Hard feelings over food debates

[BG and Gavin]

Recently some hard feelings erupted over a food debate.  Coming to this site for the first time many people do not "get" the passion of several of the members to educate others on "good" food.  I did not understand it at first either.  But from where I stand now, here are the facts:

- growing up all our family pets were fed Purina dog chow and they all lived to ripe old ages

- back then potentially dangerous ingredients from China that are now imported and used to manufacture food like Purina were not present

- there are people on this site that lost their beloved pets from tainted food made with said imports from China and others that are dealing with sick animals from kidney failure

- my 80lb dog eats 2.5 cups of good food per day, the recommended amount of Beneful for his size is 6 cups per day

- even at 2.5 times the price, my good food is a better bargain and I have a lot less "output" to deal with in my yard.

- my food is not being recalled every other month

- I am happy to support my national farmers and an ethical company that employs people within my country

[BG and Gavin]

Thanks for sharing Allyson - I think of you and poor Tacky every time I pass the dog food isle in the supermarket.  No lie.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Well said BG! It is up to each and every one of us to make informed decisions. I cringe when I hear, "all dog is the same"! Between having the crappy dog foods readily available in grocery stores and all the dam cute commercials, it's no wonder, people flock to the bad stuff. I figure it's the very least I can do for my fur child. After all, I would'n keep my child on a diet of McDonalds every single day!

[BG and Gavin]

Yep, the commercials get me every time!

[Carol and Banjo]

Thanks for taking the time to post this.....short and to the point!   Well done!!!    

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

perfectly stated...thank you :)

[Lynda Kamrath]

Agreed!  It is all about making informed decisions.  Dog food has been contaminated recently, just like our human food has been contaminated, and why?  For money!  We need to eat and our dogs need to eat and some people and dogs are just more particular about what they eat and more susceptible to contaminates in the food.  GMO's?  They were not around years ago when dog food was safe.  How about the hormones that are fed to animals?  Pesticides and fertilizers on all the plants?  In an effort to "feed the world" the food supply is not the same as it used to be.  I keep thinking of the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.  "I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees because the trees have no voice of their own."  So we just need to be the  Dog Lorax and speak for the dogs because they have no voice of their own.  And read - everything - and then make your decisions as to what to feed your dog (and yourselves).

I had a dog die of liver failure at a too early age and he could not have any processed foods.  I feed my other dogs some processed foods, but good quality food, and nothing from China.  I figure if they would put melanine in their baby formulas, who would know what they would do with dog food or dog treats.  Remember, it is all about money these days.  So just be warned, and be a good  Dog Lorax.

[BG and Gavin]

Love your Lorax comparison Lynda.  Thanks for chiming in.

[Bonnie and Kona]

BG, Thank you for so clearly stating the perspective of many on this site in such a concise way. It benefits all of us to see it put so succinctly.

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks for this post, BG.  Great summary of facts!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Nice summary, BJ :)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Very nice summary BG. And all true facts. However unless someone "wants" to learn or change their thinking, all the facts won't matter. And some people will not even want to hear the facts or statistics, some will listen but not hear and some will just feel their way is the best way and the heck w your facts.
If the subject of dog food comes up in conversations, and they are feeding "crap", I ask if they have ever heard of Dogfood analysis.com or dog food ratings? If they seem interested, then I educate. If they fluff it off and say "my dog likes his food" then case closed. Or mind closed actually.
I have to practice this everyday at work as I educate parents in the benefits of Breastfeeding their child. But if they don't want to listen, I save my breath and move on to the person who wants to learn and is intelligent enough to have done her homework and wants what's best. I can't say to them " why would you feed your baby that crap?" Although I would love to. I ask what they've heard about brfd and I'm available if they'd like to learn more.
I agree with everyone here and yes we should speak up when someone is suggesting poor quality food, I'm just not sure there is ever going to be a nice way of putting it to the person who just feels their way is best. Touchy subject for sure.

[BG and Gavin]

For sure Sue!  I used to counsel parents to assist them in utilizing more effective parenting techniques.  I often heard things like:   "My dad paddled my a$$ every other day and it didn't hurt me none - I turned out just fine."  I would know then that I would have to work very hard to get them to open their mind up to other options.