San Francisco Business Daily

Do you believe most commercial pet food is bad for your pet?

I've heard that some people think commercial cat and dog food contains things that are bad for pets' long-term health. Do you know ahything about that? If so, what do you suggest I feed my cat? Thanks, my cat is on Science Diet at the moment, and so far I haven't heard of anything that's better than this brand.

Public Comments

1. i used to eat my dogs food when i was little.... we'll find out in a few more years i suppose
2. Yes. i do anyway. i prefurrr to get the more natural food from my local vet for my pup. It is more expensive but it's worth it, she hasn't got sick yet :)
3. Science Diet. Every vet I have ever taken my pets to has recommended it to me for my cats and dogs.
4. arggg when we first got are cat she was getting sick all the time so the vet recomended some science diet which seems to be working really well cuz she isnt getting sick and acts better she really a new cat compared to purina and all that junk the extra dollar is worth it considering they will probly live twice as long
5. Who knows, but how can Natural pet food be any better, when they sometimes use Onion, Avocado, Alfalfa which are known toxic plants to cats and dogs? Garlic is also toxic, but many dog/cat food contain this why? Also Yucca is toxic plant, so why do many dog/cat food whether natural or not natural contain this plant as an extract? Also sweet pea is toxic to cats. Toxic plants to cats-Cats cannot digest startch found in potatoes,so why is it an ingredient in many natural cat foods? http://www.cathelp-online.com/emergency/poisonplants.php Some toxic plants to dogs http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/25-Human-Foods-Toxic-To-Dogs/300 Avoderm-Contain Avocado this is dog food Ingredients: Chicken, Brown Rice, Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Ground Whole Rye, Flax Seed, Oatmeal, Rice Bran, Avocado Meal, Lecithin, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Avocado Oil, Bromelain, Papain, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Source of Vitamin E), Zinc Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B Complex), Copper Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement. This is Avoderm cat food-also contain avocado Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Ground Whole Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Ground Whole Brown Rice, Ground Whole Wheat, Herring Meal, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Dried Chicken Liver, Dried Brewers Yeast, Dried Chicory Root, Avocado Oil, Avocado Meal, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine Supplement, Lecithin, Dried Yucca Schidigera, DL-Methionine, Dried Kelp, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Niacin, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite Innova Evo Cat/kitten dry food, Potatoes, Alfalfa Sprount are toxic ingredient, why is it this food? Also cats cannot digest lactose, so why is Cottage Cheese listed in the ingredients? Innova Evo Ingredients: Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Potatoes, Egg, Turkey Meal, Natural Flavors, Vitamins, Apples, Potassium Chloride, Carrots, Cranberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Minerals, Tomatoes, Herring Oil, Cottage Cheese, Ascorbic Acid, Dried Chicory Root Extract, Direct-Fed Microbials, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurin, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract Potatoes & garlic? Artemis Ingredients: Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Lamb Meal, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Vitamin E, C and Rosemary Extract), Brown Rice, Fish Meal, Natural Flavoring, Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Fresh Potatoes, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Peas, Whole Fresh Apples, Cranberries, Dried Chicory Root (Prebiotics), Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Lecithin, Garlic, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Dehydrated Kelp, Chelates of Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Potassium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Sage Extract, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermantation Soulubles (Digestive Enzyme), Enterococcus Faecium and Lactobacillus Acidophilus(Probiotics. I feed my dog Purina One-It does contain garlic, but my dog seem to do well on it and I get coments on how soft she feels, and she looks great for her age she 9yr old. Chicken and Rice Formula Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain corn, whole grain wheat, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), non-fat yoghurt, animal digest, calcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, caramel colour, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. Lamb and Rice formula Lamb (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, oat meal, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain corn, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), non-fat yoghurt, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, animal digest, potassium chloride, caramel colour, salt, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, brewers dried yeast, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. Senior Protection Formula Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain corn, oat meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), whole grain wheat, corn bran, fish meal, non-fat yoghurt, pea fibre, animal digest, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium carbonate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. Healthy weight management Turkey (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), corn gluten meal, corn bran, whole grain corn, whole grain wheat, oat meal, non-fat yoghurt, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), animal digest, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. I like Science diet too for dogs and cats, but due to a housefire we can't afford science diet.All vets recomend it. Light Adult dry formula-Hills Science Diet http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441778095 Some other big petstore have also suggest Advanced and Supercoat Advanced http://www.advancedpetnutrition.com.au/product.aspx Supercoat http://www.supercoat.com.au/dogs-lifecycle-LiteMature.aspx
6. well its different for different animals my dog gets sick if we feed her any type of canned or comercial food but my cat has no problem ! i have also seen other people feed their dogs this and have no problem with comercial food ! its definitly different for different type's of animals but people got this in their head that its bad to feed dogs commercial food which is not true
7. Yes. Commercial cat food can be criticized for many reasons, but I think the most obvious is that most dry cat foods do not even contain a significant amount of meat. Most of them primarily consist of protein fillers like corn gluten meal and have disgusting meat by-products to give slightly more credibility to the word "chicken" that appears on the label. They're low in protein, low in fat, and high in carbohydrates. They're not healthy for cats (obligate carnivores), they're just very inexpensive to manufacture. olivegal and Mailey85, most vets aren't educated about feline nutrition and know virtually nothing about it. Science Diet is terrible food, and it's ridiculously overpriced. You're paying for the marketing, not the food. Science Diet spends a lot of money to convince vets and pet owners that their awful swill is quality pet food. Compare the ingredients and analysis of Science Diet to bottom shelf cat foods at the grocery store, and you'll see that they are incredibly similar. In fact, some inexpensive commercial cat foods are quite a bit better than Science Diet. It is awful. Brands like EVO are much closer to a cat's ideal diet; just look at the ingredients.
8. I have had cats for over 30 years - in fact I have a lot of cats - I feed them whatever canned and biscuits are on special. I have never had a problem - and they never seem to get sick. The vet has always told me that my cats are very healthy and have no health problems. I take them to the vet yearly to get checked.
9. I don't think that most commercial pet food is bad for cats. I think most grocery store brands are nothing but junk food. But I don't think brands like Science Diet (which I currently feed) are harming the cat's long term health. Some people say they avoid things like kidney disease on a more proactive diet - I don't know if I buy it. I'm more inclined to believe that people have success avoiding or controlling diabetes on high end brands I think the biggest problem is that people (and I believe I'm guilty) overfeed their cats. I have noticed that in terms of quality of ingredients and nutritional information, Science Diet is not worth the price. After researching it, I think I'm going to switch to a similarly priced but better quality food. But it will still be a commercial brand. Just to give an example: Good foods have a higher protein content. When you compare Science Diet to other foods, its protein content is dismally low for a "quality food".
10. Well, prior to making any judgement, try going to ant search engine..type in ANIMAL RENDERING..read, follow your nose(there's even an FDA and a CDC..both government sites on this..that way you'll know this is not a hoax!! Seek out as many of the sites as you have found in the 1st few pages.. Here are a few to get you started..then decide what you want your pet to eat, and why!!! http://tafkac.org/animals/rendering_euthanized_animals.html http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/chemicals.htm http://www.naturalnews.com/012647.html That should be enough to get you started..and for those who think it cute that you eat petfood with your pets...read on..and please spread your knowledge....this applies to dogs, cats, pigs..etc. My BEST to YOU & Your Fur-faced Babe..may you have a wonderful and long life together
11. Look at the ingredient list of what you are feeding. And bear in mind that Nature made cats to eat meat (real meat) and not grains. Corn is a major ingredient of Science Diet as well as most grocery store foods. Why is it there? Because it's a cheap filler, it has no nutritional value for cats. It makes lots of money for the manufacturer though. And also notice there is no real meat. It's all meat by-products. This is the waste from the slaughter house - and none of it is stuff fit for human consumption. It's beaks, hides, tendons, diseased organs, spinal chords, feet, feathers - anything that can be put into a vat and rendered into pet "food". And chemical preservatives that are linked to cancer, not to mention dyes and artificial colorings. Surely those aren't things that are good for our pet's long term health! Not all commercial cat food is bad - there are many, many brands made with REAL meat and without lots of grain fillers. They're more expensive - hey, a piece of real chicken costs more than a can of corn - but you never get more than what you pay for. For what you're paying for the Science Diet you can get a much better quality food without the by-products, corn, and chemicals.