[frantique]

Junk Pet Food
and the Damage Done

Dogs, cats and ferrets fed a regular diet of processed food suffer from a range of cruel and debilitating diseases.
Pet owners can improve their pets' health by feeding them a natural, chewy diet primarily of whole raw carcasses or at least raw meaty bones.

Imagine if all the Big Macs, Happy Meals and Coca-Colas consumed by Morgan Spurlock during his month-long binge for the film documentary Super Size Me1 were instead tipped into a vat, ground to a pulp and cooked under pressure. Let us imagine that half the resultant glop was sealed in cans and the other half dehydrated, extruded into kibble and packed in bags-with brightly coloured labels asserting the health benefits.

For the vast majority of pet dogs (modified wolves), cats (modified desert predators) and ferrets (modified polecats), a diet of McCans or McKibble is their everyday reality. Spurlock's doctor told him he had to stop his unnatural experiment inside 30 days because he was killing himself. By contrast, the world's pet doctors (vets) encourage pet owners to feed McCans and McKibble every day of their pets' lives. I know; I was one such vet.

Read the rest of the article here.
And, if you're interested in some further reading on the subject of the pet food industry here is another article from the same source.
Source: Nexus Magazine

Edited by frantique, 18 October 2007 - 07:35 PM.

[Advertisements]

Yes, commercial dog foods are horrible. Especially Eukanuba - that's tested (quite cruelly too) on animals!

We've stopped buying Eukanuba and the like a long while ago. Our dogs eat Eagle Pack which is a special brand of food that is made from organic components and meat that equals in quality the meat you eat for lunch, and it's not tested on animals. I really recommend this brand (and I'm not in any way related to them - they're located in the States). They are expensive but the difference is vast.

One of our dogs, a German Shepherd has a rare illness called EPI, which means that his pancreas can't produce the hormones required to properly process food. Therefore, he has to eat very light and high quality food, as well as getting a special powder made from pork pancreas with everything he eats. So Eagle Pack really helps him, it's really of high quality and we're feeding our other dog with it

My advise: don't buy cheap dog food, let's start from here. It damages the dog enormously; skin problems, fur problems, eye problems - everything is related to the food the dog eats. You don't have to feed your dog organic foods but try purchasing Premium Brands that will ensure the least quality of the food.

[Tal]

Yes, commercial dog foods are horrible. Especially Eukanuba - that's tested (quite cruelly too) on animals!

We've stopped buying Eukanuba and the like a long while ago. Our dogs eat Eagle Pack which is a special brand of food that is made from organic components and meat that equals in quality the meat you eat for lunch, and it's not tested on animals. I really recommend this brand (and I'm not in any way related to them - they're located in the States). They are expensive but the difference is vast.

One of our dogs, a German Shepherd has a rare illness called EPI, which means that his pancreas can't produce the hormones required to properly process food. Therefore, he has to eat very light and high quality food, as well as getting a special powder made from pork pancreas with everything he eats. So Eagle Pack really helps him, it's really of high quality and we're feeding our other dog with it

My advise: don't buy cheap dog food, let's start from here. It damages the dog enormously; skin problems, fur problems, eye problems - everything is related to the food the dog eats. You don't have to feed your dog organic foods but try purchasing Premium Brands that will ensure the least quality of the food.

[BHowett]

Yes, commercial dog foods are horrible. Especially Eukanuba - that's tested (quite cruelly too) on animals!

not saying your wrong, but do you have any facts or links to back that up. The reason I ask is I feed my girl Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula

Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula is specifically formulated to support the breed's overall health - from healthy weight and mobility to immune system strength.

Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula builds upon the great nutrition of Eukanuba Large Breed Adult formula because it:
Is formulated to provide high levels of
Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate to help support a Lab’s healthy joints and mobility.
Contains added L-Carnitine to help Labs burn fat more efficiently instead of storing it - so they can maintain a healthy weight and lean body condition.
Like the rest of our adult foods, Eukanuba Labrador Retriever contains antioxidants such as Vitamin E to help support a Lab’s immune system when working and playing outdoors.

LINKY HERE

the reason I feed her Eukanuba is it seem to work well with her , and it was recommended by the breeder who has been in business for over 25 yrs and has breed some of the top hunt dogs in the country.

Again not trying to argue… because I took the breeders word for it and I am interested in what you think about it.

[Troy]

We don't have our dog anymore (Gave away, not dead) But we used to feed her ourselves - that is, my mum would make the mince and vegies and rice herself and freeze it in little bags. I'm not sure if it was the best for her, but she was very healthy, and we noticed a huge difference when we first started cooking it ourselves as opposed to buying brand-name foods...

[frantique]

I've always fed our dogs (we only have one now ) raw fatty meat (getting harder to get), raw chicken, chicken necks or wings, meaty soup bones. I also give her a serving of mixed veges (I use frozen veges and steam them in homemade beef stock) and either rice or pasta. Every now and then I give tuna, although she doesn't like it and every few days I put some linseed oil in with her food and once a fortnight or so I break a raw egg in as well.

My cat gets commercial tinned petfood and kibble (which I get from the Vets). I've tried many times to get him onto a raw meat diet and he just wont. Sometimes he'll have people tuna and then he'll just stop eating it. I'm thinking of trying again and will mix the tinned stuff he likes with a tiny bit of raw minced chicken or beef and gradually increase it to see if I can wean him off the junkfood.

[Tal]

Yes, commercial dog foods are horrible. Especially Eukanuba - that's tested (quite cruelly too) on animals!

not saying your wrong, but do you have any facts or links to back that up. The reason I ask is I feed my girl Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula

Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula is specifically formulated to support the breed's overall health - from healthy weight and mobility to immune system strength.

Eukanuba Labrador Retriever formula builds upon the great nutrition of Eukanuba Large Breed Adult formula because it:
Is formulated to provide high levels of
Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate to help support a Lab’s healthy joints and mobility.
Contains added L-Carnitine to help Labs burn fat more efficiently instead of storing it - so they can maintain a healthy weight and lean body condition.
Like the rest of our adult foods, Eukanuba Labrador Retriever contains antioxidants such as Vitamin E to help support a Lab’s immune system when working and playing outdoors.

LINKY HERE

the reason I feed her Eukanuba is it seem to work well with her , and it was recommended by the breeder who has been in business for over 25 yrs and has breed some of the top hunt dogs in the country.

Again not trying to argue… because I took the breeders word for it and I am interested in what you think about it.

Well, actually, it's not surprising the breeder told you that because many vets and breeders are supported financially through Eukanuba. Our breeder is a world-class trainer that trains dogs for the IDF, and he's supported financially by Eukanuba (or that might be some other brand; I don't remember), but he's never told us what to buy. I do know of other trainers in the country that do that.

Yup, I do have some links to prove what I said - what I said were common facts actually

Well first off, they're owned by Proctor and Gamble, a notorious corporation that tests all of its products on animals quite cruelly (they make Gillette, Ariel and so on). Iams is the general name for the food brands for both dogs (Eukanuba) and cats (Iams).

Cruelty in IAMS Contract Labs (if you look for it, you can find the secret agent's footage, I haven't posted it here since it's quite cruel and unsuitable for posting here.

Another link proving it

Comprehensive article that explains what your dog food really contains (long but highly recommended read)

A site that's dedicated to prove that Iams is cruel, contains a list of brands that don't test on animals

Now specifically I can't find that the ingredients in Eukanuba are worse than other brands; however, we do know this as a fact as my father has been researching foods before we got our new dog. Anyway, they test their products cruelly on animals and that's enough for me to stay away from them.

There's a different way to test food, without a need to tear muscles apart and torture animals:

Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. does not do any testing on laboratory or caged animals, nor do we have a kennel facility or cattery.

Members of our Breeder Advisory Council, using their personal pets, normally perform nutritional and palatability tests.

Edited by landlord, 19 October 2007 - 06:00 AM.

[BHowett]

Thanks for the info.... I had no idea, it really makes me sad

iam going to go hug my dog now!

[Tal]

Hehe, I didn't like the truth too when I heard it... Our previous dog (a Basset Hound) was on a Eukanuba diet for like, 10 years