In 1995 my wife and I adopted a precious little shelter dog named Penny. Her short but troubled life had been a featured story on a local morning television show.
Penny was a small poodle-terrier mix. Her deep brown eyes concealed the more than two years of daily abuse she had suffered under the care of her previous owner.
Penny quickly filled our home with joy and our hearts with love.
A Special Diet Gets Rejected
But sadly, after her adoption, Penny developed a number of health issues. So, at the recommendation of her doctor, she was placed on a “special diet”… a prescription dog food supplied by her veterinarian.
Little did we know her food would eventually contribute to her downfall.
From the very beginning Penny rejected the food.
When we reported the problem to the vet he suggested that we ignore her “attitude”. He assured us she would eventually grow hungry enough to overcome her distaste for the dog food.
We just couldn’t do it.
We just didn’t have the heart to starve our sweet little girl. And yet we innocently trusted this doctor-recommended dog food. After all, the can even looked like medicine… complete with its “scientific” name.
A Sneaky Idea That Works… for a While
So we found a way to disguise the dog food by grinding up our own table meat with the “prescription” dog food.
And that seemed to do the trick.
For years we continued to feed Penny some form (or another) of that same brew of “prescription” dog food mixed with our own table food… chicken, beef or pork… even shrimp!
Penny never really welcomed her dog food concoction. She simply tolerated it. Sometimes she would spend as much as fifteen minutes picking through the mixture trying to avoid the manufactured portion.
Well-Meaning Advice Turns Deadly
Then, early in 2007, things changed. Penny suddenly stopped eating altogether. No matter what we mixed with her food she simply refused to eat.
So, our new vet suggested we temporarily try feeding her canned cat food. She felt the higher meat content would be more appealing to Penny.
And she was right. It worked. Penny began to eat again.
But unfortunately, 2007 was also the year of the U. S. government’s (now infamous) pet food recall.
So, when Penny developed signs of severe weakness and visible weight loss we began to suspect tainted food.
Our worst suspicions were confirmed. Her cat food was on the government’s official list.
We immediately returned to the old combination. But it was too late.
Penny’s condition became noticeably worse. Her chronic ear infections (which she had suffered from for most of her life) intensified wildly.
She lost even more weight.
Then, on December 1, Penny reached the point where she could no longer move. She was euthanized at 9:30 that morning.
The Biggest Mistake You Could Ever Make
When Choosing Commercial Dog Food
As I write this it’s still difficult to choke back the tears.
Because of what happened to Penny that year I became painfully aware of something… something I had ignored over a lifetime of caring for all my family dogs.
I had taken for granted the quality and safety of commercial dog food.
And that was a huge mistake!
You see, in all those years of caring for Penny it never once occurred to me that I might be feeding her anything that could harm her. In fact, quite the opposite… I always thought that because I was paying “extra” for a premium dog food I was surely giving her the very best.
But by feeding Penny what we later discovered to be a nutritionally inadequate product we had unknowingly robbed her for a lifetime of proper nutrition.
We had slowly (yet innocently) “starved” to death a beloved member of our own family.
How You Can Use What I Learned from
Penny’s Story to Add Years to Your Dog’s Life
I know your dog must certainly be a cherished member of your family, too. And I know you would never knowingly do anything to endanger your beloved pet.
But what you don’t know could do just that.
Well, now, I’ve finally discovered a predictable, scientific system for uncovering only the very best commercial pet foods to feed my dog.
That’s why I created The Dog Food Advisor… to share with you what I’ve learned. And to show you how to keep Penny’s tragic story from happening to your dog, too.
So, give your precious pet the best opportunity for living a long and healthy life. Provide her with a safe and nutritious dog food. To do that you must…
- Be aware of the enormous range of dog food quality
- Recognize the truly superior brands
- Avoid choosing an inferior product
Help your dog live a long and healthy life. Get our Dog Food Ratings.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for your sad story of your beautiful Penny. I have been feeding my 3 girls a raw homemade diet for over 8 years now. My 9 year Jack Russel Bailey started me on this. She had a severe reaction to a DHLPP vacc. when she was 12 weeks old. The vet told me it was minor. REALLY? I don’t think soooo!!! She developed atopic dermatitis.I changed Vets!! I tried many packaged dog foods, and thru a holistic vet developed a homemade raw diet. It changed her life, and as we acquired the other 2 girls, they have been on this diet as well. One other thing for you to consider is watching vaccinations. Vets love to give them and collect money for them, despite what they do to our babies. The first set of vaccinations in their puppy age is really all you need. Check it out on the internet. My holistic vet confirms this. Rabies is something you need to weigh. I am on a quest for a dry dog food for an inherited 8 year old lab from my husbands brother who passed away last year in Dec. She is currently at my inlaws being fed purina or some other junk. She is a big girl and putting in the labor for a pure raw diet for her would be huge, so I thank you for your site, as I am looking to do a combo of raw and commerical diet for her. I will be looking for Orijen ,based on your recommendation. I hope you got another fur child to be a part of your life, you seem like you have a lot of love to give. Thank you again, Cathy
Hi Cathy… your experience with homemade dog food does much to support our theory regarding the little-understood cause of atopic dermatitis… feed-grade cereal grains. These inferior ingredients can be frequently contaminated with insects, mites and molds.
Many blame cereal grains (like wheat and corn) for chronic canine allergies. But those allergies are probably more a result of what’s in the grain… than the grain itself.
By the way, we’ve already succumbed to the love of our new family addition… a sweet little shelter mix named “Bailey”.
Thanks for sharing with our readers how good food has improved the quality of your dogs’ lives.
THANK YOU for this website! Finally, a place where people like me can go to find clear, objective advice on dog food! We’re in the process of switching foods (to Diamond Naturals) based on your advice and I couldn’t feel better to know that I am providing a much better food to our dog for even less money than what we were spending before! To everyone out there, you don’t need to spend a fortune to give your dog good nutrition! Thanks again!
Thank you Dr. Sagman! I share your passion for pet food (which is lacking in many “old school” vets). We have two dogs and three cats, all rescues and all thriving. Range in age from 7 to 15. When we first hired a pet sitter, she mentioned a pet store in town and Innova, Evo foods. We fed brands that were famous, so we assumed healthy. Funny, the truly wholesome brands do no national marketing, other than their web sites! I thought going to a special store for pet food was silly. We went and met the owner who, like you, has a degree (from Hopkins) in chemistry, specializing in what’s in our food. As a dog parent, he became inspired as you did. We’ve shopped there for years now. At the very least, I seek foods that are all natural, and ideally, from companies that have their own US facilities and use only domestic ingredients such as Natura Pet Products, Merrick, BG. Tricky to find companies that process their own canned but Wellness is very good for cats. We supplement with skinless chicken, turkey, occasional eggs. Thanks for sharing your story and the fruits of your labor of love!
Thanks so much for your site! I can see its benefits in my two dogs, which we got from a shelter (which feeds Science Diet) a couple of months ago. The dog who’d been there for two months had vasculitis in his ears, dandruff, tufts of hair missing on the edges of his ears, and very little hair on his chest. Now the vasculitis is gone, there’s no trace of dandruff, and his hair has grown back on his ears and chest….
Thank you! for your story of care and Love, but most of all your Hard work . on good and bad as well as poor pet foods. with love care and Frendship! Chester and Morgan Dill Leonhardt. Brookings OR 97415
I am sorry for the loss of Penny.
I’ve been feeding Pedigree to my previous dog for the 15 years he lived, and I still regret and sometimes cry about it every night when I hug and pat my 6 month old Katie good night. I’ve always wondered why my dog always had so much stools, but the vet assured that it was fine, “just feed less”.
I regret not researching more about the pet food industry, and not learning more about reading pet food labels. I always read labels for MY food, but I feel so ignorant and ashamed that I never stopped to think about reading what my pet was eating.
From then on, starting with Katie, I’ve done a lot of reading and found sites like this that helps pet owners learn about what’s really out there. I’ve also signed up for the ASPCA newsletter and help send letters to the Government lobbying animal rights and treatment, and hopefully regulated dog food industry.
I’ve been taking Katie to Petco at least 2-3 times a week, and the pet trainer there who watched Katie “grow” tells me that her coat is getting shinier, and better looking. I am glad Katie is no longer on “cheap junk” that companies like Purina “donate” to animal shelters. I don’t blame animal shelters because of their budget, but I am glad Katie is nowhere near that stuff.
As a broke college student, I was scared at the price of the rated 4 stars and above dog food listed on this site at first. Although it MAY be more “Expensive”, in the long run, I know I’ll be saving money on unneeded vet visits, and I can feed less because my dog will digest the kibble better than kibble that contains corn and other stuff.
I’ve been telling my friends who are also dogowners about this site, and various other ones. After reading, they too are shocked at what they’re really paying for in their “premium dog food”. Although the friend count I’ve informed is only 2, I’m sure they’ll be telling their friends, and so on.
Thank you Mike for this site, and I wish everyone out there a happy, healthy, and long enjoyable journey with their families and their pets.
- Andrew in Southern California
We began feeding “raw” when we had a “Carolina Dog” that had terrible diarrhea continually. A local dog trainer recommended AFS “Majestic Raw” . Our dog, Dixie, never had a diarrhea stool again after the first feding of raw food. Our next dog, a standard poodle, had Irritable bowel disease diagnosed by a vet. Same story, started on a raw diet and no more diarrhea! When you stop to think about it, all dry kibble is “dead” food. It’s all missing enzymes.
Thanks for sharing the story of your dog.
Jill
how tragic. as an only child with deceased parents and no kids, my two rescue dogs are my family and making sure they are well cared for is a high priority.
recently my 7 1/2 year old lab mix and my 6 year old shepard mix started trying to eat their own poop. not catastropic, but wierd given they never did it before. they had been having some diahrrea problems and the vet put them on one of the “special prescription low residue” formulas that cost a fortune but lack a lot of nutrients. when i told the vet about the new poop eating problem she just shrugged and said they don’t understand why that happens and proceeded to sell me a bottle of $30 tablets to put in their food to discourage the practice (the pills lasted about 2 weeks).
on my own i finally figured out they couldn’t handle the high protein levels in their original food and using your rating system and trial and error have been working to find something that works for each dog. i tried to get it so both dogs could be on the same food but it isn’t working and just like your disclaimer states, it looks like each dog will end up on her own food. fortunately i have your ratings to help.
thank you.
it is sooooo tragic to see a dog die from a food like a commerical one. and bad dog food does suck.