My thoughts on pet food claims
 

I don't come on the internet very often but it's raining today so i'm bored.
Anyway in the wild flesh eating animals like wild dogs,lions bears and so on when they eat their prey will always eat the stomach contents which constists of what the animal just ate such as grass and grains,fruits,vegetables and so on.So anyway while dogs are considered flesh eaters they need some vegetable matter as well that is why i would never feed a grain free food as long as it's not used mainly as fillers and is a healthy type of grain.
When i was a kid i used to stay part of the summers with my uncle who was a sheep farmer he always had a problem with wild dogs killing his sheep.When we found a carcass alot of times some flesh would be left but always the stomach and contents would be eaten and his sheep would be fed corn to get them ready for market.
Also when a wild animal such a fox kills a chicken or wild turkey and take it back to the den for the pups to eat they eat the whole animal including the feathers beak and feet, what most people don't understand is feathers, beaks and feet has protein and other needed minerals so it's not a bad thing if companies include some of this in there foods.

Dog food companies that claim human grade foods and charge a high dollar amount for there foods can claim humane grade because it is foods that butchers remove from animals that are being prepared for sell to grocery stores that humans won't eat and some gross stuff that my vet told me that i won't go into.
Anyway i think pet food companies are really taking advanage of people with their marketing strategizes and claims and people are eating it up.
I feed my dogs a medium grade dog food they are doing great on it and they like it so i'm happy and their happy and healthy so that's what matters to me.
The only way to know for sure what your feeding your dogs is preparing the food yourself which is one reason so many people are starting to turn away from commericial dog foods and cooking for their dogs or going to a raw diet.
I'm still learning about it so i'm not ready to try it yet.

As you can see i'm really bored today!!!

That is actually very interesting because I was originally against the idea of 'cheap food' - that that contains feathers and crushed bones and whatever else (apparently most of it wasn't even meat) after I found all this out on the PETA website. But this has made me think that, yeah in the wild they eat the whole carcass in most cases, guts and all :S and they manage to survive. Even so, my Yorkie doesn't touch this canned stuff and will only eat whatever's most expensive! Fussy girl! xXx

Since you are really bored today go read and find out what is in by-products of low grade dog food. It will scare you. I believe in feeding my animals human grade food so I know it is not full of diseased animals or vaccinated dead animals.

There is tons of good information out on the internet about feeding your animal and I believe a dog will live longer if we feed and take care of it like a human being.:)

Excellent post!!!!! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Sheila

Wow...you will def get a lot of responses. Have to let you know, by-products are DISGUSTING...not just discarded parts but, dead animals, decayed animals etc. Also, my trainer actually showed me a dog food label that had anti-freeze in it which was sold at petsmart and was not very cheap!! It's crazy!! Also, why would I now feed my dog human-grade dog food when it costs almost the same as lower quality foods?? Why would I ever risk it?? My pup is on EVO and it is not the cheapest, not the most expensive but I know it is good stuff & my dog is thriving.

What dog food has anti-freeze in it...it will kill a dog!:eek:

I tend to agree with some of your points. "Human grade" has a broad definition. Evidently the wheat gluten that was recalled in the massive recall of 2007 was fit for human consumption. So, we just don't know...

I, however, prefer to know exactly what Ellie is eating and I would prefer that she does not eat feathers (even if only one or two were left behind in good processing practices) and certain preservatives like ethoxyquin.

There is no proof anywhere that dogs need grains. They need nutrients and calories...not ingredients.

Some of the "higher quality" food doesn't work for some dogs. Sometimes the fat or protein content is blamed but it could also be individual sensitivity to ingredients.






As for the antifreeze in dog food, can you post the brand? Are you sure it diddn't say propylene glycol? That is a common ingredient and is not the same as ethylene glycol.

It was the propylene glycol, and I see that it is a proven safe food additive but has been linked to antifreeze. YIKES...SCARY!! 2 brands had it in it:
Kibbles N Bits
Wholemeals

I dont care if dogs in the wild ate feathers and beaks and feet. I dont want mine eating it. They arent wild dogs

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: ME either !

Ellie kisses my face, so brains and intestines will not be on the menu if I can help it. ;)

Along with those beaks and feet there can be other things. This vet explained it well enough for me, to forever change my mind about most commercial pet foods. If you're still bored, take a look.

Thanks for the video. That is disturbing and alarming

OMG! That's disgusting!

Oh wow...that video...wow. Thank you for sharing..I'm sending it to all my dog lover friends!!!

Well, I think the OP has some good points. :) This answered a question for me, actually. I have always heard that dogs are omnivores, but I didn't understand how that could be if wolves are carnivores. It makes a lot of sense that wolves would get partially digested vegetable matter from their prey's guts.

I know people get very passionate about dog food on this forum. I personally think there's still a lot we don't know. A diet that is high in protein is hard on the kidneys, so I have trouble with the idea that dogs should not eat grains.

Food for thought. ;)

Oh my gosh...that made me cry to think of all the innocent helpless animals eating that crap!!:(

Dogs are carnivores, but there are 4 types of carnivores, and the first type is any animal that just "prefers animal matter over plant matter". This is the category that dogs are in.

Animals that must eat meat in order to survive are referred to as obligate carnivores, whereas animals that exclusively feed on animal tissue are known as hypecarnivores. An apex predator is a carnivore that sits at the top of the food chain. Carnivore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My golden retriever ate kibbles and bits for 18 years until we had her put down because she had cancer.:confused:

And actually cats are obligate carnivores but they do not need to eat meat to survive. It just means they need things that aren't available in the plant families. However, they can be supplemented and live without eating other animals... Not sure if they "need" any supplement derived only from the animal kingdom though.

Feral dogs live 4-6 years. I don't think any of us want that our dogs to live only that long...

Food matters. I'm a nurse at a veterinary hospital and have been doing this for most of a decade now, and I have literally seen animals who showed symptoms of malnutrition from being fed lower-quality brands of dog food, included a dog who almost STARVED TO DEATH while being fed "Ol' Roy". All that dog's owner needed to do was to switch him from that bargain-basement food to a higher quality food, and all of his ailments vanished. I've seen animals who were diabetic go from needing insulin injections to being completely normal or dramatically reducing their insulin doses with diet changes to higher protein diets. I've seen animals tearing themselves to pieces become perfectly normal pets with beautiful coats after changing off foods that contain corn. It has reached the point where, when an owner comes in complaining that their dog has loose stools all the time, I'm completely expecting them to say that they feed "Beneful" or "Kibbles and Bits"-- it's honestly THAT common.

A quality diet fed in appropriate amounts is the easiest way for an owner to keep their pet healthy. People complain about the cost, but honestly-- I pay $12 for a 6-pound bag of high quality, grain-free food for Penny. It lasts her about a month, so that comes to $144 a year. A medical problem requiring vet care could cost that much in a single visit pretty easily.

Wow will...you have definately given that some thought, which IMO is better than mindlessly just picking something off a list found on the internet. I understand your reasoning and line of thought. I don't really think there is any one right or wrong answer regarding the subject. The needs of dogs vary so much that we all have to research and decide for ourselves what is best, whatever that may be. (Nothing cracks me up more than when someone tells me choices I make are wrong and how I should be doing XYZ instead of ABC....as if they know my dogs better than I do! :rolleyes:)

I have never fully understood the "I do this because it's what they do in the wild" line of thought. It's seems like a concept used for justification purposes, but it only applicable in certain instances. Our dogs are not wild dogs. They are domesticated and so little of what we do and what we expect from them is comparable to "dogs in the wild."

We all have our opinions, and I rarely find that any two are the same, but I have to give you credit for at least putting some actual thought into it. :)

Anyway...just some random thoughts.

I know what Joey would eat in the wild; slugs are his favorite, he also loves flies, and his third favorite is rose petals. Sounds like a balanced diet to me!

Will, I hope you watch the video posted by Jencar98 - I think it speaks for itself.

Also, it is not a fact that wolves "always" eat the stomach contents - there is much information out there that expands on whether they do or not.

Canines don't "need" vegetables. They do, however, need carbohydrate - is that what you meant?

:lol tears Mmmm....tasty!

Anne,

Which carbohydrate is best?

Sheila

Gosh, Sheila - I'm not sure anyone can answer that question definitively - I mean, what's best for one dog might be an allergen for another dog, do you know what I mean? I prefer simpler carbs for canines bc complex carbs aren't as easily digestible for dogs - there is quite a bit of reading out there about that subject. But vegetables, while not "required", can provide them too - and many dogs do fine on them. Many dogs do fine on brown rice too, but it may be easier on their digestion to feed white rice. I suppose if I had to pick my favorite carbs, they'd be potato and sweet potato. :)

Anne,

Yes, I understand what you mean about allergens. My girls seem to also prefer potato & sweet potato. :) They scratch when they eat too much rice.

Thanks for your answer.

I know I can always depend on you for a good answer.

Sheila

Jen,
Thanks for the video. Pretty alarming stuff. I homecook and feed Wellness kibble. I am at a loss about the "junk" that goes into pet food. I cannot for the life of me imagine how toxic this stuff can be.
Very sad case in point-when me and my husband first met-being the animal lovers we are-we adopted a cat. After having her only a very short 5 years she went into total kidney failure and her liver stopped functioning as well. The vet tested her for everything and she did not have ANY diseases-NONE. He was positive it was the bargain food we had been feeding her without knowing any difference. The 5 years of it took a toll. Now, that was awhile back and we have learned a great deal. But, it is unfortunate that pet food companies can get away with this. Such a tragedy.
:(