I can smell the food!

As the saying goes, we cannot judge a book by its cover.  It is also true for commercial dog foods.  Don't believe a certain brand is better just because it is pricier or more well-known.  All commercial dog foods on sale should have some kind of certification on nutritional standards (eg. AAFCO).  Read the ingredient list, and the % composition of the various elements.  All of them contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.  Choose the one appropriate for your dog.  An easy way to tell the quality is to see what comes first in the ingredient list - the best is meat, not grain.  If the first item is grain it is a low quality dog food.  Too long on low quality dog food can give rise to health problems in the long run.  So you don't really get to save a lot of money in the end considering vet fees and medication are not cheap.

If you want, you could study what is good balanced diet FOR DOGS and prepare the foods yourself.  Lots of resources on the web to help you become the personal chef for your beloved furkid.

The fastest way to know if the brand is suitable for your dog is to check his/her poop.  They should be solid enough to be picked up by chopsticks and yet not so hard as a rock.  They also should not be very smelly. 

So dry food or wet food?  Basically the same.  Wet food is more expensive per unit, because of the high water content and the can packaging.  It also contributes more to plague buildup.

Clean water must be available to your dog at all times.  Besides the regular dog food and water, you can also give fruits and vegetables IN MODERATION.  Some dogs have sensitive stomach and need the vegetables to be cooked first and cannot consume milk at all.  Some dogs are allergic to certain foods like soy or corn.  My Hua Hua is allergic to yeast.  If your dog has "skin problems", it may be because he/she is ALLERGIC to certain foods and not because he/she has skin diseases.  ALLERGIES ARE HEREDITARY.  Do not breed allergic dogs.

There is no need to be alarmed if your dog is nipping away grass occasionally.  But be careful never to let them eat grass that has been treated with pesticides or let them lick any household detergents or anything that leaked from the car!  Please don't give your dog chocolate as it contains theobromine which is poisonous to dogs.  Try to avoid onions too as they make your dog anaemic.

Never follow what other people say about dog food brands.  Remember EACH dog is an individual and a dog food brand that is good for your friend's dog is NOT NECESSARILY good for your dog.  For me, I give Hua Hua organic foods...yep, he eats better than I!  

A good sleep after makan!