Are the expensive brands really better for your dog/cat? What do they really need in terms of nutrition? How do you know what is really in the food, and that what you are buying is good for your pet?
I’ve had cats for 25 years now, and I’ve always fed them exclusively on Purina Cat Chow, in a perpetual feeder. With a few minor exceptions, all my cats have been healthy, happy and have lovely coats, and most of them have lived to a ripe old age, and are within normal weight ranges. Almost every cat has been female.
The exceptions: whenever I’ve tried to economize by buying Dad’s brand cat food, their coats have become dull and lifeless within one bag. Switching back to Purina gave immediate improvement.
One of the male cats developed urinary tract problems and had to be switched to a wet, canned, prescription product. He was several years old when he wandered into our lives, so I have no idea wht he ate as a kitten…he was a stray when he adopted us. He continued to have urinary tract problems, developed mange, pulled out all his fur, and then we had to put him to sleep. He hated the wet food.
I’ve recently switched to Purina Indoor Cat formulation. We’ve had a decrease in spitting up instances (hairballs and the like) and the slightly chubby cat has lost weight. However, the average size cat has gaine dweight, and the skinny cat has remained skinny. Apparently this house is only allowed X-amount of cats by weight and the balance must be maintained.
So for our family, I know what’s good for the cats by experience. They are happy, and healthy, and if I want to know what’s in their food I just read the bag. Purina fits in the budget and does the job. I don’t tolerate finicky cats, so new cats either eat it or starve. None have chosen to starve.
Reading the labels of the bags of food is the best way to find out what is in them. The higher the price of the food, generally, means there is more meat in them. I have fed my cats Iams dry cat food only for the past 15 years. I started with Iams kitten, went to Iams Adult (orange bag) and now feed Iams Multicat (blue bag). As I related in another thread on cat food, many years ago (before Iams was available in grocery stores) I ran out during a weekend and ran to the grocery store for a bag of store brand. There was a major difference in both the amount and odor of the leavings in the litter box. My cats have had no health problems and have shiny coats.
I did some reading of ingredient labels when I worked for a vet. One cheapo brand of cat food actually listed “ground corn husks” as an ingredient. Really nourishing, don’t ya think?
Cats are “obligate carnivores” which means they must have meat in their diet for proper nutrition. Feed you cat the best quality food you can afford. If you can’t afford Purina, you can’t afford a cat.
What about things like “meat by-products” and (shudder) “animal digest”? These ingredients are very tough to avoid in pet food. I guess the meat by-products thing isn’t so bad (after all, isn’t that what we get in our hot dogs?) but animal digest just seems nasty and not at the top of the good-for-your-pet list. One brand I found that doesn’t list meat by-products or animal digest is Nutro. Our cat seems to like it, and he’s healthy.
Some pet foods have harmful chemicals in them which aren’t listed on the lable. Here is an article on by-products and chemicals commonly found in some brands. (If you don’t trust this source, there is also an article at the FDA on it. If you go to their website and search for BHA, you’ll find it.)
Most of the time, your pet won’t be directly harmed by these chemicals, but some of them can build up in the pet’s system and cause medical problems.
My last cat lasted 22 years on Purina Cat Chow. Had to switch to the soft stuff in the final year when his teeth went. Always had a nice shiny coat.
Never buy cheap cat food (or litter for that matter). My sister has fostered cats and told me stories about people feeding cheapo stuff. Otherwise, I think it’s mostly a matter of preference. You can always ask your vet for a couple of recommendations (although they may end up recommending something you can only get from them :rolleyes: ) I know Science Diet and Nutro are both good brands. I think Science Diet is more expensive than some of the others (we had a cat with allergies and she needed special food)
Or you can get really fancy and make your own (I’ve never done it).
I’m glad to hear this. I recently started feeding my cats Hill’s Science Diet in an effort to improve the litter box situation. They hated it so much I finally switched to Iams a couple of weeks ago. It’s cheaper, and the kitties have consented to eat it (except for the Lamb & Rice flavor). However, since I have no sense of smell, it’s been hard for me to know just how effective it is on the litter box. My husband only notifies me if it smells really bad.
I am trying to slowly convert him into a cat person.
My last cat lived 20 years and my collie lived 15 and I fed them on generic food from Aldi Foods.
Never any problems. They were allowed to eat whenever they wanted.
What about dog food?
My pugs got Eukanuba kibble and all three lived beyond their expected pug lifespans. They also didn’t get lots of table snacks. I made an effort to keep them trim (to their disgust), and I think that also helped to extend their lives.
The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets the standards for pet foods that a company must meet, so any brand on the market should have the right vitamins and nutrients that a dog needs to survive. There are at least a few dogs out there thriving on every brand on the market. Not every food is right for every dog.
When I was searching for a food for my dog, I looked for one with meat listed in at least the first ingredient, and without BHA. I also looked online for Whole Dog Journal’s top ten food list . My dog eats Innova Evo, and is doing fine. My friend’s dog is doing fine on a grocery store brand.
According to the vets I have worked for, feeding dogs (especially small dogs) table scraps is bad. Very bad. I can’t spell pancreatius (pancreatic disease) but small dogs fed table food tend to get it. Often they will eat table food to the exclusion of their kibble, and so not get the proper nourishment. I know it is hard to resist those big brown eyes looking at you, but resisit. If necessary, put the dog out of the room while you eat.
Just echoing the above: for any pet, buy the best food you can afford. It pays off. Our Mistresses get a blend of Purina One and Iams Weight & Hairball Control, and love it. No stink, shiny coats, and no hairballs. Every couple of days they split an envelope of Nature’s Choice wet. So far they haven’t tried to kill us in our sleep.
The woman who trained my eldest dog disagreed with this. She said that you could live on chicken and rice, but you’ll be healthier if you eat a varied diet and dogs are much the same way. She suggested I give my dogs a bit of spinach that I’m cooking, or small piece of lean steak, (avoiding fats and dairy, of course) along with pieces of fruits and vegetables, etc.
Is this bad advice? I give my dogs the crusts from pizza, popcorn, or maybe a bit of turkey when I’m making a sandwich, along with baby carrots and the like. (They LOVE peanut butter.) I’ll occasionally give them a taste of what I’m eating if I don’t think it will upset their stomachs, but never enough to put them off their kibble. I’ve always thought of it as giving them a smidgen of different vitamins.
A little bit, as a treat, usually isn’t a problem. It’s when the dog has you trained so that s/he is getting more people food than dog food that you can run into problems.
And before people start jumping on me - I know, your grandfathers dog ate nothing but table food and lived to be 45. I just saw an awful lot of unhealthy,overweight dogs who had diets high in table scraps. I think we all want what is best for our pets - at least, I like to think so.
My cats get the water off the tuna, and the water and bones from the salmon. Mr. SCL, for some reason gives Gwen (only, out of the 8 cats) a dime sized ball of raw hamburger every time he makes something with hamburger in it. I think he’s trying to bribe her.
I thought the problem was more with people foods that were unhealthy in large quanities for everyone, like fatty meats, sweets etc. than lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Do vets see lots of pancreatitis in dogs who are on balanced homemade diets?
Note: I’m not trying to start a cooked diet vs. kibble debate.
No - what I saw was not dogs who were fed home-made foods, but dogs that were fed the scraps from the owners meals, and usually a lot of sweets. I know of some people who make their own dog food, and their animals are healthy. I know a lady who makes home-made dog biscuits that smell good enough to make me want to try them!
I’m not trying to start a debate, either, but a side benefit of kibble in addition to easy balanced nourishment, is that it helps keep the dogs teeth cleaner than soft food alone. Some of these dogs had breath that could knock a vulture off a knacker’s wagon.
Okay, so it’s more the quality of the left-over than anything else then.
Possibly related thread: That Annoying Old Man- What Exactly Is He Doing?
Nick the Knacker (One who slaughters worn-out horses and sells their flesh for dog’s meat.) gives a dog a bone; a Paddywhack in fact.
Nothing is said about the dog’s breath afterwards, but the old man doesn’t stick around to find out; he goes rolling home.