Who regulates TO??

Actually if you go to the Chicken Soup website, they say directly on there that they don't use human grade products because of price

 
No, I didn't read that they don't use human grade because of price, it seems to me they are saying they use the same human grade as all other pet food companies but are being truthful about it.         I copied this piece from their website:
 

The term "human-grade" does not have a place in the pet food industry. Legally, for a meat to be "human-grade", it must be processed in a human-grade facility. Pet food facilities are not human-grade, rather, they are ALL feed grade. In fact, pet food manufacturing facilities are held to a different level of sanitation standards by the USDA than those applied to a human food processing plant, or even a restaurant. By law, as soon as meat, even "human-grade" meat, is shipped to a pet food facility it becomes "feed-grade".
Now this doesn't change the quality of the meat—but it does change its legal definition. And, to us, it would be irresponsible to tell you that our products are better than the competition because our foods use "human-grade" meats.
So, you won't find a "human-grade" claim on any Chicken Soup for the Soul™ brand dog and cat food, or in our brochures, or on this web site. Period.

[&o]

[8D]

What gives most people a hiccup on the statement of human-grade is that, once a shipment of meat or whatever is earmarked for delivery to a pet food maker, it is specifically decreed not human-grade. I believe, in most cases, it is also given a chemical that is easily detected so that it doesn't wind up back in the human-grade chain. Human-grade is what you can buy at the grocery store. Even at wholesale price, the cost of black angus top sirloin required to make a 10 # bag of food would cost almost if not as much as the bag of food, itself. Feed-grade has a cheaper cost, which allows enough of a profit margin for the company to keep operating and paying its well-meaning employees. True human-grade dog food would be home-cooking. Human grade changes from person to person. I will eat liver. A lot people I know won't eat it. I will eat chicken innards with abandon. Many, including my wife will only eat the breast or thigh of a chicken.
 
But I think it's the legal definitions that are a sticking point. Food sent to feed plants are labeled as feed-grade, regardless of the source. I think it is the gov the decides that, BTW, though I could be wrong.
 

I LOVE chicken livers, gizzards and hearts, and when i buy them for me, I buy  BIG package so I can fry some for myself, boil the rest for the dogs and cat. Then most of the time, I just buy them for the animals in the first place.
 
I am having trouble with a few things.  First, Purina, Peidgree, etc, all say they are 100% balanced with everything a dog is suppose to have.  They say their ingredients make for a healthy dog, a beautiful coat, etc, etc.    But according to some, this is not true.  Therefore the manufactures are not telling the truth.  HOWEVER when the company of the brand they use say the same thing, the company is telling the truth.  So just how do you know which is telling the truth?  Or all they all telling the truth.  Or are all of them not telling the complete truth. As far as I am concerned, there is no way of knowing which, if any, are telling the entire truth, so i say go with what works for you and your dog.

ORIGINAL: sandra_slayton


I am having trouble with a few things.  First, Purina, Peidgree, etc, all say they are 100% balanced with everything a dog is suppose to have.  They say their ingredients make for a healthy dog, a beautiful coat, etc, etc.    But according to some, this is not true.  Therefore the manufactures are not telling the truth.  HOWEVER when the

 
According to whom is Purina not balanced? This is part of what Probe was seeking in the other thread. If there is a definitive long-term clinical study that Purina is not as good as Innova or Solid gold, or whatever, then we should be able to see it. Often these claims are made with no actual scientific evidence to support it, only anecdotal evidence to support whatever the refuter's method is.
 
We all make judgements about foods based on ingredient lists, our own philosophy, or own view of evolution, sometimes in spite of glaring evidence to the contrary. And often, that's exactly what it is, opinion. In the end, all we can really know is how our dog is reacting to a certain food and if it doesn't work, try another.
 
I really think an obscenely rich person should fund papillon or kennelkeeper or both and let them run long-term studies on kibbles, raw, homecooked. It woud take more than a decade and would pretty much be the entire of their career but it would have far-reaching effects. Otherwise, most people trust scientist and vets who have been accredited in some way. At least, in that regard, there is some legal recourse.
 
 

HOWEVER when the company of the brand they use say the same thing, the company is telling the truth.  So just how do you know which is telling the truth?  Or all they all telling the truth.  Or are all of them not telling the complete truth. As far as I am concerned, there is no way of knowing which, if any, are telling the entire truth, so i say go with what works for you and your dog

 
I agree its hard to decide!
This takes me back to the Great Dane Lady. She has a list of food  that she recommends. Her criteria as she states is:

Company or Product Criteria

• Feed trials - if food or supplements
  
• Reviews by respected professionals
  
• Guaranteed anaylsis
  
• Philosophy of the company
  
• Ethics of the companyy
  
• Truth in advertising
  
• Positive marketing techniques

If a brand name is not listed in this section of the STORE, it is because:

• I am unfamiliar with the product
  
• the company does not fit my "7 point criteria"

As much as I read, as many pet food pamphlets as I have, I can not do what some of these people do to form an opinion such as Linda who studies this. For that reason, I do follow her advise!

Sharon, perhaps the peta list is not current or correct.        This came from the website of  Eagle Pack Pet Food.
 
We Make Our Own Food In Our Own Plants
Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. takes pride in the manufacturing of our food.  Employees are personally involved with pets.  Most days there are several pets in the office.  Our people show, field trial and breed.  We support area humane and no-kill facilities.  We do not do any testing on laboratory or caged animals, nor do we have a kennel facility.  Food related palatability trials are done with breeders or as in-home trials.

Okay Ron2, that is exactly what I was saying, tho probably in a round about way.  I read someone say "this food has corn in it, it is no good, dogs aren't getting what they need"  Or "this food has chicken by products in it which is feet, beaks, and feathers, so it is no good"  But the manuractures are saying it is 100% balanced.  The ones say it is no good are saying the manufactures are not being honest.  However, thier choice of food has no corn, is advertised as being 100% balanced, so it must be since it has no corn,.  My girls get Purina Fit & Trim to keep their weight down.  They also get the canned (unsalted) carrot slices and green beans with cooked meat or fish every night.  
 
AND since 30-50 years ago we had many of our English Setters and pointers live to be 12-15 on Purina Dog Chow, i have no qualms about feeding it to my dogs today.  Buck turned 11 Feb. 8.  He has been on Purina his entire life.  Outside of his vax and wellness trips to the vet, his only other trips has been for a rattle snake bite on his face, a reaction to a ground wasp sting, to have his teeth cleaned (and a melano removed from his  lip a year ago. and a tiny benign tumor removed from eyelid. He has never been in for an illness.  He has a little arthritis in his hips, but still thinks the only time to walk is when on leash.  He was also diagnosed with low thyroid a year ago which is ver common ailment in goldens. His night vision is not so good, but last week when he got his rabies vax and check up and was declared in very good health.  Purina has not hurt him at all. The below pictu5es was taken of him in his room on his bed just a few weeks ago.  He does have a skinned leg he got caught under a board.

I messed up somehow.  here is Buck's picture---I hope

Sandra there is no doubt purina would have been a better product back then,as were the other not so nice brands around today.

It's not that hard to make a "complete and balanced" food, wether there is such a thing remains debatable.One food may be complete and balanced for one dog,but another may need more or less of certain stuff in that food. Some companies put in the minimum amount to let a dog survive and use cheap preservatives and synthetic vits and mins,everything cheap,everything at the absolute minimum.Purina cat food prides itself on being one of the highest protein cat foods around,whoopy doo daa,i say! You could make a low protein food into a high one by adding a pair of leather shoes and my belt!

I judge which company is telling the truth by their reputation ,ingredients etc.(as much as anyone can) Purina doesnt have good ingredients or a stellar reputation IMO,Natura has excellent ingredients and a great reputation. A company cant say they are the best and our foods are healthy blah blah and then add by-products and grains up the wahzoo,BHA,BHT or ethoxiquin etc etc. No matter what they say or how slick their advertising is,i will never believe their food is the healthiest or best!

Remember dogs can survive on just about anything,i dont want my dogs to just survive,i want them to thrive! Alot of people think their dogs are doing well,until they change foods and realise their dogs wernt quite so well afterall......

Sandra, Buck is beautiful!   I know what you are saying. I don't feed Purina anymore, but I do honestly feel that there are as many healthy dogs out there on Purina as there are on this board eating premium food.  Besides my son feeding Ollie Eagle Pack, I really don't personally know of any dogs eating anything but grocery store food,,,  all my friends and family  think I'm nuts for going out of my way to buy Bubblegum Eagle.  Other than the dog across the street, I personally don't see any of those grocery store fed dogs having health problems.  The dog across the street is and she is eating something from the vet...but I believe her immune system is shot down with vaccinations because every time she goes in for another one, her skin flares up again.  I will continue doing what I'm doing because I think it best, but I have to wonder if Bubblegum would be doing just as well on Purina! 

   Dyan, I thought Great Danes lived longer on Eagle, fourteen years or more, and what about Eagle working with Linda Arndt and other breeders of Great Danes for years to develop Natural Formula, which has been proven to prevent orthopedic problems that the breed is susceptilble to?

Dyan, I thought Great Danes lived longer on Eagle, fourteen years or more, and what about Eagle working with Linda Arndt and other breeders of Great Danes for years to develop Natural Formula, which has been proven to prevent orthopedic problems that the breed is susceptilble to?

 
Hey Janice, that is why I said "I will continue doing what I'm doing because that is what I think is best!"   I won't change my dog from Eagle!   But I am just saying that most of the other dogs I know are doing equally as good on grocery  store foods.  Who knows, maybe they could do better, but I was just saying that I understand what Sandra is saying about Purina and why.

  "  But I am just saying that most of the other dogs I know are doing equally as good on grocery  store foods.  Who knows, maybe they could do better, but I was just saying that I understand what Sandra is saying about Purina and why."
     I understand, but if you read the ingredients of the grocery store brands and compare them to the super premium foods, it is logical to conclude that dogs would do better on the super premium food. Maybe those setters would live 15 to 20 years instead of 12 to 15? Maybe a dog who seemed to be doing okay would really thrive, with more energy and a fuller, shinier coat, and the owner would be able to see the true potential of their dog.  I do know I enjoy the comments people make about Jessie's coat since I switched from Nutro to Eagle Pack, and even though we thought she had plenty of energy before, she has more energy now.