Why I make my dogs' food...
http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2017/02/06/drug-dog-food-...
Arrghhh! Are there any vets or experienced dog people here who can explain why this stuff would have pentobarbitol in it OTHER than that it contains products from euthanized animals?
Perhaps i overreact...but every time I see some new off-the-wall announcement like this, I feel less crazy for having learned to make an adequate food for my dogs after the melamine flap.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Rachelle N on
-
It is truly scary. I am looking into making more of Tipper's meals at home. Of course, human food is often recalled as well so there really isn't a 100% solution--unless you grow/raise your own meals!
I just bought her a supplement powder for her joints. Not sure if it matters, but it says that it is made with human-grade FDA inspected ingredients and no fillers.
-
Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
-
Pet food manufacturers use the cheapest meats they can get. This includes the flesh from farm animals and pets that have been put down. That's how the euthanasia drug gets into the dog food.
-
-
Here is the latest info on the recall:
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/some-answers-to-two-pentobarbital-reca...
-
Permalink Reply by Shippo & Koga Corgis on
-
This is why I'm in the process of switching to raw. So tired of worrying about which kibble will get recalled tomorrow.
-
Permalink Reply by Jan Brandon on
-
I probably will get some negative comments about what I am about to say - so please don't be offended if you disagree - just my thoughts -
- In my opinion switching from commercial kibble to commercial raw food is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. While commercial raw foods have improved over the years - they just are not there yet - they still are a lot more susceptible to recall for contamination/bacteria etc than dry kibble. In my opinion - its just not worth the risk - dogs can get very seriously ill/ and or die from these issues. And a ton of vets agree. They are the ones who see the god awful outcomes. Also consider the thoughts of an owner of a boutique store near my home - he refuses to carry commercial raw food (other than dehydrated versions) because the distributors trucks that deliver the food to his store are not refrigerated!! Fine in the winter - not so much in the hot summer months. And thats on top of what happens in the manufacturing plants.
If you want to go raw - make your own - using human grade ingredients. But make sure you know what you are doing and understand the formula and ingredients and proportions of nutrients you are feeding your dog. If your pooch has underlying health issues - liver, kidney etc problems - make sure your not harming your dog with kindness -ie the wrong ingredients. Something I almost managed to do- argh its a nightmare.
If your stick with commercial kibble/canned foods which is what i do now- don't buy the cheap stuff. Go with a trusted company that has been in the business and has had no or very few recalls. Remember that companies can say what they want on a label but NO ONE is checking on them to make sure that what is said on the labels are true. And we have way too many dog food advisors out there that are rating dog food by reading labels - nothing more - no testing - just reading labels.
After lots of research - I went with Fromm's food - only because they have been around over 100 years and have only had one voluntary recall for mislabeling nutrient content and no dog was harmed it was caught within months. I also called them and spoke with their on staff nutritionists who really opened my eyes about dog food. I am sure their are other companies that are as good - but do your research.
Remember that so many dog food companies are popping up on the shelf every day its hard to believe its possible - why because its big money these days - and they are pitching their product based on antidotal stories about how this formula helped their dog - no testing, no science - just a story - well maybe it did help their dog -but what was the dog eating before??? and worse yet you read/research a little more and realize they have been in business at least a year or two- argh - All I can say is not for my dog.
-
-
Today, for the first time, I cooked up some chicken gizzards and hearts from the supermarket for Tipper. She looked at them strangely at first but gobbled them up and finished everything. I cooked them with a little olive oil in a pan but I heard you can also boil them or bake them. It's the first time I've seen Tipper actually chew her food and I struggled a bit at determining portion size since her wet food is so concentrated in comparison.
I am thinking of feeding her the gizzards and hearts about two or three times per week and then supplementing them with her canned wet food since it is more complete. I am currently using a very good joint and vitamin supplement with her wet food so I feel that she is covered nutritionally.
I believe that this change in diet will end up costing about the same or possibly even a little less and it's comforting to know that she will be eating more human grade food instead of commercial food even though her brand has never been recalled.
I am also considering rotating in chicken thighs or ground up turkey every now and then and possibly adding some peas in with the chicken.
I already feed her sardines or eggs about once a week, but this is an added change for her.
I think this is going to be a change for the better as there are too many recalls.
-
Permalink Reply by GPN on
-
I read somewhere that 2% of a dog's body weight is a good rule of thumb and that works out to 8 oz a day for Dipper or half a cup in the a.m. and half a cup in the p.m. His weight has been stable.
I compress the food a bit to make sure he is getting a full half cup. If you're cutting up gizzards make sure it is a "fair" 1/2 cup not one half air. I guess that would mean cutting the gizzards into smaller pieces.
Dipper gets treats during the day and I haven't been worried about him being underfed. Vets actually like to see a bit of rib, if you're chronically underfeeding your dog it is an easy problem to spot and fix. In fact the usual problem with Corgis is overfeeding and excess weight leading to back problems.
-
-
Two percent was the figure a vet came up with in my presence. But it's not graven in stone. He recommended weighing the dogs regularly. If you have a good feel for what the dog SHOULD weigh, you can easily adjust portions and ingredients to maintain a healthy weight.
-
-
I feed Tipper pretty much the same way you do.--half cup in the morning and half a cup in the late afternoon. I think the only reason her weight ever fluctuated was snacking.. I've cut back on the "treats" and she is close to ideal now. She is 22 pounds now--pretty close to ideal.
-
-
I think you are referring to raw diet food that is packaged expressly for dogs and bought over the Internet or at pet food stores or wherever.
The only raw food my dog gets is stuff from the supermarket. I've read bad things about the marketed-for-dogs raw food.
-
-
I tend to agree with Jan. It's not that commercial food is BAAAAD (it may or may not be, depending on where it's made and by whom). It's that you have no real control over what's in it -- especially if it's made in China. If I were going to feed raw food (I don't, because I took microbiology in college and would have majored in it if, in those days, women could have been hired in the field. Ignorance may be bliss, but knowing that stuff? Not so blissful. :-D ). Cooked human-grade food is probably about the best you're going to get in terms of safety and nutrition, assuming you're preparing real food from fresh whole ingredients, not junk food. But nothing is 100% guaranteed...this being life, and all that...
Fromm has an excellent reputation. If I were feeding commercial food, that would be very high on the list of choices.
-
-
I feed Tipper mostly Health Extention wet food now. It is plain beef or chicken or another protein and is used as topper (except for the lamb, which is more complete) because it does not contain other ingredients except for a little garlic which I know is controversial but I read that in small amounts it is beneficial.
I'm sorry to hear about your aborted career dreams, Vicky. I'm sure so much talent was wasted years ago due to lack of opportunities for women. I always tell young girls not to take it for granted that they have choices. Years ago, the main career choices for women: were teacher, secretary, nurse, waitress, or MRS.
But education is never wasted and I'm sure that all of your courses enhanced your life in one way or other.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
