[greggypetty]

So I have been feeding my dog pedigree dog food the whole time I have had him. Many of my friends with dogs do the same. I have heard from a lot of people that it isn't good for my dog, or any dog for that matter.

My dog has been doing perfectly fine though! I haven't seen anything that suggest it isn't good for him. Of course I know that there is a lot of other stuff that is better for him, but it is so expensive! I just hate it when people turn their nose up at you because you don't spend loads of money on feeding your dogs.

I really can't afford to do anything else, and I am even using Pedigree dog food coupons.

Do you guys have any tips or suggestions? Should I just learn to deal with the snobbish dog owners that look down on me for feeding my dogs Pedigree?

And I am not just looking to save money with my dog. My kids get the generic, store brands for their food. I mean, it isn't going to hurt them, so I don't see why I should pay twice as much for name brands. I just felt like defending myself now just in case anyone attacks my integrity later. I am sorry I have taken so long with this, I am just a little frustrated.

So, ya, I guess my question is am I justified feeding my dog Pedigree? Because I think I am.

[CorkyMax]

[QUOTE=greggypetty;71823]So I have been feeding my dog pedigree dog food the whole time I have had him. Many of my friends with dogs do the same. I have heard from a lot of people that it isn't good for my dog, or any dog for that matter.

My dog has been doing perfectly fine though! I haven't seen anything that suggest it isn't good for him. Of course I know that there is a lot of other stuff that is better for him, but it is so expensive! I just hate it when people turn their nose up at you because you don't spend loads of money on feeding your dogs.

I really can't afford to do anything else, and I am even using Pedigree dog food coupons.

Do you guys have any tips or suggestions? Should I just learn to deal with the snobbish dog owners that look down on me for feeding my dogs Pedigree?

And I am not just looking to save money with my dog. My kids get the generic, store brands for their food. I mean, it isn't going to hurt them, so I don't see why I should pay twice as much for name brands. I just felt like defending myself now just in case anyone attacks my integrity later. I am sorry I have taken so long with this, I am just a little frustrated.

So, ya, I guess my question is am I justified feeding my dog Pedigree? Because I think I am.[/QUOTE

I don't have a lot of time right now to go into all the details but just had to make a reply now! Yes this is bad dog food as is most commercial 'crap' that is being sold as FOOD!! I may come back here later--maybe in next couple days--to give more info!! I wanted to tell you this right now---You may think it is not affecting your dogs--They may appear healthy but they are not getting enough (if any) nutrition--only empty calories!! Your dogs immune systems are being compromised and further down the road it is going to affect them---diseases and just poor health, etc.
Need more time here to tell you all I want to!! For now, compare it this way---How healthy do you think you would be after a while if you only ate something that had no nutritional value--say, like just candy??!! There are many posts in here on dog food, immune system, etc. To find them--go to blue strip at top of page--find word-Search--click on it--Put word(s) you are looking for in the search box--I would try threads 1st. Some word ideas--Dog food---Immune system----home-cooked---raw feeding--commercial dog food. You could also go through the threads listed under forum titled Dog Nutrition and Health. Hope you find things out before I come back with more! Talk to you later!!

[greggypetty]

Thanks, I guess. I will be here in a few days!

[Lunareclipse]

Feeding Pedigree is like giving your kids nothing but candy. If you spend a little more and buy a better food, your dog won't need to eat as much of it to get what he needs. And he won't poop as much either, and his poop won't smell as bad when he does.

[CorkyMax]

[COLOR="Red"][]Natural Organic Dog Food vs. Most Commercial Dog Food
This should tell you a lot but make sure you don't just 'skim' the 1st page---The most important info is the chart comparison (almost a half down the page). I should say the most important info is when you click on the 'reddish' highlighted words in the 1st column titled Variable!
--If you need more 'convincing', etc.--Let me know and I can find you much more!!
Hope you take this info to heart---Your dogs are depending on you to take good care of them---no one else will. Dogs are so innocent and trusting.

[greggypetty]

Wow. I didn't know that much about it. I mean, I am feeding them some good human food as snacks, or the high quality stuff, but their normal food is just Pedigree food.

So, could I be justified in getting them stuff like Pedigree for most of their food, and getting a small/limited amount of the really high quality stuff and just mixing it in?

Thanks for your help!

[CorkyMax]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070330212825AAtTDvM
Just found out this won't 'work' but try copying it on paper and trying it in your browser---Don't know how much of this address it will let you use but try----It's a thread from Yahoo about Pedigree dog food

[Lara's mom]

Think of it this way. Better food means a healthier dog which means less money spent at the vets office. Healthy food is a basic necessity. Just like you wouldn't feed your children a diet of Kraft Dinner and wieners and then once in a while give them a salad or some cooked veggies, your dogs diet shouldn't be comprised of mostly substandard food either. Healthy food = healthy beings whether they be canine or human.

[sandyh]

Up until this year, i have not been a stay at home mom, I usually worked two jobs, one full and one parttime. I barely had time to cook for my own kids let alone a dog. However the dog did eat the kids food if that counts.
All my dogs were brought up on the cheapest dog food available and they all lived to ripe ole ages of 14-16 years with no problems.Only had to take them to vet for there yearly vaccines. I never started trimming their nails so they never got long to begin with so never needed trimming. vet was always surprised.

[Lara's mom]

You were very lucky. Personally, I've seen too many dogs lives cut short from inferior food and a lack of basic medical care. The lack of nutrition, preservatives, etc. in cheap food very often have a really bad effect on the health and longevity of a dog.

When people ask me about what it costs to raise and maintain a healthy dog, I'm always honest with them in that it is by no means inexpensive. The puppy vaccines, the spay/neuter, the best possible food, medical insurance, regular trips to the vet, grooming for some breeds, walkers if you work all day or sufficient time for at least two good walks per day - all of these things need to be taken into consideration BEFORE you bring that adorable little puppy home. I think most people would agree that this is the standard to which we should all aspire in order to give our dogs the best life possible. They depend on us to make the best possible decisions for them. We are their voice.

[CorkyMax]

Another site for you--Greggypetty:

The Dog Food Project - Dog Food Label Information 101

[sandyh]

Unfortunetly, I have never been the proud owner of a puppy. I was either given the dog at a older age or it was a stray. I never got to pick one out of a litter. And I figured that it was better for me to put a roof over its head then to continue letting it wonder the streets, or go with out food of any type for its duration of life.
the one type of dog food(its been years and years now) i think it was old roy i had my first dog on and he always stunk like a wet dog. We took him off this food and the smell went away. this too was a cheap brand. i now feed him alpo and table scraps. and he gets raw veg. also.

[mightymite]

It's unfortunately, not much better than feeding your child with TV Dinners and fast food. However, if you can't afford to do better but are at least feeding your dog and keeping him in good weight, then AMEn. That's sadely more than many people do. I'd rather see a dog in a loving home then tell the condem the dog's owner because he/she can't afford $80 a month in dog food.

[Lara's mom]

A very good point. One can only do what one's financial circumstances will allow. Indeed, it is far better for a dog to be in a loving home than to be wandering the streets.

You have to feed a dog twice as much Pedigree as a quality food to give him/her enough nutrition. Chicken Soup for the Dog / Puppy Lover's Soul is a fairly cheap, very high quality food. www.heartypet.com - Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul ADULT Formula, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
It is 18 lbs for $25, including shipping! With a healthier animal, there will be many fewer expensive trips to the vet. Also, as I said above, you have to feed twice as much Pedigree as a quality food.


Pedigree ingredient list:

First Ten Ingredients:

Ground Whole Corn (a hollow filler with no nutritional value)
Meat and Bone Meal (it does not specify what KIND of animal the meat and bone meal comes from. There is a reason for that. They don't want to tell you that this meat meal consists of euthanized dogs and cats, as well as decaying raccons. They will also put in diseased, cancerous, or spoiled meat from cows, chickens, or pigs that is deemed "unfit for human consumption")
Corn Gluten Meal (more corn!)
Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT) (unspecified animal fat comes from the same sources as the meat and bone meal. Animal fat except for purified chicken fat causes diabetes in dogs. Also, it is preserved with chemicals, not vitamins like C and E, a big No-No.)
Wheat Mill Run (mill run = leftovers from grain that no one wants, and is not nutritionally complete)
Ground Wheat (wheat can be an allergen in dogs, and is also a filler.)
Natural Poultry Flavor (they have to add poultry flavoring because there is no poultry in it.)
Wheat Flour (more wheat!)
Salt
Potassium Chloride

Remaining Ingredients:

Carmel Color, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Rice, Wheat Gluten, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Also, the dog would not even come near Pedigree except that they spray it with rotten blood and grease from restaraunts. I understand about the tight budget. I am on one too, but switching from Purina to Chicken soup actually saved me some money, because you have to feed less.

[CorkyMax]

Just a couple comments (from seeing the above post) Corn is the worst grain to feed and wheat is 2nd!! Not only are they worst grains for allergy reactions, but several other reasons not to feed this stuff.

[Lara's mom]

I know that corn is no good. Dogs don't digest it well. However, I wasn't aware that wheat was a problem unless your dog happens to have an allergy to it. I sometimes add orzo to my homemade food. (It looks like rice but, is actually pasta). The other starches I use are potatoes, brown basmati rice (they don't like plain rice...sigh) and barley. I was also thinking of trying kasha (toasted buckwheat). I made some for myself a while back and both my girls loved it. I haven't added it to their food yet because I can't find any information as to whether or not it is good for them. Quinoa is something else I've very recently considered. It is supposed to be very healthy.

For kibble, they get a mixture of Halo and Wellness so, I figure I've pretty well got all the bases covered in that department. Is there something else about wheat other than allergies? Also, do you know anything about the other grains I mentioned? I'd very much appreciate your opinion. Thanks in advance!!!

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I know that corn is no good. Dogs don't digest it well. However, I wasn't aware that wheat was a problem unless your dog happens to have an allergy to it. I sometimes add orzo to my homemade food. (It looks like rice but, is actually pasta). The other starches I use are potatoes, brown basmati rice (they don't like plain rice...sigh) and barley. I was also thinking of trying kasha (toasted buckwheat). I made some for myself a while back and both my girls loved it. I haven't added it to their food yet because I can't find any information as to whether or not it is good for them. Quinoa is something else I've very recently considered. It is supposed to be very healthy.

For kibble, they get a mixture of Halo and Wellness so, I figure I've pretty well got all the bases covered in that department. Is there something else about wheat other than allergies? Also, do you know anything about the other grains I mentioned? I'd very much appreciate your opinion. Thanks in advance!!!

This will be a slow ongoing post as I find things for you and some of it includes 'copying and pasting' and I only know how to do that one at a time. Here is the 1st one to paste (and then I will go back to that article and 'copy' the site address for you too as soon as I get this article here: The Quinoa Story
Quinoa is undeniably one of the world's most perfect foods----

[BQUINOA (Chenopodium quinoa) is an annual herb that was originally cultivated by the Inca Empire in the Andes Mountains of South American at least 3000 years ago. The Inca's considered Quinoa, pronounced Keen-wa, a 'gift from the gods' and often referred to it as the 'mother grain'. Today, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization states that Quinoa is closer to the ideal protein balance than any other common grain, and is at least equal to milk in protein quality. Quinoa offers higher levels of phosphorous, calcium, iron, fiber, B-vitamins, vitamin E and energy than barley, oats, rice, corn or what and has a 93.7% RATING ON TOTAL DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS. Because it is GLUTEN-FREE, Quinoa offers canines with allergies to wheat and corn a nutritional and tasty alternative.



It is especially high in Lysine, an amino acid required by the body for proper calcium absorption, bone growth and formation of collagen which makes up cartilage and connective tissue. Adequate levels of Lysin in the body also assists in controlling fatigue, nausea, anemia, depression, hypoglycemia and depression and separation anxiety. Two additional amino acids available in Quinoa, both of which are ANTIOXIDANTS, are Methionine and Cysteine. Methionine helps prevent fat build up in the liver, genetic/metabolic diseases, assists in hair growth and is a neutralizer of toxins. Cysteine helps prevent hardening of the arteries, arthritis, cancer, metal toxicity, diabetes, cataracts and skin problems as well as promotes wound healing and stimulates the immune system.
http://www.onceuponadog.com/
][/B]

[Lara's mom]

Wow! I think we're all going to start eating the stuff!

[CorkyMax]

This is a big discusion on not only quinoa (forum style posts)but a lot of other things you might be interested in (Ignore the 'shift' to vegetarian chatter!) Here is the link: Quinoa - Only Natural Pet Store Community