because it doesn't cover all a dogs needs. Some breeds like my Cattle dog do fare well on even a poor 'people's' diet.
I feel I should step in and warn people switching off shitty brands to higher quality ones to be very careful in your feeding as they are much more calorie dense so it's easier to make your dog fat if you're not careful. If the dog is acting hungry anyway (simply because he isn't being physically filled up) soften the kibble up with some water and/or add a bunch of fresh vegetables in.
To dispute what shorty is suggesting & the first paragraph in their FAQ: "As weve already noted, most dry pet foods are based on grains or other plant material. But the animals were feeding them to are carnivores and should be eating a diet that is mainly made up of meat"
Wrong.
Modern domesticated dogs have grown up alongside man, eating man's scraps for millenia. If anyone has a claim that it wasn't enough time for digestive systems to evolve/adjust, then I want them to explain why among all the animals, it's humans whose digestive systems have changed to allow us to consume milk & deal with the lactose at older ages. (Well, most of us; some people can't tolerate lactose when they're older.)
If you want to feed your dog a good diet, a lot cheaper than these 6-star brands, then start eating a good, balanced diet yourself, then give the dog table scraps. If you believe the bullshit that your dog needs a very high protein diet, then go to the store & buy a shitload of chicken & cheaper cuts of beef. Should run around $2 per pound, compared to the $3-something per pound that people listed above.
But at least they got this right: "Once you have selected a good quality dog food, thats all you need to feed, right? Not really. You should vary your dogs food periodically. There are many good reasons for this:" I constantly hear people saying "never change brands of dog food once you start feeding them."
fwiw, every person who purchases expensive dog food seems to love to tell everyone how well they're spoiling their dog with "only the best possible food!" They always include, "it's $$ for a small bag, but it's worth it." I'm fairly convinced that the market doesn't exist to give dogs better food - it's there to give people something to use to one-up their coworkers.
So true.
Since he said "pets" all bets are off.
Dogs some, cats...no.
There really is no debate at an intelligent level that most pet foods are pure crap.
Yes, many people live long lives smoking, drinking and eating junk too.
So true.
Yup, most of this stuff is about spreading fud, make people scared of their own judgment so they can be separated from their money.
Dogs coevolved with humans, it wasn't entirely the result of human domestication, the dog like creatures that were docile enough to gain access to human scraps near human villages self selected themselves in large part. They evolved to eat our scraps.
be careful with adding vegetables. You really shouldn't have to and many do this wrong and end up poison their pet.
yeah, it's all fud. The average 12 year old should be ready to reproduce too. 6 year olds harvesting.
people are fucking retarded when they get just tidbits of info.
Yea and the lives of modern dogs are anything but natural, they live pampered lives with vaccinations and steady supply of easy food not riddled with bacteria and garbage. So really don't even compare their current situation to some kind of beastly condition.
yea and show me the credible scientific tests showing that dogs on fancy kibble actually live longer. I'm sure you have some sort of ridiculous fantasy about dogs all over america on regular kibble being lethargic and stunted
Well, cheap ass food can mess up a pet... there's no denying it. My coworker fed his kitten meow mix and it died at age 3 of kidney failure. The vet confirmed that it was the meow mix that killed it.
Yea sure, i'm sure he's got a hell of a case for a lawsuit if this is true, as do others..class action time..lawyers smell blood and your off.
that or its just a load of bs.
I'd go with "just a load of bs" option.
I'd go with the "It doesn't matter if it's BS or not, no sane attorney would take that case" option. It's pretty well established in case law that pets are personal property and owners are not entitled to any sort of emotional recompense. A cat being fed Meow Mix is probably worth $100, tops. $100 x the number of cats at risk = very poor litigation risk.
I really don't recall any vegetables that are toxic other than onion related stuff, and tomatoes probably aren't the best idea but are generally safe. More of the problems show up with fruits (citrus, grapes, almost any kind of pit/seed). Really, vegetables are a good way to help fill them up, give them a little more nutrients and help clean their teeth.
and so you have to go with the supposed reality that millions of cats fail to reach age 4 being fed meow mix
and its not that owners would cash out big in lawsuits. class action lawsuits are what lawyers go for, the last tainted case from china bagged millions of dollars in settlement, if meow mix were poisoning its customers, there would be millions more for the taking.
The rub is most being fed 'meow mix' and other cheap foods are outdoor cats too. Most are lucky to live a 2 year lifespan outside.
There are plenty of people claiming their cats are 10+ years outside only, but the masses whose cats die every couple years just aren't vocal about that.
Yea sure, i'm sure he's got a hell of a case for a lawsuit if this is true, as do others..class action time..lawyers smell blood and your off.
that or its just a load of bs.
Top 10 Ingredients in Meow Mix Dry Cat Food
1. Ground yellow corn: (Minus 1 point) filler used to drive up the protein content of pet food. Major source of pet allergies, often toxic to dogs.
2. Corn gluten meal (Minus 1 point): Waste product, cheap, non-nutritive filler but used as protein source -- can cause allergies and sugar imbalance.
3. Chicken by-product meal (Minus 1 point): Ground up carcasses, internal organs, beaks, feet. Concentrated.
4. Soybean meal (Minus 1 point): Dogs can not digest soybeans, can bloat/die.
5. Beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of vitamin E) (Minus 1 point): Beef tallow can be used restaurant fat! Misleading with "natural" Vitamin E preservative added. Indicates very poor quality product.
6. Turkey by-product meal (Minus 1 point): Can include carcass, feet, beaks and diseased turkey organs, tumors.
7. Salmon Meal (Minus 1 point): Concentrated source of protein and a few fatty acids (oil has been pressed out) but can add mercury to the diet.
8. Ocean fish meal (Plus 1 point): Quality cold water fish, highly nutritious, high in fatty acids. Concentrated.
9. Brewers dried yeast (Minus 1 point): Waste product (used for flavoring, protein, B-vitamins) which can become very toxic to the liver causes allergies and arthritis.
10. Phosphoric acid (Minus 1 point): A sequestering agent for rendered animal fats -- implies poor quality fats are used, source of phosphorous.
The rub is most being fed 'meow mix' and other cheap foods are outdoor cats too. Most are lucky to live a 2 year lifespan outside.
There are plenty of people claiming their cats are 10+ years outside only, but the masses whose cats die every couple years just aren't vocal about that.
I don't think a vet would just make up that a kitten had kidney failure due to mineral deposits but who knows. The only logical reason for mineral deposits for a kitten would be food and water, and if you read the review for meow mix then it would be most likely the cause.
While all the ingredients are absolute sht and most likely harmful to your cat, most people probably don't go the lawsuit route because it's way cheaper to just buy another cat.
Ah, the grand conspiracy, all the pet cats are dying in 2 years before their owners catch on to the mass pet poisoning ...yea...right...millions and millions of cats dying to this grand conspiracy... you should really break news of this cat holocaust to the media, it should be a hell of a story.
Vets like any other professional can be of dubious quality, or simply tell an owner what they want to hear or are simply quacks. Even on humans real doctors make mistakes, or are incompetent. For whatever reason, the vet had a thing against certain pet food, i'm sure there are doctors who are against eating meat as well. Hell, there was a doctor who was against vaccinations even. Until you bring out actual science it just really doesn't wash. There are millions of animals probably eating this so called cheap food, and if it were as bad as claimed, the death rates would be atrocious. It would be a pet cat apocalypse, and after decades i'm sure the patterns would emerge and people no matter how dim, would catch on.
Indeed. 40lb bag for $17 at Walmart.I love my dog, but he gets the cheapest shit money can buy.