New Mal Owner---Recommend a good quality dog food? - Page 1

Would appreciate any advice on a good quality dog food for my 6 month old male Mal. (picking him up next month). I want something without all the chemicals that most store bought foods have. Any ideas??Thank you!

Find out what he is on now and if the breeder recomends it and you are happy stay on it. Otherwise try Royal Canin GSD . It has been developed for shepherd digestion. Another is Redmills racer and Redmills tracker half and half. Failing that go on to flesh, fat, brown rice and some veg

I don't like the brand he's being fed now. It's just a regular dog food brand. Typical corn,etc. Thank you for the info. I will check both those out.

We have switched the girls to Earthborn Primitive Natuaral and they are doing really well on it. The nice thing is they can eat a little less (good thing in the summer since they are still working regardless of how hot it is) and still maintain great condition.
I have a friend that is using Native4 and is very happy with it.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

I like to avoid corn. Mals generally have less sensitive digestive systems than gsd, but many times it is hard to keep weight on them. First you need to find out what is available in your area and what you can afford. Feed stores are usually cheaper than pet stores. Then come back with specific food(s). 

Looking into a company called Flint River Ranch. They ship dog food. Supposed to be all made in the USA, no chemicals, etc. Anyone heard anything about it?

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/flint-river-ranch-dog-food/

 Flint River has wheat flour. It was one of the first human grade dog foods out 10 to 15 years ago.  They have not improved their formula. Now it's been way passed up by other brands.  You can get all dog foods shipped to you. Amazon is the cheapest for shipping. Are you really out in the boonies that you don't have a feed store near you.  If money is no problem then look at Orijen.  I would love to be able to afford to feed it myself.
  
I would start with the 5 star list on dogfoodadvisor and see what is available in your area.  You have been affected by the Diamond Plant closing in SC.  So it would be good to talk to store managers in your area to see what is available.  There are alot of good foods on the 4 star list too.
 
I'm in Houston, TX. I have actually thought of moving there since my family has land outside of Hattiesburg.  So I have already been looking into resources and am finding it tough to justify right now.  The lack of decoy resources and shopping are the two biggies.

   
 

Thank you for all the information. I'm in the process of checking out the dog food website. I can get Royal Canine in my area-----is it okay to feed the GSB formula to a Belgian Mal??

Have also been checking out Honest Kitchen (alittle $$$) . So many choices out there!

Honest Kitchen is expensive but very good from what I hear. A lot of people who feed raw use it when traveling or boarding their dogs.  If you want to go that route than it would be cheaper to feed straight raw.
 
Or you can do a combination of kibble and raw. There are some rules surrounding it - wait 12 hours after feeding kibble before feeding raw, etc. Some people want the convenience of feeding kibble in the morning and then do raw in the evening. 

If you just have one dog feeding raw is affordable.  One problem is that food prices are higher in MS and you may not have very many resources for raw meat. Researching your meat sources is a whole new thread!  But when you compare feeding raw to the price of top rated kibbles, then it looks even better. Get a freezer and make friends with people who hunt, small slaughter houses, people who raise a couple of cows (get their scraps) or rabbits, etc.
 
Some of the foods I hear people feeding are: Innova, California Naturals, Solid Gold, Fromm, Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals, Eagle Pack. Most people can't afford Evo($70), Orijen($90). Like I said earlier, you really need to start with what is available in your area. Then take that list to dogfoodadvisor and come back to this forum with specific brands to see if folks have personal experience with it.