# Pet Smart Authority, High Performance for all life stages, anyone use?



## kmoore4419 (8 mo ago)

My new fur baby was on this when I acquired him, and I bought a bag, to keep him on the same diet.
The specs look pretty good. 









Authority® Everyday Health High Performance All Life Stage Dry Dog Food - Turkey, Salmon & Duck | dog Dry Food | PetSmart


Authority® Everyday Health High Performance All Life Stage Dry Dog Food - Turkey, Salmon & Duck at PetSmart. Shop all dog dry food online




www.petsmart.com


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## Footprints&pawmarks (Mar 8, 2021)

Congratulations on your precious new baby and thanks for caring enough to ask. 

I would not feed this food any longer than needed to switch him to something better for the following reasons:

Grain-free food high in pea protein is associated with heart problems in dogs.
There is no reason to feed grain-free. Cooked grains are a good food for dogs, in a well-balanced recipe. If a dog has been shown to be allergic to a particular grain, there are lots of foods that will avoid that grain.
I have no idea who actually produces this house-labeled brand. At a seminar, a veterinary nutritionist said that it is always a good idea to choose food from a company that is large enough to have a veterinary nutritionist on staff. Since few of us are trained professionals in veterinary nutrition, it makes good sense to rely on the expertise of those who are.
Personally, I'm uncomfortable with a food that says it is approved for all life stages. I wanted to make sure that I started my (standard) boy on a food specifically designed for a large breed puppy.

Your post caught my eye because my puppy came with a similar type of food. I started to switch him to a food I thought was better within days of his coming home. I talked to my vet about this at the first visit, and he totally agreed.

Again, thanks for contacting the forum. We want to see pictures of your baby, and hear more about your adventures with him! We wish you many joyous years together.


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## kmoore4419 (8 mo ago)

He has his first vet visit on Friday, I'll ask what she recommends.


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## Footprints&pawmarks (Mar 8, 2021)

Great idea!

And, again, welcome to the forum.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Not to shake your confidence in your vet but not all of them take special interest in nutrition. Good, general knowledge, absolutely yes.

As for brand recommendations, you're likely to get as many names as members who respond.

Your best bet is to learn some basics about nutritional requirements for large breed puppies (do you have any way of knowing how big his dam and sire were?), and how to read ingredient labels.

Grain-free is being linked to DCM in breeds not typically disposed to it. Current research suggests it's related to some of the foods used to replace the grains, so unless your pup has a true grain allergy, best to look for grain inclusive.

The grain-free trend came in on a perfect storm of some recalls over other issues causing severe health issues, and worse. Advertising kicked in and just the sound of it, "grain-free" gives the impression that grain is something to be free of.

Dogs and humans have co-evolved over the last 10's of thousands of years and dog's digestive systems have evolved along with that partnership.

I'm going to link a thread that elaborates on Footprints&pawmarks post. There's a lot of info in that post and I think it could be helpful. There's an article on reading and understanding ingredient lists from a nutritional standpoint linked in there. I'm also going to link the AAFCO's definition list for ingredients.


(9) Opinions please! | Poodle Forum

The Association of American Feed Control Officials > Consumers > What is in Pet Food (aafco.org)

There's a lot of good foods out there and ultimately the food your dog eats and does well on is a good food. You have choices from traditional kibble and canned, pre-cooked and packaged "home cooked" meals, raw and it's variations, and home cooking yourself. The last two will require veterinary nutritionist guidance to make sure all needed nutrients are in the food.

Some of us follow a "rotational" food pattern where what's fed is rotated periodically.


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## EJStevenP (Oct 27, 2021)

SWITCH IT!!!

I fed my toy poodle Thomas special boutique grain free food for 12 years because when he was a puppy I listened to a sales pitch at PetSmart and assumed it was the best thing for him. Twelve years later he was diagnosed with degenerative heard valve disease which is NOT something that used to occur in toy poodles. There were lots of expensive tests trying to figure out what was wrong with his heart and we ended up going to a cardiologist at my state's veterinary school which is a two hour drive. The cardiology department had JUST concluded a long term study on the role of grain free foods in dogs and there was a strong indication that grain free diets were causing dogs to develop cardiac issues uncommon for their breed. In addition to putting him on medication they suggested immediately switching his diet to one of the Big Brands. However the damage is done. He's 14 now and on two heart meds. We drive to the vet school twice a year where he gets tests to see how his heart is progressing. At some point he will go into congestive heart failure. Does this happen to every dog that eats grain free? No. But it is my story and I put it out there so you can be aware.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Rose n Poos said:


> As for brand recommendations, you're likely to get as many names as members who respond.


Boy, ain't that the truth? 

The "best" food is one your dog does well on, likes to eat, and that you can afford to feed. Based on the ingredient list and guaranteed analysis, it looks like a perfectly decent food. If your pup is doing well on it, I'd go ahead and stay on it if you wanted to. That said, I've fed pretty much everything from grocery store brands to high-end "super-premium" foods (with price tags to match) and have found that ,generally, my dogs have done best on a mid-grade grain inclusive kibble.


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## Yellow (Sep 24, 2018)

Check out natural dog food stores instead of box stores. they bring in specialty foods that are way better. do your research on kibble. Look into family owned or small company kibble that has less additives in it. Vets get very little schooling on diet. A holistic vet would have better recommendations.


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