Question/Confusion

[The Food Group]

This group has so much wonderful information and I hope I am not the only one feeling a little overwhelmed with figuring out a food choice for our goldendoodle Tucker.

 

When we got Tucker (January '10) he was on Iams with the breeder and I knew I wanted to get him on a better quality food. We easily transitioned him onto Innova Large Breed Puppy (which is recommended to be fed up to two years and Tucker is 17 months so he is still on the large breed puppy.) Well a few months ago I learned they had been sold and while the gentleman at the store we get his food at assures me they are monitoring it closely and it is still fine I feel less comfortable and would like to switch to a different brand.

 

As I have been looking through here I am in some ways more confused because once you know you have found a high quality food what should I then be looking for?

 

About Tucker, he is 17 months, very active, healthy, and the least picky eater I have ever met. He also has a pretty iron stomach so I am not worried too much about a new food upsetting his stomach. Also, just as a side note should I be transitioning him onto Adult Food? Weight isn't a problem, Tucker is very lean and healthy (honestly after we got him clipped last time I googled "how to tell if your dog is underweight" because he looked so skinny and I was assured that he was in fact healthy!)

 

Thank you in advance for any help!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sarah, Tucker should definitely be on an Adult formula; most standard doodles reach full skeletal growth by one year old, if not sooner, minis even younger. There's no need to stay with puppy formulas past that point.

Our list of recommended foods is available on the main page of the Food Group here. We list all the formulas as well as the manufacturer's website, so you can see what's available in your area.  Availability is important to many of us.

Many of us feed a rotation diet, which is staying within the same brand but rotating the "flavors" with each bag, or even more often. (Fromm's Four-Star line is designed to make this easy, and has lots of variety. So one thing I would look at when choosing a new food is whether it is available in several different formulas, i.e. different proteins sources, so your dog doesn't have to eat the same thing day after day, year round.

The next choice would be whether you want to stay with a formula that contains healthier grains (like Innove), or switch to a grain-free formula. Our favorite grain-free formulas are Orijen, TOTW, and Acana's grain-free line. But there are many other choices on our list.. These are also available in several different "flavors".

For some of us, price would be a factor as well.

RECOMMENDED FOODS LIST

[Jenny & Henry]

I get overwhelmed sometimes too, but this site is proving a HUGE help.  I am switching my puppy to Orijen, it seemed to get really great reviews everywhere I looked. 

 

Good luck!  You'll find the right food for Tucker.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

If you are going to stay with healthy grains in the food (like Innova), I would say the most popular grain brand on Doodle K is Fromm.  That is what we feed Peri - it is awesome to be able to switch flavors each time. For example, Peri is currently about to run out of the 4-star salmon formula.  Today I bought Duck & Sweet Potato.  She LOVES the changes in flavors and Fromm is a great food.  But anything on our list is a good choice for you.