I’ve always fed my mutt and two cats dry food. They’ve eaten a few brands over the years, sometimes natural food, sometimes not.
I feed them dry food for convenience sake – convenience in buying it, storing it and preparing it. It’s consistent. It’s easy. It’s relatively cheap.
After my recent interview with Michelle from Natural Pet Center in Fargo, I thought I’d use some of her expertise on natural dog food to look at what my pets are eating.
One thing I like about Natural Pet Center is that it includes healthy food for cats, not just dogs. There seems to be a bit of an obsession out there for feeding our dogs the best food, but cats are often overlooked.
Purina One pet food
Beamer, Scout and Ace are all eating a version of Purina One pet food. I can’t say this is the best food for them. They like it. I can buy it anywhere (SunMart, Target), and Ace doesn’t seem to have issues with ear infections or eye allergies while he’s on it (could be a coincidence).
Purina One is nowhere near a natural dog or cat food. Basically, it’s one of the better cheap brands. It contains by-products. It contains corn. I’m sure it has dyes in it. But so does a lot of the food I eat.
Eating Purina One is not like eating McDonald’s every day, but it is like eating Kraft macaroni or Spaghettios every meal. By the way, I happen to eat a lot of Kraft macaroni.
I would like to switch my pets to a healthier brand, but I would also like to focus on buying healthier food for myself.
For all the health-crazed dog owners out there (I am one), I encourage you to look at your own diet. Does your dog really need to be eating a natural diet or a raw diet when you are not eating all-natural food yourself?
Before you switch your dog to a food like Solid Gold or Innova, perhaps you should commit to eating only organic food yourself and look into eating as much raw food as possible.
Really think about all the preservatives, horomones and corn syryp you are consuming. It’s not good for our pets, and it’s certainly not good for us.
I really encourage all readers of That Mutt to do the following:
1. Read the labels of your own food and make intelligent choices.
2. Only eat meat that comes from animals that lived a humane life.
3. Support local farmers’ markets, health food stores and grocery stores that offer organic options. Appreciate you have the choice to do so.
4. Read the labels of your pet’s food and look for high-quality proteins as the top ingredients.
5. Come up with a plan to conciously live healthier because you have the freedom to do so. You owe it to yourself, your family and your pets.
Some of my friends and family members think I’m some kind of health nut simply because I run, I don’t eat meat, and I sometimes buy organic food.
Has anyone else noticed it’s almost looked down upon if you work out and eat somewhat healthy? God forbid I want to have some control over my life and also my pets’ lives.
If you want to eat frozen pizzas and Kraft singles every day, go for it. Just remember you have a choice to do otherwise. As for pet food, your pets are depending on you to make the right choices for them.
Remember you have a chance to win free dog treats, food and toys from Natural Pet Center by leaving a comment here saying what kind of food your dog or cat eats.
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October 16th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
You’re brave to take on this subject. Dog owners get so emotional sometimes about what to feed dogs. And so many studies I’ve read are really marketing tools for certain brands. I read one study by a veterinarian group that said that dog food was all the same no matter how much you pay for it. I started doing a lot of research when I found out that one of the premium dog foods I paid a lot for was outsourced to another maker who also made some cheap brands.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Yeah, I get grief all the time for not eating “processed food”. I stay away from sugar, dairy, meat, and a bunch of other things and people act like I’m depriving myself. I’m really quite happy.
As for Gus, we have to cook “people food” for him every day because of his sensitive tummy. He eats higher quality food than many humans I know since we buy for him from the same markets we get our food from.
Oh, and good for you for having some control! Too many people take the path of least resistance and make excuses because they don’t eat right. Most of the folks that razz you about being too healthy are most likely jealous because they are too lazy to do that.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
The girls eat dry, not the most expensive nor the least but one that suits them and myself. I balance this with fresh chicken thighs, bones, whole fish, eggs. I treat them as I do my daughter, nothings banned unless toxic, its all about moderation & balance. We dont eat processed foods much (more for taste than health) we eat alot of vegetarian, grains. We also have an active lifestyle which includes the girls
Mum treats all vegetarians as freaks and goes into a flap if she has to cook for them. Mates of same age couldnt care they eat and exercise similarily. I dont have a problem with what others eat, if they chose to be overweight and take the responsibility for the health risks thats their choice.
I do get concerned about overweight dogs as they have no choice in what they are given to eat and the health risks can be fatal… great post Lindsay
October 18th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Hi, I would love if you could read my post, this is not spam.
adanestale.blogspot.com/
Thank you for everything.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Jan, you are so right. It’s a touchy subject for a lot of people. I’ve found that most vets I talk to will tell me there’s nothing wrong with any of the dry food brands, even the “cheap” brands found in grocery stores and Wal-Mart. Others have said that the way to tell the quality of the food is by the price. I did not take that advice too seriously. My best advice to anyone is to read the labels yourself if you care to know what your dog is eating.
Thanks Apryl! Glad to hear you are not afraid to eat healthy! And Gus is a lucky boy to have you as his owner.
Good point Abbey. Nothing is necessarily bad as long as it is in moderation.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I don’t know! A lot of cats at the shelter I volunteer at go home to families who start feeding them better food (i.e., more meat-based, less-processed food). And I hear of all sorts of benefits- glossier coats, fewer + “better” bowel movements, etc. I guess it’s different when you’re feeding a small pack, and need to consider budget…
For human food, I’m right with you. You only have one body, and you’re made of what you put in it. And while I think “organic” is good, I think it’s most important to eat stuff that’s not processed, stuff that you cooked yourself, meat as a treat, stuff that’s local and hasn’t been bred specifically to ship well, etc.
Although, I go weak in the knees for a corn dog.
Lindsay, would you ever be able to eat dog? Not your dog, but like a little piece of one? If you were starving? What about a rabbit or cat?
October 19th, 2009 at 5:34 am
It’s a good article, you are wright about the food.
I have a puppy and I try to give him only natural food.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Shelter animals are lucky to be alive. They can get by eating Meow Mix or Kibbles and Bits for a few months or a year.
Haha. A corn dog! I still crave McDonald’s cheeseburgers. The #2 value meal…Haven’t had one of those in more than two years. Instead I just eat Taco Johns bean burritos, as though those are any better for me!
I don’t know if I would try a piece of dog like in another country or something. Probably not. But I would eat anything if I were starving.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Hello and this is yet another great article! I’m visiting here for the first time and love what you all have to say.
“Red Flags” to look for on dog and cat food labels are things like Corn Gluten Meal and Poultry Digest or anything Digest. Corn Gluten Meal is the protein portion of corn and is a way for the manufacturer to “boost” the over-all protein level of the diet without using as much meat. Digest is essentially, cooked-down “parts” that get boiled down until they are a thick goo. That is then dried and used to spray on the dry food at the end of processing to add flavor. That is what makes the cheaper foods so yummy, just like the MacDonald’s Happy Meals are for your human children!:)
October 21st, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Thanks, Valerie! “Animal digest” could be just about anything. Yuck!
At the same time, my dog would gladly eat roadkill, dead mice, cat poop, etc.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Awesome post. I’m kind of on the same track as you. I work out, I don’t eat meat aside from fish very occasionally, and I sometimes buy organic. I haven’t been able to cut our processed foods, but I at least *try* to go with brands like Amy’s when I can.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Oh, and both my pets eat Innova EVO and the dog sometimes gets raw.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Glad to hear we’re on the same page! I just switched my cats to Nature’s Variety Instinct, and Ace will be switching to the same shortly. I also plan to feed them raw food a few times a week eventually.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Interesting topic, it makes me re-think my take on what I eat.
I feed my two German Shepherds a strictly raw diet. Their daily meals consist of chicken/turkey, pork, fish, squirrel ( season permitted ), rabbit and beef. Daily supplements are salmon oil and vitamin E.
I will never again go back to dry food because of the changes I have noticed. Never.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:33 am
I hear that from most people who have switched their dogs to a raw food. A raw diet is the healthiest way to go as long as it’s done properly.