I used to feed my doggy poison. :D

[IAmLink]

I don't think anyone, on here at least, is trying to say that dogs will lilve a bad life on this kind of food, nor were they saying that makes you a bad owner if you do feed those. It's more that, if a dog is fed a higher quality food, they are much more likely to live a healthier and longer life. There are always going to be ones that are out of the norm....but when you switch any regular dog from something like iams and beneful to something much more high quality like Merrick or Fromm...there is usually a drastic change in the quality of health and energy of the dog. Higher quality foods can also help to eliminate certain health problems too.

I dont think it's "out of the norms" considering most of the people I know feed their dogs that are fine. The thread implies that you are feeding you dogs poison. Dramatic. Yes.

I switched my dog from beneful to Wellness he stayed dopey and dumb. xD lol seriously I didnt see a difference. He is still the same energetic, 6 year old dog who has never gotten sick.

I guess it's a matter of perspective. Plenty of dogs seem pretty healthy on the big name brands. But, if you take that same exact dog and, it's whole life, had it on a higher quality food, there's a really good chance of that dog living healthier and longer. And a lot of issues that can plauge old dogs do not appear as early, or possibly not at all: arthritis, eye problems, etc. Without medication and just by switching foods.

I also had not meant that the personality of a dog would change, I meant more on health problems. I've known plenty of people who had dogs on the big name brands, but they switched to a food with a much higher protien content and a much lower grain and/or filler content, and their problems basically went away: skin issues, digestive tract issues, eye issues, etc.

For me, it was even harder. My dog ended up being allergic to all grains and basically any kind of "kibble" she could not eat. Even the high quality stuff. In some ways it makes sense because dogs are carnivores and are not meant to eat grains (although they can obviously) but in the end, for my dog, the best choice was to switch to a raw diet. I cannot believe the change in energy levels, the way her coat looks, and how healthy her check ups are =). I will likely stay with raw for all my dogs in the future, so long as its within my ability to do so.

But personally, for me, I would never choose any kind of dog food that I had heard professional, negative reviews about; that includes brands like Blue Buffalo. I just don't like to take that chance and I want my dog to be with me for as long as possible. That's just me though. I'm not trying to imply that anyone else feels differently than this or anything, so please don't take it that way. I'm also not going to say that anyone is a bad owner for feeding a big name brand...those owners may be perfectly happy feeding that, and frankly I'd much rather dogs be fed less than perfect food rather than be starved by their owners...I just personally would not feed that.

[Dakonic]

Well, if a dog is fed the crappy food, like the $3 for a 40lb bag kidn of crappy, their whole lives, changing the food is sort of difficult. Our barn dogs, an Aussie mix, Baloo, and a lab mix, Soco, had eaten that kind of food their entire lives, but they are healthy and full of energy, even as they're getting a little older. We tried to switch them to TOTW and their stomachs couldn't handle it. They loved they food, but they got so sick. |: I think she's slowly stepping them up to good food at the moment.

When switching dog food you don't just give them the new stuff and expect them to get used to it. It's a process, if done properly, takes about 2 weeks. You start out with about 7/8 (fraction varies for some dogs) your old food and 1/8 the new. And gradually increase.





And off that topic, healthy isn't exactly something you can just look at a dog and see. Heck, I know plenty of active dogs fed poor quality food that may appear healthy but later on had kidney failure, stuff like that. I'm not trying to say that dogs on it are unhealthy, I'm trying to say you can't say if they were or not without doing the proper research. The human's eye can only do so much, dog training has really showed me this.

[Jazi]

Think of it this way. I'm a college student who is relatively thin (possibly borderline underweight, actually), haven't been sick in over a year, and I have enough energy to work and go to class, and then take my sisters' dogs out for long walks. My diet consists of pizza, hot dogs, snack food, and candy.

I feel noticeably stronger, I'm more awake, my hands shake less, and I can concentrate a lot easier as well as not be constantly stuffing food in my face if I sit down and eat actual, balanced meals. People simply looking at me between can't tell the difference between the two. Occasionally someone will mention that I'm more alive that day, or that I seem to be concentrating really well.

Just because a dog "looks" fine doesn't mean it is fine. Also, as Celestial88 said, switching food should be done in stages, not all at once. Some dogs and cats can handle the sudden switch but most need to be eased into it. After all, if you never went to an Indian restaurant and then spent a week in India, I'm sure your stomach would be hating you for it too

[Junsui]

Our dogs are doing awesome on their, "crappy", "poisonous", food. You guys shouldn't tell us what to feed our dogs. If they're fine on what they have, don't make us go "OMG MY DAWG FOOD IS BAD I MUST FEED MY DOG DIFFERENT FOOD NAO OR IT'LL DIE ON THE FLOOR!!!!!!!"
Sorry if I've offended anyone, but you guys are making a big deal about it. Unless the dog is in really bad shape, I don't think you should switch their food around. That will only make them worse.
By the way, doesn't purina have real meat in it? I thought I heard... that it had chicken in it... and vegetables.... but it could be just the commercials.

[Rabies]

Pro Plan was THE dog food around here, but through sheer stubbornness I got it changed to Taste of the Wild. Sadly, all three of my dogs did absolutely awful on it, so Plan B: Canidae. They all did very well on that for months and months. I recently bought some Natural Balance because they were out of Canidae and I was in a hurry, and my (remaining) dog does well on that too. I'm considering rotating over to Honest Kitchen for a month, since he liked his sample serving so much.

I REALLY liked the Honest Kitchen's ingredients and company policies, and my dog loved to eat it. Check it out.

[IAmLink]

Our dogs are doing awesome on their, "crappy", "poisonous", food. You guys shouldn't tell us what to feed our dogs. If they're fine on what they have, don't make us go "OMG MY DAWG FOOD IS BAD I MUST FEED MY DOG DIFFERENT FOOD NAO OR IT'LL DIE ON THE FLOOR!!!!!!!"
Sorry if I've offended anyone, but you guys are making a big deal about it. Unless the dog is in really bad shape, I don't think you should switch their food around. That will only make them worse.
By the way, doesn't purina have real meat in it? I thought I heard... that it had chicken in it... and vegetables.... but it could be just the commercials.

Everyone on the past several pages that had said anything slightly against the big name dog food brands have NOT been that dramatic. All those posts have been very factual and no one is blaming those that feed those brands. They are just stating reasons why it would be a good idea to switch. If your fine with feeding foods like that, then by all means do it. This is simply a thread giving reasons why switching may be better for your dog...Some people want to give their dogs the very best that they can and that's what this thread is about.

[Darkest.Nation]

We're not telling anyone to feed their dog a food. We're educating them on the benefits of feeding them a healthier formula. c: Also, as mentioned not too long ago, if you do a gradual awitch, there will be very little trauma to the dog's stomach and digestive system if the food is switched slowly and gradually over a few weeks, provided the formula itself agrees with the dog.

Some Purina formulas do have meat... if you're lucky. By products aren't meat. Beneful virtually had no protein source. Many Purina formulas are very little to no meat.

[Jazi]

PurinaOne Beyond Salmon and Rice

Salmon, chicken meal, whole brown rice, soybean meal, whole barley, whole oat meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), soy protein isolate, brewers dried yeast, dried egg product, dried beet pulp, natural flavor, fish oil, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, whole cranberries, caramel color, dried tomatoes, dried spinach, salt, potassium chloride, taurine, choline chloride, calcium phosphate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

Taste of the Wild, Canyon River

Trout, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, pea protein, potato protein, smoked salmon, natural flavor, choline chloride, DL-methionine, taurine, mixed tocopherols, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

EVO, Herring and Salmon

Herring, Salmon Meal, Salmon, Herring Meal, Peas, Eggs, Herring Oil, Pea Fiber, Natural Flavor, Apples, Sunflower Oil, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Dried Chicory Root, DL-Methionine, taurine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Betaine Hydrochloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Riboflavin Supplement, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Direct Fed Microbials (Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product)

BOLD is real meat.

ITALICS are things that a carnivore wouldn't need in such large amounts, some people argue that carnivores don't need them at all.

BLUE are things that are suspicious, such as "natural flavor" (could be ANYTHING).

Remember that the higher up a product is mentioned, the more of it there is in that ingredient. Looking at the ingredients, it's not hard to see what food clearly ranks superior, and this is just for cats. Dogs and cats are not people, and carnivores do not need to eat vegetables.


I don't think anyone's saying that someone's dog is going to die as a direct result of eating low-quality foods. However, some things are put into food that dogs and cats do not need and probably shouldn't eat. Switching food doesn't hurt your dog if you do it properly, meaning not all at once but slowly introducing it into their diet. The best diet for any carnivore is one of raw meat, bones, and organs... but that doesn't mean that your animals are going to fall over any second because they're not fed that every day. Personally, I want the best for my animals, so I'm slowly building the kibble-eater up into raw meat as my wallet allows.

[Imzadi83]

Our dogs are doing awesome on their, "crappy", "poisonous", food. You guys shouldn't tell us what to feed our dogs. If they're fine on what they have, don't make us go "OMG MY DAWG FOOD IS BAD I MUST FEED MY DOG DIFFERENT FOOD NAO OR IT'LL DIE ON THE FLOOR!!!!!!!"
Sorry if I've offended anyone, but you guys are making a big deal about it. Unless the dog is in really bad shape, I don't think you should switch their food around. That will only make them worse.
By the way, doesn't purina have real meat in it? I thought I heard... that it had chicken in it... and vegetables.... but it could be just the commercials.

No one is telling you what to feed your dogs. And no one has been as dramatic as you. No one is obgliated to read this information let alone change their opnions/behaviors on it. People who are curious as to what is actually in dog food and interested in trying to improve not only their dogs immediate health but longterm health should be allowed to do so. Just as you are allowed to feed your dogs whatever you wish and to not change your opnions.

[Soruc]

By the way, doesn't purina have real meat in it? I thought I heard... that it had chicken in it... and vegetables.... but it could be just the commercials.

It does have some meat in it, mostly in the form of meals. But since the creators of Purina make those commercials, they're obviously not going to rat on their own product. Even if it were to have only one meat ingredient, they're still going to say that it has a lot of real meat in it. That's what commercial brands do.