Commercial Foods-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tell us what commercial foods have worked for you and which have caused problems; information, questions, warnings and advice on dog food companies, ingredients, brands, and switching foods.
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)

[Ali]

Oh okay. Thank you for clarifying everything for me. I was catching up on all the discussions (very recently) and did not remember anything being negative about Nature's Variety. From reading this discussion and the research I did on my own, I decided that was the next thing I was going to by for Lola since they have such a variety of flavors. I think that is what she needs, because she gets tired of her food fast. So when I came across that comment I was a bit concerned.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Posted by Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles on November 20, 2008 at 11:43am in The Food Group

Hey everyone! Glad to be here, this is topic of great passion for me and it is good to be among those that feel so too. I often hesitate to post on research because I think those that are not as passionate may think 'oh no here she is again'. Sometimes I hold back to allow others to jump in. BUT it really does not make any sense for any of us NOT to share information, you just never know who or how you may impact someone else's life.

That said here is a link to an interesting article regarding pet food companies informing consumers of ingredient changes. I will clarify that I have not checked the source, but it is something to be aware of. It serves as a reminder to ALWAYS have options, know what else is out there and what you may find as a suitable substitution should the need arise. Here is the link ~

http://www.naturalnews.com/024768.html

Dianne Carter
Trinity Doodles
http://www.trinitydoodles.com
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[Leslie and Halas]

I don't think "here she is again" at all when I see something like this. This issue about ingredient changes is something I never would have thought of on my own. Until I got Halas, I hadn't had a dog for over 4 years, so I was way behind on a lot of the food issues. I knew about the recalls, but only generally. I've learned a lot more about food, recalls, ingredients, etc. here on DK than I ever thought I would need to know. Without a lot of the info I've found here, I'd probably be feeding average (or worse) food without really researching what I was giving my dog. I wouldn't even have known to search for the info, so without discussions just popping up, I'd still be completely ignorant on the issue. So I say thanks to people like Dianne, Karen, and all of the others that post this kind of information. For a lot of us, it's something that may not even be on our radar otherwise.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

interesting.....

http://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/Public/Q-AND-A-REGARDING-PETFOODREGS...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This link really needs to be in a more prominent place- very interesting and informative, especially the questions regarding the use of cow brains & spines and animal by-products. Lynne is right- it DOES make you sick.

[ClarkP]

I don't feed it at present but I have had very good success with all Eagle Pack foods. They are made in Indiana out of human grade ingredients. They also have a Holistic Select line that is great for dogs with sensitivities or allergies. Really good stuff.

Their web site also has a ton of research data and science based results. It is highly rated on all food lists I have seen. I would recommend this food without reservation.

http://www.eaglepack.com/

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Eagle Pack has bought Wellness and I seem to recall something about the aquisition company purchasing another brand but during a caffeine deficient moment I cannot recall the details. I will have to get back to you on that one. My suggested stance would be guarded, not because it is bad, just because sometimes with change, more is to follow. No sense making a change until the dust settles and you feel comfortable that you won't be changing again ~ with or without your knowledge = )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have been doing some on-line searches, and I cannot find anything tying Eagle Pack & Wellness together- frighteningly, what I DID find is that the Wellness division of Old Mother Hubbard has been sold to the Berwind Corporation, whcih is a huge financial company which is involved in the manufacturing of Elmer's Glue and many other chemical based products. Apparently. Wellness was also made by Menu Foods, so looks like I got Jack off of it just in time!
Update: Ditto that! Berwind owns Eagle Pack...that's the connection.

[Teri]

I'm feeding my dog Eagle Pack now....I've fed him several different foods(Merrick, Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, Orijen, Wellness and so on) This is my happy medium. I know there are better foods than this one but it's the only one that he likes and doesn't give him diarrhea so I'm sticking with it as long as I can. Thanks for the info :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Teri, I know quite a few people who swear by Eagle Pack, so if your guy is doing well on it,
that's the main thing. As Lynne NJ always reminds us, the important thing is to stay aware of changes and keep on questioning & reading...and we hope this group will help keep people informed.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I went back into the old dogfood discussion from May and took another look at a list that was posted and went to see if I could find some updated info from it. Here's the article and the list:

DOG FOOD RATING SCALE
This is a rating scale to determine if your dog food is excellent, good, acceptable, not acceptable or hazardous for your pet. Although it is a general “scale” based on someone’s opinion, it does make a great deal of sense. At the end of the rating scale there are some good examples of what commercial dog foods you should never ever give your pet.

This scale does seem to match what I have been saying about giving your dog the premium organic dog foods. Use the scale as a general evaluation of your dog’s food and see where it falls.

This is not my own scale, and unfortunately I don’t have the address available where I found it on the internet. I had saved it to my computer for my own interest quite a while ago.

Give it a look – it is quite enlightening.

CANINE FOOD RATING SCALE AND CRITERIA

Start with a grade of 100
- For every listing of “by-product”, subtract 10 points.
- For every non-specific animal source (“meat or “poultry”, meat meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points.
- If the food contains BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points. (these are known cancer causing agents.)
- For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source subtract 5 points.
- If the same grain ingredient is used two or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, brewer’s rice”, “rice flour”, are all the same grain), subtract 5 points.
- If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than two meats in the top three ingredients, subtract 3 points.
- If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points.
- If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points.
- If corn is listed in the top five ingredients, subtract 2 more points.
- If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points.
- If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points.
- If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points.
- If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points.
- If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point.
- If it contains salt, subtract 1 point.

EXTRA CREDIT
- If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points.
- If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points.
- If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points.
- If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points.
- If the food contains fruit, add 3 points.
- If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains) add 3 points.
- If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points.
- If the food contains barley, add 2 points.
- If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 point.
- If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point.
- If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point.
- For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one, count “chicken and chicken meal” as one protein source, but “chicken” and “venison” as 2 different sources) add 1 point.
- If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point.
- If the vegetable have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point.

SCORES:
94 + = A BEST!
86 – 93 = B STILL GOOD
78 - 85 = C Many need to change or add additives
70 – 77 = D Need to think about changing.
69 = F AWFUL! CHANGE IMMEDIATELY.

Here are some examples of foods rated on this scale: The good, the bad and the ugly.
Karma Organic Dog Food - Score 120 = A+
Newman’s Own Organics Adult Dog Dry Food - Score 122 = A+
Wellness Super5Mix Dry Dog Food Chicken 30 lb. Bag - Score 110 = A+
Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food - Score 112 = A+
Solid Gold WolfKing Bison Dry Dog Food - Score 109 = A+
Natural Balance Potato & Duck Dog Food Allergy Formula - Score 106 = A+
Innova Dry Dog Food - Score 114 = A+
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Iams ProActive Health Mini Chunks/ 69 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies/ Score 69 F (This is the veterinarians choice) Kibbles N Bits/ 50 F
Pedigree Lamb and Rice / 50F
Purina Beneful/ Score 17 F
Purina come-n-Get It/ Score 16 F

This one is from June, 2008
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's one problem which this list doesn't cover- methadione, or synthetic vitamin K, also known as K3. I know it's in the Nutro products, one of the reasons I'm switching. Here's the link to read about it- more scary stuff.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione