Food Quality

[wildboar]

I know this has been discussed a million times, but I really need this as a favor...

Background info: I have a 7 year old lab retriever mix (favoring retriever in body), who most of her life has weighed approximately 50-60 pounds. She was abused prior to living with me and is now on medication for incontinence/leaking urine as a result of the abuse. She has had infections in the past causing her to have blood in her urine that smells sweet. She is also a VERY picky eater. She is allergic to poultry products and doesn't really eat much kibble. We were feeding her Iams canned and dry food, but she stopped eating it and grew pretty thin (ribs were noticable, but not severe). We switched her over to Innova products, mostly the EVO canned and RM formula. She loved the new food and did really well on it. We were really excited. I had to leave her with my parents for a few months while I was out of state. Due to difficulties in getting the EVO canned beef, my dad started feeding her Iams canned chunks foods which is new. Today I returned home and found that she looked like she had gained a lot of weight. I can't even feel her ribs anymore, and there is no taper to her hips like before. I was looking at the ingredients and found that the 2nd ingredient is chicken and that it also contains wheat gluten and caramel. So, I realize that the chicken was a big oops. One more thing that I should add (and I was confused by this one) is that in the ingrediants of the Iams, it states : Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Caramel.

I'm so frustrated with this food company for stating that they removed the sugar from the beet pulp but then list caramel as the next ingredient. Last time I checked caramel is made from sugar! What I need is an explanation as to why the wheat gluten and caramel are bad for her in the simplest terms possible so that I can show this to my parents. I count on them to provide care for my dog when I'm out of town, and I can't have this happening again. They love her so much, and I know that none of this was intentional. The only way I can prevent it from happening is to educate them on proper nutrition for dogs. Thank you.

 

[sourjayne]

Maybe you could stock up on Innova so there will be enough on hand that they won't have to buy a different food? I know it's a big investment all at once, but if you could swing it, that might be the best thing.

Innova is a really good food. Also, since she was doing so well on it, that should be argument enough to keep her on it.

I don't know why anyone would put caramel in dog food. It's candy. For people. The only reason I can think of is to make the taste more appealing, to cover up for the fact that without it, the dog wouldn't want to eat the food.

That's just my take on it. I'm not an expert, so I thought I'd offer a creative idea as an alternative, if stocking up is even a possibility. I think you can order it online from places and have it shipped. Maybe you could even order it while you're out of state and have it shipped to your parents' house every few weeks so they don't have to go shopping for dog food.

 

[Herschel]

Ingredients
Meat Broth, Chicken, Beef Liver, Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Wheat Gluten, Peas, Meat By-Products, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Guar Gum, Caramel, Salt, Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2)), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Sodium Phosphate

There are some really poor quality ingredients in this stuff (in bold). The non-specific "meath broth" and "meat by-products" are animal products that are unfit for human consumption.

Why not either stock up on the Innova or go to http://www.petfooddirect.com and set up automatic delivery. I know Innova has some strict distributing rules, but they might ship in your state.

 

[Zoom]

Carmel is a cheap sweetener and also adds color to whatever it's added to, which is why you see "carmel color added" to many sodas and such. Makes for a deeper, richer brown color, which looks more appetizing.

Most cheaper food companies do whatever they can to make their food smell more appetizing to the pets, since there is little nutritional value to everything else they add in.

May I inquire as to how you know she's allergic to chicken and wheat gluten? I would think that after a few months of eating chicken, if she was truely allergic to it you would be seeing some bald or thin spots to her coat, red ears and notice her chewing on her pads quite a bit.