# Ever Had THAT Friend?



## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

You know what I'm talking about, that friend who proudly says "I feed my dog Beniful!" and all the while you are gritting your teeth and biting your tongue trying to not tell them what a terrible food it is? Me and my husband have a friend who is like this and was proud to say she fed her Jack Russel Mix Beniful. While at the same time her husband says he left him with a bag of Old Roy (the dog stayed at their families when they moved).

I also have a boss that was proud of feeding Iams, while I can see why considering the hype about it being the Vets food of choice she didn't seem to want to believe me when I told her it wasn't very good quality. That was until I told her my store of finding out that Ava has food allergies. Than a light bulb kind of turned on and she said "That's why our dogs always are itching!" 

So does anyone have any stories about someone they know like this? Or just show their frustration about how little our community knows about dog food?


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## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

or Purina because it's made in America.


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

Every single day I go into work.

People come through the line with Beneful, Pedigree, etc, and make a comment along the lines of.. "Only the best for my babies!"

:|

There was on girl who came through and said she feeds her dogs Purina and she was buying Science Diet oral care biscuits.. For a 1.5 year-old dog. I briefly mentioned that maybe a higher quality food with less waste would help keep her dogs' teeth more clean. And she ignored all of the facts about the ingredients in the food I gave and said she worked in a vet's office. I said I did, too. And vets aren't nutritionists. (Politely, of course.) She just laughed along and ignored me. Agreed that Science Diet is not a good food.. But, for some reason, I guess Purina foods are good in her mind.

My older sister, before we convinced her to switch to Wellness, was proud of switching back from a grocery store brand of food to "the good food". When asked what the good food was, she proudly exclaimed "Pedigree!". :\ Her young Dachshund had terrible teeth, stunk to high heaven, filthy ears, and constantly licked his paws. Since the change to Wellness, he's had none of those problems.

I believe in giving your dog what works, but in both of my examples the food was clearly not working for the dogs.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

When people tell me they feed their dog Beneful, I say something like "oh, yeah, I heard dogs go crazy for it. No wonder, since the 5th ingredient is sugar", all innocent. Then I might make some reference to cavities and hyperactivity. That at least makes them look at the label anyway. Most people don't want to give their dog sugar, even if they don't really care about ingredients.


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## nainai0585 (Jan 30, 2010)

My husbands aunt feeds Ole Roy, my in-laws feed Beniful and Ole Roy, and I get attacked for feeding RAW and Orijen.

I've also been attacked on a local community forum for feeding RAW (I was told I was a horrible person and was abusing my dogs), and was told that by feeding Orijen, I was depriving my dogs of the essential nutrients (grains & fruits) dogs needed. 

This is also a direct statement from one of the women on the forum who has been STRONGLY opposed to my feeding choices:

"Eunakuba (she ment to spell Eukanuba) is what I raise all my pups on. In my experience and opinion it is the #1 very best food to raise a pup on. I have had excellent "results" with it for 20yrs. I have tried others and have always gone back to it.

I believer 100% in their research. Only 2 or 3 companies actually research foods to make them better. Every body else simply tries to copy those foods. "

When I went to dog food analysis, Eukanuba was rated 1 Star, and yet Orijen is 6. Go figure though, I guess I'm abusing my dogs


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## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

See I just don't understand how people can ignore facts, like corn is hard to digest. Its hard for humans to digest why wouldn't it be for dogs too!? I don't know if its just me but when I see someone in the grocery store line and they have Pedigree (which is one of the foods I put on the bottom of the ever will feed lists) I want to blurt out how terrible of a food it is! 

However it is hard to argue with ignorance, and its not necessarily the owners fault considering they have never been taught any different. But still I would hope that if someone came up and told me what I was feeding my dog was bad (if I didn't know anything about dog food) and why I would hope I would listen.

Willowy I am so going to try that! It sounds like a great way to get their wheels turning 

Nianai people who argue in favor of grains and fruits to that extent are too proud to admit they are wrong. Or to find out any different. Its sad really. I am not saying that some dogs do not need grains or fruits but it really should always be based on the dog not your pride. I fed raw for about 3-5 months and saw the most amazing results but I had to regress to kibble because my freezer doesn't have enough space in our new apartment.


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## john47 (Apr 5, 2010)

i always ask the people that feed these foods if they have ever researched what they're feeding their dog. 9 out of 10 say no. i then give them a few sites they can go to so they can see what is in the foods they are feeding. to the ones that don't care what they feed i ask, would you feed your kids mcdonalds every day? i realize that it can be expensive to feed well but i make sacrifices to make sure my dogs eat healthy. i feed a rotation of the grain free acana brands and also some raw and veggies. every once in a while i'll buy a bag of acana large breed too. i tried orijen but it was a little too rich for my younger dog and it gave her the runs. so i went to the next best.


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

I know a ton of people like this. My usual answer is this," would you eat you'r dogs food?" When they say no I ask them why not. I get answer somewhere along the lines of," DO you see what they put in that stuff?!?" typically about 5 seconds of silence passes and they go, "OHHHHH". Duh.


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## LadyD (May 10, 2009)

When I see someone with Beneful, Ol' Roy or Purina etc... in their shopping carts I want to throw myself down on the floor and wrap my arms around their ankles and yell NOOOOOOO! But that would look really crazy LOL I just clinch my teeth and pray that they ask for my opinion on dog food brands. Needless to say, they THINK they're buying the best for their dogs. My friends and family are a different matter. I just tell them or send them loads of e-mails on how to choose a better dog food.


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## no.guru (Apr 9, 2010)

LDMomma said:


> or Purina because it's made in America.


What's wrong with Old Roy?


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## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

LadyD said:


> When I see someone with Beneful, Ol' Roy or Purina etc... in their shopping carts I want to throw myself down on the floor and wrap my arms around their ankles and yell NOOOOOOO! But that would look really crazy LOL I just clinch my teeth and pray that they ask for my opinion on dog food brands. Needless to say, they THINK they're buying the best for their dogs. My friends and family are a different matter. I just tell them or send them loads of e-mails on how to choose a better dog food.


Sounds like me.

I don't butt into strangers food choices tohugh unless asked of course. I HAVE said that they might want to reseach the flea topicals that are in Wal-Mart before unsolicited though several times.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

My old roommate fed 'Ol Roy and literally said the following to me: "There are lots of different colors and shapes and stuff so it's probably ok." This floored me. I just said that Sydney's food had no artificial coloring in it and walked away.

I have convinced people (mainly my father) that corn based foods were bad by making it a VALUE issue instead of a nutrition issue. I said something like, "It's terrible how they sell all these people corn meal with a little bit of lard in it for so much." This totally changed my dad's perspective on things. When he switched our now deceased family lab to soft food because his teeth were bad, he told me how he had been reading labels to make sure the first few ingredients were meat and there were no cheap fillers because he didn't want the get swindled!! I was so thrilled when he said that.

My boyfriend, who likes our pets but does not care AT ALL about food or training or anything (these are my job ) saw a sign in the Target pet food section that broke down "healthy" components in dog food. One of them was "high fiber vegetable protein" and had corn listed below it. My boyfriend pointed it out and said, "Haha, it says corn is healthy in dog food. F***ing advertising!"  Clearly I'm wearing off on him whether he likes it or not.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Ughhh, I hate that!

My dad and stepmom have 2 dogs. And even though they KNOW about dog food ingredients, because I've TOLD them... they still buy Purina One and Cesar wet food. I made a comment about it once, and my stepmom was like, "But it's the Purina ONE kind... atleast it's not the other stuff." I simply don't even say anything anymore. I tried to explain, and she didn't listen, so whatever! haha.

I dogsit for 2 Boxers who are eating Science Diet prescription food. They poop SOOO much. I've never seen dogs poop such big piles. Every morning, they both go and poop and it's a huge pile (and pretty soft, not firm) and then like 35 seconds later, they usually have some more up in there and squirt a few more out. It's so disgusting. Then they do that 2 more times for the day. I know the owners just listen to what their vet says, so I feel it's not my place.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Oh yeah.

There are 2 owners in my neighborhood complex that loves the fact that they feed Science Diet. They tell me it's the best dog food in the world, the most expensive, and imported from teh US, best quality, etc. They wanted me to switch too! I told them there's lots of grains and by-products in there and they said: No! It's all chicken! It says Science Diet Small Bites Chicken! I'm not going to sound like a snob so I just gave up.

Actually one of the owners switched to Solid Gold for a while because someone else said it was good but they were overfeeding a lot! For example they were feeding 1 cup per meal for a 12 lb dog + half a chicken breast in every meal and they said their dog doesn't like Solid Gold and won't finish it. I told them they're feeding too much but they said that's how much SD they fed her so she should get the same amount. I give up. I just give up. They are switching back to science diet after they finish this bag of solid gold.


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## Shandwill (Jul 23, 2010)

Thankfully, I have been able to convert my mom and sister to feeding quality food, and my mother-in-law was in the know about food before I was. The one person I wish I could educate is my vet! =( The conversation I had with her regarding nutrition honestly made me seriously consider taking my pets elsewhere.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

I work in a vet clinic and have to sell and promote Hills and MediCal.. ugh!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Active Dog said:


> You know what I'm talking about, that friend who proudly says "I feed my dog Beniful!" and all the while you are gritting your teeth and biting your tongue trying to not tell them what a terrible food it is? Me and my husband have a friend who is like this and was proud to say she fed her Jack Russel Mix Beniful. While at the same time her husband says he left him with a bag of Old Roy (the dog stayed at their families when they moved).
> 
> I also have a boss that was proud of feeding Iams, while I can see why considering the hype about it being the Vets food of choice she didn't seem to want to believe me when I told her it wasn't very good quality. That was until I told her my store of finding out that Ava has food allergies. Than a light bulb kind of turned on and she said "That's why our dogs always are itching!"
> 
> So does anyone have any stories about someone they know like this? Or just show their frustration about how little our community knows about dog food?


Seriously, when I open up a bag of Beneful for boarders who bring it in it's like a wall of sugar hits my nose the second the bag opens. That stuff smells like candy, yeah, of course dogs are going to love it!!!
What cracks me up the most is people who feed a crap diet, and *only *buy organic biscuits. Um, wth? :O
Half the people who know me well don't know that a few of my dogs are on raw. If they ask what I feed, I tell them my kibble rotation for Auz...



Jacksons Mom said:


> Ughhh, I hate that!
> 
> My dad and stepmom have 2 dogs. And even though they KNOW about dog food ingredients, because I've TOLD them... they still buy Purina One and Cesar wet food. I made a comment about it once, and my stepmom was like, "But it's the Purina ONE kind... atleast it's not the other stuff." I simply don't even say anything anymore. I tried to explain, and she didn't listen, so whatever! haha.
> *
> I dogsit for 2 Boxers who are eating Science Diet prescription food. They poop SOOO much. I've never seen dogs poop such big piles. Every morning, they both go and poop and it's a huge pile (and pretty soft, not firm) and then like 35 seconds later, they usually have some more up in there and squirt a few more out. It's so disgusting. Then they do that 2 more times for the day. I know the owners just listen to what their vet says, so I feel it's not my place*.


We board a few dogs who are on Science Diet WD...it's like dogs who are fed that take up crapping as a hobby. It's nonstop. I can see how it would be a nice alternative for dogs with certain problems, and most people aren't going to research homemade foods. I swear, Walmart could put a price tag on Ol' Roy that's been tripled and a lot of people would flock to it because as far as diets go, a lot of people believe expensive = quality.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Honestly I don't care or give unsolicited advice about what other people feed their dogs. I am also not as strongly anti-grain or anti-corn as many people here are, either. BUT, it does bug the crap out of me if they start criticizing MY food choices. Usually it's along the lines of "why do you pay so much for THAT food when you can get a bag of XYZ for way cheaper!" THAT I consider soliciting my advice and will explain until their eyes glaze over why I make the choices I do for my dogs.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

a friend of mine has brom's brother. we were talking about food when we first brought the pups home and i said i had to get brom off beneful immediately because it was loaded with sugar. she agreed with me and talked about how bad the food was...and then turned around and fed it to him anyway! it is frustrating to say the least. he is still eating it a year later. she said she just wants the convenience of being able to get the food here rather than having to go out of town to get it. convenience, you know, the most important thing when it comes to feeding your dog... :rollseyes: 

my inlaws feed beneful too and they also have MediCal from the vet for her teeth, they mix the 2. :S

i just keep my mouth shut and smile and nod when they talk about what they feed. their dogs are not my dogs and i don't have a say one way or the other about what they feed.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

i think every friend i have is THAT friend.....because we feed raw, we are constantly being told our dogs will die.

in the meantime, my vet bills have gone to nothing....my dogs' teeth are pearly white, their coats are brilliantly black, they bounce, they play, they have energy, they are bright eyed and bushy tailed, their wellness visit astounded my vet until he found out we fed raw...and then his head went down and he tsked....

and my friends who are all THAT friend....complain about soft stools, picky sensitive stomachs....can't find the right food...and on and on...colitis, IBS, IBD....the vet bills....but I'M killing my dogs.


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## Reiko89 (Jul 2, 2010)

I recently had the amazingly annoying experience of seeing a very poshly dressed woman with her (probably faux) designer purse walking through walmart with her two preppily dressed children... In the cart was some make-up, some school supplies (obviously for this time of year) a dog toy and a giant bag of Kibbles n Bits... I wanted to kick that lady in the shins and say "Your kids can go without their aeropostal 40 dollar flip flops, give the da** dog some food he can LIVE OFF OF!"


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

lol i encounter this all the time..and i wanna tell them SO BAD that that food SUCKS! but i almost always hold my tongue unless i find a way to sneak it in...its crazy how people think eukanuba pedigree purina etc are so good....price should be an indication right away....you can get a 50lb bag of pedigree for a few dollars more than then 5.5lb of orijen i buy! lol you get what you pay for! wake up people!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Honestly I don't care or give unsolicited advice about what other people feed their dogs. I am also not as strongly anti-grain or anti-corn as many people here are, either. BUT, it does bug the crap out of me if they start criticizing MY food choices. Usually it's along the lines of "why do you pay so much for THAT food when you can get a bag of XYZ for way cheaper!" THAT I consider soliciting my advice and will explain until their eyes glaze over why I make the choices I do for my dogs.


Believe it or not, Auz (the GSD) does well with grain and/or corn  Dude does good on everything except turkey, and does best on grain free (though he's had grains before and did well). Tag does good on anything and everything, good thing too since he EATS everything!!



MagicRe said:


> i think every friend i have is THAT friend.....because we feed raw, we are constantly being told our dogs will die.
> 
> in the meantime, my vet bills have gone to nothing....my dogs' teeth are pearly white, their coats are brilliantly black, they bounce, they play, they have energy, they are bright eyed and bushy tailed, their wellness visit astounded my vet until he found out we fed raw...and then his head went down and he tsked....
> 
> and my friends who are all THAT friend....complain about soft stools, picky sensitive stomachs....can't find the right food...and on and on...colitis, IBS, IBD....the vet bills....but I'M killing my dogs.


The looks on those peoples' faces is priceless when you send your dogs out into the snowy yard after tossing them a chicken leg/thigh quarter. Dog lays in the snow and mows it down, like a wolf...it's almost worth feeding raw just to see their eyes pop 
You would love my vet Re. She actually got me to feed raw to a few of my dogs because of chronic issues. Dude is 9 years and 5 months old, and since starting him on raw and some supplements he's BLOSSOMED back into the dog he was 6 or 7 years ago. I am actually going to sign him up for beginners agility because he's so much more attentive and active, I think he would really enjoy it


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> lol i encounter this all the time..and i wanna tell them SO BAD that that food SUCKS! but i almost always hold my tongue unless i find a way to sneak it in...its crazy how people think eukanuba pedigree purina etc are so good....price should be an indication right away....you can get a 50lb bag of pedigree for a few dollars more than then 5.5lb of orijen i buy! lol you get what you pay for! wake up people!


It's not all about price. There are some decent foods that cost less than the icky foods. Diamond Naturals costs less than Purina ONE and way less than Eukanuba. I think even Solid Gold costs less than Eukanuba. Putting a $50 price tag on Ol' Roy won't make it a better food. Shopping by price is no better than shopping by the shiny packaging. It's about the ingredients. And most people don't look at the ingredients and wouldn't know what to look for even if they did look.



ioreks_mom said:


> we were talking about food when we first brought the pups home and i said i had to get brom off beneful immediately because it was loaded with sugar. she agreed with me and talked about how bad the food was...and then turned around and fed it to him anyway! it is frustrating to say the least. he is still eating it a year later. she said she just wants the convenience of being able to get the food here rather than having to go out of town to get it.


Yeah, but I bet they also sell regular Dog Chow in your town. Which is way better than Beneful (no sugar and less food coloring). But I suppose everybody thinks Beneful is so much better because of the higher price and the slick marketing. Ugh. I have a vendetta against Beneful. I should start something. An anti-Beneful blog or whatever.


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## Staffordshire (Jul 31, 2010)

I have to bite my tongue a lot while in Walmart, it is hard but I have learned to do it. I really just want to stand in the dog food aisle all day and educate people about dog food, but I would probably be taken away in a white jacket in my town. 

Yesterday my husband went in with me to buy dog food so he could carry it out for me, I have to say he turned pale and swayed a little when the checker said the amount. LOL I feed Wellness Core for 3 med to large dogs.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Willowy said:


> It's not all about price. There are some decent foods that cost less than the icky foods. Diamond Naturals costs less than Purina ONE and way less than Eukanuba. I think even Solid Gold costs less than Eukanuba. Putting a $50 price tag on Ol' Roy won't make it a better food. Shopping by price is no better than shopping by the shiny packaging. It's about the ingredients. And most people don't look at the ingredients and wouldn't know what to look for even if they did look.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, but I bet they also sell regular Dog Chow in your town. Which is way better than Beneful (no sugar and less food coloring). But I suppose everybody thinks Beneful is so much better because of the higher price and the slick marketing. Ugh. I have a vendetta against Beneful. I should start something. An anti-Beneful blog or whatever.


Jackson, who can pretty much eat anything and not seem to get sick, got SO sick from Beneful. I was away and my stepmom had run out of dog food, so she gave the dogs Beneful she had left over. I know, stupid. I would have never done it. Anyways, I came home the next day and I thought Jackson looked extra bloated, but figured the 'grandparents' had just spoiled him while I was away. Nope, he started puking that night multiple times and had diareah. It was all the color of the Beneful. Ugh, just gross. He was down for about 2 days. And he can usually nibble on other dogs Purina or Pedigree, etc, (he will sneak it if we're in someone elses home) and not get ill. Something about that Beneful just made him downright sick.


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## Beatrice96 (May 9, 2010)

Doesn't everyone?

I have a friend who ONLY buys bags of food with a "picture of her dog" on it (he's a yellow lab). Usually that ends up being something like Pedigree or Eukanuba. Then I tell them I feed Sam TOTW, which, where I live, is hard to get, and her eyes get all buggy that I go further than the nearest grocery store to get his food. Their dog's nickname is even Stinky because he reeks so bad!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Willowy said:


> Yeah, but I bet they also sell regular Dog Chow in your town. Which is way better than Beneful (no sugar and less food coloring). But I suppose everybody thinks Beneful is so much better because of the higher price and the slick marketing. Ugh. I have a vendetta against Beneful. I should start something. An anti-Beneful blog or whatever.


I totally agree about Beneful. My parents who didn't know any better were certain it was SO much better than regular dog chow. And if I just looked at the package only, I admit it "looks" healthier. You know, a clean white package with raw meats and vegetables raining down. Too bad none of those things are actually in the food. But really, it's called BENEful. I understand why uneducated people think it's GOOD (bene). 

I also think food coloring and shapes in dog food are as good a marketing tool as the same stuff in children't cereal. I don't know why people think it's any healthier for their pets than their children...


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## Reiko89 (Jul 2, 2010)

People are just... ignorant sometimes, by that I'm not being derrogatory, I literally mean they make no effort to look into the things they purchase... They pour out the beneful and it has nice green and yellow, brown and red peices, well I think a little switch in their head equates that to "there is a peice of veggie, a peice of cheese, beef and chicken, this is SO good for my dog!" They literally beam... The commercials for beneful are so "cute" and endearing with the dog and the owner having the kind of special one on one time we ALL love having with our dog, they just can't help but fall for it... I'm sure if we at LEAST convinced everyone that CORN was a no no for dogs (common sense, please?) then they MIGHT start looking closer at their food choices... I know when I was first learning about dog food truths, the very first ingredients I cut out were corn and "by-products"....

And as for cost... I wish people would open their eyes to how... just... neglectful... it seems to be so petty about price (when the quality is there)... My parents wouldn't DREAM of buying the food I do (TOTW) because for a 5.5 pound bag it's 10 dollars, they have several dogs (6 indoor dogs, mini dachshunds, chihuahuas and yorkies) they would have to buy the 24 pound bag, which is something in the neighborhood of 30 dollars around here (I don't know, sorry, I don't have to shop that high) OR they can go to Kroger and get Kroger Brand dog chow for 10 bucks for 40 pounds... Seems like a no-brainer for them.... but anyway, what I am getting to is, the 5.5 pound bag lasts peanut a month.... 10 dollars a month... I would like to see ANY person in the United States live on a QUALITY diet (like I believe peanut's diet is) for only 10 dollars a month.... I defy you to do so... Get back to me with your findings and I will change my mind, I just feel like it's not fair that just because it's the dog that it should be expected to take up the least amount of money you could possibly let be ripped from your greedy claws so that it can get some kind of sub par sustenance from.


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## Chikyuu (May 1, 2010)

When I was what, 8? And I had my cocker spaniel? We fed all the crap food because at the time we had no idea what else was out there and what actually went into the food. Now that I'm taking care of River and did a bunch of research on the internet about dog care, it's a totally different perspective. It's a shame because the people really have no idea what they're doing to the animals =/ I was in line at the clinic for pet shots with an elderly woman who said she fed Pedigree. Far be it from me to go on about dog food research and how crappy Pedigree is, being a 16 year old girl in front of an elderly woman who used to work with wild cats. All I told her was I fed TOTW, boasting a bit on the ingredients, and left it at that.

Sometimes I do have sympathy for the people though BECAUSE they think they're doing so well not knowing what else is out there. The local pet store carrying TOTW, "animal house," is owned by a very nice, very talkative man who I talked to and he was going on about how he used to feed Pedigree until he found out how bad it was. And in his store none of his treats or foods have corn, wheat, soy, or artificial preservatives. He's got totw, canidae, diamond naturals, fromm...


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## platinumtlc (Aug 9, 2009)

I try not to be so judgmental because its not like I eat the most healthiest of food. My dog eats a lot better than me and is probably in better health because of it (and I'm in my early 20s!) so I'm not going to be the crazy person running up to people in the grocery store going "What are you thinking!!?? Do you know that *ramble ramble ramble*". 

However, a place I worked at took in dogs for boarding, and one of the owners brought their own food in and I was completely floored by what she/he wanted the dog to eat for breakfast - Biscuits (the treat kind) and pieces of Beggin Strips. 

What. the. hell. The dog didn't even eat it by the time dinner came around, thankfully.


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## Bikhi Akhbar (May 26, 2009)

i tell people that if they see a commercial for it on TV, it's a crap food. little Bikhi gets TOTW.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm not friends with people like that!

You feed your dog pedigree and are not willing to be educated about it? Don't bother calling me again. Same as i wouldn't be friends with someone who thinks its ok to give their kids burger king for every meal.


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

Ol'Roy is apparently one of the top-selling brands in America. It boggles the mind.

Next time you get someone saying they don't mind being ignorant about what they feed their dog, just send them this video clip. =P


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## tskoffina (Jul 23, 2010)

Ol' Roy sells for $16 for a 30lb bag here. That's probably why. People think they're getting a deal. My dog came eating that and she had a hard time keeping her weight on 5 cups a day, which she had a hard time finishing. Now she gets 3 of better food, and she's gained a few lbs. You can JUST not see her ribs. People think they're getting a deal, because they don't get they'd have to feed less with better food.


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## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

That is the thing no one really gets a great deal when they buy things like Ol Roy, because you have to feed so much. I feed Ava 2 cups a day and she is just right. I have been thinking of upping it this winter because we will probably go out more but that is still less than any walmart brand. I guess the thing I don't understand is that the information is easy to access and yet so many people don't even think twice about what they feed their dog. Sure I don't eat very well, and I am sure that my dog eats better than me, but then they don't make kibble balanced with all the right vitamins, meats, and veggies available for humans. The truth is it is really hard to eat healthy as a human, but all it takes to feed a dog healthy is research. With my husband in the military and me at a fast food job we are able to feed Ava TOTW easy, I am not saying that everyone has the money too, but your average Joe just doesn't know or care to learn any different.


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## tskoffina (Jul 23, 2010)

Most people don't even think about it. I did all kinds of research on foods for my hedgies, and cats, but when it came to prescription food, that the cats and Amy were on, I trusted my vet. I didn't know I could accomplish the same thing, even though I knew about foods. I know better now, but until then I never researched. My parents didn't know until I talked to them because they just trust that they can't have such false advertising. If it's for dogs, it should be good for them. And they don't figure a bag of OR feeds, say, 10 meals cause you have to feed so much, but a better food feeds 20 meals for same weight bag. They just see .50 a lb vs 1.00 a lb. It never occurred to them that you'd feed less of a better food. Dakota will be fed less once she gets another 1-2 lbs on her. I just don't like seeing bones, so I'm feeding a little more than I would once she's at a good weight.


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## TheBearCat (Jun 5, 2010)

I'm sad to say our shelter dogs and cats get Science Diet, with the exception of those with allergies. The military base we're located on funds everything and has a contract with that company, but we have no delusions about the food quality.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

"Those friends" are my co-workers and bosses. They all are obsessed with Science Diet. I really have to bite my tongue when it comes to food and diet discussions. Anytime an animal comes in with skin issues that the doctors might be related to food, they don't hesitate to put them on a prescription diet. 

Raw isn't even an option here at this clinic. The other day in an appointment a new dog owner asked about giving her dog a RMB. The doctor lectured her for a few minutes about how dangerous that can be and how raw or undercooked meat leads to serious illness in dogs. Then he went around to say Avoderm (which is an avocado based food, probably not a very good food) was bad for dogs because dogs are carnivores and are meant to eat meat like their ancestors did... then he recommended Science Diet...........

I have learned to keep my mouth shut in scenarios like like that. If I see a client out at my favorite dog food store, I don't hesitate to give them a little bit of insight about nutrition and dog food labels.

My boyfriend doesn't even think twice about what I feed the dogs anymore. He used to gawk at me giving them a raw chicken wing or spending $18 for a small bag of food, but now he's kind of figured out that I'm doing something right since out dogs look amazing.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

i feed a kibble called 'exclusive' (the bag is red with a spaniel on the fron i think) but when i moved to e new place & was finally able to take Izze to my new place of work (its a ranch & she was giving my parents trouble due to bordem & lack of excercise) she didnt seem to want to eat all of the sudden, so i got a tub of plain generic brand yogurt & started mixing that into her food at night, & an egg (we have chickens here. so we get farm fresh eggs) with her food in the morning & have had great results with it.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

ladyshadowhollyjc said:


> My boyfriend doesn't even think twice about what I feed the dogs anymore. He used to gawk at me giving them a raw chicken wing or spending $18 for a small bag of food, but now he's kind of figured out that I'm doing something right since out dogs look amazing.


That's just it! When people can REALLY look... you can tell a difference.

Even my grandma, who lives out in the middle of nowhereville, Arizona... when she came to town in June, she made a few comments to me about Jackson. First, she said "wow! he's like the perfect figure! He seems like he's in perfect shape!" Then she commented on how shiny and soft his coat was, and it was clearly noticeable even when he wasn't sitting near us, you can just see how nice his coat is. She then even saw how his teeth were nice, breath was fresh (we do use Petzlife twice a week) and she just kept saying how nice of a dog he was physically, and everything. She asked me what food I fed him and I told her, etc. She was shocked, she just never knew. She raised her Golden Retriever on Pedigree, and those types of foods, and yeah, she lived to be 15 years old but was not in great condition, but she also was a country outdoor dog so I think that maybe even gave her more to live for. But anyways, point is... it was something she noticed and had never taken consideration into dog nutrition before but now will.

My other grandma on the other side of the family has an 8 year old Lab. Sure, to most people she'd seem fine and dandy and healthy. But she always smells, when you pet her, your hands automatically have that gross doggy smell, she sheds a TON (I know, she's a Lab, but I think it could be lessened with a better diet), she's always getting ear infections, her teeth and breath are disgusting, she's got that bump-scab looking things all over, she's overweight. I truly believe that with diet, ALOT of this could be changed. But to most people who don't pay attention to that kind of stuff... it's normal, ya know.


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## sarahspins (Apr 6, 2009)

Ugh.. my own PARENTS are like that.. mom feeds Iams to her grossly overweight mini aussie (who probably weighs close to DOUBLE what she should) and my dad/step mom feed their dog Beneful. Their dog is not overweight but she has chronic (untreated) skin issues and it makes me so sad, on so many levels... they just don't make the connection, nor do they seem particularly concerned about it.

I am actually watching my mom's dog right now.. I am sending her home on Sunday with some Diamond Naturals Lite... maybe mom will get the hint when she realizes that Diamond is cheaper than her crappy Iams, and that yes, her dog really is THAT fat. I know there are better foods out there than Diamond, but it would at least be a step in the right direction (no corn, and it's not 425 calories a cup - that's as much as what is in the Blue puppy food that I feed Karma!)


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

I honestly knew nothing about dog food before I got my current dog. Growing up I never thought about what my parents fed our dogs. Even with my cats, I didn't really think twice about what I fed them. Like many people, I trusted that the big national brands were nutritionally complete and did what they advertised (yes, naive =P). After all, so many people have been feeding their dogs and cats those foods for decades.

But I guess I started looking into it when I started visiting forums like this one just before I got my dog. I have friends who each have a dog that's around 2 years old, and both of these dogs are treated really well (training classes, lots of exercise, hiking vacations with the owners), so of course I asked them for advice about what to feed. The one feeds Eukanuba because "the breeder said it's the best thing for the breed"; the other feeds Royal Canin, but they at least tried a bunch of different foods and decided that one worked best for their dog.

I started talking about other brands and the research I did, and they just kind of looked at me weird. And, as the newest dog owner among my friends, I seem like the overenthusiastic newbie when I start going off about food. However, whenever I go over if I happen to have treats with me, I'll ask if their dog can have one of my treats, explain the brand and what's in it, and had one of them say "Oh, I'm not worried. I'm sure if you feed it to Buffy, it's fine." They kind of laugh at my choices as me just being like a mom with her first baby.

And, my parents feed their dog regular Science Diet. My mom even saw a story about dog food on TV recently, and started questioning her choices. But, she thinks that SD is made in Australia, so "it must be better than all those ones that come from China." I tried doing a little research on it for her, but when I couldn't find anything in like 5 minutes, she decided that they've been feeding their dog that for 6 years now with no problems, so no reason to switch now. She even gets annoyed if her dog gets a few kibbles of Buffy's food.

Since I am a relatively new dog owner, I try not to push my ideas too strongly or to seem like a know-it-all just because I've read stuff online. And I still don't feed my dog the best food out there (she gets Natural Balance) but I know it's worlds better than the crap on supermarket shelves. And, I do plan to switch her to something better in the future, probably to an adult food after her first birthday (I think it would be weird to go from an ALS food to a puppy food with her at 7 months old now).


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## Miranda16 (Jan 17, 2010)

i only give my opinion if somebody complains about their dog (e.g. s/he smells all the time, s/he sheds so much) i ask what they are feeding and suggest something else ... also a subtle thing i do is if im house sitting i leave a note somewhere like on the desk or something with dogfoodanalysis.com written on it haha ... its my sneaky way of maybe helping their dog.


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

Sorry to resurect this thread... but I can't go to most family get togethers because of what I feed Maddie... I am the only one of my siblings that have a dog as an adult. And neither of them ever cared about the dogs my parents had when they were kids. BUT because they are both nurses then they feel they have the right and the knowledge to attck ME for feeding Maddie (at the time it was TOTW, now it will be Orijen or Acana) and wanting to feed raw... UGH!


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## doginthedesert (Jun 18, 2010)

I also have "that friend". We were recently at a friends house when we discovered their PRIMARY TRAINING TREAT is grapes. If she wants the dog to stand still she throws chopped grapes at her feet, she teaches tricks with grapes. She barked, give her a grape! It is just grapes, grapes, grapes everywhere. She was so offended when I told her not to give my dog a grape. I have tried to tell her the dangers of grapes, send her information, but she just refuses to believe it. She thinks my dog is missing out by not having them, because her dog loves them so much.

If she can't understand that grapes are toxic, I have no hope of convincing her that her supermarket food might not be so great.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Just reading the anecdotes - I would be crawling up a wall like the girl on The Ring if I had to deal with some of the stuff you guys do. 

Especially the one about the GRAPES. Just wow.


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## doginthedesert (Jun 18, 2010)

I really have trouble not just screaming into her face YOU ARE KILLING YOUR DOG. Unfourtinately I know it won't make a bit of difference.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Staffordshire said:


> Yesterday my husband went in with me to buy dog food so he could carry it out for me, I have to say he turned pale and swayed a little when the checker said the amount. LOL I feed Wellness Core for 3 med to large dogs.


My husband knows how much our food costs...one dogs eats TOTW ($43 for 30lb), another eats the Core reduced fat ($36 for the mid size bag) and the other is on Orijen ($60 for the big bag, 29lbs I think). When we go to buy dog food, he asks "is it the cheap stuff" meaning TOTW. For us, that IS the cheap stuff!

I don't get into it unless asked, when it concerns people I know. Some very good friends live across the street with their elderly, diabetic lab. He is overweight yet they think he looks fine. His coat is a mess, all dry & brittle. He has knee problems according to them but no hip problems. I'm just a pet owner but I disagree. He gets nothing for his joints. He gets insulin, which they order from Canada. They feed him whatever they pick up that week. At one point it was one of the Merricks but that lasted one bag. 
I do speak up at pet stores to strangers. I once heard a customer asking about a dog food for her dog with ear infections, the sales person said corn was fine. I had to speak up, I couldn't help myself. 
I seem to almost always have dogs with issues. The only one recently who didn't was my deceased Tucker (my avatar) who could have eaten anything and probably done fine but he was my heart dog so he got the good stuff. We adopted Dixie the coonhound in July, she came here on Science Diet. Good lord, the hugest (is that a word? LOL) stinkiest poop! I tried her on Acana that Boone was eating but that didn't help much so I tried TOTW Pacific Stream and this has worked.


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## Active Dog (Jan 18, 2010)

Sometimes it is so hard not to say something, luckily in our family there aren't many people that have dogs and the ones that do I either don't know what they feed or they feed the good stuff. Although while going to the store and I see someone with a bag of crappy food I just want to grab it out of their cart and tell them why they should not buy it. I have never heard anyone talk about food in the pet store though so I haven't gotten that opportunity yet. 

What did the people say Inked when you told them about how corn is bad?


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

Active Dog said:


> Although while going to the store and I see someone with a bag of crappy food I just want to grab it out of their cart and tell them why they should not buy it. I have never heard anyone talk about food in the pet store though so I haven't gotten that opportunity yet.


This is one of the difficulties of my job.. Determining who is interested in hearing about why their current dog food is bad and who is not.

But I can't tell you how wonderful it is when I've recommended a switch in diet to help x problem and a few weeks later the owner comes back and thanks me and tells me that their dog is completely fixed. There was a woman in just the other day who was buying two big bags of Wellness and told me that her small dog (who used to shed like crazy) is now no longer shedding/itchy and it was all thanks to my suggestion to change the food. Luckily, this happens pretty often and I'm happy to know that people are willing to listen and the dogs are benefitting health-wise from the switch in diet. 

However, there are person who are only buying the cheapest food possible. One such customer came in on Saturday. He was picking up a bag of Nutro when I walked by and asked me if that was the cheapest dog food we carried. I looked at him, smiled because I knew this was going to be bad, and asked, "Why do you want the cheapest?" He said, "Oh, I just got some stupid free dog.." I explained to him, briefly, the nutrient deficiencies in the cheapest foods we carry, how the cost won't actually be that much higher on a decent food.. He laughed and said, "I ain't worried about it. I just want the cheapest. The dog was free, after all." I replied that no dog is really free and pointed him to the Pedigree and Beneful. 

There was actually a customer that came though my line the other day with a bag of Beneful Healthy Harvest. I asked why he chose a food with no meat in it. He looked confused, but not offended, and said, "Oh, it's just the cheapest Beneful." :\


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## Aegon I (Dec 27, 2007)

I work in a feed store and we supply low quality food. Even before this job, I learned (de-sensitization is a learning process unfortunately) not to give lectures. When people get lectured they will shut-down and if they are not interested, there is nothing you can say to change their mind. The store is located in a small town of a lot of farmers, many of them simply do not want to spend the money on their "barn dogs", even less so for cats. If given the opportunity, I will give the dogfoodanalysis.com address and let people learn for themselves. At the store, however, I take advantage of the open questions "what do you feed your dog?" and "What do you recommend?". My BW and I have 'educated' several people on pet nutrition including my in-laws, my parents, and my sister.


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