Dog Feeding

Question
I recently adopted a male lab mix dog.  I wanted to know if you had any recommendations for what type of food I should feed him?  I bought him some Iams food because I have used it in the past for previous dogs.  I also wanted to know if you recommend breaking up his feeding part in the morning and part at night, or all at one time?  I would also like your opinion on the amount to feed him the bag says 2 2/3 cup for 70 lbs.  Do you feel that is an accurate amount, or is the dog food company over inflating the numbers to go through more food faster?

Answer
Hi Noel,
Than you for being a good and aware dog owner first of all. Diet is a very important part of owning a dog and I have been studying small animal nutrition since 1988 so I guess I can answer that for you.

As they say, we are what we eat and the same holds true for our pets too. The most important thing you can give your dog is his food and the correct amount of nutrients in it. Ingredients are equally important as they are the key to the correct nutrient balance.

You want to give a formula that is a fixed formula so that it doesn't change from one bag of dog food to the next. Iams USED to be a fixed formulation but it is no longer one.

You want to feed a food that is highly digestible so there is less stool and so your dog gets the maximum amount of nutrition from his food which means lower cost per feeding for you.

You want to feed a food that has years of feeding trials behind it and is fed by more veterinarians than any other food combined.

You don't want to feed a food full of fillers that end up on the lawn and yes, cause you to buy bag after bag because your dog is trying to get the nutrition of a steak from a box of saltine crackers (that is what I liken the nutritional levels of most dog foods too).

So what food does all of this? Hills Science Diet is what I feed and all the vets feed and thousands of pet owners feed.
It is all the above things I mentioned and more. It has more DHA and EFAs than a lot of other foods too. The Essential Fatty Acids are important for coat and skin health.
All the dogs and cats I know that have lived on SD have lived an average of about 5-7 years longer than pets fed other foods.
My own cat Floyd lived to be 19 on Science Diet.

I worked as a customer rep once in a pet store for Hills and once a young athletic man came in a grabbed a huge bag of of Science Diet Adult. I asked him how long he had been feeding that to his dog. He told me that he has been feeding it for as long as he has had dogs (about 15 years) and that he would NEVER feed them anything else.
He said they live longer and are the healthiest dogs of all this people he knew.
That's quite a testimonial!
You should wean your dog slowly from one food to the next and the bags tell you how to do it. If for any reason you don't think this food made a difference in your dog, take the empty bag back for a 100% money back refund. It is the ONLY food on the market that does that.

As far as cups go, make sure you always measure with an 8 oz cooking measuring cup. Science Diet recommends about 3 cups to start with their food but you will have to adjust it (usually down) because very little fills their energy needs and they get by on less.
I feed my dog in the morning which keeps her slimmer by allowing her to burn more calories while she is awake then feeding her at night right before she sleeps. I have always tried to encourage my clients to do the same thing. One feeding in the morning.
That way you are not tied to feeding your dog every night as well as in the am.
So let me know if this answers your questions. If not, write back and let me know.