I came back to do some more reading.
Patricia A – you mentioned Stella & Chewy’s and some disappointing interactions with their company reps. I used to feed S&C’s and felt good about them for years. I’ve actually never had a bad experience with their customer service, but mostly stopped feeding it when I started really scrutinizing ingredients about 8 months ago (food allergies, plus some other concerns that may not be valid). I will say that in all of my reviewing of vitamin/mineral data, what I received from S&C looked pretty good. I don’t remember red flags that caused me to think the data couldn’t be trusted (as I found for many other companies). And I don’t remember any glaring AAFCO deficiencies (or excesses).
I too have gone through the agonizing decision (many times recently) of whether to dump a company due to poor customer service or suspicious vitamin/mineral data or lack of online transparency. In retrospect, I wonder if I was too hasty in some cases, because I’m realizing that my expectations have probably been too high. But, as you commented, once I discover something really concerning, it is hard to let it go.
I have to say that you and those who have posted replies here are all obviously doing A LOT of research on dog food and are well informed. We are all trying hard to do the best we can for our pups – right?
