HOW commercial dog food is made video!!

[SheltieGuy]

I agree with you, but in some cases, all a person can afford is the crappy grocery store type and we must not make them feel bad for it by pointing out all the ingredients and what it ranks on different food analysis websites.. I guess that's my main point.

We ALL, especially here on this forum, want the absolute best in every way shape and form for our pets. However some people unintentionally I'm sure, make others feel bad if they can't afford TOTW or the others that are mentioned here frequently. I know I have been lightly judged here bc I feed Megan Royal Canin and my cats Science Diet mixed w Wellness.

It's nice that we all love our pets so much and will do whatever we can to care for them with excellence

Im not here to judge anyone or make them feel bad .. if I did I apologize....I am no food guru..I am here to learn and meet sheltie lovers I fed my last dog alpo and as of today I am still on my first bag of TOTW. People can judge me too for feeding TOTW . There are better foods out there that i cannot afford. The only reason i can afford TOTW is because I only have one sheltie ..if i had 3 Great Danes there is noway they would be getting TOTW.

 

[SheltieChe]

I know the economy is bad and there are lots of unemployed people, so sometimes you have no choice, but to switch your dog cheaper brand food. However, IMO if you can't afford $25 a month for dog food, then why get a dog? That's how much a 5 pound bag of good quality food costs me a month. Dogs/puppies are expensive. Vets bills, toys, food, etc really adds up. Dogs are a huge responsibility. You should consider the cost of food when deciding to get a puppy.

I know it seems attractive/ nessesary to save on dog food specially when economizing and money is tight but think about it this way- what you would rather spend money on- food for your dog or vet's bills? I believe they directly related- better food equals less vet bills...
Second link that SheltieGuy posted is actually from Life Abundance presentation and I get my food delivered from them to my home 8 lbs bag for under $15.
Pup loves it and I supplement his diet with raw chicken necks which even from organic kosher store are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP....

 

[Ann]

I have found when you contact the dog food companies and ask them pointed questions such as "do you use by-products," "where is your food manufactured," and others about the ingrerdients, if they are sub-par foods they will duck the answer or tell me that's "proprietary information." That's garbage. Any reputable company is happy to tell you whatever you want to know about the ingredients they use.

I encourage everyone to find the toll free information number on your bag of dog food and call and ask them what you want to know. We certainly should not judge anyone for what they feed, but we can help people inform themselves about whether they're throwing away their money, or can buy better food at the same price. Some of the lower quality, less expensive foods, are better than others. With a little bit of research, you can find a food that is at least not cardboard in a bag, as Dr. Shelli said (very well put!!) until the day you can hopefully use a better product.

 

[cody6]

Pet Food Plant

Geez what a eye opener,their equipment looks like it needs a good cleaning.I once went on tour of a dog food plant many years ago(Dr Ballards if memory serves me correctly) & was absolutley appalled by the state of that plant.Dirt,mould you name it was splattered all over the equipment,walls,floors etc.When I remarked to the plant supervisor as to the lack of cleanliness etc. his reply was " what the h*** its only dog food.Wendy works for large meat packing plant & they are inspected frequently by govt. inspectors.I was wondering if pet food plants are inspected to the same degree as human food plants are or are inspected at all.Anybody know? Blue Skies-Cody,Wendy & Cole

 

[Justicemom]

I tell people to buy the best food they can afford.

A little calculation you can do is take the price of the bag divide by the pounds in the bag(some stores listed it as unit price or cost per pound on the price sticker). Take the weight of the bag divide by the number of days the bag last and that will give you pounds fed per day. Times that number by the cost per pound and you'll get cost to feed per day. Since many lower quality foods required more food to be fed usually the cost per day is almost equal(not always)

Buying large bags offers usually a price break so buy the largest size bag your dog will in 1- 2 months. Do the best you can and if you dog does well on it and likes it. Don't worry about it.

I remember years ago when I started working in a vet clinic/boarding kennel(mid-80s). A client brought in a bag of Iams with his dog. The bag was a $1 a pound I said "do you know how much this food cost, almost a buck a pound. I can never imagine feeding a dog a food that costs that much" Who knew. Iams was the best dog foods one could feed at the time. Now we call that food "crap" but remember, it is still,a hundred times better than say Select choice, Come and Get it or Fit and Trim.