My puppy eats Orijen. What healthy DCM-safe puppy food is best?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina and Iams/Eukanuba. These companies employ veterinary nutritionists and have above industry standards regarding quality ingredients and care to prevent contamination at their facilities. These companies are far superior than the boutique brands. Have a good day!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Goku. I recommend Royal Canin. It is a large company with veterinarians on staff. They do extensive research on their diets. They are also able to perform feeding trials in real dogs. This provides much more accurate information on a diet's performance as compared to laboratory analysis. I hope this information helps!

I do not recommend Orijen at all. It's grain free, and grain free food is a dangerous fad in dogs. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed grain free food, and the FDA is investigating that link. Grains are good for dogs, and there is absolutely no scientific proof or any study that has proven grains are bad for dogs. I would feed Willow a brand like Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. Feed according to their instructions, and make sure it's a puppy food. Best of luck,

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you are set in between these two, I would recommend Fromm gold that has grain. Keep in mind that grain free diets are not recommended as it has been shown that they can result in heart disease. Best of luck!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. My top recommendations of veterinary diets include Hill's Science Diet, Purina, and Royal Canin. These are well-known brands that are stocked in veterinary hospitals, and are AAFCO formulated to be balanced and appropriate. I recommend avoiding grain-free, boutique diets from other brands, as these are not regulated and often are do not have balanced nutrients. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. Unfortunately, there has been an explosion of new & "boutique" type foods that have hit the market lately, some are fine to feed, some are just gimmicks & have no science to back up their claims. You should always look for the AAFCO statement on every label, but be aware that this is a voluntary claim & there is no regulatory agency watching out for dishonest manufacturers. Personally, I recommend sticking with the 3 biggest companies that can actually provide the science behind their pet foods. They are Science Diet, Royal Canin & Purina. All three of these have developed formulations to fit every lifestyle, every trend, & every stage of life that you just cannot go wrong feeding one. If the food you have is suspicious, I would transition Diggy off as soon as possible to another puppy food soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don't recommend to feed this food. All life stages food is not developed specifically for puppies. That means it may not contain the best amounts of DHA and other supplements needed for brain, nerve and bone development. Additionally, due to a suspected link with heart disease, most veterinarians do not recommend feeding a grain free diet. Grains very rarely are a cause of allergies in pets. Instead feed a puppy food from a diet that is balanced. Many quality brands include Royala Canin, Science Diet and Purina ProPlan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.