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How does your Dog Food Brand compare?
Are you concerned about the dry food your dog is eating? Looking for detailed information about certain food ingredients? Confused about inconsistent information about dogfood from pet food manufacturers? Need help comparing dog food brands and finding a better one?
Then you are exactly where I was when I first heard about the disgusting materials some pet food manufacturers put into their products. I picked up a bag of Science Diet and consciously looked at the ingredient list for the first time. Even without any previous knowledge I could see that it did not include any real meat and was preserved with the same chemicals I avoid in human food products. I never bought another bag of Science Diet and started researching and comparing products. One of the things I learned was that any commercial sources are best avoided if you want hard facts, not biased "infomercial" style sales pitches trying to sell you one product or another. Hopefully you will find this site helpful, make up your own mind about different food brands and their quality, choose a better food and who knows - maybe even save some money.
Questions? Feel free to send me an email!
Admin | September 23, 2008 3:03 pm
I'm excited to announce that the nice folks at Pussy and Pooch in Downtown L.A. have invited me to present a series of four workshops as part of their Pet Food Campaign.
Upcoming Pet Food Workshops at Pussy and Pooch, 564 South Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90013:
Wednesday, 09/24/08 (5 pm - 7 pm) What's In Pet Food
Overview of the main ingredient groups. What's good? What's bad and why?
Wednesday, 10/01/08 (5 pm - 7 pm) Fresh Prepared Meals
Advantages of feeding a home prepared, cooked diet.
Wednesday, 10/08/08 (5 pm - 7 pm) Kibble or Can?
Pros/Cons of feeding Kibble or Can and how to do both.
Wednesday, 10/15/08 (5 pm - 7 pm) The Raw Diet
An inside look at feeding a Raw Diet.
For more details on Pussy & Pooch's event program for the next 5 weeks, please have a look at
http://www.pussyandpooch.com/winfood/calendar.html
Admin | July 3, 2008 12:53 am
After "Lassie Natural Way Dog Food" and Disney-endorsed "Old Yeller", here's the next product that attempts to ride on nothing but a famous name:
Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Food
Rachael comments:
Look, we all want the best for our furry family members. And that’s exactly why I worked with experts in pet nutrition to create Rachael Ray Nutrish. My Isaboo loves food and treats made with simple, natural ingredients. So, what are you waiting for? Take a look around. See just how good these foods are and learn a little more about my pet charity, Rachael’s Rescue.
Let's have a look at the ingredient list of these "simple, natural" foods:
Rachael Ray Nutrish Beef and Brown Rice
Beef, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Corn Gluten Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Peas, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Olive Oil, Iron Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Dried Parsley, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Mixed Tocopherols, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Folic Acid
This "beef" formula actually contains more chicken than beef, more corn and soy than rice, a larger proportion of grain and soy ingredients than meat ingredients, generic animal fat, corn gluten meal as a cheap protein booster, and more salt than dried peas, tomatoes or carrots.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Chicken and Veggies
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Corn Gluten Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Peas, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Olive Oil, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Oxide, Dried Parsley, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Mixed Tocopherols, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Folic Acid
Again, the major part of this food consists of grain and soy, we also see the generic animal fat, corn gluten meal as a cheap protein booster, and more salt than the touted "veggies".
These "delish" creations are brought to you by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, part of Dad's Pet Care, a major sponsor of the "Dogster" community, which also makes a number of other, poor quality lines of pet food.
As a reminder, here's a list of ingredients to avoid - these are not present in quality products!
Admin | June 30, 2008 3:56 pm
I wanted to give a heads up to dog owners feeding Canidae products about a few details that the makers of this product aren't telling you in their sales pitch for their changed formulas:
Under the new formulation, Canidae dry foods will no longer be gluten free, due to the addition of barley. If you know that your dog is gluten intolerant, start shopping around for a different food.
Even if your dog doesn't have problems with gluten (not all do, and many foods do contain high-gluten grains like barley), the change in formulation to include rice bran and peas may contribute to gas and digestive upset. Dogs who aren't particularly sensitive may not have any problems at all, others will get over it within a few days of transitioning, but again, for individuals with a delicate digestive system, expect that they may no longer tolerate the product.
Millet is generally well tolerated, but again, it doesn't work for every dog.
"Diversifying" ingredients may sound catchy, and Canidae certainly has made an effort to put a positive spin on it in their statement, but please remember that not all dogs do well on foods that include a wide variety of items.
Also note that "Herring Meal" will be replaced by generic "Ocean Fish Meal", meaning the company reserves the possibility to use different fish from batch to batch without having to change the ingredient list. This has not been addressed in their statement at all.
Whether these changes are indeed an improvement, as Canidae claims, is for you to decide - after observing how it affects your dog.
Canidae All Lifestages
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
New Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry2.html
Canidae Platinum
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/platinum/dry.html
New Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/platinum/dry2.html
Canidae Chicken & Rice
(Note that after the change it's no longer going to be a true "Chicken and Rice" formula, but instead a "Chicken, Rice, Barley and Peas" formula)
Old Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/chicken-and-rice/dry.html
New Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/chicken-and-rice/dry2.html
Canidae Lamb & Rice
New Formula: http://canidae.com/dogs/lamb-and-rice/dry.html
The old formula has already been overwritten. "Lamb and Rice" formula will now also be a misnomer - even though it's legal as far as labeling regulations go. This is the current ingredient list:
Admin | June 3, 2008 9:40 pm
It seems that after the recently "discovered" formula discrepancies, there's another problem with Timberwolf products:
Dakota Bison/Ocean Blue Reported Issues
Timberwolf Organics Customer,
Due to recent reports from some customers, we have ordered that two formulas from three specific dates be pulled from the shelves. These are:
Dakota Bison with 'best by date' of 12 Feb 2009
Ocean Blue with 'best by date' of 20 Feb 2009
Ocean Blue with best by date' of 8 March 2009
The reported symptoms include dogs refusing to eat, diarrhea or vomiting. While the problem is inconsistent (not every dog eating food from those dates/bag show the symptoms and not every bag), to err on the side of caution have decided to pull the formulas produced with the above dates. Initial testing has come back negative for problems and further testing is pending results.
As soon as the cause of this reported problem is determined procedures will be put into place to ensure that an event like this cannot happen again. Please be assured that no other formulas and Ocean Blue and Dakota Bison with dates other than ones listed above are not affected.
We apologize for any inconvenience or problems that this may have resulted in. If you do have a bag with those dates please contact the retailer you purchased it from for an exchange or credit. If you purchased it directly from us please give us a call or email us at customer.support@timberwolforganics.com.
Thank you for choosing Timberwolf Organics.
Sincerely,
Timberwolf Organics Team
Admin | May 8, 2008 1:16 pm
Today I received the following email from Royal Canin, in response to my message asking why they would support puppy mill misery by attending the Hunte Corp's "Breeder" conference:
Dear Sabine,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. At Royal Canin, we place a high value on sharing what we know about dogs and cats and their nutritional needs. Our focus is on improving the health of pets through nutrition, and we believe that education is a key factor in implementing improvement. We feel that educating members of the breeding community on the benefits of nutrition helps improve the health of pets.
As a result of feedback like yours, we have reconsidered our position and decided to withdraw from this conference.
Thank you for taking the time to express your opinion and for your shared devotion to animals.
If you have further questions, please reply with your telephone number, and we will contact you directly.
Regards,
Royal Canin USA, Inc
Thanks to everyone who took the time to write and confront them about their sponsorship choices, causing them to change their minds.
Admin | May 3, 2008 4:31 pm
I was forwarded the following information this week, and as a dog lover who is firmly opposed to commercial breeding operations and puppy mills, I think it is important to spread the word:
The Hunte Corp, the largest distributor of puppy mill puppies in the U.S. is hosting its 9th annual "Breeder Educational Conference" on the weekend of September 26th and 27th at the John Q Hammons Convention Center in Joplin, MO.
As per John Sibley's Blog, sponsors of this conference include Nutri Source Dog Food and Royal Canin. As of April 29th, Nutri Source has withdrawn (a big "thank you" to them!), and one of the people who were to be featured as keynote speakers has also withdrawn from participation.
I contacted Royal Canin, asking about their involvement, but have not received a reply yet. If you care about the plight of tens of thousands of dogs literally bred to death in disgusting puppy mills so their sickly and often temperamentally unsound puppies can be sold at pet stores at an immense profit, please take a few minutes and use their email contact form to tell them that you do not do business with companies supporting such misery:
http://www.royalcanin.us/contact/default.aspx
Other keynote speakers at this conference include:
Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia, American Kennel Club Board of Directors
Jerold S. Bell, DVM, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Patti Strand, AKC Board member and president of NAIA (a group that represents breeders, pet shop owners etc.)
Due to current concerns about the food recall, 50% off basic consultations on canned and dry food!
Available options include recipes for home prepared diets, cooked and raw, individually designed and balanced for your dog, according to the newest nutritional guidelines of the National Research Council (2006).
Check out BetterDogCare.com and contact me today for a consultation.
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