Trader Joe's Canned Food

[Breanna]

The breeder gave me some canned food from Costco when I first got Crush. I added it to her food sometimes just for an extra treat. The breeder raved about the ratings that it had which I confirmed when I did an online search. The canned food looked pretty wholesome, too. 

I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and picked up a canned dog food when I got home. I  didn't know about the quality so I figured I would research it when I got home. The internet didn't bring up a lot of information on the quality other than it contains soy which dogs are sometimes allergic to. I opened up the can to check it out and it looked horrible. There was a gelatin-like layer on the top that didn't sit well with me. Crush was in the kitchen and was very interested in what I had so I gave her a tiny taste and threw out the rest. If I ever buy canned food to add to Crush's kibble, I'm going to costco from now on. However, when I want to add things to her food I usually just toss in some dog-approved vegetables or pumpkin puree. 

Just thought I'd let you all know. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I found it fascinating.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

I did too!

[Kyoko]

I never thought about private labeling for the groceries and pet food!!

I once worked for clothing / textile company that made private label for Macy's and Sak's  5th Ave. People were buying them thinking it was Sak's produced them, but it was just us producing....

Commercial industry is shady and scary anymore....!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

F is 100% correct. I would not buy any kind of food or treats for my pets at Costco. There are dozens and dozens of good canned foods available from the brands on our recommended list; I would stick with those. 

I can't comment on the Trader Joe's canned food without knowing the exact name of the product and seeing an ingredient list. However, I can say that if I was stranded and had to feed my dog either a can of food from Trader Joe's or a can of food from Costco, I would choose the Trader Joe's food. 

I personally think that all canned dog food is disgusting, and I've seen that "gelatin like layer" on every can I've ever opened; cat food, too. 

[Breanna]

I will have to check out the recommended food list. It's hard to know what to trust! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I really hate to say this, but many doodle breeders, I would say the majority, base their decisions about what to feed their dogs on price. I would never take advice on what to feed my dogs from either the vet or the breeder; neither has formal education in nutrition, canine or otherwise.

Whether you trust the advice you get here in this group is up to you, but we are not selling anything here, I have an educational background in nutrition, and we research sourcing very carefully before recommending anything. :) 

[Breanna]

That's good to know, thank you!

[Breanna]

Clarification: I didn't mean that I don't trust the food group, I meant that it is hard to know what to trust when shopping. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I do believe you can trust Karen and the food group completely.

[Breanna]

I don't doubt that :) I meant that when you go to the store you have all these selections in front of you, and it is hard to tell which are good and which are bad. I am aware that all the well known brands- Pedigree, Iams, what have you, are no good. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I just buy all my dog food on line and I have been feeding Acana for several years now. The doodles are happy and so am I.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

If in doubt print off the list of recommended foods and carry that with you. It has canned food on there too (if I'm not mistaken) that way you can be sure. I would trust the 'Food Group' here on DK with my doodles lives. I do think the independent pet boutiques and sometimes farm supply shops are the best places to find quality dog foods...steer a wide berth when you come to those large supermarkets.