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 now we have 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.
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.
Happy, naturally fed Bostons!
You can see their great body and coat condition here. There is no commercial dog food in their diet.
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, meats 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 or chicken (cooked) are great base foods. Organic meats are even better.
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".
It costs me 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 5 days. 1 cup of our mixture supplies 491 calories. Protein supplied using a dry weight analysis is 40%, fat is 23%, fiber is 2.9% and carbs are 34%. Total time in the kitchen is no more than 30 minutes to fully cook and assemble what I need (beef version). I only have one pot to clean. None of the ingredients need any cleaning, cutting, peeling or any other preparation. The 4 ingredients plus oil supplement are purchased at Sam's Club and Costco. I actually look forward to the whole cooking and feeding ritual now.
As of July 2007, 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 423 calories and contains 39% protein, 21% fat, 3% fiber, 36.5% carbs. BUT the great thing is that you can adjust the levels of protein, fat fiber and carbs to suit your own dogs when you cook your own foods. Both 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 balanceit.com 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 - and that they can get along even with NO carbs? I tried their diet once, 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 balanceit 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 food (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, 2007! 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:
NOTE: Do not feed raw chicken or beef to dogs or raw egg whites. I do not use the BARF (bones and raw foods) diet. I have seen Bostons on this diet and they look extremely unhealthy. E-coli and salmonella are a big worry, and these can kill dogs. Meat must be cooked to at least 160 degrees F to kill the bacteria. Some feel BARF works for them, but I feel it can be dangerous and I do not recommend it for this breed. See this heart-wrenching story of what feeding raw did to a fellow Boston breeder's dogs here. Home cooked, fresh foods DO work nicely and the dogs look and feel great on it.
If you still want to use commercial dog food despite all the horrors of them, here are some companies. 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 or LOW GRAINS or at least NO GLUTEN or rice protein in them. Most all products containing these ingredients have been recalled as of 5/5/07.
Consider using human food if you need to mix meat in with a good dry you find. If using commercial dry, 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. None of the following companies were involved with the recall and I have hand-picked this list. Most are sold at privately owned pet stores. I do NOT use the useless listings from the Whole Dog Journal. 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 70% meat and 30% fruits and vegetables with no grain (Orijen) 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 looks very promising as they seem to understand the nutritional needs of dogs. Here's an article about them in the Edmonton Jornal which came out before the recalls. See my carnivore page here to read excerpts from their white paper.
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.
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 conatin chicken and turkey proteins - so they are not useful for avoiding certain proteins due to allergies. They also contain yest 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. 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.
By Nature They have an organic dry and a natural line that look good. The food looks and smells good to me too. Was available in smaller private pet stores, now they are carrying it at Pet Smart.
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. I liked the Grammy's Pot Pie and Wilderness blend dry - but they are not high in protein and fat for the most part except for the Puppy Plate. Nice 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)
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.
Homestyle Select/Fresh Pet/Deli Fresh - marketed under various names depending upon location, this 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 and the quality is good.
Sojourner Farms Not really dog food! 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. The smell of this combination soaked up is luscious. Check out the Europa grain-free mix for your veggies and Monzies Organic Muesli. 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. They also have breeder rates for buying larger amounts and it can also be found locally if you use their store locator. Unfortunately, my dogs never had good stools on it as Bostons are notorious for having problems in this area (and mine have really strong stomachs in general)
Stella And Chewy's - dehydrated raw diets, also frozen raw (I do not recommend frozen or fresh raw, but if you must go frozen raw, this would be a recommendation since they have a dehydrated version)
Aunt Jeni's - Frozen raw organic using Bell and Evans organic poultry and other organic ingredients (I do not recommend frozen or fresh raw, but if you must go frozen raw, this would be a recommendation)
Nature's Variety Freeze-dried raw 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.
The Honest Kitchen - dehydrated raw diets -
Steve's Real Food - dehydrated raw diets
Royal Canin - If you need a mass-marketed food found in a major chain grocery store, some people have found this to be ok. My Bostons don't do well on it though 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. See what measures they are taking to ensure the safety of their foods here: http://www.royalcanin.us/
Breeder's Choice - Nothing too exciting, their dry Pinnacle Chicken and Oats formula is ok (though 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!
Natural Balance I have used their Duck and Potato canned food successfully. But neither the dry nor canned are very high in protein or fat, so you may need to feed more of it. I like the canned Duck and Potato especially for fussy eaters or when a dam has a litter and stops eating - they will always eat this. I did find a piece of Saran Wrap in a can recently which could have suffocated a dog had they eaten it, so all is not 100% perfect :-(
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 - don't use these: Nature's Recipe or Wellness.