Which of the mid-priced dog foods are best?

[Rabrrita]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Salmonella does not affect dogs as it does humans.

That's a very important distinction. The vast majority of "Salmonella Recalls" are due to health concerns for the people handling it and not practicing safe pet food handling. Very few are because the dog can get sick.

I think it's also important for people to understand the way pet food labeling is done. Meat/poultry/fish are the most commonly deceptive ingredient listed on dog food labels. It’s also the most widely exploited item in marketing. Its deception is based on the average consumer's ignorance over "weight". Since ingredients are listed based on actual weight, a dog food with chicken and salmon listed as #1 and #2 probably will have less "meat" in the final product versus one using meat "meals". My vet said for every pound of raw meat entering into the process, it will yield only 3 oz. of the equivalent meal. So a pet food starting out with 2 lbs. of meat will end up with less meat than one using only 7 ounces of a meat meal. But the one with the meat meal can’t show meat and they have to list it where it fits into the weight going into production (not after) even though in the end, it’s the same thing.

WE talk about the bad marketing practices of these multi-nation commercial pet food producers, but let’s face it, the designer and specialty brands with their “meat is the first ingredient” are lying to you just as much.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I started out cooking food for my rescue rat terrier, Jackie, last year and she was sick a lot. I was feeding her meat, rice and veggies mainly. And she gained too much weight. I put her on Kirkland brand healthy weight food, and she never gets sick, her coat is super shiny and she's just doing great.

I'm not sure if she had some minor illness for a few months, or what, but putting her on the Kirkland kibble seems to have straightened out whatever the problem was, and kept it from reoccurring.

I do give her a little bit of healthy human food, too, to augment her kibble. Tonight she got a little baked salmon with rice and carrots (my dinner).

But, I'm sold on the Kirkland Healthy Weight food for Jackie. I believe it worked out to around 80 cents/pound for a 40 pound bag, if I recall correctly - about $32.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

So, are you implying Canadian dog food manufactures will NEVER have a recall of dog food?

Of course I wasn't saying that. I was only saying that the laws are stricter (currently) in Canada, so the chances of a recall are lower.