[Carol V]

Dear Mike and DogFoodAdvisor.com staff & friends, thank you for this highly informative and easy-to-use website. It is a relief – and yes, a thrill! – to find current and accurate dog food info that I trust. Our two dogs have both experienced significant problems with dog food. One time was when Wellness tweaked one of the ingredients in their dry dog food and another time was when I gave each of our dogs ONE chicken jerky strip (probably from China). Now that I have found your website I am confident that I can make dog food decisions that are based on sound, unbiased information vs. marketing hype. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into this outstanding website.

I also appreciate this community in which dog lovers share their experiences, raise questions, and have discussions about dog food and related issues. And kudos on your policies on not accepting ads and on requiring civil discourse. This website is absolutely wonderful and I am so glad I found it!

Best regards,
Carol

[Edward B]

I agree, lots of good information. One thing I would like to be able access easier, in the editors choice you actually show the manufacturer and I can click on it to get info on that manufacturer. It would be nice to be able to view all the manufacturers you have info on on a separate list / link.

[Pitlove]

Carol-

I agree this website is great. I’ve found the forums to be very helpful. Just wanted to mention as a warning with the review section. Once you find a food you like make sure you look further into the company. Find out who manufacters the brand you like, how actually owns the brand, whats the recall history, have they had quality control issues and not recalled a product (similar to Purina’s situation right now).

I think Taste of the Wild is a great example. Its become very popular and we frequently have people coming into my work looking for it but we dont carry it. I even talked to a lady yesterday whos holisitic vet told her to get her dog off Merrick canned products and onto Taste of the Wild.
However, TotW is manufactured by Diamond. A company with a long recall history and poor quality control standards and most people avoid Diamond products like the plague. I mentioned this to her and she was shocked her vet didn’t know about it.

Just when you think your research is done, there is still more to do 😛

[Edward B]

PitLove,

Sorry that’s kind of funny though as I’m transitioning my dogs to Merrick dry from Blue Buffalo. Researching dog food can be a nightmare in itself but i realized something in the process. Not every dog is the same, what works well for my dog might not do so well with yours. You kind of have to tone some of the discussion out and know your dogs well and see what they do best on. All the higher end dog foods still have their own issues and you still have to keep an eye out for things that aren’t acceptable to you as a pet owner. I completely agree that you not only have to know the food but the company and their practices as well.

[Pitlove]

Edward-

I didn’t agree with the change from Merrick to Taste of the Wild for that customer as her dog was doing well on the Merrick canned. I find Merrick to be a much better brand. The only reason the vet was pushing for the change in foods was the high gravy content in Merrick, saying it was all sauce. I suggested some other foods to her that were pates that are not manufactured by Diamond.

[crazy4cats]

Pitlove-
Diamond does not manufacture canned food.

[Pitlove]

Ah good to know. Figured they manufactured both.

[Carol V]

PitLove, thanks for your reply and for pointing out that you do need to look at the manufacturer. That can be a daunting task! When our dogs started to get sick, it never even occurred to me that it could be the result of Wellness changing their formula. (This was some years ago.) Since literally nothing had changed in our dogs’ diet or environment, I checked the Wellness website but I couldn’t find anything. I called Wellness out of desperation. It took me multiple phone calls over days to reach the right person. He admitted that one minor ingredient had recently changed and Wellness had been receiving some reports of dogs becoming ill. I appreciated his honesty. We took our dogs off Wellness and they immediately improved. So even researching a manufacturer might not be enough. However, your point about due diligence is a good one. Thanks.

[Author]

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