Yesterday I went to the pet store to pick up dome more food for Sam and Rowdy (Schatzi's on that prescription diet from the vet...).  They have been on Canidae, but I was thinking of changing them over to Solid Gold Barking at the Moon.  Then, when I got there, I decided to browse and get the full idea of what my selection is.  And realized they have Orijen, as well as Wellness and Innova EVO and Natural Choice raw food...  Dear lord!!  How am I ever supposed to narrow my choices down!  Fortunately the lady who owns the store got into the business simply to deal with these foods. 

I did have one concern- the foods I was looking at were higher meat content than the Canidae and Sam is older and has potential liver and kidney problems and I was concerned about the higher meat content for her.  Afraid maybe she would gain too much weight on the higher protein and it would be harder on her system.  After talking to the owner I've decided to stick with the Canidae and also buy a smaller bag of one of the other foods to mix in.  That way they can have some of the additional nutrition of the higher protein foods, but it'll be a little easier on Sam.  Went with the Orijen this time since BATM was out in the smaller size bag...  We'll see how this change in diet fares.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by the choices!  It seems like there are so many good nutritious foods to choose from and I want to have the BEST for my dogs.  (And I'm 100% sure James is NOT going to go for the raw diet!  That'll gross him out!)

The owner at the store also brought up the idea of dry versus wet foods.  She said the higher protein foods are great if you feed canned also, but without the wet food, it can be harder on their kidneys to process the higher meat content.  Has anyone every heard anything like this?  Do you feed wet or dry or a combo.  Mine are only on dry.

Does Sam have liver/kidney problems now or do you say "potential problems" because of her age. Older dogs need protein too, it's often recommended that dogs with liver problems eat cottage cheese or eggs to get more protein without eating more meat. There are many myths about protein out there. This link has alot of good info about it.
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=protein_myth   As far as gaining weight, I just compare the calorie counts of each food and adjust the amounts fed.

I absolutely love all the choices in good foods out there.  I buy small bags so I can rotate often.  I haven't found one yet that they don't attack when I put the bowl down.  I went with Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken this time to try a lower calorie food on Lucky. It's not grain-free but it is high quality and made locally. As far as moisture goes,  I always add water to my guys kibble. (I don't free feed)  I buy water for them since Indy water is so hard and bad tasting.

I agree that kibble is not normal for a dog (or cat) to eat.  Their teeth are made for ripping and tearing meat and crunching bones.  I don't really want to mess with raw meat and bones though, so I try to find a kibble with meat in it. I don't think all kibble absorbs water.  Supposedly the better quality ones don't, or at least they don't expand.

And yes, kibble absorbs moisture from the dog, which is why I add water to the kibble.

Then why have all the vets I've ever dealt with recommend feeding dry kibble? Are they all ignorant when it comes to nutrition?

Edit:  I'm not being smart - I'm wanting y'all's opinion.

I believe that most are ignorant about nutrition.  I'm not knocking them, it's just that from what I've read, it's not a big part of their education in becoming a vet.  I've heard of people who said their vets have stated that they are not trained to support a pet nutritionally, but trained to deal with disease and problems from a medical point of view. Nutrition was the weakest part of the training and if there was a problem, then there are Science Diet formulated foods for them.  To me, vets are like general practitioners, they have basic knowledge about alot of medicine,  but have to refer you to experts in various specialties. Unfortunately, there is not a network of specialists available to most vets, especially in nutrition.  Not that most people would seek out a specialist anyway, they'd just do what their vet recommended. 

That's probably along the same lines as this woman was telling me.  She was commenting on how they have to work harder and it's harder on their bodies to digest the higher protien out of dry food only.  But it's OK if you're feeding wet.  And, from what I gather from talking to her, she's quite knowledgeable about nitrition.  She was in graduate school to become a vet and dropped out when she learned one of her dogs was having nutrition problems.  Since then she has spent her time studying and getting her education in pet nutrition.  Which is why she has such a large selection of the foods we all talk about on here.  I believe she has every type of food I've seen recommended on here- even the raw diet in a freezer in the back of the store! 

And as far as Sam's liver and kidney...  Last time she was at the vet there was some slight problems in her blood test regarding her liver and kidneys.  But she needs further tests and time to see if it is serious or just a temporary problem.

My two vet friends tell me there is a lot that is not taught in vet school -- that is why so many attend continuing education.  I've never specifically asked them what sort of training they got in nutrition.  I will one day.  I know one of them said that dentistry was not covered in great depth - my friend (and equine vet) has attended many classes in dentistry since his graduation (now this is horse dentistry - I don't know how well canine/feline dentistry is covered).  But, when you think about it, vets are like you said - general practioners.  One thing I like about the younger generation of vets - they do not pretend to be able to do it all -- I think they are much quicker to refer to specialist.  When Bonnie had he ACL surgery, they sent me to an ortho specialist.  When she had her cancer surgery, again a specialist.  And of course for her radiation, she went to Auburn (as usually only the vet schools would have that equipment).  Anyway, my dogs (KS and Dixie) are doing great on dry kibble (Natural Balance) and I'm sort of thinking, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  I have noticed that once going on the NB Allergy formula, KS's ears got better.  I fed her the regular formula for a cycle and she has some crustiness again.  Maybe coincidence, but I've gone back to allergy formula.

Chrys, good luck on your search for the right food. 

Hahaha, my brother-in-law is a vet also, and one day he was fussing at me for giving one of my dogs a treat of something I was eating.  Telling me how bad it was for her --- as he was standing there with a beer in his hand.  As I said, if only we were as careful with our nutrition!

Do you have a Pet Supplies Plus anywhere near you? They carry the Canidae and Solid Gold, I have found they have a lot of food selection at good prices.