kept adding some boiled chicken to each meal. (we still add the chicken topper to this day)

We've stuck with the Legacy grain free kibble, two flavors mainly, "Prairie Vista Red Meat Blend" (PORK, PORK MEAL, CHICKPEAS, PEA PROTEIN, DRIED YEAST are the five first ingredients listed) and "Farm Country Blend" (CHICKEN, CHICKEN MEAL, TURKEY MEAL, PEAS, PEA FLOUR are the five first ingredients listed), so far it's working out, she has never LOVED any of the foods, just tolerates it and eats it.

I see often people talking about "boutique brands" and a lot of grain-free kibbles tend to have peas/pea flour and that seems to have potential links to heart issues later in life.

When we say "boutique brands" would these quality as that? They are smaller brands that are Canadian made, I saw past comments on Reddit that the Legacy brand parent company are just a very small crew from Saskatchewan.

I see people praising Costco's Kirkland kibbles. I see people swear on Purina Pro Plan. I see people swear up for SVAVA compliant foods. I see people say that's bad. It's all overwhelming. I keep thinking we are doing right by her but then I wonder if these grain free kibbles are just as terrible for her health.

Could anyone help guide me on what is best practice? Or point me to some literature that explains the pros or cons to grain free kibbles or what's the best to look into.

Hi people, I need food recommendations that I can buy in the EU. It's very hard to find a good kibble that meets all the requirements. My dog has some allergies, she has IBD and took prednisone for a while as treatment, so there's some hard rules in how I choose the food.

Currently she's on Farmina N&D with chicken and pomegranate, but she doesn't like it at all, she refuses to eat several meals in a row, and with the recent news about Farmina in the US I'm starting to loose confidence in them in EU too.

Food requirements:

• no red meat
• no potato (sweet potato ok)
• no corn
• very low egg or no egg
• has to have the main source of protein as animal protein (so if there's 20% meat but 20% protein it means there's some added protein of some sort)
• nice to have: grain (if not I could supplement)

Not exactly the right place for this question as it isn’t food related, but I trust that you folks listen to science for your dogs and might have some good recommendations!

My dog loves a hard chew, benebones, nylabones, antlers, etc. He just loves to gnaw on them. But I’m petrified to give them to him out of a fear that he’ll break a tooth. I know that the general consensus is that you should be able to press a fingernail into any chew toy for it to be safe.

Rubber toys like Kong he loses interest in, and the playology ones that have a flavor embedded in them get destroyed in minutes.

Anyone have a good safe option that he’ll like?

I have been feeding my dog (8 female, cockapoo) Orijen’s original kibble for the last few years. I went to buy a new bag today to restock when I learned that it isn’t good for her and so started searching up alternatives.

Since she’s a mixed breed (Royal Canin seems to be breed specific) and has sensitive skin, I landed on the 5lb bag of Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach to try it out.

The sales associate at the pet store was recommending me First Mate and Performatin (saying that they were approved in Europe) and was saying how they’d avoid brands like Purina and Royal Canin.

Based off ingredients and the words like “grain free” and “high protein” the other brands did sound better but based on my research Purina is one of the brands that is most consistent with WSAVA, so I felt most comfortable me grabbing that.

I don’t know, I just feel so overwhelmed since now I have to change her kibble and I just don’t know what’s best. Based on WSAVA Purina seems solid, but also it seems to have a bad rep with the general public? Idk I feel better relying on research based nutrition, but it’s all so confusing. 😓

**also I just want to preface that I don’t support backyard breeding, we adopted my dog when she was 2 years old.

Hello. I’m a dog owner in South Korea and I’ve been very interested in canine nutrition and have been studying the subject on my own. I know this is a rather long post, but I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to read it and share your thoughts.

Recently, there has been a huge controversy in Korea surrounding the calcium and phosphorus levels found in Carna4 Fish dog food during a random food testing conducted by CVSC, a private quality-assessment organization that evaluates pet food products based on five strict criteria in collaboration with veterinary and animal nutrition experts.

Carna4 has become extremely popular in certain Korean pet communities. It has often been described as the No. 1 dog food, or even the “Hermès of dog food,” with people saying that its only real downside is the price. Carna4 is relatively expensive in Korea, and it is also only available in smaller packages.

&gt;!According to the figures publicly released by CVSC, the tested Carna4 Fish sample contained 0.32% calcium and 0.51% phosphorus. If these figures are accurate, the product would not meet the AAFCO minimum requirements, and the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio would also be significantly imbalanced, with phosphorus being roughly 1.6 times higher than calcium. This makes me concerned that there could potentially be problems with long-term feeding.!<

The Korean importer of Carna4 has explained that Carna4 is made using 100% natural whole-food ingredients and does not contain added calcium or phosphorus supplements because it relies on naturally occurring nutrients. They have argued that differences in the ingredients themselves, as well as differences in analytical methods between laboratories, can lead to variations in the reported nutrient levels.

They also stated that a recent test conducted in Canada showed that the product met the relevant nutritional standards.

**However, the head of a laboratory at the Korean Feed Additives Association, an officially recognized feed-testing organization in Korea, reportedly commented that even when considering factors such as differences in harvest seasons and natural variation in raw ingredients, nutrient values might differ by 0.1% or perhaps 0.01%, but a difference of more than threefold would simply not be plausible.**

The laboratory that CVSC commissioned for its testing is reportedly not some obscure or unqualified facility. It is an officially accredited testing institution recognized by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, so many people believe that its analytical capabilities and results are credible.

Carna4 also claims to conduct very rigorous in-house testing and to disclose its test results transparently. However, regardless of what the situation may be in other countries, Carna4’s reputation in Korea seems to have taken a significant hit because of this controversy. Many pet owners are switching to other foods, and The Honest Kitchen is probably the most commonly mentioned alternative.

There has also been considerable criticism of the Korean Carna4 importer’s response to the situation. Many people feel that their communication and handling of the issue have been inadequate and disappointing.

One particularly frustrating point is that calcium and phosphorus were not listed in the guaranteed analysis on the Korean product page. (I assume there may have been some legal reason why they were not required to list them.) However, after the controversy emerged, the importer hurriedly added calcium and phosphorus information to the Carna4 Fish product page, while the Chicken and Duck product pages still do not list them.

For reference, the only Carna4 products currently sold in Korea are Fish, Duck, and Chicken, and an Iberico formula is reportedly expected to be introduced later this year.

Personally, I feel that there are very few dog foods available in Korea that I can comfortably trust. Regulations regarding pet food are relatively weak here, and there have even been cases involving the use of animal carcasses in pet food production. So, unfortunately, seeing questionable ingredients or nutritional quality in Korean dog food is not particularly surprising. The pet food industry here also has a relatively short history compared with some other countries.

I’ve learned quite a bit about dog food and canine nutrition over the years, which is why I have generally tried to avoid feeding my dog extruded kibble whenever possible. Then I discovered Carna4, and it seemed to check almost every box for me. I felt that it was one of the best options available, so I have been feeding my dog Carna4 exclusively.
Now I’m really torn about what to do.

**Should I switch to another food, or would it be reasonable to continue feeding Carna4 while waiting for more information?**

I’m also considering **The Honest Kitchen** as an alternative, but I’m not sure whether it would be a good choice. I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on The Honest Kitchen as well.

What do you think about this whole Carna4 situation, and what would you recommend I do?

I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts, especially from anyone with experience in canine nutrition, veterinary nutrition, or evaluating commercial dog foods.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this very long post!!! and also sorry for my bad english (I used a translator)

Years sent out a recall notice today due to a risk of eye issues from the food. I now need a replacement food quickly for my 2 dogs.

What do people use, and would you recommend it?

Based in UK

Hi everyone!

I have a 2y/o Labrador retriever who I am trying to get food advice for. He’s currently on The Farmers Dog, but with the class action lawsuit and some of their distasteful marketing I want to discontinue using them I think.

Back story on our Farmers Dog Experience:
Our previous lab who lived to 13, was on TFD for most of his life but at 11 developed Pancreatitis twice and almost died. He later was switched to JFFD’s low fat option and did great. Now with the hindsight of everything going on with TFD, I don’t think I feel comfortable feeding my dog now (Skye) this anymore.

What does everyone recommend. Skye was on Purina Pro plan sport as a puppy and did well on it. I’m open to all suggestions though. He struggles with allergies (environmental), so if any of your recommendations tie in with helping with allergies/itchiness/leaky eyes, that would be great. He’s a lab, so he’s not picky at all, he’d literally eat anything so that’s not a concern. Price is also not a concern. I really just want what’s best for him!

Thank you! :)

I've been feeding him various flavors of Life's Abundance for several years but, this year, it's been a nose up with him... No matter how I "doctor it up" with temptations.

I finally got a hard clue that he hates it today (nose up) when, instead of throwing it out, I took it down to the boat dock for the catfish. He always comes with me when I have scraps for the fish ("Let's go feed the fish!" really perks him up) and he'll get a freebie. Today, I tossed him a nibble and he caught it, realized what it was, and dropped it... He's never done that with any other food scraps that I've taken down for the fish.

Sooooo... Help! I want a quality replacement but I've no clue what's out there...

Feedback?

I got considered in review trial of purina one fresh food. I don't know when or if it has already come out. This is exciting along with hills coming out with one. I hope this opens new doors in research about fresh foods and it being high quality and safe for people to feed. I do have a photo of what the packaging will look like but i don't know how to send it on here, if i can reply to a comment with it, I will. And please disregard this if someone has already posted about it. I just didn't know.

https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vrc2.975?fbclid=IwVERDUATtkFVwZG9mBWZkaWQWUMjmeoiJ1srNZAneAtUISKlWQpzq4GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5aqZmVqQky8dF34LsFIM2FMsfB5GQNqH0DvYI9pWV6Ak7r2TIwQNk3EuI6qw\_aem\_DhBd9vORenFo6NvcDEFgVA

I know this sub regards these three brands particularly with high value (and rightly so) as they offer a very high standard of safe pet food thanks to rigorous scientific research, strict quality control, full-time veterinary nutritionists, and feeding trials rather than marketing trends.

That being said, are you excited or disappointed that all three have entered the fresh food market? A year ago I’m sure half of us thought they would never.

Royal Canin came first and it was “Well at least there’s an option from a reputable brand to recommend for people that want to feed their dogs fresh”.

Hill’s next and it was “Hm, the fat content is concerningly high considering this was formulated by Hill’s. (Like nearly Farmers Dog level high)

Now Purina One looks to be next officially completing the trio.

Hi, everyone! I moved my two dogs from Purina because my dogs started to get harsh diarrhea with some blood, I did contact the vet and he is perfectly fine and thriving while on Jinx Dog Food. (Normal stool, no blood, and vet said he is fine.) My vet said for me not to use Purina anymore on them. & Of course we do not.

Here is my question: Does anyone here use Jinx? If so, have you ever used the Grass-Fed / or Grain-Free? If so, how was your dogs on it?

I am considering it. We use the standard Jinx Dog Food and he is not a fan of the taste mixture and was looking to try another bag!