Food For Thought

It is somewhat fruitless to have such strong opinions on dog food, since it is all just subjective.  No one on this forum really knows the nutrtional value of any of these foods.  The chicken by product meal used by Pedigree may be vastly superior to the chicken meal used in other foods, the corn used in Pedigree may be vastly superior to the tapioca used in other foods, the ingredients list has now become a marketing tool and these manufacturers are well aware of it.  So unless people on this forum have done extensive feed studies on these foods everything that is said is just opinion, and when it comes to opinions, you get what you pay for.

I've fed a lot of different types of food over the years and my dogs seemed sluggish, had bad coats to the point the vet said one of them had bloom, a dry coat condition and in general looked older on pedigree and dog chow and yet they lived very long lives but I spent a lot of money at the vet on various health problems. I now know better and feed what this board would consider "premium" food (chicken soup) and my dogs will probably still live to be about the same age (dogs, depending on the breed, live anywhere from 9 to 15) but so far what I've seen in my current dogs on better food is they've been a lot healthier and only go to the vet annually for shots.  Plus, they look great.

If one is looking for a "bargain" in food, don't forget to check out the feed stores.  Many locally milled foods are at least using whole grains and identifiable meat parts, and they charge a lot less for that. 

This one is sold in a lot of places on the East Coast:

Joy Chicken Meal and Rice (about $28 for 40 pounds)

INGREDIENTS
Chicken by-Product Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Ground Wheat, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Canola Oil, Dried Egg Product, Fish Meal, Dried Brewers Yeast,

This food doesn't have colors or menadione in it, either!

Pro-Pet Lamb and Rice (about $24 for 40 pounds)

Lamb meal, brewers rice, ground yellow corn, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), rice bran, dried beet pulp, corn gluten meal, brewers dried yeast, natural flavors, dried egg product, canola oil, salt, dried yucca schidigera,

(Also no colors or menadione)

For comparison, "Pardner Adult" costs about $12 for 50 pounds, and here's the ingredients:

Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, wheat middlings, meat and bone meal, corn gluten feed, ground wheat, soybean meal, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), cheese digest, natural flavor, corn gluten meal, salt,

And also no artificial color, preservatives, or menadione. 

This is the main reason I dislike Sci-Die, Pedigree, K-n-B, etc - it's a rip off.  I could feed "Pardner" and feel better about it than K-n-B, and spend a quarter of the money.  I don't, by the way, I'm feeding BATM to half my dogs and to the rest a locally produced feed store feed that costs even less than the Pardner, but has like four ingredients (whole ground corn, chicken, whole ground wheat, and poultry fat).  Okay, there's more than that, but the rest is stuff like beet pulp, montmorillonite clay, vitamins and minerals, and again no artificial preservatives, color, or menadione.

Canidae, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Healthwise, Eagle Pack Original or Natural, and Chicken Soup are some others without scary price tags or ingredients. Diamond Naturals and Canidae are particularly good values when looking at kcal content and price.

LOL, this conversation has been going on here for years.  I do what works for my dog and no longer worry about justifying myself to anyone.  I can take ANY brand and look at it's ingredient list and have an issue with something.  And, some of the holistic brands have got one eyebrow raised for me after being included in with a recall with brands they claim to be so superior too. 

 

I was an avid Pedigree feeder until I studies small animal nutrition when I worked for a vet for 5 years.  It is the food I recommend to people who just think they can not afford a good premium food .  Other then that I don't recommend anything any more except Eagle Pack to me there is not a better food on the market .

Head-to-head comparison using petfooddirect.com prices and feeding recommendations for a 50 lb adult dog.

Pedigree with Chicken 35.3 lb/$28.49 vs. Canidae Chicken & Rice 33 lb/$23.99, feed 1 1/2 cups more Pedigree

Pedigree Lamb & Rice 35.3 lb/$28.49 vs. Canidae Lamb & Rice 40 lb/$31.99, feed 1 1/2 cups more Pedigree

Pedigree Complete Nutrition 44.1 lb/$24.99 vs. Canidae ALS 40 lb/$30.99, feed 2 cups more Pedigree

1 1/2 or 2 cups more per day really cuts into that "cheaper" bag. 

ETA Ingredients:

Canidae Chicken: Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Dried Papaya, Vitamin B12 Supplement

Canidae Lamb: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flax Seed, Sun cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Lamb, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory Root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, L-Lysine, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Organic Selenium, Dried Papaya, Dried Pineapple, Vitamin B12 Supplement

Canidae ALS: Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Papaya, Vitamin B12 Supplement

What you did not show a comparison with is Eagle Pack .  I raise dachshunds and when I went back to a less then premium food my litters were smaller and my mothers produced less milk .  I do my comparison and have done feeding comparisons.

Idodogs2

What you did not show a comparison with is Eagle Pack .  I raise dachshunds and when I went back to a less then premium food my litters were smaller and my mothers produced less milk .  I do my comparison and have done feeding comparisons.

 

Huh? I'm not going to compare every food. I don't know what your definition of "premium" is, but Canidae certainly is in my book. Eagle Pack is great too, and that's what I feed some of my dogs, but it isn't quite as cost effective as Canidae.

I'll be honest, I have never fed the dry dog food, but I have raised puppies for years and I have found that puppies prefer the canned Pedigree Puppy food over every other brand on the market and believe me I have tried them all.   In my puppy contract, I require the new owner to take their puppy to the vet within 48 hours for a vet check and return a copy of it to me in order to honor the guarantee and I have NEVER had a sick or malnourished puppy, only healthy happy puppies.  I think this in its self says alot about the Pedigree food or at least for the Canned Puppy variety.  Paying more for something doesn't necessarily make it better.

 Well, my 2 year old niece prefers ice cream to broccoli. Having a taste preference for something doesn't necessarily make it better, either. I'm curious as to what other brands you've tried?

I say use what works for you. I have had to feed Pedigree when my Danes grow too fast and I need to drop their protein. It makes me cringe going into Wal-Mart and buying a bag of it but it works. I can get a pup from knuckling over within a few days on Pedigree. Also they actually do very well on it, nice small firm stools, shiny coats, good breath, etc. Now I could never bring myself to feed it all the time but if it works then I say go for it.

I have a friend that feeds her Danes Purina Dog Chow. Not a food that I would ever feed but her dogs look great. They have picked up weight and muscle tone. Her black Dane shines like you wouldn't believe. They don't stink and their poop is nice and firm.

I have seen dogs that look like crap on Pedigree but also seen dogs that look like crap on raw diet. 

You can never give a blanket statement that such and such is a horrible food or such and such is the best food in the world. Fact of the matter is that whatever food your dog does well on is the best food for them.

Cathy 

 

 I agree Tina. My vet now keeps Pedigree pouches on hand because it will make dogs eat that weren't eating before. I have use Pedigree canned for years as well and all my dogs do well on it. Rescues that I would get in that wouldn't eat would eat if I mixed Pedigree canned on it. It doesn't give them diarrhea ever. I have also fed EVERYTHING on the market from grocery brands to premium to super premium and all in all what works for the majority of my dogs is Purina Pro Plan. Not the best food available but the best for all my dogs as a whole. I have multiple dogs and I am not buying 4-5 different brands of food so no matter what I feed I always go back to PP because all the dogs do good on it.

Like I said in my previous post, whatever your dog does well on is the best food out there!  

 

Tina13753

I'll be honest, I have never fed the dry dog food, but I have raised puppies for years and I have found that puppies prefer the canned Pedigree Puppy food over every other brand on the market and believe me I have tried them all.   In my puppy contract, I require the new owner to take their puppy to the vet within 48 hours for a vet check and return a copy of it to me in order to honor the guarantee and I have NEVER had a sick or malnourished puppy, only healthy happy puppies.  I think this in its self says alot about the Pedigree food or at least for the Canned Puppy variety.  Paying more for something doesn't necessarily make it better.

And lot of people don't even realize that the canned Pedigree puppy food is grain free. (chicken and beef formula) I live in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE right now (I'm a city person used to having all brands of dog food at my fingertips) and sometimes I don't have time to drive the hour and a half to the nearest feed store to pick up a bag of decent dog food. When walmart has to suffice (still a half-hour drive) I have been known to pick up a few cans of canned Pedigree puppy food. The dogs always have very small firm stools with it. A year ago I would never be caught dead feeding Pedigree in any amount to my dogs, but times change, situations change. I also recently got a letter in the mail from Pedigree that specifically states that they do not use ANY 4-D animals in their foods. I've kept the letter since I know how hard it is to get a lot of the bigger companies to commit anything like this to a printed piece of paper. I'm also living in the poorest county in my state. Times are extremely bad here for most people. The economy is beyond depressed. I no longer cringe when I see people picking up any bag of Dog Chow or Kibbles n Bits. I volunteer at the county shelter and all of a sudden a lot of small dogs are starting to show up as strays, which is very uncommon for us. People are just letting their dogs go because they can't afford to feed them anymore. They actually have to choose between a bag of Ol' Roy for their dog or food for their children. It's just an awful mess. People are even letting their horses go. It's not right, but it's what is happening. People are finally coming to their breaking point. Pedigree food may not be my first choice but with what I've witnessed here where I live in the few months I've been here is that it's better than nothing and in fact is a luxury food compared to some of the other brands people feed. A lot of people feed Pedigree because they don't know there is better food out there but many people feed it because it is what they can afford. I used to think that if people couldn't afford decent food then they shouldn't have a dog, but now I feel that at least I don't have to witness that animal being PTS at the shelter because it's owner still has money to feed it something.

piedane

I have had to feed Pedigree when my Danes grow too fast and I need to drop their protein. It makes me cringe going into Wal-Mart and buying a bag of it but it works.

 

 

Something that may work and make you not cringe is Eagle Pack Large/Giant puppy formula. The Great Dane lady has photos on her website of *badly* knuckled over dogs who self-corrected on that formula. It's said by some to be the best for giant pups.