The Dog Food Project
A dog has the soul of a philosopher. - Plato
A better food makes a big difference!

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Commercial Dry Foods
Introduction Label Information 101 Identifying better products Ingredients to avoid Product List
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Articles
Meat vs. Meat MealNew! Choosing the right food Feeding Puppies Feeding Senior Dogs Canine Obesity Is too much protein harmful? Grading kibble - easily? "Five Star Foods"
Other Diet Topics
Questions on Diet Myths about Feeding The Yuck Factor Where the money goes Natural Supplementation Menadione (Vitamin K3) Nutrient Requirements Links & Resources
Nutrition Primer
Nutrient Overview Water Protein Fat Carbohydrates Fiber Vitamins Minerals Essential Fatty Acids Probiotics

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How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Are you concerned about the dry food your dog is eating? Looking for detailed information about certain food ingredients? Confused about inconsistent information about dogfood from pet food manufacturers? Need help comparing dog food brands and finding a better one?

Then you are exactly where I was when I first heard about the disgusting materials some pet food manufacturers put into their products. I picked up a bag of Science Diet and consciously looked at the ingredient list for the first time. Even without any previous knowledge I could see that it did not include any real meat and was preserved with the same chemicals I avoid in human food products. I never bought another bag of Science Diet and started researching and comparing products. One of the things I learned was that any commercial sources are best avoided if you want hard facts, not biased "infomercial" style sales pitches trying to sell you one product or another. Hopefully you will find this site helpful, make up your own mind about different food brands and their quality, choose a better food and who knows - maybe even save some money.

Questions? Feel free to send me an email!

Holiday dinners - sharing yummy food with your dog the RIGHT way! Pass it on!
Admin | November 23, 2009 9:42 pm

I know most of the big name pet food companies condemn feeding any sort of "people food" - they'd rather have you spend lots of money on treats that are full of poor quality ingredients but "formulated by experts especially for your dog".

The truth is that when done right, a few bites shared from your dinner plate certainly aren't the end of the world, and contain none of the awful ingredients the above mentioned types of treats are made with.

See Holiday dinners - sharing yummy food with your dog the RIGHT way

I wish you a happy, stress-free Thanksgiving!

Visit our forum and the news archive.

Update/Expansion of the Wysong dog food recall
Admin | October 27, 2009 3:33 pm

Affected products for the dog food recall:
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090617
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090624
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090706
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090720
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090817
Wysong Senior: lot #: 090623
Wysong Senior: lot #: 090811
Wysong Synorgon: lot #: 090629

See manufacturer's website here:
https://www.wysong.net/moreinfo.php

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Cat Food Recall - Diamond's Premium Edge "Finicky" and "Hairball" formulas
Admin | October 20, 2009 2:49 pm

Please note: this concerns cat food only!

The following was posted to the FDA website today:
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm187218.htm

Quote:

October 20, 2009

FDA is providing the following information from Premium Edge Pet Foods to alert pet owners of a voluntary recall of certain cat foods manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods for Premium Edge. The affected brands were found to contain an inadequate level of thiamine, which may cause clinical signs of thiamine deficiency in cats eating this food. FDA is working on this situation and will provide additional information as it becomes available. If your veterinarian diagnoses that your cat has become ill from consuming the affected pet food, please ask your veterinarian to file a report with FDA.

Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall on the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult cat food and Premium Edge Hairball cat food: RAF0501A22X 18lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6lb. The date of manufacture is May 28, 2009. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers were also asked to contact their customers via email or telephone requesting them to check the date code of the food. However, if you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, please return them to your retailer.

Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Symptoms may include wobbly walking or muscle weakness, paralysis of the hindlimbs, seizures, ventroflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, and abnormal eye movement called nystagmus. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian.

The company tested the product and found no contaminants in the cat food; however the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Diamond tracked the vitamin premix lot number that was utilized in these particular cat foods and have performed testing on another lot of Premium Edge cat food that used the same vitamin premix, and it was not deficient in thiamine. No other neurological signs have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.

To contact Premium Edge Pet Foods, please call 800-977-8797 between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm central time, Monday through Friday.



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Wysong Recall
Admin | October 13, 2009 3:50 pm

It's sad that the company isn't prominently posting a note about this pet food recall on their website, but just an "untitled document".

Quote:

The following batches of Wysong Canine Diets Maintenance and Senior have shown above acceptable moisture levels and may contain mold.

Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090617
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090624
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090706
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090720
Wysong Senior: lot #: 090623

We ask that if you have received any of these Wysong products to please not feed them, and contact Wysong for product replacement.

Email: Wysong@Wysong.net
Subject: Product Replacement

Alternatively, please return or exchange at the store from which you purchased the product. Credit will be issued via our Distributors to the Retailer.

We apologize for the inconvenience.




Update notice 10/14/09 - the page title has been changed on Wysong's site, and a number of comments have been added to address various concerns. Form your own opinion on what's being said, what has been said about competitor products in various areas of their site, and the way in which consumer concerns are addressed..

Visit our forum and the news archive.

Nutro recalls puppy food products
Admin | October 1, 2009 5:50 pm

Nutro has recalled the following dry puppy foods on suspicion that they may contain melted plastic.

Nutro Press Release:
http://www.nutroproducts.com/press10-1-09.shtml

Affected products:

Select PETSMART STORES in CA, AZ, CO, TX and NM
NUTRO ULTRA Puppy food for dogs
UPC 79105 51313, 4.5 lbs
Best By Date 09/10/10
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites Puppy
UPC 79105 23050, 5 lbs
Best by Date 09/10/10

Select PETCO STORES in CA, NV, HI and UT
NUTRO ULTRA Puppy food for dogs
UPC 79105 51315, 30 lbs
Best by Date 09/10/10

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Upcoming Pet Food Workshops
Admin | September 8, 2009 10:55 pm

Pussy and Pooch
564 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Map

Thursday, September 17th, 2009, 6:30-8:30pm
Workshop #1 - Learn about the main ingredient groups in pet food and how to read a pet food label. Discover the important nutrients required by dogs/cats and how they affect the body. Healthy pets are happy pets -- Learn about 5 areas in which choices of food products greatly impact health.

Wednesday, September 23rd 2009, 6:30-8:30pm
Workshop #2 - Understanding the different types of available pet food (dry/canned/pre-made raw/dehydrated etc.) and recommendations on how to choose the best diet solution, based on individual needs. Discussion of individual needs vs. the “one size fits all” approach of the pet food industry.

Saturday, October 3rd 2009, approx. 2-6 pm
In-person consultations at Pussy & Pooch. Special discounted rate of $30 per half hour.

Advance reservations are required. You can book online at
http://www.pussyandpooch.com/winfood/calendar.html#4
or call (213) 438-0900.

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Canine Nutrition Consulting

Due to concerns about food recalls, discount on basic consultations (canned and dry food)!

Available options include recipes for home prepared diets, cooked and raw, individually designed and balanced for your dog, according to the newest nutritional guidelines of the National Research Council (2006).

Check out BetterDogCare.com and contact me today for a consultation.

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Report on the Dog Nutrition Seminar

Calgary, AB, Canada September 23rd, 2007

Details