Dog Food Rant-

[wolf_Q]

Educating people on how they feed their dogs is important. But this is the wrong way to go about it entirely. If I were to interpret this post as real talking, you would be yelling in my face. Calm down please. I'm tired of all the fighting on the board lately.

[borzoimom]

Educating people on how they feed their dogs is important. But this is the wrong way to go about it entirely. If I were to interpret this post as real talking, you would be yelling in my face. Calm down please. I'm tired of all the fighting on the board lately.

I am fine now wolf Q and I respect you. I would NEVER yell in your face.. .. Ever..

[Ceph]

I'm glad to hear back about chicken soup...I am pretty sure I am going to have a bag sent to both my parents.


lol, everything is bad for you...including Oxygen...its a toxic gas....but there are certain things we shouldnt eat...everything in moderation right?

Edit : BM....chinchilla pics, pretty, pretty please

[borzoimom]

Karen- what these tests were looking for was this:
* Ethoxyquin retained in muscle tissue or added
* molded and flax grains- this contains mold and grain refuse
* cancer tumors- organ or meat
* beaks and feathers, hooves, hyde, horns, ( called protein by AFCO but hardly digestable)
* BHA or BHT levels higher than human standards
*Rancid ( road kill) meats.. Like the deer you saw on the road for 4 days- picked up by companies like Valley proteins- and rendered as protein- when in fact its rancid meat..
etc etc etc etc etc etc etc ....
They send you back a true statement on the food you tested. They do not want to know the brand- your name address and your fee..

[Lady's Human]

I'd be amused to see the methodology behind a test which can tell what meat was rancid in dog food that's been processed at temperatures high enough to destroy most nutrients in the food.

Hell, for $75 and a dog food sample I'll tell you anything you want to hear.

[DrKym]

Making Popcorn!!

[areias]

Making Popcorn!!

I was about say the same thing...

well, I brought pizza home, so how about some pizza??

[borzoimom]

And here is where it gets sick... Lets say I am a company- and I buy a great meat and grain to make food- but I need a rendering company to package it.. And of course it has to be processed.. Meanwhile rendering company has their own vitamin mix and processing- goes into a bat- added their vitamins etc- run through their machines at high temp to cook- kills allllllllllll my vitamins I had in a good mixture and its worthless- but what the hey- I got my food in a bag.. Orrrrrr I own a grain place- like that makes bread- but I need meat- well so in so sold to so in so rendering plant meat protein made of every road kill this side of you know what or meat processing plant with cancerious tumors they could not pass in our food standard- well they have to preserve it so they add their ethoxyquin, then goes to company b whichs adds their bha then to the rendering plant that adds their bht- and you know what- THE ONLY INGREDIENTS THAT HAS TO BE SHOWN IS THE FINAL PRODUCT- THEY DO NOT have to show the other additives before hand - by LAW ... They do not.. We are barely getting in the US instead of " dairy cultures" to now list exactly what that means with human food- .. It will take a long time before they have to list the same in pet foods- THINK about that one!

[NicoleLJ]

Dr.Goodnow I have the chips and dip. I got sick of eating the popcorn last night. Hate things getting stuck in my teeth. lol

.sarah That is why I posted the dog food analisis site. I thought it would help so peoploe could see what is in th efoods.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ Here is is agian for those that missed it.
Nicole

[borzoimom]

Dr.Goodnow I have the chips and dip. I got sick of eating the popcorn last night. Hate things getting stuck in my teeth. lol

.sarah That is why I posted the dog food analisis site. I thought it would help so peoploe could see what is in th efoods.
Nicole

Man- I want a drink.. got any 7 anyone??? and I dont have any soda.. man I wish i had cheese cake... who had the strawberries.. lolllllllllllllllllll..

[.sarah]

This debate is endless. It would be more useful if someone started a thread about why it is important to know what you're feeding your dogs and how you can read labels.

The average pet owner listens to their vet and doesn't question them. For the people who have put time and energy into researching pet food diets, it's up to you to help the others understand why you should read labels to see exactly what is going into their pet's body and if they're comfortable with it. If, once they've done research, they feel their food is fine, so be it. For some people, there is more to worry about than whether their pet's food has corn or by-products in it or not. For others, it's a big concern. Just like with their own diets - some people pay close attention, others eat whatever makes them happy. Everyone is different. Not everyone wants to feed raw or agrees with feeding raw. It will always be this way. While more and more is coming about on raw feeding, I can guarantee you kibble is not going away, especially not anytime soon.

[borzoimom]

This debate is endless. It would be more useful if someone started a thread about why it is important to know what you're feeding your dogs and how you can read labels.

The average pet owner listens to their vet and doesn't question them. For the people who have put time and energy into researching pet food diets, it's up to you to help the others understand why you should read labels to see exactly what is going into their pet's body and if they're comfortable with it. If, once they've done research, they feel their food is fine, so be it. For some people, there is more to worry about than whether their pet's food has corn or by-products in it or not. For others, it's a big concern. Just like with their own diets - some people pay close attention, others eat whatever makes them happy. Everyone is different. Not everyone wants to feed raw or agrees with feeding raw. It will always be this way. While more and more is coming about on raw feeding, I can guarantee you kibble is not going away, especially not anytime soon.

I agree- that is why you need a good vet!!!! One that really truely cares! You know the kind- the ones that looks at the health of a dog before loading with shots the immune system cant take.. the ones that do not say do a x ray when not needed..
This stuff spreads down the line. I read recently pets are the growing market of the business person.. GROWING MARKET??? Since when did my dogs become someone elses market????

[Freedom]

It would be more useful if someone started a thread about why it is important to know what you're feeding your dogs and how you can read labels.

The average pet owner listens to their vet and doesn't question them.

You are so right. I should know better, but that is what I did for 12 years. I got a cat, then another . . . and my vet said use Science Diet, so I did. Then 3 months ago, I adopted Sugar. Her foster mom was feeding Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover, but I couldn't find it in the stores I was in. Checked with my vet, followed his rec again, and so I got a bag of Science Diet dog. Sugar turned up her nose, refused to use it. . . . Hmm. Got a bag of Nutro Natural Choice. Again she refused to eat. Now it's been THREE DAYS and the dog is not eating! Needless to say, I am panicking!

So I got on line, found the Chicken Soup web site, and found a dealer near me. (Note: the dealers closest to me are pet stores, they sell puppies. I refuse to go to them. So I am traveling a bit.) Sugar ate to make up for not eating for three days. TA DAA!

Then I started asking here on Pet Talk. This is why I love Pet Talk. NOT for all the bickering and yacking, and yes I DO love seeing all your photos. But I value all the variety of backgrounds people bring to this site. And varied areas of expertise, trials and errors, experience and failure. EVERYONE who participates on here has some useful ideas and suggestions.

So I learned about what to look for in a pet food. I made some decisions based on my budget, my values. Then I moved back to the cat side and did some discussions there. And I looked at web sites for food.

Seven weeks ago, I switched the cats over to Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover. And they took to it right away. They refused to finish off the Science Diet! For years my vet told me cats only need to eat twice per day. And I replied that MY cats hadn't read that book! For the first time in 12 years of cat ownership, my cats are eating twice per day, NOT 5 and 6 times and more. They are more active. With no work on my part, the pudgy ones are trimming down. The oldest, Ruffles, developed hyperthyroidism in January and wasn't doing well, even on the meds. Changed her food and she is happy and healthy again! (yes, still on the meds, too.)

The cat Science Diet, the dog Science Diet and the dog Nutro all were donated to the city pound, as none of mine would touch it anymore.

I should know better. I should have known to read and learn about the food I am getting for my pets. Thank goodness for Pet Talk!!!!