Quick food question

misticaleclipse · Nov 15, 2007

Sorry, Please don't be put off. Its just upsetting to people when someone knows they are feeding their dog garbage, and it would cost less to feed good food, but they won't. Some people just want to be "right" regardless of what is good for their dog. (either that or they work for the company or know someone who does and want to defend their food)

Thank you for taking the time to open your mind and care about your
dogs health

I am not sure about petco, but I have looked at petsmart many times and I have not found any good foods there, not foods I would even consider mid range actually....

Do you have any smaller pet stores, petacular and pet value come to mind. Or what about a feed store in your area?
I agree with the recommendations for Innova, but there are many other good foods out there.

vanillasugar · Nov 15, 2007

LoveNewfies said:

A little bit of an open mind and a little bit of education on the subject can go a long way.

Look, if you want to feed Pedigree and be happy about it, do what you think you should do. If after reading the ingredients list, doing some research on your own, doing a true cost comparison yourself and understand the benefits of feeding a far better food you still feel it's right, or the best, to feed Pedigree, that's up to you, but, you're doing so knowing the potential repercussions of feeding such ingredients every day of your dog's lives.

Here's what I suggest - don't listen to anyone else, not even me (BTW, I own not only a pet supply store, but also a small dog food company). Do your own research on the ingredients in Pedigree and be open minded. Don't approach with a "I'm right" attitude, approach it with an open mind - you may save yourself some money and give your dogs a better diet all at the same time. Everyone wins. Research why people feel the ingredients are bad, what the long term effects of some of those ingredients are, research actual canine nutrition and what the needs of a canine are, do cost and feeding amount comparisons and when you're done, you don't even have to come back and tell us what you found, just act on what you've found.

THANK YOU for saying exactly what I've been trying to find the right words for. This is exactly what I've been wanting to post

~Jessie~ · Nov 15, 2007

Petco actually has a decent selection of holistic foods. I know for sure that they carry Solid Gold, Castor and Pollux, and Natural Balance.

Pet Smart doesn't sell any foods that I would even consider feeding. Their "best foods" are Blue Buffalo and Nutro Ultra, which are both over priced and not high quality.

Zoom · Nov 15, 2007

Petco varies on their selection though..the one near me only carries the Natural Balance. But for "easy access" that might be a good place to start looking. Also go to the actual websites for the different foods, like for Innova go to www.naturapet.com. They have store locators that can tell you where to buy. Most brands have this on their sites.

showpug · Nov 15, 2007

If you have to pick from Petco, go with Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Pinnacle or AvoDerm...heck, even Royal Canin is a FAR CRY from Beneful, but the others are better.

Petsmart now carries AvoDerm, Active Care and Blue. ALL are miles better than Beneful.

Dekka · Nov 16, 2007

puppylover2007 said:

wow and you complain about the cost of dog food. I keep 7 dogs, on high quality food for less than that amount. Seems like the turtles live better than the dog :yikes: (not that turtles shouldn't live well, just most people I know if they show this much care for one type of pet, usually are awesome with the rest)

girlbuffalo1 · Nov 16, 2007

First off I want to point out that when I truly learned what was in the crap food that we fed growing up I was appalled. Yes I would almost consider the way we treated our dogs growing up (outside, basic vet care, cheap food feeding) border line abuse. It makes me sick to my stomach actually thinking about it--so don't call me a hypocrite. Growing up in the culture of "it's just a dog, but we love them" is what makes one think that the cheap food feeding ect. is acceptable. I never would have even thought to come on the internet (that I didn't get until HS) at all.

It wasn't until I got my own dogs that I thought to look up information on training and food ect--and found chaz. I didn't do all of my reasearch here however--and between chaz and other websites learned what to feed and what not to feed.

I think that loving our dogs so much (and I'm sure you do love yours) brings us to websites like this and should be an eye opening experience as to how to give your dog the best life possible.

Sure a dog can live to be 15 and eat Pedigree but if you know for a fact that there are better options why wouldn't you choose it?

Anyways dogs are like us--we are what we eat.

LoveNewfies · Nov 16, 2007

If PetCo is your only option, many now carry Solid Gold, most carry Blue Buffalo. I'm not a big fan of Natural Balance, but, it is indeed better than Pedigree and Beneful.

If you want to do better than those, check with some of your local groomers or feed supply stores - you may be surprised at what you find.

gale · Nov 16, 2007

When we got our puppy I bought a bag of puppy chow. I honestly thought it was 'good' food. I was confused about how much to feed so I got online and found out how bad it is. All I could find locally at the time was natural choice so we switched to that for a 5 lb bag (I *still* have about half a bag of puppy chow in my utility room-I don't even know what to do with it) and then we found that the local pet store would order chicken soup so we've been feeding that. I wish I could feed her something better but between price and availability this is pretty much it. We'll be switching her to Premium Edge in a few mos (I can find that somewhat locally). I felt so bad about doing all this research and switching for the dog while the cat was still eating cat chow so we are in the process of switching him to chicken soup also. When I told dh the price of the chicken soup (which is pretty cheap actually) his eyes kinda bugged out at first. Now though, he's fine with it and doesn't bat an eye at the cost anymore. I called another store about Eagle Pack holistic but it was just too expensive for right now. Maybe someday we can switch to that but I feel like we're doing the best we can right now.

eta: we have no petco or petsmart and the only farm stores around here don't carry any premium brands. One carries only science diet, eukanuba and I believe duralife? And the other carries duralife, sportmix, diamond, nutro, and science diet.

Chiluver · Nov 16, 2007

gale said:

When we got our puppy I bought a bag of puppy chow. I honestly thought it was 'good' food. I was confused about how much to feed so I got online and found out how bad it is. All I could find locally at the time was natural choice so we switched to that for a 5 lb bag (I *still* have about half a bag of puppy chow in my utility room-I don't even know what to do with it) and then we found that the local pet store would order chicken soup so we've been feeding that. I wish I could feed her something better but between price and availability this is pretty much it. We'll be switching her to Premium Edge in a few mos (I can find that somewhat locally). I felt so bad about doing all this research and switching for the dog while the cat was still eating cat chow so we are in the process of switching him to chicken soup also. When I told dh the price of the chicken soup (which is pretty cheap actually) his eyes kinda bugged out at first. Now though, he's fine with it and doesn't bat an eye at the cost anymore. I called another store about Eagle Pack holistic but it was just too expensive for right now. Maybe someday we can switch to that but I feel like we're doing the best we can right now.

eta: we have no petco or petsmart and the only farm stores around here don't carry any premium brands. One carries only science diet, eukanuba and I believe duralife? And the other carries duralife, sportmix, diamond, nutro, and science diet.

Don't feel bad for feeding chicken Soup, it's not a bad food at all! And for sure FAR better then Puppy Chow

Julie · Nov 16, 2007

LilyoftheValley said:

You have asked for information about the dogfood you feed, and then "buck" everyone's knowledgable input.... I mean, why did you even ask? Did you think because your dogs don't eat poop anymore, we would chime in and say that is good news? If you really think about it they are eating crap the first time around, are they going to want to eat the crap from crap the second time around? I don't think so.
And everyone can see the inflated costs you have posted, just so it looks as though you spend a ton of money on pets... Who needs to buy $15.00 dollars worth of lightbulbs for a tank every month? Or whatever the "quote" was.
I don't spend that in a year for my whole house. Lol

But, I am also strapped financially with a new home, kids, dogs, etc...
but I have found the best food for my dogs in my budget. I go thru approx 2 40lbs bags of kirkland signature dogfood in a month. That is 80 lbs of food ..... and far better than "Beneful"..... I spend approx 36.00 dollars a month. And I have a 94 lbs lab, a 70 lbs lab, and a 70 lbs GSD.
I will also say I do not include in my budget toys....... they chew sticks, tires, and old rags I give them... I bet I spend approx 5.00 a year on toys. I have two brushes (different types) and I have had both of them for at least 15 years.
You should really be ashamed for being so wasteful, and not trying to realize that people are trying to help you,,,,, not degrade your ways!
Some people could get on me about feeding what I feed, but in my area and what I am willing to spend it is the "best" I can get.....
Bentiful is NOT the best you can get for your money, and I find it rare that someone would want to waste money on byproducts and dyes, after they have been informed about "dogfood".

puppylover2007 · Nov 16, 2007

Julie said:

FYI you are quoting the wrong person... that was me who was telling people about my finacial obligatons and such.. when you make the comment "bentiful is not the best you can get for you money, yet in the same sentence you say " some people could get on me for what i feed BUT IN MY AREA AND WHAT I AM WILLING TO SPEND it is the best"

mmm i find that last statement intresting myself, so, because you are NOT willing to spend more, you dogs get what they get??? case closed, you have nothing to complain about. You have no right to b(*& someone out for there ways, but say 'because of the area and what i am willing to spend' is ok for you, but NOT others, lets sit and think about that for a minute huh.

in my area i have LOTS to choose from , however, because i am in and the amount of money i put out every month, RIGHT now i have only so much...

FYI the Lightbulbs you speak off that i spend 15 bucks for our special heating lamps for the turtles i have, and they only last up to 2,000 hours depending on the wattage used and i have explained they need 10 to 12 hours PER DAY of this heat lamp, so do the math... 12 hours per day for 30 days= aprox 400 hours. That does not count for burn outs ( which does happen). so, therefore me spending 15 per lamp is justifiable when needed. i also use lights for our 2 other 10 g tanks for the fish, frogs and such.

just so you know, you are NOT in my life and do not know what we have been thru to get where we are, so, therefore i DO not complain and TELL you what to do with your dogs, so DO NOT tell me what to do with mine, or my other pets!?!?!

Saje · Nov 16, 2007

I think the bottomline is that if you feed a high quality food that doesn't have fillers, by-products and 'suspicious' ingredients you will reap benefits in the long run. You will feed less food because the product is more nutrient dense. That's why a bag of high-quality food lasts so much longer. (Ask Renee how much EVO she feeds her filas.) There will be less health problems in the long run. (saves on vet bills) And my favourite perk is if there are less fillers and bulk in the diet there is LESS POO.

It's also important to remember that the quality of food a person feeds is not directly suggestive of the quality of owner they are. Puppylover, you sound like you care a lot about your dogs and do the best to take care of them with the knowledge you have. That's all anyone ask.

Incidently, a lot of the older kibble formulas have been changed over the years so the brand names we are familiar with now may not be the same quality they were when they first came out.

puppylover2007 · Nov 16, 2007

and that is all one can ask saje, all i was trying to tell people was that i do the best i can and my pups get a clean bill of health each and everytime they go to the vet. Purina is a trusted company and they do what the FDA and dogfood people tell them, i think what alot of people on here are going off is the big scare... because i had my hubby read over what everyone said, and each one admitted to feeding their dogs purina or beneful back then, and learned and now they think it is there right to tear into people who have always used th same brand since the begining of time and that they are BAD people..

all i was trying to do say was that members on here really need to do less pointing of the fingers and more of the understanding that some people just CAN NOT afford or order THE BEST OF THE BEST, and in my situation, FYI where i have had 7 funerals in the last 2 years a car accident and so forth, i am doing the best i can AT THIS TIME, i made it clear that once i am able i will change if i need too. that is all i ask.

thanks for your comment and not "pointing the shame finger" and saying that i am killing my pups and they will die very soon kinda thing.

Saje · Nov 16, 2007

Well, I certainly hope your dogs don't die anytime soon!

We were actually fortunate enough to have "Mordy" (screen name) as a member and moderator here. She owns www.dogfoodproject.com among other websites and is an animal nutritionist. She was incredibly helpful and there was no question about dog food that she couldn't answer. She has started her own business now and only really has time to administer her own forum now but if you are ever looking into learning more about dog food her posts, her forum and websites are the best place to go. This was long, long before the food scare btw.

Zoom · Nov 16, 2007

Do a quick search through the threads in the Dog Food section. Then look at the dates on those thread. 95% of them that are saying THE EXACT SAME THING as what we are saying in this thread are over a year old, well before the first hint of a recall.

Purina shells out enough money to various places to make themselves look good. So does Pedigree, Science Diet and Iams. All of them have undergone drastic changes in quality over the year and the movement was not upwards by far. Just because your dog isn't yet falling apart doesn't mean that he's getting the best nutrition. Often times, nutritional deficiences will only start to show after the dog is 3 or 4 years old. Then you get the coarse, flaky coats that shed constantly, the bad breath, the horrible teeth, weepy eyes, overpooping and constant ear infections. By this time they may or may not have the beginngins of various tumors growing on their filtering organs (liver, gallbladder, kidneys) that will lead to major health issues down the road.

Chiluver · Nov 16, 2007

puppylover2007 · Nov 16, 2007

Zoom said:

so you would you like to me show you my mother's vet bill for the past 7 years she has been feeding her pups IAMS??? as well as many many others who have used and continue to use IAMS Purina and Science Diets?? i would be more than happy to do so.. you know all the things you are saying are NOT always from the FOOD you feed your pups, there are alot of other reasons, like for example:

horrible teeth: bad dental care, by not brushing (here is the website that talks about it http://www.findoutaboutdogs.com/Causes_Of_Bad_Dog_Breath.html)

corse flaky coats: bad hygene and improper bathing.

weepy eyes: that could be anything from asthma to allergies.

overpooping: that could be anything from overfeeding any kind of food, wrong people food.

i could go on but i think you get the point, these days people want to POINt everything at FOOD, when in fact it is more often than not the environment or the breed in general.

so, please stop pointing fingers at the type of food and look at other reasons for the causes...

~Jessie~ · Nov 16, 2007

Dogs share 99% of their DNA with wolves. Wolves eat meat. Dogs are oportunistic carnivores.

So you put your dog in a room with an ear of corn, and a juicy steak... which would they choose?

Again, the ingredients to Pedigree:

Ground Whole Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Wheat Mill Run, Ground Wheat, Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carmel Color, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Rice, Wheat Gluten, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Now, please explain how this is a good diet for a dog... I'm really curious.

puppylover2007 · Nov 16, 2007

here are is another link that i have found that say bad dog food ( or so you say) DOES NOT CAUSE the health problems some of you have listed.

http://www.best-dog-food-guide.com/dog-food-prescription-diet.html

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