"Dog Food"
Updated: 2008

 
DOG FOOD RECALL INFORMATION 
Important for all to read and keep updated on... no matter what dog food you feed. Seems like NONE of us are safe! They have now stated that some companies were adding these Glutens, such as the RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE to some dog foods and not listing them on the labels... Who's safe???? NONE OF US ARE, PERIOD!!!!!!

This article is very scary and highlights what I view as the biggest problem which was the delay in alerting the public....
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/04/03/petscol.DTL


This is a list of pet foods that have NOT been recalled. 
http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/
EVEN FOODS ON THIS LIST ARE 100% SAFE, NONE OF THEM ARE IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT.


 
Does it matter what we feed our dogs? 

Poor Quality Nutrition Is An Important Factor
When people shop for dog food, most are looking for bargains. They aren't really thinking what is the best I can buy for my dog, but they are thinking *What is the best I can get for the cheapest price*.
Does dog food quality matter? Dr. P. F. McGargle, a vet and former "federal meat inspector" believes that feeding slaughterhouse waste to pet animals increases their chances of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases (we are what we eat, right?). He said, “Those wastes include moldy, rancid, or spoiled processed meats, as well as tissues too severely riddled with cancer to be eaten by people”. Combine this with the sodium pentobarbital from euthanized animals, pesticides from the carcasses of rendered animals, residual cattle antibiotics and growth hormones (all found in the protein sources of cheaper dog foods), and it becomes obvious that we must carefully choose the foods we feed our sensitive Greyhounds or their lives could be dramatically affected".... 

SHOULDN'T THIS APPLY TO OUR BULLDOGS???  How much more does it cost to feed a premium food versus a cheap or grocery store brand? One difference between the super-premium pet foods and the grocery store brands is that the super-premium brands are highly digestible, meaning more of the pet food actually stays in the animals body. The animal doesn't have to eat as much to maintain its body weight and excretes less waste.”  For not that much more per year, you can feed a premium food versus a grocery store/discount store brand dog food, and you can give your dogs it's best chance at a longer, healthier life, and pick up fewer pounds of dog poop each month. Lower vet bills due to a reduction in illnesses such as allergies, skin problems, and intestinal problems make the feeding of premium dog foods even more financially attractive. 
By preventing health problems years later through adequate nutrition NOW,  owners can save money in the long run. Begin today by reading all dog food labels - and don't buy any pet food that contains “meat and bone meal”, “meat by-products”, “poultry by-products”,  “tallow”, "corn", or "corn gluten meal", etc... 
Just one Comparison...
WE took the "BEFORE" picture here on our yard the day AFTER this dog came to our kennel. Obviously this 12 WEEK OLD puppy was not in good shape. There was no shine to his coat & it was very dry & flakey. He was infested with flea bites to where his coat was missing hair on the bites as you can see in the pictures his coat is just horrible... You can also see his front feet were in despicable conditions... yes some of this is genetic, but we feel it had a lot to do with improper nutrition. The same dog is pictured on the right just 3-4 weeks later....

*BEFORE*

*AFTER 1*
This is the same dog 5 months after the 2nd picture..... his feet are improving every month.


*AFTER 2*
A year (13 months) after the first picture later his feet almost completely corrected, which we highly doubt would have happened had he not been fed properly & given the best care as he received since he arrived here...

*AFTER 3*

Now you tell me it doesn't matter what you feed them???
*PICTURES SPEAK 1000 WORDS*

 
 
 
 
The feed we are using right now as of 2008:
update: WE ARE FEEDING RAW & HOMECOOKED FOOD!
We no longer trust or endorse any dog food company, but we will keep this page up for others who continue to feed kibble.

One of our large Healthy Litters... 
11 pups... 11 Hungry little Monsters lol
 

Yogurt, we give them some after we de-worm them to coat their stomach and Intestines because the wormer can strip the lining of the gut and may give some pups diarreah...

 
  • Did we always feed a High Grade "All Natural" Feed? Absolutely Not. We just switched to these Higher Grade Natural Foods in 2002 and notice the difference and we weren't feeding the *really cheap* food to begin with... Like most other dog folks we have tried numerous feeds from Eukanuba, to Pro Plan to Iams, to regular Diamond, Exceed and Nutro... These are not the same as Pedigree, Dog Chow, Ol Roy, and other foods as such which are really the lowest of the lows, but they are certainly not the best for your dogs. We never fed a food based on corn, but the foods we fed had corn and other fillers. If you feed a food that has corn, corn gluten, by-products, etc. you aren't feeding them what they actually need, you are just feeding what you can to sustain them. We had a dog that had a small rash on her thigh that wouldn't go away for about almost a year. We tried every ointment, antibiotics, etc... nothing worked. We switched her to a natural feed and VIOLA... the rash was gone and has never come back. Everyone feeds what they want, these are just our opinions, but how can we expect the best from our dogs if we don't feed them the best? Just something to ponder.
  • We do believe the absolute best diet for dogs is a balanced BARF/RAW DIET. We do feed raw meat here and there with their kibble. If you can't feed BARF, choose some of the Highest Quality Kibbles on the market with no corn, soy, by-products, etc... It doesn't cost all that much more to feed a quality food. do the Math Folks. Feed Cheap = Feed them more and pick up more stool... Feed them a Natural High Grade Food - Feed them 1/3rd to 1/2 less & pick up way less stool and have overall Healthy Dogs.  Learn how to read labels and what's in your dogs food. Dogs can *exist* and *sustain* themselves on many feeds, especially young dogs, but are you giving them the best? If you are feeding the lowest of foods like Iams and OL Roy, you are basically poisoning your dogs. 
  • Supplements: We always add some Flax Seed, Fish Oils or Wheat Germ Oil to their feed a few times a week. We also supplement here and there with raw meat or homemade chicken noodle soup in the winter when it's cold. Treat em right by feeding em right... good dogs deserve the best.
  • Storage: Our dog food is kept indoors in air tight containers & prepared indoors.The bins we use to keep the food are: "Vittles Vault" which are also insect and rodent proof. All feed bowls are picked up and washed everyday. 
     


    Our dog bowls made up with some homemade chicken noodle soup
    keeps them warm and happy in the winter.


  • Adequate Health Care begins with proper Nutrition.... Here are some of our pups... 

 
 


 


 


 
 
 


 


 


 


 
 
 


 


 


 
 


 


 
 


 
 


 

 
*One Happy & Healthy HOK pup*

 
 
 

UNDERSTANDING THE LABELS
The best way for the consumer to evaluate and compare dog food quality is to understand some of the ingredients and their possible sources:
POOR
PROTEIN
SOURCES		 Soybean Meal, Wheat, Corn Glutens, Rice Protein Concentraite, Rice Gluten, Corn Meal, Whole Corn, Crushed Corn and Ground Corn are commonly used for their protein content in many pet foods.  These ingredients are generally poor sources of protein vs. meat
*HIGH PROTEIN FOODS ARE USUALLY MADE UP FROM THESE SOURCES. HIGHER PROTEIN DOESN'T EQUAL BETTER... LOOK WHERE YOUR PROTEIN SOURCES ARE COMING FROM!!!
CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are found in many pet foods. Scientific studies have proven that these chemicals can be harmful.  In fact, they have been shown to promote liver disease and other medical problems.
FOOD COLORING Food colorings are still commonly used in pet foods today despite the fact that they are not necessary and some have been linked to medical problems.
BY-PRODUCTS By-products can vary ... they can consist of the internal parts of animals such as necks, heads, undeveloped eggs, feet, intestines, lungs, spleen and liver.  Although by-products are used by many manufacturers, are these ingredients you would knowingly feed your pet?
Meat By-Product: 
    Clean, non-rendered parts other than meat of slaughtered mammals. This can include lungs, kidneys, brain, spleen, liver, bone, blood, stomach, and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, teeth, hooves or horns. 
Poultry-By-Products:
    Clean, non-rendered parts of slaughtered poultry, such as heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, feet, abdomen, intestines, and heads free of fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice. 
Poultry By-Product Meal: 
    Round, rendered, and clean parts of slaughtered poultry, such as undeveloped eggs, necks, feet, and intestines. It does not contain feathers except those which are unavoidable during processing. 
TALLOW:
 The hard white fatty substance which is rock hard and looks like a bone. Most dogs have great difficulty digesting this substance.  In general, ingredients that are listed with a generic source (“animal digest”, “meat and bone meal”, etc.) have been rendered or derived from 4D meat, roadkill, zoo animals, euthanized pets, etc., and should be avoided. Ingredients that list specific sources, like “chicken by-product” or “lamb digest” will contain only chicken or lamb, and are likely to be safer for your pet. 
ANIMAL FAT:
 Obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial process of rendering or extracting. Also sourced from restaurant grease. Often preserved with BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin.
ANIMAL DIGEST: 
 A powder or liquid made by taking clean under-composed animal tissue and breaking it down using chemical means. 
MEAT AND 
BONE MEAL:
 Rendered meal made from animal tissue and bone. At the rendering plant, slaughterhouse material, restaurant and supermarket refuse, dead-stock, roadkill, and euthanized companion animals are dumped into huge containers. A machine slowly grinds the entire mess. After it is chipped or shredded, it is cooked at temperatures of between 220 degrees F. and 270 degrees F. for twenty minutes to one hour. The grease or tallow rises to the top, where it is skimmed from the mixture. This is the “animal fat” seen in the ingredients of some pet foods. The remaining material is then put through a press to squeeze out the remaining moisture, and titled “meat and bone meal” (The second ingredient in “Ol’ Roy.. Ol Roy have actually received Class Action Lawsuits against them, but some of you are still too cheap and continue to buy this garbage.”).
     WHAT LABELS
     DON'T REVEAL
Consider this example:
You decide to eat a balanced meal.  You order a  fast food hamburger, which contains protein from meat, carbohydrates from bread and vegetables from tomatoes.  The three food groups.  The next night your mom prepares the same balanced meal but her hamburger is made with premium grade sirloin meat, whole wheat bread and fresh garden tomatoes.  While the ingredient list for both dinners would read the same, obviously mom's meal provides a higher level of nutrition. 

 

 Condemned parts and animals rejected for human consumption can be rerouted into commercial pet foods.  These condemned parts are referred to as the 4 D's: dead, dying, diseased or decayed.   We believe this is one of the most despicable practices in the pet food manufacturing industry.

Some manufacturers have a lower standard regarding the quality of ingredients they use to make pet food.  A recent example of this practice is the discovery of Pentobarbital in major pet foods, including supermarket brands.  Pentobarbital is a chemical used to euthanize animals.  Many holistic veterinarians feel that daily ingestion of pentobarbital can be harmful.

Many manufacturers cut costs by using the cheapest ingredients available at the time a food is made.  Since costs rise and fall, some manufacturers will vary ingredients from batch to batch .. resulting in changed nutrient values for each batch and possible digestive illness.

Some manufacturers have lower standards regarding the freshness of ingredients they use to make pet food.  You can not determine the freshness of ingredients by reading a label; you must trust the pet food manufacturer. 

 
*CLICK HERE*
 "Comparing Dog Food Labels"
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