Dog food ratings

[Jeannine]

Oh eck!!

As we are getting a new puppy shortly I though I would cruise the net and re educate myself about the ratings of various dog foods, just in case there was something new about.

I found a fab site that had tested hundreds od dry, wet foods all accross North America, it was very informative, many of the foods are in the UK by the way.

I was horrified to learn that it is quite possible that roadkill animals and the dead pet  animals from vets could be included in the meat part of the food.

Really scary.

I wondered if there is a similar site in the UK rating foods there.

I will put a link on if anyone wants to read it, apart from the  nasty bit the rest is excellent re which types of filler, grain versus not etc,

                          www.dogfoodadvisor.com
XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[OllieC]

Hi Jeannine. I bet you can't wait to get your new arrival & am sure s/he'll have a great new home with you. What's wrong with roadkill though? My dad used to feed it to us (generally fresh although there was the odd rather "gamey" hare) and I watched my new kitten merrily munching the head off a dead mouse that I got from a trap last week. And dead pets from the vet? I find that very interesting - are you sure it's not an internet type urban myth?! It is what the 'net does best!

Just asking - not trying to say you're wrong or anything. Smiley included 'cos it made me chuckle!

[Jeannine]

No, I don't have anything against roadkill, in fact I have had "Roadkill" stew myself, but it is the age and type of road kill that bothers me. The other part may well be a myth, frankly I don't know but there are interviews on record  with pet food producers in which they have been asked that question and although they have not admitted it they did not deny it either and that worries me a bit.

There are so many grades of dog food and if one is looking for a very high grade it may be a bit off putting if one thought, even for a moment that somebodies pet poodle was in there. I guess the idea of feeding a dog another dog is a bit scary when one thinks of the food chain problems too.

Who knows really, but the site is very good at evaluating the dog foods for quality whatever they contain.

I guess the sensible thing is don't buy something that just says "meat" in the ingredients, but one that says chicken meat or beef meat etc, the same with fat, look for chicken fat or duck fa etc , then you don't get the old oil from the chip shops.

I have to admit I will probably cook for the puppy now.LOL

I buy Royal Canin for my cat , it is very expensive and still ony got a 3 star rating.

I enjoyed your smilies  XX Jeannine

[elsie]

Dog and cat food is an absolute minefield. Unfortunately we are lead to believe that the processed tins and packets contain the very best for our beloved pets, and the truth is very far from that I looked into it all a few years ago, and was shocked to discover that while I thought I had been buying my cat one of the best (and most expensive)foods around, I had been duped into giving him a:waste "meat" from rendering plants, possibly containing euthanized animals and the out of date packs of meat from the supermarket (including packaging) b:cheap fillers that weren't suitable for him to eat, and that he couldn't even digest (hence the stinky litter tray) c:flavourings and sugars to disguise the taste and possibly worst of all, having believed that it was good for his teeth, feeding kibble which probably lead to the kidney failure that he eventually died from  I know that it sounds a bit strong, but like you Jeannine, I found the lack of denials by the pet food companies the most damning of all 
I now feed my cats raw food, and while it took a while to get my head around, I find it super easy. As I feed them human grade meat or wild rabbit, I know exactly what they're eating, and even though I use the same high welfare standards for their meat as I do for the rest of the meat I buy, I think that it costs the same, or maybe less than the commercial rip off food.
If you're considering making your own food for your puppy Jeannine, then maybe you would consider raw? This is the natural diet that dogs and cats evolved on up until human intervention, and it contains many nutrients that will be lost if you cook it. I am happy to help you with any advise and can point you in the direction of some good sites that make for interesting reading if you would like? Xxx

[OllieC]

Funny (not in a ha ha way) - I'm convinced that the special dental diet prescribed for our last cat was what led to her kidney failure. The renal food they prescribed towards the end of her life was almost completely lacking in information and there is nothing on the manufacturer's website either.

I decided it was smoke & mirrors but this all sounds even worse.

[elsie]

I'm sorry to hear that, I know how awful I felt when I read about how completely unsuitable kibble is for cats, and the damage it can do to them. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they can only digest meat, so all of the cereal and other unecessary additives in cat food comes out undigested, having put a strain on their bodies trying to digest it. Also, as they evolved in the desert where they absorbed most of their moisture from their food, they don't tend to drink enough water to make up for it if eating kibble. It is as effective at cleaning their teeth as crisps are at cleaning mine, but doesn't make them gunky the way that canned food does, both of which leave vets recommending that you brush their teeth or have them scraped under anasthetic. However, the chewing of the bones and tendons have left my girls with lovely clean white teeth and no stinky breath, just as nature intended.
It really all sounds so crazy when you start looking in to it, and it's hard to start explaining to people without sounding like some sort of conspiracy lunatic. Instead of refuting the claims made by those that support a raw diet, the pet food companies hope that the vast majority of people will think it is crazy, and not look in to it any further. They spread rumors about the dangers of feeding raw food and salmonella, as that will hit a chord with the public. They change their advertising to tell us that cats are obligate carnivores, and then promote their food  If you ask the majority of vets about feeding raw food, they will look horrified, and explain that pet foods are made by experts to contain all that your pet needs, and home made food is risky, because you don't know enough to get it right, and don't forget salmonella. What you don't realise is that vets are taught about nutrition by the pet food companies!
I could go on, but need to pick up the kids from school, and don't want to sound like I'm ranting 

[Jeannine]

No Elsie you are not ranting. You are bang on with your info. This is why I went online to see what the new thinking was all about.
I showed dogs and bred dogs for many years and I didn,t use commercial dog food then, I made my own diet, much of it raw.

Since I put the post on I have read a bit more and have found out for sure that it is quite  legal to use euthanised pets in the US, not yet sure about Canada.
XX Jeannine