what is the best dog food for pugs?

[zoes mama]

I currently have Zoe on Imas smart puppy for toy dogs but after reading some reviews I am thinking of changing her to something different. She enjoys Imas but I want what is best for her health any feedback would be great thankyou.
Zoe is 4 months old and weighs just over 6 lb

[sugarskullz]

Raw is the best if you can afford it as it's expensive. If you can't afford raw, get a high quality, grain free kibble.

[CSollers]

Check out Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings . There is a whole lot of information about the quality of different foods. Go for a four or five star food and you pretty much can't go wrong. I feel, and our Pugs health shows, that a quality raw diet with grain free treats is the way to go. Get the best food you can afford.

[MopsMeister]

Dear Zoe's Mama,
I am of course not an authority on the subject of pet food but would suggest that you compare foods carefully and keep your budget in mind when making your decision. There are a mind-numbing number of low, medium and high priced foods out there and of course they will imply whatever it takes to win your business. More expensive does NOT mean "better".

Remember the days when Johnny Carson did live plugs for Alpo on The Tonight Show? Our dogs survived back then and lived happy, healthy lives even though their food contained corn and was not fortified with Glucosamine or available in a Lamb & Rice recipe. Marketing & gimmicks are the keys to selling more cars, TV's, yogurt and cosmetic surgery. Selling dog food is no different. As you already know the stuff is available with beautiful packaging, nicely shaped, colorfully dyed pieces, and messages that imply that if you really love your dog you will feed them only the best...which of course is their brand.

First you create the "need" for your product where none actually exists. Then you convince as many customers as possible to jump onto the "high tech" band wagon like junkies seeking their next fix. Voila! The 21st Century that has given us the enormous flat screen TV and the hand held computer-arcade-alarm clock-camera-phone that many of us swear we can't live without. Well, it has also given us "designer" dog foods. Ever been to Petsmart? Mine has 5 entire aisles with both sides stacked to overflowing with brightly colored bags of dog food. Enough said.

To help me make my final decision I prepared a sheet of paper with columns in which to write brand name, recipe, the first 5 ingredients, price per pound, etc. I then went online (it took several hours) and filled in the sheet with the stats on over 15 different dry foods. Once I was done it was easy to make a final, relatively informed choice that was the right combination of ingredients and price. Happy Hunting

[AMC7181]

Whole Dog Journal does an annual list of the best kibbles and the best wet foods. I don't think you can get those lists online unless you're a subscriber. But, they also publish a "checklist" of what to look for in a dog food. Here's a link: Hallmarks of Quality Dog Food (What to Look For) - Whole Dog Journal Article

[MopsMeister]

The problem I have with Dog Food Advisor is that it chooses one variety of a manufacturers dog food and then issues its ratings that appear to apply to the entire brand's product line. For example, my particular brand choice offers 13 different varieties and the one I chose is corn free. The variety that Dog Food Advisor chose to rate is made with a different meat source and DOES have corn in it. End result...3 out of 5 possible stars for "my brand". A mid-range score that may or may not discourage potential customers from buying the brand. Sadly, they read these results and move on to another brand...probably paying more for another brand/variety of dry food that is actually no better and may be even worse.

The only way to decide on a food is to either go to your local pet supply store with clip board, paper and pen in hand to look at each food that is within your price range and take notes. Or one can do as I did and go to all of the selected Mfg's websites, take detailed notes and then compare them to one another. Sure, it will take a good deal of time but then again...do you want to be told which brand is better or would you rather make an educated decision based upon your own research?

We live in an increasingly complicated world where we are under a constant bombardment of advertising and information as well as misinformation. Unless we chose to accept some source of information as the gospel truth, we need to devote a fair amount of time to doing our own research. Before I bought a new DVD Player at Walmart I went to their website and compared on paper the features of each model in my price range. Only then did I make a final decision and walk out of the store confident that the DVD Player I bought was the best deal.

Shouldn't we be willing to do the same thing for our four-legged friends?

[Pugpillow]

Just make sure whatever you choose is grain-free.

[Spud]

This is asked frequently and I know for me it was the biggest headache. I started on puppy chow for a little while and Spud loved it but his allergies was bad and I quickly learned even though for years all I heard about was dog chow and puppy chow that food is terrible. Then when it was time to switch and do the research it was mind blowing. I came on this site asking the same question. Long story short I recently switched to raw and its a huge improvement but pricy.

[Izzyspeople]

My Izzy is on a grain-free diet and eats Merrick's (Grandma's Pot Pie flavor). We'd go raw, but just don't have the time or the money to do it. However, I suggest that you choose a food that you can afford, is the healthiest option possible, and most importantly, is something your puppy will eat. Izzy is really picky, and we had to switch foods because she wouldn't eat another brand. Another suggestion is to buy a food from a mom and pop pet store that has a food exchange policy, if possible. Our local pet store lets us bring the food or treats back if the dog won't eat it, no questions asked.

Best of luck! :)

[Highway_Unicorn91]

It's really frustrating finding good quality dog food here, so its a bit of a hunt to find the one with nutritional value