Consumer Reports Calls Walmart’s Ol’ Roy the “Best Deal”… Oh, Really?

Please , I have two chocolate labs . A nine and two year old . What is the best dog food to buy and can I trust it .

We found a large clump of damp kibble with two kinds of mold on it when we opened a new 50# bag of Ol Roy Complete Nutrition. We bought the bag two days earlier to make sure we would not run out of food for our four 70-pound dogs.

We live on a sheep ranch and are an hour and 1/2 round trip drive to the closest town, so we are very careful to shop to assure we do not run out of products we need daily., or expect to need in the near future. That closest town to us is where the Walmart is that we bought this bag two days earlier.

Searching the web, I found a similar photo taken from an Ol Roy bag.

I called customer service and they will send me a check for the amount we paid for the bad bag, but they will not include the tax we paid. I felt they should compensate me for the emergency trip I have to take to get food for our dogs. purchase dog food for our dogs. They declined.

I am NOT a happy camper and will NEVER buy Ol Roy again!

I take baths with my cat.

I have many scars.

I am assuming that he was trying to imply something, um, well, something. Truth, the fact that he picked an old post of mine and decided to say something that could be suggestive made me wonder if orlando has changed names again. Call me nuts, but it did make me wonder.

Thanks Stacy, I’m going to request the beef formula at my Costco, that’s a good deal.

Mine don’t need baths but once or twice a year either but when they do I get in the shower with them and hold them while I bath them.. They are all toy breeds..

DO you take baths with your dog? You whacky dog nut you.

Hi Noose, It’s around $25 for a 40lb bag of the grain inclusive Kirkland. For about $31 you can get a 30lb bag of Kirkland’s grain free Nature’s Domain Turkey (red bag). Nature’s Domain Fish gf (blue bag) is a couple bucks more. Not sure of the price on the Beef (yellow bag) as my warehouse doesn’t stock that one.

and yet chinese peope eat chicken feet, American people eat intestines(chitterlings) pigs feet, we eat chiken hair every time you eat fried chicken with skin on. how about sausage? you eat that, what about bologna?

ever since we switched my skinny unplayful 3 yr old chihuahua has gained weight and has been playing with our 6 month old pup. also the pups gas has not come out as bad when she farts. so far liking the switch.

It’s definitely tough to find quality foods when money gets tight – it’s completely understandable. Have you read Dr. Mike’s review for Purina Dog Chow? It’s received 1 star – the lowest rating. According to Walmart.com it’s $26 for 46 lbs. If you can get Pro Pac somewhere in your area that would be a decent alternative – the Pro Pac formulas are rated 4 – 5 stars and run about $25 for 33 lbs. Pro Pac is also very calorie-dense, so you’ll feed less than you would of Dog Chow (Pro Pac’s formulas have over 500 kcal. per cup, while Dog Chow has around 400 kcal. per cup). Victor is another good option – their grain-inclusive formulas are rated 4 stars and are around $30 for 40 lbs. Prism is rated 3 stars and runs $30 for 40 lbs. Authority (sold at Petsmart) is rated 3 stars and costs around $33 for 34 lbs. Betsy listed some very good options as well.

What about Purina Dog Chow? Since I could no longer afford to buy Kirkland dog food, I switched to Purina. I even checked with my Vet & another very reputable local Vet. So will someone please let me know if the Purina (or Meijer’s brand equivalent) is okay for my dogs? I love my babies & just wanted some informed opinions please…ASAP; I have to buy dogfood tonight. BTW, my dogs do love the Purina & have no known side.effects, and no diarrhea. Thanks so much.

Do you actually know what’s in Old Roy? Hair, chicken beaks, eyelashes, also known as meat byproducts. You wouldn’t feed your kids that, then why your dog? That’s why I
never buy that garbage dog food from supermarkets or big box retail
stores.

I just sent Consumer Reports an email telling them what a disservice they are doing to dogs and dog owners. Millions of people look to them to help direct them in buying directions, so it’s a shame that CR would do something like that.

I don’t expect an answer, or at least a satisfying one, but I’ll post it here if I do.

Anytime you switch a dog’s food, or give them something new, you run the risk of them having diarehha. It’s normal. Vets usually recommend “weaning” them off one food to another. For instance, mixing 1/2 of the old food, and 1/2 of the new food, so their body can gradually get used to the new food… then slightly more of the new food, etc and so on, until it’s all of the new food.

“Nutritionism is not a science. It’s an ideology. A religion. A mistaken belief that scientists, veterinarians and animal nutritionists have the ability to engineer a dog food more perfect than Nature”

The Irony in this statement is staggering.

Yes, we are all wacky dog nuts, because we actually want to feed our dogs something with some nutrtional value instead of a candy bar equivalent.

Consumers Reports does objective reporting. They are not paid off by the expensive dog food companys.
 I think the people that pan O’l Roy dog food don’t know what they are talking about-or they are a bunch of wacky dog nuts.

Where I am something can only be done if the dog doesn’t have shelter and/or doesn’t have food and water. And in this case the dog has shelter, I see a water bucket and the dog looks well fed. So nothing can be done, unfortunately.

Emailing you right now.

I agree. One of my neighbors has a golden retriever they leave tied up to a tree on about a 5 foot chain with an old dog house. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it not tied up, pretty sure it’s never been in the house. I feel so bad for it. I guess I just don’t understand why someone would even want a dog if they’re just going to leave the dog outside 24/7…

 I never understood the “outside Dog” thing.We have a guy don the street with a gorgeous Irish Setter and a White Lab.They live it a 8 x 8 pen with a small dog house in it.What a shame…What’s the point of owning such beautiful creatures and leave them to themselves outside deprived of being part of the family pack?

Funky cold medina, funky.

Wow, really? At least they had each other… or did until that poor Border Collie was left outside all alone. I can only hope you’re being facetious. Where I work, that’s called animal cruelty. I hate to be harsh, but I hope you no longer have pets.

Consumer Reports recommends whatever is the best value, and how much the pets seem to like it.

I think I’ll go by their recommendations for non-food products only (for both dogs and humans.)

This is the biggest bunch of crap I’ve heard in a long time.  I wonder how much Consumer Reports got from Walmart for recommending Ol Roy.  Look at website:

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/consumer-reports-reports-on-pet-food-it%E2%80%99s-bunk.html

and you will see what I am talking about.

 Kris, Thanks for the insight on the Ol, Roy Healthy Mix. We have 4 schnauzers and a recently rescued Min Pin. One of our Schnauzers is Diabetic and gets insulin twice a day. The Vet of course wants him to eat at every feeding. Coming up with something that was affordable and healthy for him was an adventure to say the least. I  would never even consider feeding Ol Roy products in the past but out of desperation we read the ingredients on the Healthy Mix and decided to give it a try. He loves it mixed with the Kibbles. I have been feeding Purina Beniful healthy radiance for yrs. but since Stormys diagnosis of Diabetes we’re becoming much more aware of what are and are not good foods for our dogs so we will probably now begin the search for a more affordable but nutritious Kibble. 

 Myself I’m not overly worried about the vegetable oil since I do use some soybean myself for cooking.  My brother grows soybeans so I do use soybean oil and canola oil to support local farmers.  I live in a rural farming community.  Since it has the omega and vitamin E in it I’m okay with it.  Granted there are better oil choices, but when your dog won’t eat other foods, it’s about overlooking certain things or letting her go hungry.   In regards to the Thailand issue…. well it’s not China but still Asia.  Having been to Thailand many years ago I’m sitting on the fence with that one.  Having her not willing to eat unless she’s starved is a bigger concern for me.  I guess I grew up in another Asian country worse than Thailand.  (I was an expat living there and not a local.)  She won’t eat the 4Health types, any of them more than a lone meal just because she’s starved.  The nearest Costco is 134 miles and is across the Canadian border!  The closest US store is 257 miles so that’s out of the question.   Our local TSC doesn’t carry the Merrick or the Wellness brands.  Just the TOTW and BB homestyle recipes, but she won’t eat either of those either.  She also won’t eat the Nutro Lamb either.  I don’t want to order online unless I know she’s going to eat it.   I’d like to be able to rotate proteins for her as well which the Healthy Mix offers and she will eat all four types.   Which is odd because she won’t eat other brands that have lamb.   She does like some raw meats,  (sometimes I feed her some before I start cooking for the family)  but she doesn’t like when I mix ground liver in with her food and won’t eat liver cut into chunks.  I tried making her food, and she at it for about a week and turned her nose up at it.  It was ground beef, chicken, liver 4%, kidney 1%, cottage cheese and scrambled egg, a little bit of rice with some ground egg shell. Which is why now I rotate the flavors so she only has the same flavor for two meals in a row, rotated by the four flavors.  She’s been eating it for about two weeks now which is the longest that she’s eaten anything without being starved.  I don’t have the freezer space to feed her raw right now.  So it’s a matter of finding the worst of the two evils for her I guess.    

I’d also like to get some thoughts on the NEW Ol Roy Healthy Mix in the tubs.  It doesn’t contain a lot of the bad stuff.  My tubs do say that it’s a product of Thailand or something to that effect on the bottom.   Since switching my three dogs to a better quality food we were having problems finding a food our smallest dog would eat.   We found out the two smallest dogs didn’t care for kibble so they get wet.   Our largest dog gets a mix of TOTW kibble mixed with TOTW canned or BB canned.  The medium dog gets the same canned, but my smallest dog wouldn’t eat either canned unless she was starved as a last resort.  I didn’t think that was very fair to her to make her go hungry!  Once in awhile I do serve the 4Health canned foods as well.   So I went out to search for a food she would eat including some of the better of the worse grocery store canned foods.  But I didn’t feed her the canned versions of Ol Roy.  She doesn’t care for ground food and prefers chunks. 

Here’s a found in ingredient list for the 
Ol’ Roy Healthy Mix Simmered Chicken Dog food, 10 ounces.
http://answers.walmart.com/answers/1336/product/17619880/questions.htm?expandquestion=692022

Chicken Broth, Chicken, Peas, Carrot, Rice, Vegetable Oil (Preserved
with Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamin and Mineral (Calcium Pantothenate,
Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Cholin Chloride, Vitamin E
Supplement, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin,
Panthothenic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin, Thiamine
Hydrochloride, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese
Sulfate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium
Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Tapioca Starch, Salt, Potato Starch,
Inulin, Yeast Extract, Turmeric.

I do have all four varieties and if it helps I’ll sit down and type all the ingredients out for anyone who wants to use it who knows more on how to grade this food. 

I did write to Walmart to try to get the number of calories per tub,
which they don’t disclose on the website or on the container.  So I’m
working on that since I prefer to feed all my dogs by the number of calories and actually weigh their food out so they aren’t getting overfed. When I get that info I’ll be happy to share it.

I’m just happy to have a food my little dog will actually eat and she gets giddy when it’s feeding time.   So for now I’m going by the label which actually works for her weight.  She gets 1/2 the tub in the morning and the rest in the evening.  

Jon,

I completely sympathize with your limited situation – but here’s the deal:

You may save money in the short run but it will cost you in the long run.  I speak from personal experience as well as research.1)  You will need to buy much less of a premium food than Ol’ Roy because with so much less waste, your animals eat less.   So even though it’s more expensive you don’t buy as much and also, you don’t have to clean up nearly as much waste.  I had several dogs and cats and the difference is significant.2)  Health issues will be more pronounced in your animal, leading to vet bills you can’t afford and illness neither your nor your pet wants.  If he’s healthy now great, you’re lucky.  They don’t live that long to begin with – don’t shorten it with cheap food.Trust me on this – and also, Costco’s Kirkland food is pretty inexpensive and 4 out of 5 stars.  My girlfriends cats switched from Iams (supposedly premium but only 2 stars here) and her cats now eat 1/2 as much, poop 1/3 as much, barf less and are generally healthier.TRUST ME on this one Jon – NOT being judgmental at all – but you are NOT saving money buying cheap food and your pet will suffer for it.

Nutritional Information

Ingredients

Water sufficient for processing, poultry, meat by-products, wheat
flour, wheat gluten, peas, salt, carrots, guar gum, caramel color,
potassium cholride, sodium tripolyphosphate, onion extract, carrageenan,
garlic powder, vitamins (A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E
supplement, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin
supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid,
biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), steamed bone meal, minerals (ferrous
sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate,
sodium selenite), iron oxide, Yellow 6, sodium nitrate, (for color
retention), Yellow 5.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (Min): 8%

Crude Fat (Min): 3%

Crude Fiber (Max): 1%

Moisture (Max): 82%

i agree but don’t coma across as a bitch please..

Thanks for creating this great resource, Mike! Have you seen the new Ol’ Roy wet food? It’s next to the wet Beneful on the shelf, in a similar-looking package. The ingredients sound more wholesome than what I feed myself! Really, it’s 100% different than what you expect from the brand. I was looking for online info on this new food, but didn’t find any. I can’t believe it, but I’m actually considering feeding it to my Yorkies. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll get the ingredient list tomorrow and post it for your comment.

Here, Here! My husband and I cancelled our CR subscriptions because of this article. How they could have been so ridiculous as to only use cost of food as a criteria was unbelievable!
We feed our 4 greyhounds and little old Pom, Natural Balance which is pretty expensive. We have found that with using this product, we definitely could reduce the quantity needed which actually makes the bag last longer than the other stuff. So in that sense it certainly comes out more equitable in cost. Our dogs have healthy coats and bodies, don’t beg anymore than they ever did and the amount of stool we clean up is less.

I just found this pet food Q&A that Consumer Reports did back in 2009. Have a look at this stupidity.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/money/pet-food/overview/pet-food-ov.htm

Where do these idiots get off making these kinds of claims? Most telling is this statment:

“Most experts said individual ingredients are much less important than overall nutrient profile.”

AHHH!!! >:-(

Jon, if you have time, you might want to read the various articles Mike has written. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/helpful-dog-food-articles/

Mike has reviewed dry foods with his rating on the pet food:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/

Here other websites you might want to take a look at to educate yourself as to what you are feeding your best friend.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/downloads/pdf/PetFoodReport_05-07.pdf

If you are a member to Costco, there are other brands you can choose that is affordable for a large bag and has better ingredients than Ol’Roy.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kirkland-signature-dog-food/
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/natures-domain-dog-food/

People are judgemental because they know what pet food is good & bad to feed your pet.

I have no complaints about walmart’s ol’ roy dog food. Every month i get my ss check i get 40lbs. It fits my limited senior income. I’m a Satisfied walmat customer. I wish people wern’nt
so judgemental.

Sandi – Reading the link you provided made me pause a couple of times regarding pH level, acidic vs alkaline. I wasn’t going to bother reading to the end, but did scan down and found some corrections/clarification noted by a HHP at the end of the article. I decided to not ‘think too hard’ on this one, but reader beware!
I use Apple Cider Vinegar (Organic Raw Unfiltered) for my dog, family and household.
Most people don’t need to know about the pH level. Using ACV isn’t Rocket Science so any errors in the article shouldn’t matter to most.

Hasn’t this thread’s comments numbers increased!

There’s another fantastic use for apple cider vinegar as well, Sandi. Or white vinegar for that matter. And that is, that its a safe natural bactericidal or disinfectant. And its potency in this, can be increased 10 fold, by just adding 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to the surface treated.

I agree with Mike.

http://thebark.com/content/10-easy-pieces-liven-your-dogs-dinner
http://thebark.com/content/10-more-easy-pieces-liven-your-dog’s-meals

Good Morning! I am very impressed with your site but I would like to make a suggestion. So often I hear “but my dog won’t eat it” “likes it better”, etc. So many foods are full of salt and sugar and artifical flavours to “hook” your pup on taste, despite the low nutritional content. They don’t want you to “top” the food because it’s already maxed on calories, not because it’s so darn good. I would love to see a section touching on that problem. Best Regards
P.S. If I have missed it, my appologies

You are so right Sandi . I feel honored that Jubilee loves me the way she does . She is amazing and I love her for every day we are allowed to share . What a great picture Sandi !!!

Thanks Sandi , being very carefull with Jubilee . Doing the best I can . I was a bad dad with my last 2 kids . Always checking for lumps . My last girl had three lumps removed . I love the boxer breed and I know the threaths they are likely to get . They are well worth the worries though . I love my boxer gal …

Mike S. – Thanks for that info. I’ll give it a try later today.

Mike P. – Since I never saw Balls of Fury, I didn’t know what you were referring to. I do have a good sense of humor and I’m not easily offended but thanks for your apology. Have you ever walked into a room and didn’t feel comfortable? Most likely there is bad energy in the room due to the placement of objects. Clutter in a home/work place, for example, is bad energy and most likely you won’t be as productive as you can be. That is why they have feng shui designers go to the workplace and place the furniture in certain locations/directions. If you have a lot of clutter, try organizing it or throw out things you really don’t need and see how you feel. Glad you are open to expanding your knowledge. I’m happy I could help you & Jubilee – you’re a great dad. I had a Boxer when I was a kid – great breed. If you see lumps, bumps, swelling, please have your Vet check it out. There are certain breeds that are prone to mast cell tumors, the Boxer is one of them. Keep her immune system strong and read up on vaccinations. Stay away from chemicals in & out of your home if possible. “Knowledge is Power!”

http://www.caninecancer.com/Mast.html

Enjoy your fly-less weekend with Jubilee.

feng-shui ? flowers ? I thought this was Dog food advisor ? lol how silly.

I removed the history of feng shui link – if interested, google it.

Shameless – dead flowers can be a diffuser, but it’s not the philosphy of Feng Shui. There are those that believe in FS, those that don’t. It has been around for a while – i.e. 3000 years originating in China. I know office buildings are being built with this philosphy.

Mike P. – There’s nothing wrong with flowers – FS isn’t against them in your home as long as they are alive.

Mike S. – this is the second time I’m posting a response that isn’t going through. Do you moderate our posts?

Your dead flowers are a homemade diffuser wanting to happen.
http://lifeblazing.com/2011/05/15/your-dead-flowers-are-a-homemade-diffuser-wanting-to-happen/

Gee Sandi – I knew those plastic and silk [fake] flowers were on this planet for a reason… now I know why – - feng shui! There’s just a big problem in that the plastic and silk are dead too! Wow – giving some helpful hints on plant-based dog pest control turns into advocating manmade plastic and silk. I have never purchased a fake flower and never plan to.

Hi Cathy . My eyes have been opened to soooo many things by reading this site . I would of given my new dog alot of crap without a clue . I read all the contents on everything now, and if I have questions , I simply ask here on this site . Thanks for all your knowledge and help .

I would be worried about the “use of chemicals ” That a gargen shop uses Cathy .I’m with you on the meat scraps .

Glad it worked for you Mike!

This works for fleas: Apple Cider Vinegar Repellant: Mix apple cider vinegar 50/50 with water & put in a spray bottle. Spray all over esp. behind the ears and head (careful of eyes), base of the tail (keep away from delicate areas) and under dog’s armpits. ACV works for other things as well.

did the vineger and water 50/50 . we started our walk and the flys showed up . i srayed her down with the solution and no flys . by the time we got home she was dry and aired out . wiped her down with a damp wash rag …no smell …yay

Anyone can write to Consumer Reports with your feelings;

http://custhelp.consumerreports.org/cgi-bin/consumerreports.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

This is the response I got from Consumer Reports:

Thanks for taking the time to contact Consumer Reports. It is always a pleasure to hear from our readers!

We appreciate your taking the time to write to us regarding our report on pet food. Your correspondence has provided us with invaluable feedback on how we’re doing. Please be assured that our readers’ comments and thoughts help shape the work we do. I will, of course, forward your correspondence to the appropriate departments for their review and consideration for our future reports.

Thanks again for taking the time to write. Your interest in our work is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Moreira
Customer Relations Representative
1479811
****

Hi Stephanie,

I want to thank you for responding to my comments.

CR’s article has really sent shock waves to pet parents who look for the best food for their pet and not the cheapest, which is what CR is suggesting. They take time to educate themselves in what’s really in pet food and learn how to read labels. One could eat at McDonald’s day in and day out and save a ton of money. Down the road, I wonder how their health will be affected.

I never had the need to look at Ol’ Roy’s ingredients. I’ve been feeding holistic since 1996. I just about fell off my seat. This is the brand CR recommended.

Ingredients:

Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

Two reasons off hand to avoid corn – dogs could be allergic and
http://completenaturalnutrition.com/blog/mold-and-mycotoxins/

There isn’t one ingredient that is a healthy choice. After the devastating recall in 2007, consumers lost trust in pet food companies.

Dogs need protein and that should be the first ingredient in any pet food, not ground yellow corn. Our choice shouldn’t be based on what’s the cheapest food out there.

“A significant part of the national pet-food bill these days goes for so-called premium and super-premium varieties. But “premium” has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality, notes Sarah Abood, D.V.M., a small-animal clinical nutritionist and assistant dean at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.”

Did you know she had worked for Purina?

http://www.abvp.com/symposiums/2010_symposium/speaker_bios.htm#SA

Here’s a few links you might want to pass along. Perhaps CR can interview these people for your next issue and educate your readers in choosing a healthy brand for their pet.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101 (Sabine Contreras)

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ (Mike Sagman)

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/07/12/dietary-fiber-in-processed-pet-food.aspx (Dr. Karen Becker)

http://dogaware.com/ (Mary Strauss)

I wrote Who’s Your Vet? with my journey into the world of veterinary medicine and to enlighten all pet parents about the importance of choosing a good pet food. The average pet person will listen to their Vet’s recommendation who really isn’t trained in nutrition and will suggest Science Diet or whatever brand Hill’s manufactures. When I ask “what is the first ingredient,” they have no clue. They never read the label.
The purpose of the book is to encourage all pet parents to be proactive in their pet’s health.

“Let food be your first medicine” – Hippocrates

Shameless – I know people use Apple Cider Vinegar Repellant to kill fleas: Mix apple cider vinegar 50/50 with water & put in a spray bottle. Spray your dog behind the ears/around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (keep away from delicate areas) and under dog’s ‘armpits’. I have never had a problem with fleas or flies, only an occasion lizard sneaking in my condo.

Jami & MaryLou – You can complain to Consumer Reports. I emailed Consumer Reports @
http://custhelp.consumerreports.org/cgi-bin/consumerreports.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

I can’t believe I forgot to post their response & my reply back to them. Pretty soon I won’t be able to find my way back home.:)

“Thanks for taking the time to contact Consumer Reports®. It is always a pleasure to hear from our readers!
We appreciate your taking the time to write to us regarding our report on pet food. Your correspondence has provided us with invaluable feedback on how we’re doing. Please be assured that our readers’ comments and thoughts help shape the work we do. I will, of course, forward your correspondence to the appropriate departments for their review and consideration for our future reports.
Thanks again for taking the time to write. Your interest in our work is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Moreira
Customer Relations Representative
1479811

****
Hi Stephanie,

I want to thank you for responding to my comments.

CR’s article has really sent shock waves to pet parents who look for the best food for their pet and not the cheapest, which is what CR is suggesting. They take time to educate themselves in what’s really in pet food and learn how to read labels. One could eat at McDonald’s day in and day out and save a ton of money. Down the road, I wonder how their health will be affected.

I never had the need to look at Ol’ Roy’s ingredients. I’ve been feeding holistic since 1996. I just about fell off my seat. This is the brand CR recommended.
Ingredients:

Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

Two reasons off hand to avoid corn – dogs could be allergic and

http://completenaturalnutrition.com/blog/mold-and-mycotoxins/

There isn’t one ingredient that is a healthy choice. After the devastating recall in 2007, consumers lost trust in pet food companies.

Dogs need protein and that should be the first ingredient in any pet food, not ground yellow corn. Our choice shouldn’t be based on what’s the cheapest food out there.

“A significant part of the national pet-food bill these days goes for so-called premium and super-premium varieties. But “premium” has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality, notes Sarah Abood, D.V.M., a small-animal clinical nutritionist and assistant dean at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.”

Did you know she had worked for Purina? http://www.abvp.com/symposiums/2010_symposium/speaker_bios.htm#SA

Here’s a few links you might want to pass along. Perhaps CR can interview these people for your next issue and educate your readers in choosing a healthy brand for their pet.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101 (Sabine Contreras)

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ (Mike Sagman)

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/07/12/dietary-fiber-in-processed-pet-food.aspx (Dr. Karen Becker)

http://dogaware.com/ (Mary Strauss)

I wrote Who’s Your Vet? with my journey into the world of veterinary medicine and to enlighten all pet parents about the importance of choosing a good pet food. The average pet person will listen to their Vet’s recommendation who really isn’t trained in nutrition and will suggest Science Diet or whatever brand Hill’s manufactures. When I ask “what is the first ingredient,” they have no clue. They never read the label.

The purpose of the book is to encourage all pet parents to be proactive in their pet’s health.

“Let food be your first medicine” – Hippocrates

I was disappointed in Consumer Reports when I read their August article advocating for cheap dog food. It looks like they have lost their minds. I thought the point of the magazine was to compare products based on quality. If their car buying advice follows suit, they will encourage us to buy the cheapest thing with four wheels and a motor without regard for safety or reliability. I will have to rethink my subscription.

Ahh, so Mike is a chocoholic.

We are not outdoors long enough to be bothered by flies – So. Florida is hot hot hot. My boys do their thing & it’s back to the couch. Try this website:

http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/homemade-fly-spray.html

Mike P ~ I grew up in Colorado a million years ago. I know people used diluted Avon Skin So Soft for flies on horses. I have heard of people using it on dogs for fleas and ticks. Just not sure what the ingredients are. May want to google it.

I was planning on going into business with Alex, but Richard banned him from The Doggy Store LOL. Alex would have been a great partner – sounded like he could sell ice to eskimos.

When making your own ice cream, you don’t have Guar gum, locust bean gum, soy lecithin, citric acid, palm kernal oil etc. found in commercial ice cream – organic or not, only fresh ingredients & don’t need those ingredients to make the dessert firmer. I notice only the Alden Cookies n Cream has non GMO soy lecithin, other flavors is soy lecithin.

I might make fresh lemon sorbet. Frozen pina coloadas or daiquiris isn’t something I’d be interested in. Hey, maybe my next purchase will be a “spinning wheel”

Thanks Shameless. I must say I’m having fun making my own ice cream or frozen yogurt. I added organic coconut & organic carob chips to the vanilla ice cream topped with organic mint fudge. The yogurt I mixed frozen blueberries & strawberries & added coconut. It’s so simple to make. I keep their bowl in the freezer all the time and take it out when I want to make a new batch of ice cream. After you mix the ingredients which takes 5 min., you pour the ingredients into the bowl, flip it on and keep it running for 30 min. I wrote to Cusinart telling them I’m going to open an ice cream stand inside my development LOL.

Sandi – Alden’s Organic Ice Cream is yummy and no carrageenan. USDA certified organic. 8 flavors. Often on special for $5/half-gallon at my local organic market. Whole Foods sells it for $7.
Great website –
http://www.aldensicecream.com/
http://www.aldensicecream.com/_docs/Aldens_Ice_Creams.pdf

Hi Sandi – “Go ahead, make my day.” !!
Did you profit on your star-studded toilet tissue? It’s amazing what people spend $ on. Complaining that Real Food is expensive, mainstreamers (rich and poor and in-between) usually seem to have money for beer, cigarettes, lattes, tattoos, piercings, and fancy toilet tissue. But not for Real Food.
For 3 decades, I worked with physicians who annually earned, on average, $500,000 gross; $300,000 net. They didn’t get tattoos and piercings – LOL, but most have million dollar homes. And most eat primarily processed, toxic food.
M.D.’s, like Vets, get minimal nutrition education – - unless it’s their specialty. There are only a handful of M.D.’s who specialize in nutrition.
So, is the Real Food concept really about money, or is it about knowledge?!?!

KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/knowyourfarmer?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER

Boris – I was reading your comment (on Member’s Mark Dog Food) about ‘toilet business’ literally…. like maybe it was a job.
But I think you were using the phrase figuratively. Funny!

ShamelessRawFoodie – LOL – great minds think alike! We were replying at the same time.

boris – I’m impressed! I found your lake on Google Earth and then looked up some details on Wikipedia. I don’t see buildings near the lake. I see some agricultural land – what crops are grown? What does your dog eat?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
Lake Baikal (Russian: о́зеро Байка́л Ozero Baykal, pronounced [ˈozʲɪrə bʌjˈkɑl]; Buryat: Байгал нуур, Mongolian:Байгал нуур, Baygal nuur, meaning “nature lake”[3]) is the world’s oldest[4] and deepest lake at 30 million years old and with an average depth of 744.4 metres.

Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water.[5][6]

At 1,642 metres (5,387 ft),[1] Lake Baikal is the deepest[7] and among the clearest[8] of all lakes in the world. . .

The whole thing is why not put a little money on the better dog food…save trips to the vet.

There is no nutritional value in Ole Roy or Kibbles and Bites. The fur and every aspect of live is compromised when you feed this stuff.

Sydney’s entire water supply also includes flouride. The state of Queensland, I think is the only state in Oz not containing flouride in their water system. I and my dogs have been drinking tap water for a long time. Myself, even longer. I guess I could be up for cancer some time down the track. One never knows? I am going to get a filtration system installed down the track. I’m open minded on the risks of exposure of the amount of flouride actually contained in my water supply. I think they reported some years ago, it was something along the lines of 0.00000009% of it is in like a ? litres of water. Can’t recall?

Anyway I recall there had been a 60 minutes show dedicated to the pro’s and con’s of this water treatment debated by advocates and by protesters of experts on both sides of the coin, back in the 90′s some year.

Who really has the answers? At this stage I don’t really believe that anyone truly knows the long term results as yet.

Yeah boris, what part of the world you from? I’m interested in knowing what river could possibly have escaped any type of pollution to date?

boris – Yes, some bottled water companies are deceptive, and most people purchase based on emotion, rather than careful thought. Some bottled waters are merely ‘purified’ municipal tap water.
You’re fortunate to have a natural source of apparently clean water.
But tap water isn’t, as you say, ‘fit for all people’, IMO. I don’t drink my tap water, nor does my dog, ever since 2004 when fluoride (hydrofluorosilicic acid) was added to our municipal water supply. At that time, I worked with medical doctors, and each MD received a precaution letter from our state Department of Health alerting them about the potential risk of fluorosis for patients who ingest fluoride supplements in addition to consuming the now-fluoridated municipal water.
Not all water is equal.

you wasting monie on bottle water. tap water is fit for all peopl and company lie about bottle water. you buy bottle water you just buy tap water. my dogs drink water from my river on my farm. all nature all good. tap water ok to. dont buy bottle water. i now this becorse my cousin in america work for bottle water compamny. they lie to you. not trust. just use tap water and if you have filter system this is also good.

Mike P. –
what’s R/O?

Sandi we have a R/O system in our house . Tons better than stale bottled water , but bottled better than tap for sure …

Mike P, I couldn’t agree more about the bowls. It does seem to be a subject that is often overlooked. And this time of year I add a couple of handfuls of ice to his water bowl to keep it cool and fresh a little longer. It is quite hot and humid here during the summer. (upper midwest).

J Aaron – sorry for your loss. I forgot to mention my Whippet is going on 15. The Oncologist wanted to amputate his leg where he had the mast cell tumor – I went holistic – he still has all four legs.

Now that you have the food part down, aware of over-vaccinating, here’s some info on the environment:

http://www.webvet.com/main/2008/05/29/toxic-homes-are-our-pets-becoming-polluted

http://www.thebark.com/content/toxic-dust-devils

Mike S. – glad I’m not color-blind! LOL

Mike P – Sorry about you losing your Boxer’s to cancer. I know that devastating feeling you had. My Whippet is a 2x cancer survivor. Diagnosed @ 10 years with a mast cell tumor, and thyroidal carcinoma 2 years later. I stopped vaccinations @ 5 years after I learned it lowers their immune system. He was fed only holistic kibble when I got him @ 14 mos. The breeder had him on Science Diet. I discovered cancer is in his line. His mother died of cancer @ 14 yrs. A breeder started his kennel from 2 of my breeders puppies, also found cancer in some of his dogs. He’s a responsible breeder and is no longer breeding from that line. In writing my book, I discovered all breeds are prone to cancer, some more than others: http://www.canismajor.com/dog/cancer1.html

Re: vaccinations: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM

Feed quality food (like Ol’Roy, NOT!) and keep their immune system strong. The environment also comes into play. Try to limit the amount of chemicals in your home. There are just some things we have no control over. I know a pet nutritionist who fed her dog raw, died of cancer and another pet nutritionist’s dog has an autoimmune disease. There’s no magic bullet. The reason I wrote Who’s Your Vet? is to educate the “pet parents” to be proactive in their pet’s health – and definitely start with a quality dog food – raw or kibble.

Sue – thanks for that info. I’m happy WDJ requires they disclose their mfgr. It shouldn’t be a big secret. Glad your house is smelling “sweet” again.

Maybe this explains why Blue Buffalo has so many quality control issues.

SueW – Thanks for the extra info about the Whole Dog Journal. I actually do feed raw in alternation with grain free kibble. I’m a BARFer, the best commercial raw there is IMO. But I also feed my dogs one of the kibble brands that WDJ highly placed, according to others, of which is the Artemis Maximal formula. And I now also use the Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural in a 50:50 mix with Artemis when I alternate with BARF.

BTW, SueW, since you have a subscription with WDJ, out of curiosity, have they rated Earthborn formulas?

My my…..CR has done it again! I never believe anything they have to say.

Sandi , I was a dumbass and fed my two boxers this crap . They both lived for 12 years . Both died of cancer . I feel so bad I fed my dogs this food . I started to researh dog food and found this site . My new boxer now eats 5 star kibble and canned toppers . She also now gets raw meaty bones . Thank God for this site and Mike and all the posters .

Antonio – this is the first time I’m seeing Ol’ Roy’s ingredients – holy s T!! What’s the lifespan of a dog on their colorful brand? I don’t see one ingredient that can be good.

Gordon;
If you are interested in obtaining a list of dog foods reccommended by The Whole Dog Journal, you can buy individual issues with brand listings. I subscribe to it and the most recent listing for dry dog food is in the February 2011 issue. If you are interested in raw feeding, there are articles and reccommended books in the November & December 2010 issues.

Normally I’m the one on here that will give a company benefit of the doubt and play devil’s advocate on many conversations so to speak. But even I can’t find a way to defend this report. Here’s a ingredient list for

Ol Roy Complete and Balanced:

Ingredients:
Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

CR really needs to adjust their criteria and place more essentives on best quality for the dollar instead of simply the awaring a company for being the cheapest dog food on the shelf.

I was just reading the article from Consumer Reports August edition. In the article, they mention Dr. Sarah K. Abood, DVM, PhD. http://www.abvp.com/symposiums/2010_symposium/speaker_bios.htm#SA

I notice she worked for Purina.

“A significant part of the national pet-food bill these days goes for so-called premium and super-premium varieties. But “premium” has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality, notes Sarah Abood, D.V.M., a small-animal clinical nutritionist and assistant dean at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Premium or otherwise, any food you see on supermarket and pet-store shelves that’s labeled “complete & balanced,” “total nutrition,” or “100 percent nutritious” should meet the minimum standards for nutrition set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. That indicates that it’s adequate for the vast majority of healthy pets. Pet foods might be similar in nutritional content, but their prices can vary widely. When we comparison shopped at five national chains and one supermarket in the San Francisco Bay area, the best deal we saw on dry dog food was a 50-pound bag of Ol’ Roy at Walmart with a unit price of 34 cents per pound. At the higher end of the price range was a 4.5-pound bag of Purina Chef Michael’s Rotisserie Chicken flavor, at PetSmart for $2.22 a pound—more than six times as much. “

Consumer Reports…..what a joke. Ol’roy is not a good bargain to anyone with some common sense. You have to feed twice as much of this cheap crappy food. So if you double the amount that you are paying for the Ol’roy, you can buy a 4* food for the same cost as Ol’roy because you are feeding less of the 4*.

Wow – I seldom see a Consumer Report or review of paint or appliances that says the paint is adequate or the washing machine will wash your clothes. Their statement, “it’s adequate for the vast majority of healthy pets.” says it all. The food will sustain life is how I read it. What about the owner who wants their pets to thrive? There is more to a product than a low price point, they should know that. Shame on them for not doing their research adequately.

Does anyone know if CR is really independent or where they
get their financing or backing?

I would agree, Mike. I guess, in a way, journalists don’t have to have a financial objective when they research something. Doctors, Vets, and Scientists are, more often than not, bought in some way by Big Food and Big Drugs. Even well-meaning, good-hearted Doctors can be corrupted at such a base level by their education, that they simply believe everything that is handed down to them. I had a lovely lady Vet stop into my store the other day and I asked her if she was interested in raw and she told me she doesn’t believe in it. You don’t “believe in it”? Raw food isn’t a fairy in the garden. It’s what your dog ate for millions of years. Aren’t these people scientists? Don’t they all learn the evolution of the animals? Yes! So where is the nutrition disconnect??? Oh yeah, I know… Johnson & Johnson ($61,897 million in 2009), Pfizer ($50,009 million, 2009), Colgate/Palmolive (15,300 million, 2009)… I think I’ve made my point.

And Mike does it for free, too. It’s no doubt a passion of his.

Out of all literature I’ve read, I’m yet to read any of Michael Pollan’s work. I read his name and work pop up hear and elsewhere every now and then. I plan on getting to it.

That Whole Dog Journal, I thought I’d check up on for its recent list, and found you have to pay for a subscription to access it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean if the WDJ is any good, why not charge a small amount, given they’ve obviously put in time and effort in creating and maintaining it.

I also think, Mike may reap some benefits for his hard work, if he opened his website for those advertising headers often seen on many sites, that is unrelated to the actual website. That’s another way, Mike can make some extra money, in addition to his profession as a dentist, where he charges advertisers for being able to use yet just another website as a medium for advertising their messages. This would be another form of reward for effort. But I’m sure Mike would probably think if he can get the message across, and sway more people to truth, then that may be enough reward.

You know, CR claims that their reviews are based entirely on objective research. That’s part of why their car reviews suck. Car A gets 1 mpg more than Car B. Car A is the better car. Yet when it comes to food? What objective measures are they using? DFA uses the objective standard of the ingredients list, the AAFCO definition of those ingredients, and the approximate measured meat content based on the government regulated GA. All CR has done is look at one factor (complete and balanced, which is a joke) and then price. This was not a researched report on their part at all. A 3rd-grader could pick the cheaper dog food if told only to base the decision on price and “complete and Balanced”. Not only is the article completely wrong, they exerted absolutely no researching effort to create it. That is a disservice to their many customers that blindly trust them based on their usual “objective research”. There was no science in that CR article. And actually, it ends up just being subjective BS.

Good read Mike S. DFA is the real “Consumer Reports” for dog food. When I’m finished with “Why Evolution is True”, I intend to pick up “Omnivore’s Dilemma”. I’ve been reading some of Michael Pollan’s article and essays on line and I really enjoy his writing style. Is “Omnivore’s Dilemma” where he introduces the concept of Nutritionism?

One word: UGH. *facepalm*

I agree that their dog food recommendations are absurd. But it’s interesting to note that the same issue rates the best fast food chains: burgers, tacos, pizza, chicken, etc. At least they’re consistent in recommending cheap junk food for dogs AND humans!