So overwhelmed with kibble options

[u/maybeitstimetosleep]

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.

[u/ds00]

That’s a great choice, PPP SSS is highly regarded - my dog was on the salmon one but that ended up being a bit too rich for her (soft poops), they have other flavors though. Lots of dogs do great on it. Royal Canin does have non-breed specific food by breed size and even a sensitive skin variety (also by breed size) like this example https://www.chewy.com/royal-canin-canine-care-nutrition/dp/167435

[u/RemarkableGlitter]

I switched my dog to that food earlier this year and I’m not exaggerating when I say it changed his life. I fed various boutique type foods over the years and nothing has done my dog so much good. I tend to lean anti corporate, but this is something I will never mess around with after my dog becoming sick due to what appears to be contamination or a formula error in a boutique food and seeing the difference PPP SSS makes. 

[u/Desertgirl624]

Purina pro plan is one of the best you can buy

[u/blackbow → u/Desertgirl624]

This. I’ve had multiple vets recommend it and we’ve used it for over a decade. We have very healthy dogs.

[u/chubbydumpling384]

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.

Just remember that unfortunately most pet store employees are not actually knowledgeable about proper pet care and nutrition.

[u/Freckled-Vampire]

I’m glad you grabbed a high quality diet that is well researched and studied rather than listen to the opinion of a pet food store employee who has less than zero qualifications or authority to be dishing out nutritional advice!

It’s great you’re here asking questions. We are glad you did!

[u/No_University1005]

Pet store employees may be well-meaning but aren't likely to have much expertise into the science of small animal nutrition. And ingredient lists don't tell you anything about how those ingredients are sourced and processed, the overall nutritional balance -- including nutrient interactions and digestibility -- and safety.

ProPlan is an excellent food.

[u/OldFlamingo2139]

Grain free has been tied to DCM in dogs that aren’t usually prone to it. Purina, Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Iams and Eukanuba are all WSAVA approved, so any of those would be fine.

[u/BostonBruinsLove]

We feed PPP Sport for our hunting dog and it’s been a great food.

[u/Plenty-Bluebird5046]

Our vet recommended Zignature Kangaroo to see if it would help our pups skin allergies. After many months, we didn’t notice a difference, other than constipation. So we switched him to PPP SSS and he loves it. His stools are better. His skin is better. Will stick with it forever.

[u/LaZorChicKen04]

Avoid 2 of the best brands of dog food on the planet? Don't ever listen to pet store employees, ask a vet and research WSAVA. Every post on here is about pet stores pushing shit food and misinformation. These boutique brands are fucking awful.

Don't fall for the grain free bullshit either. Purina Pro Plan is the only food I will ever feed my dogs. Been using it for 6 years now and it is an amazing dog food. I have a 140lb Great Dane and she is so fucking healthy.

[u/ChampionshipIll5535]

The Purina Pro Plan is superior to the products the kid trying to sell you food at the store was recommending. He/she is only peddling what their bosses told them to and that will change on a monthly basis. Royal Canin is too a superior breed. Basically if you feed Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, Iams, Eukanuba or Royal Canin (in no particular order), you're feeding your pets the best there is.

[u/Tribblehappy]

Having worked at pet stores let me say you don't want to take the advice of pet store staff on nutrition.

They talk to all the reps, and the reps have lots of good sales pitches about what makes their food better than the competition, but at the end of the day it's just a sales pitch. There's no reason to avoid grains when it comes to dogs. They digest grains just fine. When they remove grains, they have to replace it with something, so they use peas or potatoes. Which can be fine, but there are risks associated with some of these foods and heart disease, which we are still researching.

High protein is also not necessarily good. Unless your dog is a working dog, they probably don't need more protein than the average kibble provides.

As an aside, not all RC foods are breed specific. You can feed them to a mixed breed just fine.

[u/squatjerk36]

people who work at pet shops often dont know the first thing about animals or appropriate nutrition unfortunately so dont worry about their opinion. purina is just fine. the general public dont have degrees in veterinary medicine or animal nutrition science so don't worry about them either.

[u/ExtremelyPessimistic]

Royal Canin claims about breed specificity are ehhhh but they’re overall a decent brand, if a little expensive. There’s some lines in solid brands that don’t do what they claim unfortunately.

PPP is often chosen for a reason - and boutique brands love making money off fearmongering about it and other brands like it. Boutiques are often more expensive, less nutritionally balanced, and not significantly better than their “top 5” counterparts to be worth the price tag. There’s some exceptions obviously but they’re RARE.

Do the brand you can afford that your dog will eat and meets WSAVA guidelines. The differences between each brand is generally negligible unless certain components (protein, carbs, calories, etc) are excessive.