24 replies to this topic

[Mother]

Gunplumber, Please PLEASE do NOT get me going on GMO, we've already kind of sort of hyjacked this thread,,, though MSG really CAN cause allergies and reactions in our pets as well as humans.

Do you suppose that if TSHTF and we all end up going back to "real" food totally, things that were grown or raised chemical free and in/on soil that finally was nutrient dense again, we'd all (pets included)be healthier?

[Mt_Rider]

Interesting topic and timely since DH and I are switching my 'getting older' dog and 12 yr old cat to different diet. [tired of cleaning up cat hairball barf] Haven't switched the cat yet but plan to try it.

Mother, that 'craving' that you describe is exactly what I saw diminish when we switched BigDog to Taste of the Wild. I see that as a really good sign!

Please note: I do NOT mean to put down the raw food diet you all are advocating....I'm taking notes. But sheeesh, I don't know how I'd be able to get raw food that I would have any confidence in. The fish guts and head when we go trout fishing? I do NOT trust the major meat packers of chicken. DH has too much data on THAT! So I'm just describing what we've found with this particular dog food. [no one I know gets royalties from it either ]

Anyway, Gunplumber --- I'm glad you brought up the pink elephant. [image of a batty old lady eating her cat's food ] Since this switch of dog food, I too have really been considering that 'human consumption' question. Especially after pricing the freeze-dried meat prices for food storage. This dog food comes in very heavy plastic bags so it's totally sealed. It's expiration date is at least one year out. Ingredients list includes different types of meat and meat meal, egg, veggies like sweet taters, blueberries, tomatoes....fermentation products, vitamins, etc. I can decipher most of the 'code'. No grains in this brand, btw, (in case Mother needs a gluten-free dog food for ....er, her dog. )

Sooooo....be sure to let us know of your data, please.


Here are some sites I've begun to look at:


Taste of the Wild site list/explanation of ingredients:
http://www.tasteofth...ts/ingredients/

Independent review of Taste of the Wild:
http://www.dogfoodad...d-dog-food-dry/



MtRider

Edited by Mt_Rider, 25 May 2012 - 02:54 PM.

[Mother]

Mt_Rider, I like the list of ingredients in that dog food except for this part:

Flavor (natural)
Natural ingredient that is applied to the outside of the kibble to enhance the flavor and acceptance of the dry pet food. Can be from vegetable, chicken, lamb, or pork sources. (It does not contain MSG.) Examples are parsley or other herbs and hydrolyzed proteins (processed so the average molecular weight of the protein is too small to be detected by the immune system which helps avoid adverse reactions in allergic pets. There is no intact protein from the chicken, lamb, or pork.)

That's another case of "it doesn't contain MSG but DOES contain hydrolyzed proteins (see the MSG link I gave for that) and why would they need to "enhance" the flavor if this product contains all the goodies it says it does? Would the dog want it if it didn't have this?

And then this:

Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract
A digestive enzyme derived from yeast extracts, this ingredient helps promote healthy digestion.

More MSG look alikes? I'm not sure on this one.

And this:

Blueberries
Rich in fiber and antioxidants, blueberries are a natural boost to the immune system.

I'm ....uhummmm.. my DOG is allergic to blueberries.

It really does look like it has some better ingredients than most. I might question the specific cuts of the meat in the product. I can't believe that they'd use good prime buffalo and such in it when those meats are extremely expensive to buy and are generally farm raised just like all the rest of our meats. I suspect that it contains just the sort of offal you mentioned but then we'd be feeding some of those same products on the raw diet, just not processed probably. Remember, even this Taste of Wild dog food has to be heavily processed to make it dry and store well.

Also, on another note, did you realize that Taste of Wild foods is owned by Diamond which just had a recall of some of it's foods recently due to possible salmonella issues? It's on that same web site under the Home tab. There's a mention of the code numbers to look for if you haven't already.

I believe if I was going to feed a 'dog' dry kibble, I might consider using this brand. I haven't looked for dog food in so long I'm not sure it's available in our area even. Would it be more expensive to store than say home dried meats and vegetables?

[Mt_Rider]

Wow...tricky, that MSG labeling.

Yes, I did check our bags for the recall. Or rather DH did when I alerted him to our thread here. [another score for MrsS and her massive data net! ]


Too bad your...dog...is allergic to blueberries. They do have different flavors. Mebbe they don't all contain them.

This brand is very expensive but with BigDog cutting back to HALF of what she used to want to eat, it's saving us money. Big surprise there! I'm wondering if we could even let her free feed now. She's the first one we found that would stuff her obese self. Before her, we always free-fed and never had fat dogs. She came at age 3 from the rescue and has had food issues. But if it meets her instinctive needs better....

....so really, what can a dog safely eat raw? As in the trout? Bones? That dog 'ralphs' every time she 'self-serves' something out in the pasture. But LOVES nearly all veggies and strawberries. She gets all the sweet tater skins, broc stalks [and she runs around like she's got a fat stogie in her mouth! ], carrot peels...and carrots if she can beg them, beans, ...she'll do anything for pea pods, kholrabi,... I would not trust her to pick her own in the garden tho. She's very gentle taking the tiniest piece from my hand but I'd guess NOT if she was harvesting.

MtRider [..off to take aforementioned dog to do chores with me. ]

Edited by Mt_Rider, 25 May 2012 - 09:20 PM.

[Midnightmom]

I bought some Hydrocortisone Cream to help calm down the swelling and the itching. It is the same as a steroid,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,isn't it? I remember when I first took her to the vet she was on a steroid for 10 days to calm down the swelling so they could see inside her ear better and then they cleaned it out.