We have taken great interest in feeding our Bostons and we have tried many different dog foods over the years. Very often, we will find a food we like, only to have the company bought out by a large company who cheapens the food by changing the ingredients and the dogs no longer do well on it. Such was our experience with the Iams company. We used their Eukanuba Adult Premium Performance food for a number of years while we were no longer able to find Nutro in our area (we originally used Nutro). Proctor and Gamble bought the Iams company (who makes Eukanuba) and the food stayed the same - for a year - then it no longer looked or smelled the same. My dogs started to lose weight and their coats were no longer shiny. I found stiff pieces of what looked like fingernails sticking out of the kibble - so sharp, they would cut my fingers! I thought "what is this doing to the stomachs of my dogs??" So, we sought out a source for our old favorite Nutro's Natural Choice High Energy, and my dogs began eating it again - it was finally available in our area again!
But as of March/April 2007, the quality control at Nutro had started to suffer - and guess what - I found out that they were bought out by Bain Capital Partners, so it appears they have succumbed to the lure of the almighty dollar as just like so many other dog food companies. About every other bag of Nutro Natural Choice High Energy has given my dogs very loose stools, so something is very wrong.
Dog Food Recall, (March/April/May 2007) - and then we had had the big dog food recall - and Nutro's cans and pouches were involved. So now the truth comes out - their wet foods are made in the same factory as cheap store brands such as those sold in Wal-Mart ('Ol Roy, etc). I have chosen to stop feeding Nutro to my dogs after many, many years of being so happy with their food - I can no longer recommend it. Here is the list of dog food companies and which big companies own them - none are run only by "themselves" anymore. Additionally, many contract out to God-knows-who to make some of their foods, as we have seen in the recall situation.
August 10, 2008 - Mars recalls Pedigree due to salmonella and problems suspected at Mars-owned Nutro still bubbling...
Apparently there is more illness happening with Nutro that has resolved when switching to another food. This is the kind of thing I was finding when I stopped using it a year and a half ago. Some employees have quit because of the company's lack of concern on the issue, plus they are laying people off and there is a shortage of food on the shelves. A global shortage on lamb? I doubt that. Maybe the ROADKILL lamb... I know I sent a sample of food in back then and they said it was ok - NOT! The color was different that other bags and all the dogs were getting diarreah and were looking horrible. They just will not admit to problems. Anyway, here is the pedigree link - for more Nutro info, click the links in the column to the right of this article ("Expert Finds Unexplained Pet Deaths 'Not Consistent').
Someone I know from my Boston Terrier mailing list told me she found a suture in a piece of kibble from her premium dry dog food (Natura Innova Senior Plus). See the pictures below.
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The company said they had no idea how this could have gotten into the food. Here is what my friend said about her experience sending the kibble with suture in to the company for analysis:
"I too thought I was feeding the "top" dry food (Innova - I feed 3 different varieties) for many years. Until....a couple of months ago I found a suture in the kibble of the Senior Plus. I had taken pictures and shown it to my vet for proof. I also worked for a vet for 17 years so I knew what I was looking at. The knot in the material told all, it was a knot used only in sutures and in fishing line so it does not slip. Well after sending the piece in for Natura to check it out, their findings "connective tissue". My response "BU*L**HIT!" But then I did apologize because after talking with the company VP it hit me and I do believe it hit him. Yes indeed it could have been connective tissue "cat gut" (used to make sutures). But why did it not cook down?? He did agree it could have been, but either way it should not have been in there ....well gee no kidding, imagine my surprise when I found it in my old girls bowl. I asked them to send back the sample for me to have another look since we could not agree as to what it was.....yep you may have already guessed what happened to the sample. In the trash. Of course he assured me this was not normal procedure since they need to save everything. Personally this was a pretty interesting foreign object, so why the heck wouldn't they save it?"
This got me thinking, and after doing some reading, it became clear to me how it happened: euthanized dogs and cats whose owners choose not to bury or cremate their pets after they die, are picked up by a company the vets contract out to (usually weekly) and the animals are then sent to a rendering plant. To read Wikipedia's online definition of what rendering is, see here. After reading a book on the subject, I learned more about it. PLEASE buy this book to read more - you will never see dog food the same again. Read some excerpts about dead companion animals being used in pet food here.
Then before I had heard about my friend's experience, I bought a bag of Natura's Innova EVO Red Meat Small Bites since this food seemed to be the up and coming "thing to feed" amongst breeders (I fed it for 2 nights and they all got black diarrhea), so upon looking closer I could see all kinds of things sticking out of the food. This is supposed to be a grain-free food. A friend who has some of my dogs also tried it but said the stools were always bad on it and she stopped using it too. I scanned a piece of kibble from this EVO Red Meat Small Bites formula, and here is what I saw:
There were very sharp protrusions (stems from grains?) and hairs which is probably why my dogs had black diarrhea - it was blood from their insides being scraped with this stuff. This is supposed to be a grain-free food but it looks like there might be portions of grain in it. I would NEVER buy any food this company makes. If they are THAT out of touch with the ingredients and sources of what they are using, it does not matter what is said on their web site to sell their foods - the proof is what you SEE in the bags and how the dogs do. See it once, and in our case twice, and I will not allow Natura/Innova to prepare food for MY dogs again no matter how many apologies they make for their mistakes! In all my years of feeding Nutro's Natural Choice High Energy before it went bad, I NEVER ONCE saw anything sticking out of it - it was the same clean-looking food bag after bag. One thing I judge a dry food by is consistency.
March 2008 - And another story from a pet food store employee: "I've also personally seen nails baked in Natura biscuits that people have returned to our store. Work in the pet food business for a while - every company has dirty little secrets. There is a very good reason that none of my animals eat kibble, and that reason is that I've seen issues with every single "good" kibble out there". (a Pit Bull owner in Bend, Oregon)
Feb 2008 Someone I know found this and sent me a picture of it - a latex glove packed down tightly in her can of Canidae dog food - how ick is that??? This was not a paste-up or hoax picture as it was from someone I knew.
June 2008 Here's an unbelievably sharp piece of salmon bone in a kibble of Orijen's Puppy food found June 2008. It was sharp enough to draw blood easily (how about this sitting in a puppy's tummy??!!) The company replaced food that was from their bad lot numbers, but this was found AFTER the bad lots were made. This lot number was 82948 and the bag was dated July 11 2009. A photo of this kibble was sent in to them and they said they'd look into it and possibly replace this bag. After a very long wait, they did apologize and offer to replace the bag. However, the next bag had the same problem.
Happy, naturally fed Bostons!
You can see their great body and coat condition here. There is no commercial dog food in their diet.
It's time you take full control over what your dog eats - then you do not have to worry every time you feed your dog what they are really getting. If you want to do the VERY BEST you can for you dogs, cook for them! Do not believe that you cannot do it - that only dog food companies know what's best for dogs. You can do MUCH better. When you cook, you KNOW what they are getting. You will not have to worry about unknowingly killing your dog with food that has been tainted. These Bostons are not just our pets, they are family. They deserve to eat what we do. The dog food industry just started out as a way to make use of leftover grains, animal carcasses and baked goods that were not fit for human consumption during the depression. Today, that mentality still exists as dog food companies "research" ways to add various supplements to inherently non-nutritive base foods, most of which remain largely undigested and result in too many stools a day, especially in our Boston Terrier breed. Many dogs have health problems and allergies as well. But if we start with fresh, nutritious foods designed to work in unison with a dog's digestive makeup, we can supply a much higher level of nutrition than what we find in a bag of dog food, no matter how expensive the food is and no matter how great those label ingredients read. I think we have to re-train our minds to realize that dogs don't need dog food, they need GOOD food that we can be in control of and purchase ourselves as we would for the rest of the family. Portions can be made up ahead and frozen so you do not have to prepare it every night. Look to your own supermarket for recipe ingredients - ground beef, lamb or chicken (cooked) are great base foods. Organic meats are even better if you can afford them.
That's what we are doing at Brindle Hill. We are no longer feeding commercial dog food. I am cooking for my dogs as this is the only way I can be sure they are going to stay safe. We cannot live at the mercy of corporate America and the greed that has caused this whole recall thing. This was a personal choice of ours and we ask that you too at least consider it, especially in light of what we have learned about letting others prepare food for our dogs. Our rule of thumb is: "If you are not prepared to eat it yourself, do not feed it to your dogs".
Food safety: Ideally, meat must be cooked to at least 160 degrees F to kill the bacteria. See this heart-wrenching story of what feeding a lower quality ground beef-in-a-roll did to a fellow Boston breeder's dogs here. Also, here is an excellent scholarly study entitled "Bacteriological evaluation of commercial canine and feline raw diets". if you are concerned about bacteria in raw foods. Most dogs do not have a problem with the bacteria, but the quality of the meat you use and how it is handled and prepared has a lot to do with keeping dogs safe on raw.
It costs me a little more than feeding commercial, but again, we have chosen peace of mind and safety over economy or convenience for our dogs. They are all doing great on the recipe we developed (cooked, not raw) and have many fewer stools (and they are firm), so we feel really good about it. It is grain-free and gluten-free. We honed it down to just 4 ingredients plus vitamin/mineral and oil supplements, so it is easy and I only have to prepare it every couple of weeks. If you want to do it fresh and not freeze portions, it can be kept for 5 days in the refrigerator. 1 cup of our mixture supplies a very nutrient-dense 600 calories/cup. Protein supplied using a dry weight analysis is 37%, fat is 25%, fiber is 1.8% and carbs are 36%. Total time in the kitchen is no more than 30 minutes to fully cook and assemble what I need (beef & lamb versions). I only have one pot to clean. None of the ingredients need any cleaning, cutting, peeling or any other preparation. 3 ingredients plus oil supplement are purchased at Sam's Club and Costco 1 ingredient can be found at Wal-Mart or any grocery store. I actually look forward to the whole cooking and feeding ritual now.
I have also developed a chicken version of the recipe for those who prefer using chicken or whose dogs like chicken better than beef. The standard chicken version supplies 433 calories and contains 39% protein, 21% fat, 1.9% fiber, 38% carbs. For dogs with allergies, we also have a lamb recipe. This supplies 33% Protein, 31% fat, 1.7% fiber, 34% carbs and 658 calories per cup.
All diets contain the proper ratios of calcium to phosphorus, zinc to copper and omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids - all very important factors in providing a safe diet that will make them glow. We have had blood tests done on our first dog and the results came back with all values normal, showing that our dogs are eating a diet that meets the demands of our active Bostons. It shows that their organs are functioning well and that there are no deficiencies or excesses in the diets. I have spent months reading the National Research Council's textbook on the nutrient requirements of dogs (a lot of math is involved - I had no idea how much till I got into this!!) along with another huge veterinary nutrition text and many other books and resources. I have gone into more detail with my nutrients than even nutritional consultants online have done - I asked one about iodine levels in certain foods and she had no idea - just told me "most foods have enough". Answers like that don't sit well with me, so I realized early on that I was on my own as I formulated the diets. Even the More information on ordering my diets is here. July 2008 - I have the pregnancy version of the diets available. This is what I used on my own bitches while they were pregnant.
site run by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists sells diets that don't make sense - their beef and potato diet contains a HUGE amount of potatoes and a TEENY amount of meat - how can they not know that dogs need more meat than carbs? I paid $60 to try their recommended package, but the amount to feed was so large that none of my dogs could finish the portions of mostly potato, and I felt like an idiot handing them all this potato and hardly any meat - common sense just said no, this ain't gonna fly. I also bought their canine vitamin supplement that they sell to go with the diets they sell to you, and there aren't even exact amounts of vitamins and minerals on the label - it just says a "minimum" of....Well, anyway, I knew I could do better, so I set out to concentrate the nutrients more like what you would find in dry dog foods before thay all went bad (giving the ability to feed less) and I also wanted to give them a decent amount of meat! I have run my own feeding trials and I have had other breeders "beta testing" along with me too. This is how my "Dog's Alive" diets were born - through a labor of love and a lot of hard study - even two of my vets asked if they could use my diets for their clients!
The first litter of puppies born to a dam who ate only the recipe I developed during her pregnancy has been born! "Dharma" owned by Bryan Craven and Phyllis Kahler of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, delivered 5 healthy girls by c-section July 26! We are very proud that Phyllis fed our recipe and supplements to Dharma, proving that the diet is safe and effective for reproduction. Phyllis says:
"She has plenty of milk for the babies. They are growing well and have fat, filled tummies. I'm very happy with the condition of Dharma. The vet said as she stitched her up from her c-section that she didn't have all the fat that is usually in the way but she was active and very shiny and is doing well. The puppies were all uniform in size and active from birth. Their weights were from 5.4 to 6.8 oz each".
5 hours old:
5 days old - getting fat already:
After Phyllis Kahler had her litter, I had 2 litters on my diet and you can see one of the pups in the show ring here! Both dams ate it while pregnant and all pups were weaned on it and are still eating only my fresh foods. None have ever eaten dog food.
Here are some pictures of one of my pups growing up through the major growth periods on my diet. So far I have raised a total of 4 litters of my own on my diet and they have all done wonderfully.
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Feeding raw is very popular now, especially since the 2007 recalls. Some people have concerns about feeding raw food, and I am sure you already know what these are. If you are feeding a commercial raw diet, you also have to worry about freeze/thaw cycles when purchasing frozen commercial raw as it travels from slaughterhouse to dog food factory, to distributor and to the store (and maybe other places in between). You have no idea how it was handled prior to purchasing it. Not to mention the sources for their meats. And the costs - raw commercial is very expensive. Below are some thoughts on commercial raw. I personally recommend that you make it yourself and that you do not buy commercial raw. IMO, if you are going to do it at all, do it right.
If feeding venison, please note that a large population of deer and elk have CWD aka Chronic Wasting Disease and tuberculosis. The USDA just recalled (2/9/09) elk tenderloin found at a "rare meat store" because it was sourced from elk with CWD. Do you really think when you buy raw venison that it comes from a nice clean shiny spotless slaughterhouse, fresh from the "organic deer farm"? Have you ever seen a large commercial "deer farm"? So that leaves what - maybe Primal or other dog food companies are raising their own deer or are buying from people who do? NOPE. Their web site does not disclose where they get their venison from. I'll leave the rest of the possibilities to your imagination. Let's just say if I don't know where they come from, I WILL NOT feed it to my dog. If it's not sold in a human grocery store, I will not feed it to my dog. A good example of shady business practice is found right on Primal's site. On their FAQ they say "Q: Are all of the raw materials used in all Primal formulas human grade? A: Yes, all raw materials used in Primal Canine and Feline formulas are 100% human grade and human edible. Then on their ABOUT/COMMITMENTS page, they say "All Primal Pet Foods Products are produced and sold for Animal Consumption Only." Just to get you thinking...
A raw food company says:
"Our lamb and beef are imported from Australia and New Zealand"
Translation/Fact: It's cheaper to buy meat from Australia and New Zealand. You don't think they would go to those lengths unless it was cheaper, do you?
"Our poultry is antibiotic-free"
Translation/Fact: No poultry sold in the US is treated with antibiotics, period.
"Our raw vegetables are Grade A fresh and washed prior to processing"
Translation/Fact: We want you to think we are supplying you with a clean, safe product. Unfortunately, washing doesn't kill salmonella. Not all dogs will have a problem with salmonella, but vegetables CAN be blanched before feeding to be safe, not to mention that dogs can't break down the cellulose and starch when they are fed raw vegetables in most forms. The nutrients in vegetables CAN be utilized if the vegetables are finely pureed or in the case of starchy vegetables, cooked.
"We never use preservatives, additives, or artificial ingredients or colors"
Translation/Fact: Other than natural preservatives such as vitamin C and E, there are almost NO dog food companies using any additives, artificial preservatives or colors anymore anyway.
The other thing that perplexes me is that many of the people who feed raw do so because they want to get away from commercial foods containing by-products, BUT the whole BARF/raw diets concept uses almost nothing but the by-products of the animal - such as chicken necks, backs, and feet (Oma's Pride sells duck feet, tongue, frames/carcasses, tracheas and turkey tails..) It must be nice to base your pet food company on all the leftovers from the human food world. This is NO DIFFERENT than what the dog food companies have been doing for centuries, causing everyone to get up in arms! I am not speaking against raw you make yourself at home from quality ingredients - but I believe in feeding the WHOLE animal, not just a few leftover parts which is what you find in most commercial raw.
Since there is a strong interest in feeding raw, I decided to research the topic in depth, trial what I came up with on my own dogs and offer my results as a raw feeding diet sheet. I watched videos online, read sites, asked people doing it, but nothing took the place of digging-in and doing it myself. It was frustrating, scary, messy and time consuming - and each time I finished a batch, I swore to everyone that I would NEVER do it again! But I'd take som etime off, think some more, then forge ahead, making modifications that made it a lot easier. The resulting information sheet will address some of the factors that concern people about feeding raw. One thing I will tell you is that feeding COMMERCIAL raw is definitely out - you must serve your own meats to have control over what your dog really gets. I have come up with ways to actually lower the chances of bacteria (though nothing is 100% as far as elimination) using procedures that have been shown to work in university studies. Also, I offer my own way of combining foods that are practical and as easy as safe raw feeding can get (raw is more work than cooked IMO). Additionally, I discuss grinding techniques for those who want to grind and share my experiences on a number of different grinders that I have bought. NOTE: I have tested only chicken in my raw feeding diet, so if you plan to rotate you can use some of the general guidelines I give but no other meats have been tested by me. I give amounts of organ meats by weight based on my knowledge of mineral levels found in organ meats and what a 15 lb (or thereabouts) dog needs. I also give amounts of a few supplements to make sure a couple of crucial levels and ratios are met. No, this is not a prey-model diet, it's my own balanced approach to raw feeding based on numbers and NRC recommendations just as I have used in my cooked diets. You need very few supplements, you you do need a couple. There are certain required nutrients that are just about non-existent in foods that agree with Bostons so supplements can be used to add these. You can use a balance-over-time model if you don't feel comfortable using any vitamin supplements. Look for me to offer my raw-feeding diet sheet which is my safer way to feed raw soon. I will also offer a suggestion sheet for feeding dogs raw plus supplements who have cancer. It is based on scholarly research. It is my own way, not the "only" way or the "best" way, they are just the procedures I worked out that address some of the food safety issues that concern people.
If you still want to use commercial dog food despite all the horrors of them, here are some companies. Your dogs will poop A LOT MORE ON THEM as opposed to cooking or raw!! Try and find a company who manufactures their OWN FOOD and does not contract out to others. This is rare these days. Look for foods that have NO GRAINS in them.
Consider using human food if you need to mix meat in with any dry you use. A can of chunky soup, hash, or beef stew can provide a healthy spoonful of meat to add in with dry food if your dog needs this. A small jar of baby food (beef, chicken, veal etc) can also add a healthier spoonful of flavor than canned dog food.
In general, try and find a dry food with a minimum of 30% Protein and 20% fat as you can as Bostons need these higher levels of nutrients. Unfortunately, most do not make formulas close to this. I do NOT use the useless past listings from the Whole Dog Journal to list foods from. I am going on my own experience and knowledge here on my site. WDJ has not fed any of the foods and reported results to the public and they base most of their recommendations on whether or not a company will tell you where their food is made and also by also just reading the ingredient list. As you see on my page there are actual facts gathered from using many of the foods, something that cannot be gotten unless you buy and feed it. Innova and EVO are good examples - everything looks great on the outside as their ad campaign is very tempting, but actual results from using their products is a whole other story....Whole Dog Journal also recommends that you give your dog variety when doing raw or cooked - this is the "shotgun approach" which I very much disagree with - but this is done when one doesn't do their homework and gather all the data related to nutrient levels needed as per the NRC for different weights and ages of dogs. The main problem with their "varying the diet" theory is that many dogs, and certainly Boston Terriers, cannot be thrown different foods all the time - their digestive system is very sensitive and they really do need to eat the same thing each day (with a few additions IF the dog will tolerate it and you feel it's useful) as long as it's properly balanced. I know of no Boston who could tolerate daily food changes. WDJ does not take into consideration different breeds, they only speak from their own perspective ie going on the dogs that they have owned. It's really dangerous to put info out there like this that has not been well researched and tested first. I spent a year developing my Boston diet and since a Boston is the lowest common denominator in terms of fussy stomachs (if they can eat it ANYONE CAN) my diet will be safe for dogs who don't have fussy stomachs too.
Champion Pet Foods They make Acana and Orijen foods, and they tout their high quality, locally obtained ingredients. They use 75% meat and 25% fruits and vegetables with no grain (Orijen and certain varieties of Acana) and they contain very low carbs. Their foods are distributed AND manufactured by them (a Canadian company in Alberta, available in some areas of the US and online). This food did look very promising, however they had a recall from oversized salmon bones in the foods, see picture of kibble found in a bag of their puppy food (I found it here so can vouch for it coming from Orijen) Still, assuming they have ironed out the problems by now, it is the only dry food I recommend. I have spoken to the owners a few times and they seem like pretty decent people wanting to do a good job. They will have dark blackish tarry stools on it just so you know.
Taste Of The Wild Grain-free dry foods include roasted and/or smoked Bison, lamb, chicken, duck, quail and venison as protein sources, depending upon the formula. They have two 32/18 formulas and their fish formula is 25/15. Made by Diamond Pet Food who has been involved with recalls.
Petcurean They have a food called "NOW! Grain Free" and one called "GO! Natural Grain Free" (chicken/turkey/duck). They claim "no rendered meats". However, their foods have been recalled in the past:
Link to the JAVMA recall info
Also
In October of 2003, the FDA issued a voluntary recall of all Go! Natural pet food manufactured in Texas and owned by Canadian company Petcurean Pet Nutrition, Inc.
After 13 cats and dogs got ill, included six that died, Petcurean investigated the chances of its food being the cause. Symptoms of the animals were rashes, vomiting, reduced appetite and jaundice. Liver failure was the cause of death.
On January 12, 2004, the owners of the pets who died filed lawsuit against the parties involved in producing and distributing the food in the case Hanrahan et al. v Petcurean Pet Nutrition, Inc. et al.
Heather A. Foster, partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, said, "Petcurean and Pet Food Express touted the high-priced Go! Natural pet food as a premium product that was one of the 'healthiest pet foods in the world.' We believe the evidence will show, as alleged in the complaint, that Go! Natural contained substances toxic to animals and this is why so many pets have died."
BG (Before Grain) - Made by Merrick, they have Bison, Chicken and Salmon formulas. The formulas all contain Acai and blueberries. Unfortunately, other than the first ingredient (Buffalo for example), the rest of the dry foods contain chicken and turkey proteins - so they are not useful for avoiding certain proteins due to allergies. They also contain yeast which is very allergenic for dogs. The canned foods are 100% single meats though. They have a canned green tripe. Here are some experiences people have had with Merrick:
March 2008 "Unfortunately, I'm one of "those people" who doesn't believe it 'til they see it...and I have seen the Merrick issues first hand. Do you remember when their Wingalings were recalled b/c they ALL had metal staples in it?" A customer in Raleigh, NC
March 2008 "I'm assuming there is a lot of dislike for Merrick due to their continuous quality control issues. People finding pieces of loose metal in their cans of dog food, or pieces of loose plastic chunks. I've heard of it happening on at least 4 separate occasions. I know someone who sent me pics in September or October 2007 of a nice sized chunk of metal she found in her dog treats." ellaslead.com
Solid Gold Their "Barking At The Moon" formula is grain-free. I have used this and it was fair - again, stools weren't great. They did recently change the formula though and cheapened it...I also hate the advertising techniques of this company..
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural They do not manufacture their own foods and will not tell the public who does manufacture them...what are they hiding??? Also, none of their products are organic - so what's with their name???
Nature's Variety Instinct - Grain free dry and canned. NOTE: These foods contain a fiber source called Inulin which causes diarrhea in some dogs. From a pet store employee in Bend, Oregon "Nature's Variety has been getting kibble put in wrong bags and having VAST colour variations in the kibble which is causing stomach upsets in dogs."
Nature's Variety Prairie - Dry and canned. NOTE: These foods contain a fiber source called Inulin which causes diarrhea in some dogs.
PetcureanWild Salmon & Oatmeal and Chicken Fruit & Vegetables. This brand was recalled a few years ago, see other entry above for more info.
Merrick Dog Foods They say they manufacture their OWN FOODS IN THEIR OWN FAMILY-OWNED PLANT. They have not been involved in any of the recalls thus far. They are not high in protein and fat for the most part except for the Puppy Plate. Canned varieties also, however, some people have had bad experiences:
March 2008 "Unfortunately, I'm one of "those people" who doesn't believe it 'til they see it...and I have seen the Merrick issues first hand. Do you remember when their Wingalings were recalled b/c they ALL had metal staples in it?" A customer in Raleigh, NC
March 2008 "I'm assuming there is a lot of dislike for Merrick due to their continuous quality control issues. People finding pieces of loose metal in their cans of dog food, or pieces of loose plastic chunks. I've heard of it happening on at least 4 separate occasions. I know someone who sent me pics in September or October 2007 of a nice sized chunk of metal she found in her dog treats." ellaslead.com
Fromm Family Pet Foods Owned and operated by the 4th generation Fromm family from Wisconsin. Fromm began making premium pet food in 1949. In the 1930's they introduced the first distemper vaccine. Check out all of the "Four Star" varieties and the Puppy Gold. I have used the Salmon A La Veg, Puppy Gold and Chicken A La Veg and they weren't bad. The food also looks pretty clean. They say all canned food is 100% human grade, hand-packed in a human food facility - but I wasn't too impressed by their canned foods...I have recently heard that their canning takes place in China as well as the US - you would need to verify this with the company.
Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit (Bison and Salmon) A fair food, I have used it for puppies, but they were never too thrilled to eat it so I had to try something else.
Natural BalanceTheir Duck and Potato is not a bad food - both canned and dry. Since some of their foods were recalled in 2007, they now test their foods and results are on their site. I did find a piece of Saran Wrap in a can recently which could have suffocated a dog had they eaten it - ah well, what are you gonna do...it's always something... The up-side is that they are REALLY serious about testing all of their foods for contaminants after the recalls in 2007 - see more info here. The dry is pretty low in protein, fat, and calories, but for some reason certain dogs eating it tend to gain weight. Maybe it's because it is more digestible in general than other dry foods. I have used the canned on extremely fussy dogs with success. It is also a food that can be used on dogs who are having seizures as it follows the GARD principles. I know a number of dogs that had their seizures stop when put on this duck and potato formula. If my new puppy owners don't want to cook, I recommend that they feed the canned duck and potato. They will have more stool on it and it will be less firm, but it's a pretty high quality food for a commercial one. I'd prefer canned over dry, but either will do.
Castor and Pollux Same old, same old..
Canidae - Feb 2008 Someone I know found this and sent me a picture of it - a latex glove packed down tightly in her can of Canidae dog food - how ick is that??? This was not a paste-up or hoax picture as it was from someone I knew.
Fresh Pet Select This food has also been called Homestyle Select. It is a slice and serve fresh pet food sold in refrigerated cases in certain grocery stores (Bloom) and select Super Wal-Marts. I got a free roll with a coupon and was impressed with the quality. Shortly after I started using it to wean puppies on, they seemed to stop cooking the rice and peas in it and it was clearly indigestible (dry rice and peas coming out in the stools) I contacted them but all they did was send me coupons to buy more of it. 6 months later the food still had dry rice and peas in it so I gave up on them ever addressing this problem. I understand how they "lightly cook the meat" but dogs cannot digest hard dry peas and uncooked rice! It's a shame as the quality WAS quite good and it contained very fresh, good and simple ingredients, being made in a plant they own themselves using rigorous sanitation methods. The only down side was that they lost some weight on it so you would need to feed a lot of it to keep the dogs looking good. This is the problem with low carb foods. They did add a new product called Fresh Bites and these are much better, though probably only appropriate if you have 1 or 2 dogs because of cost and packaging. I buy these and freeze them and use them as bait for the show ring and training. They are like little meatballs and the dogs like them.
Sojourner Farms You add fresh meat, they supply the rest - and "the rest" are dry ingredients that are human grade and organic in the case of Monzies - Europa is air dried vegetables and fruits. I have used both of these together with added COOKED beef or chicken I make (even though they suggest raw),a little cheese, cheddar or cottage and a vitamin supplement. Unfortunately, my dogs never had good stools on it. They do better on dehydrated food than air-dried.
Stella And Chewy's - dehydrated raw diets, also frozen raw certified free of e-coli and salmonella. I have tried their raw food since it was tested free of e-coli and salmonella, but my dog instantly threw it up each time I tried feeding it to her (she ate it back down each time before I gave up after a few days). Also, her stools were white on it from excess calcium which I have heard can happen with raw diets. A couple other dogs I tried it on did better - though they lost a lot of weight on it, as most will on raw. I do appreciate their efforts to supply a product that is free of 2 major contaminants.
Primal Frozen Diets June 2008 - The worst thing I know about Primal is how the company handles its customer's problems - they don't! My friend had purchased Primal frozen raw beef patties and she thought they had an off-smell. There was a lot of ice on the patties and they were all stuck together even though they were separated by paper (indicating possible thawing at some point). He assured her that there was nothing wrong with the food. Now, how could he know this if he hadn't examined it? In this day and age with very serious problems in the industry where people are having to be extra careful about what they feed their pets, you would think he would have taken her concern more seriously - especially since its a newer company - they should be bending over backwards to satisfy customers and keep pets safe. She asked him if they test their meats for e-coli and salmonella. His response was a casual "no, not routinely". She told him she was NOT going to feed her dogs something that smelled bad. He still said there was nothing he could do to help her and that the food was fine! She asked him if he would take responsibility if her dogs got sick on their food - he evaded the question and would not commit. I think any company dealing in RAW FOOD for pets after everything that has happened needs to step up and show some concern for the animals here. She spoke with a guy named Matt (who later said he was the only one to speak to about this problem - I believe he's a co-owner or Primal). This company appears to be so concerned about their bottom line that they would risk illness in someone's pets rather than replace a bag of food! This was really unimpressive and if a company handles its customers this way, imagine what they could be doing with their manufacturing practices...I have seen the food and it is, well, green, not red and meaty looking. Other raw I've seen like Stella and Chewys's and Bravo Balance look like real red meat and don't smell weird. More info on them is above in the Raw Feeding section.
Aunt Jeni's - Not tested for e-coli and salmonella. Seems they just throw some "good sounding" ingredients together based more on what people think of the ingredients than what dogs need. Most of their foods have raw unpasteurized honey in them - presumably to lower any levels of bacteria. Dogs really should not be given sugars as they have no dietary need for them. It is supplied in smallish tubs and they are not patties which would make it difficult to portion out - and if you are feeding a number of dogs, forget it - it would be just too tedious and expensive because of the small portions they supply in each tub. My dogs didn't digest it well, it came out looking pretty much the same as when it went in.
Bravo! Raw Diets - They had a recall Sept 2007 of their chicken and turkey raw foods due to contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. They told me they test the food now, though it doesn't say this on their web site. They have a new formula called Bravo Balance that meets AAFCO standards. I found it very expensive for what you get.
Nature's Variety Freeze-dried and frozen raw, also organic chicken frozen raw. NOTE: The freeze-dried raw versions contain a fiber source called Inulin which causes diarrhea in some dogs. A friend found large chunks of bone her dog almost choked on in her bag of frozen lamb. Upon inspecting other varieties, these too had sharp and/or large pieces of unground bone in them. The company did take care of reimbursing her for the food she couldn't use because of this. Why is nobody noticing this in many months worth of manufacturing? Here is a picture of the bone:
The Honest Kitchen - dehydrated diets. I cannot imagine feeding only this to a dog even though they say you can - it's a green slurry when you re-hydrate it. The banana chips stay hard when soaked and the dogs can choke on them. They advertise it as "dehydrated RAW" but food normally starts out raw before it is dehydrated. Dehydrating it does not leave you with a raw product, it leaves you with a cooked one. So calling it raw is really not accurate. BUT, it's not a bad food for supplementing cooked diets with (1 TB per cup of food) as it adds some meat, veggies and fruits in a way that's simple to prepare. Just make sure you remove the banana chips before rehydrating it. I have used their Embark formula successfully as an adjunct to my home cooking.
Steve's Real Food - raw and dehydrated diets. Both their raw and frozen diets contain rice bran. Who would want that in a dog food anymore? Also, dehydrating does not kill all bacteria if that bothers you - read the study I noted above "Bacteriological evaluation of commercial canine and feline raw diets".
Royal Canin - My Bostons don't do well on it and they don't really like it very well (the Special 30). They did have some foods recalled (mostly their Sensible Choice line and some veterinarian-sold foods). They did however handle the recall with a better attitude and more assurances of new protocols in place to keep this from happening again as compared to the other large companies. They reimbursed vets for gratis veterinary care given to dogs who were affected by their foods. They have not swept the problem under the carpet like Iams/Eukanuba has by gearing up with a huge ad campaign and offering free food.
Breeder's Choice - Nothing too exciting, their dry Pinnacle Chicken and Oats formula is available (not as high in protein and fat as some others), but have not been too thrilled with the Avo-Derm. I saw recently that Avo-Derm is being carried at PetSmart.
Canine Caviar canned beaver and turkey recalled 4/26/07. Do not feed!
Newman's Own Organics My dogs wouldn't eat this despite the good looking ingredients - the ingredient list does not tell the whole story....
HEALTH FOODS NOT RECOMMENDED: The labels read well, but the food is not good in my personal experience and the companies have troublesome histories: Nature's Recipe or Wellness.
OTHER FOODS NOT RECOMMENDED in addition to the ones mentioned on this page: Anything you buy in a grocery store or discount store (Wal-Mart, Target. K-Mart etc). Brands to avoid in a pet food store: foods by major manufacturers such as Purina, Nutro, Pedigree, Science Diet, Iams/Eukanuba, Bil-Jac and any foods that contain grains (rice, corn, oats, wheat and associated grain portions such as gluten, hulls, bran etc)
HAD ENOUGH? More information on ordering my diets is here.