Bad dog food

[JanS]

Just an update on this and I pulled two foods (one we feed and another that was recently being discussed, which is nearly the same as many of the grocery store varieties) out to compare ingredients, and to get another breakdown on why some of the ingredients in the cheaper varieties really aren't desirable. I realize it's a "to each his own" situation, but these are the reasons I steer clear of the ones with the questionable ingredients.

I can say first hand that we fed our GSP the Purina One puppy food, then moved on to Science Diet and even though he lived to be almost 16 years old, he suffered from constant allergy problems along with hot spots that I'm convinced wouldn't have happened if he would have been on a food without some of the disagreeable ingredients in the mix.

There has also been some discussion about puppy food vs. the all life stages formulas and IMO, just because it's designated as a puppy formula, it doesn't mean that the nutritional standards are much different after you sort it all out. Some of the protein in the questionable brands comes from meat byproducts and things like that so I don't find it as good as a tiny bit lower protein level from a better ingredient.
Like I said, this is my opinion on why we prefer to feed what we do, and our mileage may vary, which is fine.

So here we go:

Purina ONE® Large Breed Puppy Formula - 1 star (star ratings according to
dogfoodanalysis.com)

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min)28.0%
Crude Fat (Min)13.0%
Crude Fibre (Max)6.0%
Moisture (Max)12.0%
Linoleic Acid (Min)1.6%
Calcium (Ca) (Min)1.1%
Phosphorus (P) (Min)0.8%
Selenium (Se) (Min)0.30 mg/kg
Vitamin A (Min)15,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E (Min)100 IU/kg
Docosahexaenoic Acid** (DHA) (Min)0.05%
Glucosamine** (Min)500 ppm
Glutamine** (Min)1.0%

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal,
poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain
wheat, whole grain corn, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherolsp
(form of Vitamin E), pea fiber, fish meal, animal digest,
dried egg product, fish oil (source of DHA), salt, calcium carbonate,
potassium chloride, potassium citrate, calcium phosphate, choline chloride,
zinc sulfate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E
supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate,
calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12
supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate,
Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of
Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

Here is one quote on just what all of those ingredients mean.

Here is a breakdown of what these ingredients (and other ones to
avoid) mean:

"Food fragments. Fragments are lower-cost by-products of another food
manufacturing process such as brewer's rice (a waste product of the alcohol
industry), and rice flour. Most foods contain at least one fragment as
makers attempt to keep the food affordable. Beware of a product that
contains several fragments of a single food or is the main ingredient.

Meat by-products. Using an animal by-product (or more than one animal
by-product) for a food's main protein source is indicative of a low-quality
product. (i.e. chicken by-product). Animal by-products are any part of an
animal not acceptable for human consumption. Ingredients listed as
by-products are not required to include actual meat.

Corn products in dog food. The presence of corn products - particularly if
they are high on the list of ingredients - may indicate that corn has been
used instead of a more expensive alternative. About 25% of the corn produced
in the U.S. today is genetically modified. Dogs have a difficult time
digesting corn.

Corn gluten meal in dog food. Corn gluten meal is a concentrated source of
protein that can be substituted for costlier animal protein. In many bargain
dry dog foods, corn gluten meal provides a large proportion or the total
protein in the food rather than more digestible forms of protein such as
meat.

Generic fats or proteins. Animal fat can be just about anything; recycled
grease from restaurants or an unwholesome "mystery mix" of fats. Animal
protein is far inferior to beef protein or chicken protein.

Artificial preservatives. BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol. These
cause cancer in animals.

Artificial colors. Your pet doesn't care what color his food is and doesn't
need daily - lifetime - exposure to these unnecessary chemicals.

Sweeteners. Corn syrup, sucrose, sugar, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, and other
sweeteners are sometimes added to lower-quality foods to increase their
appeal. Dietary sugar can aggravate health problems in pets including
diabetes.

Flavors. A high-quality food does not require flavoring to be palatable."

Your puppy might eat this up...what choice does he have? Your pet will eat
the food you buy and put in front of him, because that is all he knows. It
may not be flavorful or appeal to his pallet, but it is nourishment
nontheless.

Foods that contain corn and other fillers also require you to feed more to
give your dog proper nutrition.

If your dog has a dull coat, dry flakey skin, scratches a lot, gets yeast
infections in the ears, and poops frequently, reassess what you are feeding
him.

Before I reseached what really is in dog foods and how it can affect your
dog, I fed purina foods to my dogs because they were affordable, packaged
and marketed to look healthy and wholesome. After switching my dogs to a
higher quality diet, I have seen them look healthier, they have more energy,
and seem all around healthier. On top of that, they have less gas, less
poop, and also eat less because more of the food they are on is digested and
used by my dogs.

Corn is not digested by your dog. Avoid foods that contain the above listed
ingredients. Your dogs will thank you in a life time of health and
love.

Merrick Turducken - 5 star

Ingredients:
Organic Chicken, Oatmeal, Barley, Turkey meal, Duck, Whole Brown Rice,
Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols - a source of Natural Vitamin E
and Ascorbic Acid, a source of Vitamin C), Flaxseed, Potatoes, Carrots,
Peas, Dried Chicken Liver, Whole Apples, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium
Carbonate, Lysine, Guar Gum, Choline Chloride, Zinc Amino Acid Complex,
Whole Blueberries, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Whole Clove Garlic, Chondroitin
Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Dried Chicken, Chicory Root, Marigold
Extract, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei,
Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Natural Celery Flavor, Iron Amino Acid Complex,
Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Natural Color (tumeric),
Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex,
d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement,
Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Amino
Acid Complex, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.


Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (Not Less Than) 24.0%
Crude Fat (Not Less Than) 15.0%
Crude Fiber (Not More Than) 2.5%
Moisture (Not More Than) 10.0%

Calorie Content:
3660 kcal/kg (calculated) - One pound provides 1660 kcal of metabolizable
energy (calculated). One cup (100 grams) provides 357 calories (Caloric
content calculated using Modified A****er Method)

 

[hrd2gt]

i found this actually kind of cute... i had no idea....

Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain wheat, whole grain corn, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherolsp (form of Vitamin E),

 

[DOBESRULE]

Hi i used to feed ,dillinger nutro large breed puppy ,dry and wet. I did reading up on this food and they daid that dogs were too dying and getting very very sick. I was talking to alot of people also and theysaid to pleasestay away from nutro. I know feed blue buffolo

 

[Apollo]

form of Vitamin E),

LMAO

 

[Grayghost]

Really great article. Thanks for posting it, Jan.

We've had to go through several foods to find one that works for Shanoa, but I'm unbelievably happy with the Orijen large breed puppy formula. She's eating that twice a day, with a heaping tablespoon of oat bran added to it, mixed with a little bit of Wellness 95% meat canned food (either chicken or turkey). Ever since we started doing this, we get great stool, and she absolutely loves the food. I'd definitely recommend it. It's worth the extra cost.

Orijen large breed puppy food is , in my opinion, excellent. I fed it to my Anne from 12 weeks of age [when I got her] to about 13 months. The results were everything I had hoped for: correct development, wonderful health, etc.. She has been on Acana grain free food [same mfg.] after the Orijen puppy and she will be 2 years old in July.

Anne also gets a tbl. spoon of 95% canned meat, varried, but always premium/super premium, with each meal.

 

[MeadowCat]

Can I ask why you went to Acana instead of the Orijen adult formula? I'm just curious.

 

[Shadowlands]

To throw my two cents worth in.
I used to swear by Blue Buffalo but a $3000.00 vet bill later, only to find out they had put such high doses of Vitamin D in their food that it almost killed my oldest guy, I can honestly say I will never touch their food again.
I have my pup on Taste of the Wild-Salmon and also ProPlan Selects puppy (half and half), and she is doing great. Nice shimmer to her coat, growing like a freakin' weed and active as all hell. Lol! She will soon be going on just TOW and no mixing.
I do like Nutro Ultra but have found that to be too rich for my guys. One dog can clear the room in 2.5 seconds, 3 can clear the house.

 

[Katja Henriksen]

Seriously guys, don't believe everything you read. I find it irresponsible to make a list like that (not saying it is anyone on here) over the companies that produce the majority of the dog food in the world saying they use 4D meat. This is not true. Can you imagine the repercussions for those huge international companies if they used 4D meats and the consumers found out? The risk is way to high and is not worth the money they can save using that kind of 'meat'.

Anyway my point is that it is so easy to just believe what you are told, but stop and have a think about it. It's good to be critical and ask questions, but remember to use common sense when it comes to the information you get.

 

[Amber]

thanks for sharing. i posted it on facebook.

 

[Shadowlands]

Quite honestly though, I think what it really boils down to is if your dog is healthy, stools are good, energy levels where they need to be, and their weight, muscle tone are great...it shouldn't matter what food your dog is on.
I had a client that spent a small fortune to ship a pup to him from Germany. He started with foods at the top of the line but nothing would make this dogs' coat look healthy. It always seemed to have a dull look to it. After going through nearly every option available until in desperation he tried MainStay (pig farmers use this as filler in winter). A 40lb bag is about $12. Amazingly, the dog looked absolutely wonderful on this stuff!! He had blood work done etc and the vet gave him two thumbs up. Now, he will not buy the food himself, he makes his wife do it. LOL! But it just goes to show you that although we have the best intentions, sometimes it's just up to the dog.

 

[Denissov43]

for you Super Premium Kibble feeders:
www.petflow.com
has all the major super premiums at discounted prices and they ship entire order for $4.95 anywhere... and you can schedule your shipments and they have cat food, canned and dry and they have Orijen, TOW, FROMM, and many others.... great company and great service and prices and NO tax... and FIVE bux to ship 100 lbs of food! amazing

 

[JanS]

for you Super Premium Kibble feeders:
www.petflow.com
has all the major super premiums at discounted prices and they ship entire order for $4.95 anywhere... and you can schedule your shipments and they have cat food, canned and dry and they have Orijen, TOW, FROMM, and many others.... great company and great service and prices and NO tax... and FIVE bux to ship 100 lbs of food! amazing

Oh wow, I've never come across this place before and the shipping from most places for us is almost as much as the cost of the food. Thanks for the link!

 

[Apollo]

i just checked the side out our PP cost on their side almost $ 50


Pro Plan - Adult Shredded Blend Chicken And Rice Formula Dry Dog Food

Size​

List Price Our Price

| 6-lb bag $17.99 $14.99
| 18-lb bag $33.49 $28.99
| 35-lb bag $56.99 $48.99
and at petsmart it cost right now 34.99 for the 35lb

 

[Marinegeekswife]

I found the same thing Tina. I'm sure that site is wonderful for folks that don't live near a Petsmart or Petco or whatever but while the shipping is WONDERFUL the list price is a little high.

 

[JanS]

Yes, they always work the shipping into the price, whether it's a low cost fee or a high shipping fee on top of the base price, but as stated those of us who live in the remote areas do see some benefit from it.

 

[DoberDon]

Seriously guys, don't believe everything you read. I find it irresponsible to make a list like that (not saying it is anyone on here) over the companies that produce the majority of the dog food in the world saying they use 4D meat. This is not true. Can you imagine the repercussions for those huge international companies if they used 4D meats and the consumers found out? The risk is way to high and is not worth the money they can save using that kind of 'meat'.

Anyway my point is that it is so easy to just believe what you are told, but stop and have a think about it. It's good to be critical and ask questions, but remember to use common sense when it comes to the information you get.

For what it's worth,I've driven service vans for several electrical contractors and one of them had a service account with a local plant that processes road kill(I've seen county trucks back up to their dock unloading nasty road killed deer,coons,etc.)and other dead animals precisely for animal feeds.They wouldn't tell me what specific companies they sell their product too but Eagle foods does have a local plant and they market much of their foods as being premium.On hot days you can smell the stench a mile away and the Eagle plant has the same smell to me as the rendering plant. I think big corporations realize most consumers just want cheap dogfood and don't want to think or know about any gross ingredients.Look at how many popular dogfoods still have ingredients and preservatives known to cause cancer in humans.Unfortunately I think informed people like the posters in this thread are very much a small percentage,at least in the US.

 

[MyBuddy]

I think big corporations realize most consumers just want cheap dogfood and don't want to think or know about any gross ingredients.

Unfortunately, I think this is true too.

 

[Denissov43]

Petflow IS Great for super premiums NOT foods like Pro Plan that you can get at a Costco...
Orijen, TOW, Fromm etc.. are priced LESS than what I would pay for them at the local pet food store where I would have bought them. The cost for TOW and Orijen is the same or less that a NON huge chain store like PetCo, (there is NO large pet food chains anywhere for 60 miles from me) so I am relegated to have to buy from the smaller more expensive pet food stores or online and then the price to ship is the same as the cost of the food... in the smaller pet food stores, local taxes are 11% plus the cost of the food and its always cheaper to get from Petflow.com...
if you are close to a Petco and you like their choices, they will always be cheaper, because they buy in huge bulk.. The small local business store owners cannot buy like that so they cannot offer a discount.
I chose Petflow.com because of that... and because I bought the more expensive super premiums like those mentioned...

 

[Apollo]

Petflow IS Great for super premiums NOT foods like Pro Plan that you can get at a Costco...
Orijen, TOW, Fromm etc.. are priced LESS than what I would pay for them at the local pet food store where I would have bought them. The cost for TOW and Orijen is the same or less that a NON huge chain store like PetCo, (there is NO large pet food chains anywhere for 60 miles from me) so I am relegated to have to buy from the smaller more expensive pet food stores or online and then the price to ship is the same as the cost of the food... in the smaller pet food stores, local taxes are 11% plus the cost of the food and its always cheaper to get from Petflow.com...
if you are close to a Petco and you like their choices, they will always be cheaper, because they buy in huge bulk.. The small local business store owners cannot buy like that so they cannot offer a discount.
I chose Petflow.com because of that... and because I bought the more expensive super premiums like those mentioned...

I bought TOTW before and it still would be cheaper i buy it here in my food and petstores and by the way, aren't you the one who is against kibblefood , because its so bad? And now you telling us, you buy it ? And no matter what you say, PP and other dogfoods aren't bad, you look at the pic's of Aesa and tell me she isn't healthy LMAO
Everybody has his own opinion and thats great, but i do not like if someone tries to tell us, we all are wrong and don't do it right and only your opinion and your way is the right one.
I pay for TOTW here @ 40 for the big bag, on this side its cost me including the shipping $ 51. But that isn't the problem, i can understand if people live in the middle of nowhere and have no stores close to them. And my dogs don't even do well on the high premium food, gassy and soft mushy poops. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[Shadowlands]

I bought TOTW before and it still would be cheaper i buy it here in my food and petstores and by the way, aren't you the one who is against kibblefood , because its so bad? And now you telling us, you buy it ?

I thought the same thing. Maybe I am wrong but I thought it was you who were telling us that we were feeding our dogs crap if we weren't feeding them raw? What was that thread called? something like Why is it so hard to teach Neophytes to feed raw?

maybe it is just me being a little PMSy, but it was the raw thread first and now because someone mentioned they found the list prices too high on this site, you seem to put them down? Good information is good information and everyone appreciates it, it doesn't mean that everyone agrees with it. You can't take it personally as that is not how their answers or responses are meant.
Off Topic I know, and I apologize.