Each and every day… agricultural waste declared “unfit for human consumption”… finds its way into commercial dog food.
Just take a look at these dreadful yet perfectly legal dog food ingredients:
- Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet)
- Bread and cereal rejects (cobs, stalks, mill sweepings)
- Contaminated grain middlings
- Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals
- Road kill (deer, skunks, and raccoons)
- Distiller fermentation waste
- Spoiled supermarket food
- Dead zoo animals
- Restaurant grease
- Euthanized cats and dogs
Obviously, dog food companies know that raw materials like these couldn’t possibly help sell their products. Can you imagine buying a product called…
“Slaughter House Waste Dog Food”
Wouldn’t sell very well… would it?
That’s why the industry spends millions of dollars each year creating misleading packaging to deceive you… to hide what’s really in their products.
Choice cuts of beef… fresh-from-the-garden vegetables… and plump whole chickens… pictured right there on the cans and bags.
Hey, give us a break!
When choosing dog food don’t be tricked by the packaging… or by the extravagant words used to inflate a product’s apparent value.
Be Wary of Dog Foods That Claim to Be
‘Super Premium’… or ‘Gourmet’
Go on, admit it…
When shopping for any food product it’s hard to resist one that’s labeled “premium” or “gourmet”.
Am I right?
Well, dog food companies know this… so they intentionally use words like these to trick us into believing their product is superior to other competing brands.
If you’re like me, you’ll be shocked to find out the FDA has no regulations or guidelines… no standards to protect consumers from misleading claims of superiority like these.
Products labeled “premium” or “gourmet” are never required to contain any special… or higher quality ingredients… than other products.
Nor are they held to any higher standard.
What About ‘Natural’ Dog Food?
OK… so you think the word “natural” might be an exception? Certainly there must be some official guideline for using the word “natural” when describing a dog food product… right?
Well, think again.
The word “natural” actually has no official government meaning either.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
i feed a doog food once was cooking for my pets before the use of this so called natural food . now i am back to cooking for my dogs. i will never by dog food again ever. this brand was sold only in natural pet food stores for pets only one bag nearly cost the life of my pets. and yes you never saw it on the recall list and the pet shop of natural foods never called . i noticed a bad funny smell in my dogs mouth called the vet off i went… with both my dogs … he looked it up sure enough recall but not listed in with all the other recalls and this was 2 years after that 2007 recal. threw the bag away. called the company they said we did not have a recall. and told them that my vet said yes you did. i don’t know how my vet found the info out or where he looked but now it is listed and most stores have quite selling the food. as i was told. did not check it out but did find out that 4 or 5 dogs have died on that food.that is all my vet could find out. my vet is a wonderful vet and works with his clients in any help… he feeds his own pet home made dog food.that should tell alot of folks. paying 85.00 for a bag of dog food is not meaning that is is best.it killed dogs pets. and what i saw in the plants of using pets and the skunk deal and rats in the food make me sick. i will never buy another can of dog food nor a bag of dog food ever. i always made my dogs food but as i was working still and a nurse i worked that month 19 hrs a day for 2 months and my husband isn’t that great of a cook.. when i make my dogs food it was then and now day to day. never did i freeze it now i frezzer. that will never happen again. if only others would believe… there will be another recall…. how could there not be . i am without words. buit i am fighting mad for all those poor pets and to think that some one could buy a bag that has their very own loved 4 legged child in that bag and feed it to the pet they now have . how very un human for the money from loving pet owners. well these companies will never get one red cent from me and i spend on my pets but it is home made and only one time did they get money from me that nearly cost the life of my pets… i am angery as i can be over this fact. and the unhuman acts they do to our pets for their pockets. they don’t even care one thing about our pets health or if the live or die. and i read how one company put too many minerals and vitamins into their food and that too me is uncalled for. but our goverment needs to stop this because it is unfair to the humans even if they could care less about the pet. we are not getting what we are paying for period. we are not paying money to have our pets killed… at least i am not and i am so very upset with all that could stop this and are doing nothing… what if they had aheart to have a pet and lost their pet … then what? as long as it doesn’t effect them! it’s okay… no, it is not okay with all of the pet owners out here….. people and their pet’s are in this not $$$ signs. our pets are breathing living beings that god gave us. .. to love ,feed and care for.. and a pet has alot of feeling. it needs to stop. what happend to the time people could stand up and something was done …. well.we want action and we want things fixed for the sake of our pets . if no one will buy the stuffed labled as food(food?) then who will this sick stuff be made for. i am so very upset over these findings and i want it stopped. yea pet owners should be able to take a stand to end this. and yes a pet owner should spay netur and do what is right and the law’s who request this from us should do for us.what should be a law to.
Hi Dean… Thanks for your heart-felt comments. I can understand your frustration with commercial dog food makers. But not all dog food companies are “bad”. I believe it’s important to acknowledge there are many conscientious manufacturers out there that consistently produce very fine products.
In reality, many pets get sick (and even die accidentally) each year from (tainted) homemade food fed by well-meaning pet parents.
My recommendation… it’s OK to make your own dog food… as long as you have the time… and you enjoy doing it. Otherwise, be sure to use other resources (including this website) to help you find better products. Yes, sometimes things can go wrong… horribly wrong… even with the best of dog foods… and people foods, too. Yet most of the time, the better manufacturers can be trusted to deliver quality meals for your pet.
Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to share your feelings with our readers.
If you live on budgeted money, what do you feed your pets? I have a 100 lb. American Bulldog (4 yrs.), a 65 lb. Collie mix (10 yrs.), and a 30 lb. Golden Retreiver/Shepard mix (5 mths.). I feed them Purina One. Is this a bad dog food also? I have made sure the older two have always remained their adult weights through the years. There are those who would say, “If you can’t afford to take care of a pet, don’t have them”. I tend to agree with that, but my pets are being taken care of excellently. I love all pets of every type. If I did not have the ones I do they would either be dead or Pitt bate. My vet says my pets are healthy with shiney coats, sparkly eyes, and damp noses. Is there any good manufactured dogfood out there that will not cross me over into total poverty?
Hi Esther… Don’t worry about those stars. Any balanced food that fits your budget is just fine.
However, there are many 4 and 5-star dog foods that cost considerably less than the one you’re currently feeding. Take the time to “shop” some of our recommended brands and you’ll probably be able to save a lot of money.
In any case, taking care of a dog in need in any way you can is the work of an angel. We love you for what you do
.