WHAT is with the Purina people?

what's the point of all this nutrition discussion if people are going to feed Purina? Everyone just go the grocery store then and pick up a bag of whatever they sell and we can stop talking about food because it's obviously pointless.

 
Thank you.

ORIGINAL: Luvntzus

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

ORIGINAL: chinook

Yup.

I had asked the original question "What is with the Purina people?" and after reading 4 pages of sometimes very heated responses I have had my question answered.

IMO

Some folks have completely lost perspective.  We are talking about dog food our dogs get regularly. We're not talking about the merits of beating them with sticks, making them sleep out in the rain, or even depriving them of vet care. We're talking about what we feed them.....operative term here being FEED. These dogs are being loved and cared for and cherished, yet we're on the verge of coming to internet blows over food.

Paula

I thought that here we strived for more than just feeding our dogs... what's the point of all this nutrition discussion if people are going to feed Purina? Everyone just go the grocery store then and pick up a bag of whatever they sell and we can stop talking about food because it's obviously pointless. [&:]

Well frankly, if it comes down to accusing people of not caring about their animals because they choose to feed some particular brand over another, then it is pointless. We're all on a dog message board because we love our dogs. We all take time out of the day to consult with each other about care and feeding and the like. So it is not a question of love is it? Food is just one tiny thing. Are we going to next accuse each other of not loving our animals or contributing to their premature demise because of our choice of vet?  How about coming to blows over training techniques?

And here's a practical question - you think a person is making a dreadful mistake in what he/she is feeding his/her pet, do you think yelling at her or repeating the same data over and over again is going to change his mind? I don't know about you but that has never worked for me.

JMO
Paula

The "mediocre" diets have worked ownders for my dogs ... Blackwood, Purina ONE/Pro Plan, Eukanuba, Evolve.

 
So, you're saying that these mediocre products have reversed the effects of premium foods that included:
 
Seizures
Neurotic Behaviour
Hot Spots
Flea Infestations
Systemic Yeast Infections
Ear Infections
Eye Infections
Dingy Coats
Pregnancy and conception issues
 
You tried at least 8 different premium foods, on several dogs, and produced the symptoms above.  Then, magically, you switched to 5 different mediocre foods, and everything was okay.
 
Well, I'm convinced.

like a hambuger

 
I used to work with a guy who would literally order a cheeseburger without the cheese.
 

Is that the same as ordering a hamburger with cheese?

So I guess you can see then why having a scientific basis for your nutrition decisions is important, something like, oh, I don't know...an ingredients list?

 
Sandra feeds Purina and is not stupid and she has labwork to show how well her dogs are doing.
 
If you said buyers who are willing to trust the makers are stupid you couldn't be talking about Sandra because she trusts nothing 100 %. She goes by hard results which are, even with her documentation and, I imagine, more years with dogs than you've been alive, are not acceptable here. And others besides her have gone the full route and have studied nutrition just as much as anyone else here, even going beyond the precious ingredient list, only to find their dog does best on Purina.
 
It happens, even if you don't want to accept it and imply that people who buy big brands are stupid. It still doesn't change that fact. I know it hurts and that's got to leave a mark.
 

ORIGINAL: chinook

The "mediocre" diets have worked ownders for my dogs ... Blackwood, Purina ONE/Pro Plan, Eukanuba, Evolve.

So, you're saying that these mediocre products have reversed the effects of premium foods that included:

Seizures
Neurotic Behaviour
Hot Spots
Flea Infestations
Systemic Yeast Infections
Ear Infections
Eye Infections
Dingy Coats
Pregnancy and conception issues

You tried at least 8 different premium foods, on several dogs, and produced the symptoms above.  Then, magically, you switched to 5 different mediocre foods, and everything was okay.

Well, I'm convinced.

 
     Yup, thats about what I'm saying.
     I have learned the hard way that ingredient lists do not matter, for the most part. I don't really care whether the first ingredient is a meat or meat meal. So long as the food works for my dogs it doesn't matter. One thing many holistic companies do not have is research behind their product, long term feeding trials, and exemplary vitamin premixes. Diamond was often referred to as a decent food, and I will be forever grateful my dogs were eating Purina ONE when other people's dogs were dropping like flies. Their quality control has never been an issue for me, and with kibble, quality matters. I don't consider by products to be inherantly low quality.
     So far, the only holistic brand I will use is Evolve. I don't care what its ingredients are or are not, its just a good, results producing food. I get results that mimic or exceed those of Evolve with certain Purina formulas and the other "mediocre" foods I've mentioned.
     I've know dogs eating foods such as Wellness to be having problems with early onset kidney disease, bloat, weight loss, coprophagia & dirt consumption, lymphosarcoma. You can't convince me something in the WDJ Top 10 would be superior to a tried and true bag of Eukanuba or Purina.

If I recall, the issue was opened by Sandra

 
I don't think Sandra wanted or expected her other thread to go on for 20-something pages. It is others who can't let it go.
 
Then, Paulaedwina had a problem with that and here we go again.

It's a double standard.
 
When someone feeds a premium plus other stuff, they really care.
 
When you feed Purina plus other stuff, it is the general consensus that you are bolstering up what they consider a crappy food. You could snail mail to everyone copies of the bloodwork, docs of dog births and deaths to confirm age, medical history etc. to everyone here that doubts you and they would still doubt it. Now, that is a strong faith. It's akin to telling someone the sun is shining and opening the curtain to show them that it is and they sit there with eyes closed saying, no, it's not.

And you started this particular thread. And no one is suggesting that we all should just feed Purina, least of Sandra, herself. There's just a few others who feed that brand. Some did it for years before the internet, years before most people here were even born, and yes, at least then, they did trust the makers and had 15+ year old dogs to show for it.
 
While Sandra doesn't see herself as a victim, she has been abused here for sticking up for what she believes in. That's the main thing that bothers me. I don't feed my dog Purina but here, in Texas, we talk nice to ladies. Maybe I'm old-fashioned.

Sandra feeds Purina and is not stupid and she has labwork to show how well her dogs are doing..

Once again, I never said Sandra was stupid.  I implied that people who blindly trust manufacturers' claims are stupid. Do you disagree?

If you said buyers who are willing to trust the makers are stupid you couldn't be talking about Sandra because she trusts nothing 100 %...

I didn't say buyers who trust makers.  I said people who blindly trust manufacturers' claims. There is a difference.

She goes by hard results which are, even with her documentation and, I imagine, more years with dogs than you've been alive, are not acceptable here. And others besides her have gone the full route and have studied nutrition just as much as anyone else here, even going beyond the precious ingredient list, only to find their dog does best on Purina.

Again (for those in the back who may not have heard me the first 57 times), there is no way to know how your dog will respond to ANY given food without trying it (how many times do I have to say this?).  However, when choosing a food, it pays to compare apples to apples, not stories.

It happens, even if you don't want to accept it

I accept and believe that dog can do well on crap.  I never disputed this. I have said this many times. My only point of debate is that a food does not inherit a "quality" status based on anecdotal evidence.  And, regardless of how many centuries you or Sandra have been alive, it is all still anecdotal.

and imply that people who buy big brands are stupid. It still doesn't change that fact.

(sigh) Big brand buyers are not stupid.  Dogs do well on various things. I believe that dogs can live long lives on different things, including Purina. Feed whatever you want, your choice. You are not stupid for doing so.  My one and only point is:

TAKE AWAY THE ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, AND ADVISE A DOG OWNER WHAT FOOD TO BUY...HOW DO YOU DO IT?  Ultimatlely, it's going to come down to ingredients.

EDITED  Somehow this got posted before I was done and i didn't realize it and did another post.

Cigarettes, Alcohol, Guns...shall I continue?

 
LOL So alcohol in moderation is BAD?  What is bad about responsible gun ownership?
 
Give me a break...adults can chose to be responsible or not....
So are the guns themselves bad or some of the people who use them?
Alcohol bad or is bad because of the misuse?
Heck, breathing in certain cities is certainly potentially more dangerous then smoking.

thought that here we strived for more than just feeding our dogs... what's the point of all this nutrition discussion if people are going to feed Purina? Everyone just go the grocery store then and pick up a bag of whatever they sell and we can stop talking about food because it's obviously pointless.

 
 
I see your point.  All the ones who feed Hills, Iam, Pruina, Eukanuba that come here are suppose to read posts by a few and sudden the sky lights up for them and they know they have been feeding garbage and they have to switch to one of the preminums.  But which one?  There is even disagreement about which of them is the best.
 
These poor folks, me included, don't know our dogs coats are dull, their eyes have no shine, they have chronic ear infections and yeast infections, they stink, they do foot tall poops because they aren't digesting their food, they have no energy and can barely make it to the dish of "garbage food". And they are primed to catch every disease that comes down the turn pike. Our vets are so ill learned that they can't  read test results or blood panels and they can't do a physical right, so just tell us our dogs are doing great.
 
This is a place to discuss nutrition---from every point.  It is not a place to call people names, tell them they don't love their dogs, etc because they do not agree with what a few say.  It is not a Nazi run forum where it is "My way or not at all".  I have never told a single person to feed Purina.  I only have stated what it does for my dogs, nothing more, nothing less.  But I have been told over and over I should feed try this or i should try that, etc.
 
Sorry but the idea of everyone who comes here should feed what one or two others feed is a bit to much.  Everyone should feed what works best for their dogs.
 
 

So alcohol in moderation is BAD?

 
LOL, No, and neither is Purina.