# do ppl that work in pet stores even know what they are talking about?!?!



## Bm0589 (Oct 28, 2010)

i went to the pet store to get some stuff for my baby apple and everytime i asked the workers for advice they seemed to give me sketchy answers or a bunch of " uhhhhh hmmmm oooohh uhhhh im not sure" all i want is a high quality food for my puppy but everything they suggested for me had absolute crap in it when i turned it around and read the ingridients....all i want to know is what is a high quality puppy food for my tiny 12 week old chihuahua....aswell as some good treats...i bought this freeze dried beef liver and it was probably the only purchase they were able to properly advise me on because it litterally is just beef liver.....there are no other ingridients........any advice on puppy diet etc would be very very muchly appreciated!!!


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

well u should've came here first and asked what good food for chis are cuz we know the best, not some cheap pet store...lol~ i hope you went to one that sold hollistic food and not cheap name brands like pedigree, iams, alpo, cesar, nutro, purina, beneful and especially not science diet yuckkkkkko~

go for
orijen puppy, wellness puppy, solid gold, merrick, halo, totw...
if u wanna try freeze dried its fine but not all pups are into it
what i use is "the honest kitchen" its dehydrated but with human grade ingredients. i mix that into my dexter's cooked chicken breasts meal
or if u wanna dip into the "raw food" method thats fine too.


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## Natti (Jun 24, 2010)

Depends on the pet shop - One of our local ones as amazing, they know whats good and whats not and give great advice, but the other one which is just minutes away pushes certain foods because they get commission for selling it. 

And I think Pidgeons given you some great suggestions on puppy food - Just remember that quality food looks to be expensive but they eat so little it really works out cheaper most of the time!


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## chi's R me (Jun 30, 2009)

My puppy is almost the same age as yours an I feed Wellness. She is doing great on it. she was having loose stools before I switched her now they are nice and firm. that's my recomenation but I'm sure there will be others. Food is a pretty big topic on here. Lots of people feed raw and there is lots of info on that if you want to go that way.


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## 17428 (Jul 10, 2009)

Taste of the wild bison since day 1 !!
No allergy symptoms!


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

They really don't know what they are talking about most of the time. That's why its good to do your research BEFORE you go 

I'd recommend Fromm Four Star Nutritionals as another good brand not yet mentioned. It all depends on what you can get where you live without too much trouble, but you also might try to find more of a speciality pet shop not just one in say, a mall, or petco/petsmart.


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## Bm0589 (Oct 28, 2010)

yah the food the breeder sent me with is supposed to be quite good....but i cant seem to find it anywhere.....so when i went there i just assumed the staff would be able to point me in the right direction....i was very wrong...lol


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

They're just employees working a minimum job with minimal knowledge for the most part, it's not entirely their fault. I know as a cosmetician most of my knowledge comes from experience but if I didn't care about makeup, I wouldn't know much. I know it's nice to have guidance at the store but i've long learned research first, shop later.

Pidge has given some good advice, I used Wellness on my puppy, i'm switching him to The Honest Kitchen today.

Just find what works for your pup and run with it :]


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## Bm0589 (Oct 28, 2010)

thank you so much.....as far as price....im comfortable with paying anything to be honest because its sooo important to me that she eats properly.....i would rather cheap out or cut down on my food if i had to and feed her properly...lol im a pig anyways so it would probably be a good idea!!!!! lol nah but seriously....im heading to the vet today to get her second set of shots and get her dewormed so ill ask the vet if he knows of anyplaces around here that sells these brands of food....thanks everyone!!


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

From what I can tell The Honest Kitchen is a good starting place, and they have a site that will tell you of nearby retailers.

Petsmart and Petco both carry Wellness now.

I haven't found Ziwipeak anywhere other than online.

I'm not sure on Orijen as i've never looked for it, but i'd think Petsmart would carry it.

I personally steer clear of asking my vet of recommendations on food as I know he supports Hills Science Diet which we know, isn't ideal and many vets are supporters.

That being said, I fed my girl Eukanuba for a LONG time and she did just fine, it's not the best thing for her no it does have filler, but it worked for her sensitive stomach.

Just find something that works and stick with it, if you change foods too often i've found it throws their tummies through a loop.


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

Red came to me feeding on Royal Canin but I weaned him onto Acana which is brilliant, twice the price of Royal Canin but worth every penny. I feed both my boys the Acana.


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## Bm0589 (Oct 28, 2010)

yah my breeder had her on acana puppy food.....but i dont know where to find it here in calgary!!!


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## Deme (Aug 18, 2009)

I get mine online but have also found a pet store that will order it in for me.

Could you not ask your store to get it for you?


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## Dragonfly (Jun 6, 2010)

I thought Science Diet was good for them? My vet is always talking about it :/ and that's how we go Kizzie on it and now Shayley. Dang it!! Because Shayley wouldn't eat anything....at all! She's so stubborn! I was happy she finally ate it!


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks girls for the compliment! Its been a long long trial of going thru brand name dog kibbles and even canned. Ive tried orijen puppy, wellness puppy, totw, merrick, freeze dried natures variety...and now finally the honest kitchen which finally worked...gah! Lol. Dexter stuck wif orijen for a couple months and when i got him he was fed royal canin and cesar gourmet which is horrible. I also tried raw for 3 nights but he starved himself. Acana is pretty much the same company as orijen. And noooooo never suport science diet. And no petsmart doesnt carry orijen or ne good food besides blue buffalo and wellness


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## Dragonfly (Jun 6, 2010)

Why is Science Diet so bad? I had no clue! My vet is all over this stuff!


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Oh yea tried ziwipeak too but failed aNd ended up throwin away $26 worth of food...theres this speciality pet store near my bf that carries it. Lol way too much food got thrown out from trial and error


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Bm0589 said:


> yah the food the breeder sent me with is supposed to be quite good....but i cant seem to find it anywhere.....so when i went there i just assumed the staff would be able to point me in the right direction....i was very wrong...lol


Stores in Calgary that sell Acana...

CALGARY
Store Name: BON A-PET-TREAT!
Address: #3 5111 Bowness Road NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3B 4M9
Ph. Number: (403) 286-7389
Website: Bon A-Pet-Treat! Pet Bakery & Deli Calgary, Alberta
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Store Name: BONEYARD BISCUITS
Address: #4 2650 36 Street SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: Nopc
Ph. Number: (403) 457-3649
Website: N/A
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Store Name: BOW DOG INC
Address: 6909 FARRELL RD SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2H 0T3
Ph. Number: (403) 617-6085
Website: N/A
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Store Name: CHEWSY PETS
Address: Bay 3 539 Queensland Drive SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2J 4G4
Ph. Number: (403) 271-2688
Website: N/A
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Store Name: ESPECIALLY FOR PETS
Address: 436-16 Avenue NE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2E 1K2
Ph. Number: (403)277-0547
Website: N/A
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Store Name: FAIRPLAY STORES - PET DEPARTMENT
Address: 2604 Kensington Road
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2N 3S5
Ph. Number: (403)283-2332
Website: N/A
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Store Name: OPTIMAL PET FOODS
Address: #428, 1919 Sirocco Drive SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3H 2Y3
Ph. Number: (403) 452-6738
Website: Calgary Pet Food & Supplies Store - Natural Raw, Dry, Canned Dog Food and Cat Food | Optimal Pet Foods Calgary
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Store Name: NO BOWNDARIES PET WORLD
Address: Unit 420 8338 18St SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2C 4E4
Ph. Number: (403) 457-4949
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PAWSITIVELY NATURAL PET FOODS & SUPPLIES
Address: 18-2100 4 Street S.W.
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2S 1W1
Ph. Number: (403) 250-7297
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PAWS PET FOOD
Address: 8(403)Elbow Drive SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2V 1K8
Ph. Number: (403)640-1666
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PAWS PET FOOD
Address: 3204 17 Avenue SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3E 0B3
Ph. Number: (403)249-4944
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND
Address: 300 4915 130 Avenue SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Z 4J2
Ph. Number: (403)257-8590
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND, CROWFOOT
Address: 40 Crowfoot Terrace
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3G 4J8
Ph. Number: (403)543-7969
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND, DEERFOOT
Address: 300 33 Heritage Meadows Way SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2H 3B8
Ph. Number: (403)259-5543
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND, SHAWNESSY COURTYARD
Address: 303 Shawville Boulevard SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Y 3W6
Ph. Number: (403)508-0040
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND, SUNDRIDGE
Address: 3363 26 Avenue NE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T1Y 6L4
Ph. Number: (403)543-7711
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND SUPERSTORE
Address: 4215 58 Avenue SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2C 1Y3
Ph. Number: N/A
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PETLAND, WEST HILL TOWN CENTRE
Address: 290 Stewart Green SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3H 3B8
Ph. Number: (403)686-7929
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - ASPEN GLEN LANDINg
Address: 128- 306 ASPEN GLEN LANDING SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3H 0N5
Ph. Number: (403) 242-2180
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - BRENTWOOD VILLAGE #6
Address: 3630 Brentwood Road NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2L 1K8
Ph. Number: (403)225-3990
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - COUNTRY HILLS TOWN CENTRE #3
Address: 450 Country Hills Blvd NE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3K 5A5
Ph. Number: (403)226-3932
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD DOUGLASS SQUARE #2
Address: 11520 - 24 Street SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Z 3E9
Ph. Number: (403)72-03454
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - MCKENZIE TOWNE #26
Address: Unit 210-11 McKenzie Towne Avenue SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Z 0S8
Ph. Number: (403) 288-2506
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - RESORT & DAY SPA #11
Address: 11550 - 40th Street SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Z 4V6
Ph. Number: (403)279-1746
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET - SOUTHWOOD CORNER #4
Address: 10233 Elbow Drive SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2W 1E8
Ph. Number: (403)252-9661
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD - TRAINING ACADEMY & DAYCARE #5
Address: 600 Manitou Road SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2G 4C5
Ph. Number: (403)777-4664
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD - CREEKSIDE SHOPPING CENTER #16
Address: Unit 10 12030 Symons Valley Road
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3P 0A3
Ph. Number: (403) 516-1920
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD - MILLRISE PLAZA #13
Address: 3117 150 Millrise Blvd. SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Y 0A4
Ph. Number: (403) 851-6567
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD - GLENMORE LANDING #19
Address: Unit A130 1600 90TH Avenue SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2V 5A8
Ph. Number: (403) 255-7744
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET PLANET LTD - AIRDRIE DICKSON CROSSING #23
Address: Unit 501 3 Stonegate Drive NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T4B 0N2
Ph. Number: (403) 912-9011
Website: N/A
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pStore Name: PET PLANET LTD - CROWFOOT CORNER #24
Address: Unit 327 150 Crowfoot Crescent NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3G 3T2
Ph. Number: (403) 202-2880
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PET STOP
Address: 2335 162 Avenue SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Y 4S6
Ph. Number: (403) 256-2224
Website: N/A
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Store Name: PISCES PET EMPORIUM
Address: 10, 5220 - 4 Street NE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2K 5X4
Ph. Number: (403)274-3314
Website: N/A
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Store Name: RASCALS PET SUPPLIES
Address: 3804 Edmonton Trail N.E.
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2E 5T6
Ph. Number: (403) 275-3647
Website: Rascals Pet Supply
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Store Name: SUNNYSIDE GREENHOUSES LTD
Address: 3439 - 69 Street NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3B 2J8
Ph. Number: (403)288-3006
Website: N/A
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Store Name: TAIL BLAZERS - COPPERFIELD CORNER
Address: Suite 107, 15566 McIvor Boulevard SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2Z 4Y2
Ph. Number: (403) 726-0558
Website: N/A
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Store Name: TAIL BLAZERS - MCLEOD TRAIL
Address: Co-op Business Centre, #124, 151 - 86 Avenue SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2H 3A5
Ph. Number: (403) 450-7569
Website: N/A
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Store Name: TAIL BLAZERS- RANCHLANDS
Address: 155 1829 Ranchlands Blvd NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T3G 2A7
Ph. Number: (403) 375 0944
Website: N/A
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Store Name: THE BARKING LOT
Address: 332-22 Midlake Blvd SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2X 2X7
Ph. Number: (403)256-2095
Website: N/A
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Store Name: THE CAT HOUSE
Address: #2A 191 Uxbridge Drive NW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: N/A
Ph. Number: T2N 2V2
Website: N/A
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Store Name: THE INNER HOUND
Address: 2036 34th Avenue S.W.
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: Nopc
Ph. Number: (403) 217-9950
Website: The Inner Hound
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Store Name: U.F.A.
Address: 4635 - 1 Street SE
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: N/A
Ph. Number: (403)243-4636
Website: N/A
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Store Name: UNLEASHED
Address: 2719 14 Street SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2T 3V2
Ph. Number: (403) 245-0861
Website: Unleashed - For Urban Dogs and their Companions
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Store Name: URBAN DOG MARKET
Address: 3538 Garrison gate SW
City/Town: CALGARY
Province/State: ALBERTA
Postal/Zip Code: T2T 6N1
Ph. Number: (403) 242-3641
Website: N/A
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Can you get to any of those? Thats the list from Acana/Orijen's website. It's a great food and if you want to keep her on kibble a very good one to stick with.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

Kristi you crack me up.

I saw the first store and though okay, scroll...scroll.....keep scrolling..okaying still scrolling. Shoulda just dragged haha.

Calgary is enormous but one of those should be close to her I would think.

Dragonfly, i'm not one to call one food terrible and banish it off the planet, but when I learned to read the labels Science diet had some things in it I'd prefer not to feed my dogs.

Pulled from their website first food I saw:

Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Corn Gluten Meal, Flaxseed, Fish Oil, Dried Beet Pulp, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil, Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Iodized Salt, L-Tryptophan, L-Threonine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, L-Carnitine, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Adult Healthy Mobility

Why are the first 2 ingredients filler, followed by a by-product?

I'm not saying you're doing your dog a disservice by feeding them this, there are just better options and perhaps not all of their foods are this way, but from all the labels I read and picking that one at random they generally start with by product, or filler.

Also I believe a lot of vets are endorsed by Hills, if you notice next time you visit see any pens? notepads? anything that's "merch" they could be using around the office. It's hard to have your own business and I believe sometimes there's a degree of profit in it for both.

All Vets are different, my mom took her two to the same for years, a german shepard and chocolate lab, and when they got a little on the heavy side with age she suggested purina fit and trim? The best, probably not, but all vets are different.


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## pawsntails (May 31, 2010)

What about a dehydrated raw food? I have my chi C.C on SMACK Dehydrated Raw its made it Canada and C.C is doing great on it! Sometimes I mix a couple of pieces of Acana in with it and Salmon oil 

I bet you could find it somewhere in Calgary?? I order mine online 
Smack Pet Food - Raw Dehydrated Dog Food, Natural Dog Food


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## Bm0589 (Oct 28, 2010)

oh my gooodddness!!! ahaha i cant beleive how many you found!!!! im not from calgary and dont have a vehicle so i rely on public transport lol thanks for the info though that will make my life alot easier!


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Amandarose531 said:


> Dragonfly, i'm not one to call one food terrible and banish it off the planet, but when I learned to read the labels Science diet had some things in it I'd prefer not to feed my dogs.
> .


i would definitely banish it BANISH ITTTTTTTTTTTT lol~ i got a free kit of science diet from the vet for dex last time and for hylus kitty as well and no way was i going to feed either of them that crap. its just wasting away inmy trunk, i should just give it to the street cats


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