# best dog food from petsmart?



## airtas

Is there any dry food I can buy from petsmart that is good for my toy fox terrier?


he is currently on purina pro plan and it is time to get new food, what are some recommendations?


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## kerplunk105

Blue Buffalo.


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## DuckyNDogs

Petsmart has started to carry the Blue Buffalo Wilderness (which is a grain free) and that is likely their best. If you don't want to go grain free, the standard Blue Buffalo is a good food too.


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## StellaLucyDesi

Petsmart in my area has actually started carrying some pretty good foods. Blue Buffalo is definitely at the top of the list. They carry Blue Wilderness which is their grain-free food (I'm gonna try this eventually). Also, they have the regular Blue that comes in a small breed formula that would be good for a toy fox terrier. Some other foods they have are Avoderm, By Nature and Castor & Pollux. These are all worth considering, IMO. Other than these foods, I wouldn't feed anything in Petsmart, but it's much better than it used to be LOL.

BTW, I am currently feedng Wellness CORE Reduced Fat/Ocean and Wellness Small Breed to my gang.


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## DJEtzel

The only thing I would feed from petsmart is blue buffalo. Wilderness or regular.


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## BlueChaos

They also sell By Nature and recently added Castor and Pollux line (Organix and Natural Ultramix)


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## rileysmommy

I agree with everybody. Blue buffalo Wilderness or regular. Best food in the entire store, hands down.


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## lucidity

Blue Buffalo is the best. Blue Wilderness, actually.. followed by the regular Blue line.

Avoderm is also decent, but check the ingredients. Some flavours are better than others (more meat content).

By Nature is only a little better (in my opinion) than other foods like Eagle Pack or Eukanuba (which is better than Pro Plan, Iams, etc. but still pretty crappy).


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## maquignon

Only good foods sold at PetSmart are Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux and AvoDerm. Ingredients in Nature's Recipe and Nutro Ultra are not bad but they both use menadione and I wouldn't feed anything containing menadione. Nothing else in the store is even close.


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## airtas

why are purina, iams, nutro, eukanuba bad?


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## lucidity

airtas said:


> why are purina, iams, nutro, eukanuba bad?


Read these websites for more info on why: www.dogfoodanalysis.com and www.dogfoodscoop.com


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## Active Dog

airtas said:


> why are purina, iams, nutro, eukanuba bad?


lol lots of reasons, but for sure do some research!  

I agree with everyone else. Blue Wilderness is the best, it is high in protein and no grains or other shady ingredients. I fed my dog Blue Wilderness for a few months before deciding to go raw. My dog did great on it! She shed ten times less which was great haha. They also have Blue Basic which is a limited ingredient for sensitive tummies. Good luck and have fun!


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## Jordan S

airtas said:


> Is there any dry food I can buy from petsmart that is good for my toy fox terrier?
> 
> 
> he is currently on purina pro plan and it is time to get new food, what are some recommendations?


We just bought By Nature organics from petsmart, that comes in the green and brown bags. We use the salmon,sweet potato and yogurt and so far so good.


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## flipgirl

The petsmart where I live carries Halo which I've heard is pretty good. My cats have tried their canned food with no luck


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## arnitex

The Purina Pro bag states that over half big time show winner dogs are on that food. Is that bs or what? This is week six for my puppies so am weaning off momma this week, feeding half puppy chow and half Pro. Their stool are still mushy and loose.


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## DJEtzel

Does is matter if half of big time show winner dogs are on it or not? They get so much down to their coat, and are taken care of so well in means of physical appearance that any flaws caused by food would be covered up or producted up. Conformation handlers are familiar with showing, not dog nutrition, so the fact that they are feeding junk means nothing. 

I don't know what breed of pups you have, but if they're small-medium sized dogs, I'd start weaning them onto wellness super5mix puppy.


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## kenRC51

Solid Gold


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## TrooperBucket

I'm currently using Purina ProPlan too - looks like I'm switching to Blue!
Are there any special tricks/rules to use when changing brands? Neither of my pups are picky eaters, but is an immediate change in food something to avoid?


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## DJEtzel

TrooperBucket said:


> I'm currently using Purina ProPlan too - looks like I'm switching to Blue!
> Are there any special tricks/rules to use when changing brands? Neither of my pups are picky eaters, but is an immediate change in food something to avoid?


Yes. You should start with 3/4 old and 1/4 new for a couple days, then half/half for a couple, 1/4 old and 3/4 new for a couple, then move to straight new dog food. It's best to transition their stomaches over because some dogs can get sick when changing foods so fast.


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## tefobuch

I personally never shop at Petsmart anymore. The last time I was there (over 2 yrs ago) I was asking questions about safe treats for my new puppy. The sales rep (who i think was also the owner) was really unhelpful and condescending and said to me "I don't mean to be rude but everything in our store is safe!"

I replied that "No, actually 90% of the stuff they carried was very unsafe", and simply walked out, never to return.

I'd just spent hundreds of dollars there on a new crate, toys, leashes, etc.! 

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents so I have no idea what foods they carry now, but I think they may have had Merrick at that time, if it helps.


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## miszjenny1988

I heard that the life source bits in the Blue Buff are all at the bottom is that true?


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## DJEtzel

Not in my experience. They're all throughout the bag.


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## john47

i agree the best food at petsmart is blue buffalo. i feed the grain free acana foods which pet smart dosen't sell.


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## miszjenny1988

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or
fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are
all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats
in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic
to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than

the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source
but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free
add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored. Dog Food scores:

Dog Food scores:
Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
**** Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+
Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Member's Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
Nature's Recipe / Score 100 A
Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
Nature's Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+
Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C
Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B
Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B
Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A
Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+
Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C
Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F
Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Solid Gold / Score 99 A
Summit / Score 99 A
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

I found this LOL and I guess Nutro Ultra isn't bad for my dogs then I was planning on getting them onto Blue Buffalo because I hear some people saying that grains are bad for the dogs but then there are also some that said grains aren't.


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## LazyGRanch713

miszjenny1988 said:


> Start with a grade of 100:
> 
> 1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
> 
> 2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or
> fat) reference, subtract 10 points
> 
> 3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
> 
> 4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points
> 
> 5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
> ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are
> all the same grain), subtract 5 points
> 
> 6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats
> in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
> 
> 7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
> 
> 8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
> 
> 9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
> 
> 10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
> points
> 
> 11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic
> to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
> 
> 12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
> 
> 13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
> wheat), subtract 2 points
> 
> 14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to
> beef), subtract 1 point
> 
> 15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
> 
> Extra Credit:
> 
> 1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
> 
> 2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
> nutritionist, add 5 points
> 
> 3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
> 
> 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
> 
> 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
> 
> 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
> 
> 7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
> 
> 8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
> 
> 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
> 
> 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
> 
> 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
> 
> 12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
> 
> the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source
> but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
> 
> 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
> 
> 14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free
> add 1 point
> 
> 94-100+ = A
> 86-93 = B
> 78-85 = C
> 70-77 = D
> 69 = F
> 
> Here are some foods that have already been scored. Dog Food scores:
> 
> Dog Food scores:
> Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
> Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
> Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
> Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
> Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
> Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
> Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
> Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
> Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
> Canidae / Score 112 A+
> Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
> Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
> Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
> Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
> Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
> **** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
> **** Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
> **** Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
> EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+
> Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
> Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
> Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
> Foundations / Score 106 A+
> Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
> Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
> Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
> Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
> Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
> Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
> Member's Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
> Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
> Nature's Recipe / Score 100 A
> Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
> Nature's Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+
> Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C
> Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+
> Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
> Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B
> Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A
> Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
> Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B
> Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A
> Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+
> Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
> Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+
> Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C
> Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A
> Purina Benful / Score 17 F
> Purina Dog / Score 62 F
> Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
> Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F
> Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+
> Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
> Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
> Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
> Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
> Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
> Solid Gold / Score 99 A
> Summit / Score 99 A
> Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+
> Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
> Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
> 
> I found this LOL and I guess Nutro Ultra isn't bad for my dogs then I was planning on getting them onto Blue Buffalo because I hear some people saying that grains are bad for the dogs but then there are also some that said grains aren't.


No offense to you at all (because I know you just CP'ed this from a site), but there is no way in heck I would have the time/patience to sit down and analyze my dogs' food like that  I think people who research, read the ingredients bag and use common sense can usually find a decent food that works well for _their_ dogs. Auz has never done so hot on a lot of foods, but he does great on Diamond which gets a C. I've read a lot of people on this board say the breed specific dog food is a marketing ploy, but they get A's. 
(Like I say--no offense to you as a poster at all!)


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## maquignon

miszjenny1988 said:


> I found this LOL and I guess Nutro Ultra isn't bad for my dogs then I was planning on getting them onto Blue Buffalo because I hear some people saying that grains are bad for the dogs but then there are also some that said grains aren't.


Nutro is plenty bad. That scoring method should say "if the food contains menadione, subtract 100 points and all grains are not equal - corn and wheat bad - whole grain brown rice, millet, oatmeal, barley - not bad.


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## Jordan S

Blue Buffalo.


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## Enhasa

blue buffalo is good.

organix, castor and pollux (same company) is good too.

i do not recommend solid gold because they contain ethoxyquin, and for the price points they're selling at, you might as well buy orijen.


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## DJEtzel

A lot of brands, including totw include ethoxyquin, I believe. And solid gold is much cheaper than orijen around here.


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## Enhasa

Dont know why, but solid gold is extremely overpriced at petco.

a small bag (4-5 pounds, cant remember the size) sells for $14.
doesn't make any sense at all considering the fact that their fish contains ethoxyquin, and its ranked 3rd on ingredients list. so thats a lot of ethoxyquin your puppy is gonna be eating.

their other formulas look average, better than purina, but nothing fascinating compared to Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Orijen etc.

Their Holistic blend looks retarded to me.

Solid Gold also uses almond oil. Isn't almonds toxic to dogs?


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## SFdoglovr

Castor and Pollux Organix, best food in my opinion. No additives, chemicals, or garbage. I wish they had more than one flavor so we could rotate (chicken only). Our dog has a sensitive tummy and he does excellent on it.


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## DJEtzel

Enhasa said:


> Dont know why, but solid gold is extremely overpriced at petco.
> 
> a small bag (4-5 pounds, cant remember the size) sells for $14.
> doesn't make any sense at all considering the fact that their fish contains ethoxyquin, and its ranked 3rd on ingredients list. so thats a lot of ethoxyquin your puppy is gonna be eating.
> 
> their other formulas look average, better than purina, but nothing fascinating compared to Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Orijen etc.
> 
> Their Holistic blend looks retarded to me.
> 
> Solid Gold also uses almond oil. Isn't almonds toxic to dogs?


I just did some quick research, and bitter almonds are toxic to dogs, but not human grade almonds, or almond oil. The bitter almonds contain some kind of toxin like cyanide apparently, which human consumtion almonds do not. The almond oil is a source of vitamin E in the kibble.

Which formula has fish as the third ingredient? Hund n flocken doesn't, the fish is low on the ingredient list, 

I believe that whether or not Solid Gold even contains ethoxyquin is still under debate, anyway. Do you have any articles supporting the fact that they are in fact using fish preserved with it?


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## Aussie_Lover

tefobuch said:


> I personally never shop at Petsmart anymore. The last time I was there (over 2 yrs ago) I was asking questions about safe treats for my new puppy. The sales rep (who i think was also the owner) was really unhelpful and condescending and said to me "I don't mean to be rude but everything in our store is safe!"
> 
> I replied that "No, actually 90% of the stuff they carried was very unsafe", and simply walked out, never to return.
> 
> I'd just spent hundreds of dollars there on a new crate, toys, leashes, etc.!
> 
> Anyhow, that's my 2 cents so I have no idea what foods they carry now, but I think they may have had Merrick at that time, if it helps.


I think you may have Petsmart confused with another pet store. Petsmarts are company owned stores - not franchises, so there would be no owner/sales rep. And to the best of my knowledge, they have never carried Merrick. At least, not in NJ or PA which is where I shop


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## jiml

why are purina, iams, nutro, eukanuba bad?

Read these websites for more info on why: www.dogfoodanalysis.com and www.dogfoodscoop.com>>>>>>

isnt nutro ultra rated 4 stars. certainly not the top rated but a bit above iams id say


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## kimrisa

Hey, Ken, I love that Stitch. Tuffy McTuffster says hi!


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## bondsammy

Nutro Ultra is a very good product. We use it for our dogs. I have heard that the Vit. K will be coming out of the product soon and that corn gluten meal is only in the Ultra Puppy and LB Puppy and LB Adult but will be replaced soon.


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## jiml

maquignon said:


> Only good foods sold at PetSmart are Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux and AvoDerm. Ingredients in Nature's Recipe and Nutro Ultra are not bad but they both use menadione and I wouldn't feed anything containing menadione. Nothing else in the store is even close.


interesting find?

BY Greg Aldrich, PhD

There are no reports of nutritional toxicity of any vitamin K sources in dogs or cats readily available in the literature
Vitamin K is one of those nutrients that we learn of early in nutrition training as an essential fat soluble vitamin that is important in clotting. Beyond that, we seldom discuss it. Recently, however, there has been a concerted effort by a few "pet enthusiasts" to spook petfood manufacturers and well-meaning pet owners into the notion that vitamin K supplementation in the diet, specifically with vitamin K3 (menadione), is unnecessary and potentially toxic to pets. Determining whether they have a valid point warrants a bit of investigation.

Necessity

Vitamin K is known principally for its role in blood clotting, but has also been reported to be involved with osteocalcin and bone formation, along with a number of other biomedical functions. By definition, vitamin K is any of several compounds that are based on 2-methyl-1,4-napthoquinone (also known as menadione) that express anti-hemorrhagic properties (Suttie, 2007). The amount of vitamin K recommended for dogs and cats is approximately 1 part per million of the diet (NRC, 2006).

Vitamin K can be supplied to the animal from a combination of sources: vitamins K1, K2 and K3. Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquionone, is found in green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils. Vitamin K2 is produced by gut bacteria and vitamin K3 is chemically synthesized. Vitamins K1 and K2 are "active" upon absorption. However, vitamin K3 must be "alkylated" by gut bacteria or tissue enzymes to become active. This activation involves the addition of isoprenoid side chains, and in some literature this activated form is called menaquinone or designated as MK-4.

While it is true that most of the dietary vitamin K can be provided by vitamin K1 from green leafy plants and vegetable oils, or through stable gut fermentation (supplying vitamin K2), the variability in these sources, effects from processing and gut health of the animal make them less than 100% reliable. Further, not every petfood company considers green leafy vegetables or vegetable oils to be an essential part of a dog or cat diet. So, many petfood companies choose to supplement with a commercial source. These commercial sources of vitamin K3 are produced through industrial synthetic chemistry. The AAFCO Official Publication (2007) lists only vitamin K3 sources as approved for use. They include menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (MDPB), menadione nicotinamide bisulfite (MNBS) and menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC).

Supplementation with vitamin K3 doesn't appear to be a smoking gun.
None of these are explicitly identified for use in petfoods, but no objections have been forthcoming if MSBC is the vitamin K3 source of choice. No forms of vitamin K1 or K2 are approved as feed ingredients, although there is an understanding that no regulatory action will be taken for pre-market approved use of vitamin K1. So, even if a petfood company gave in to these unfounded concerns over vitamin K3, they don't really have any other option besides vitamin K3 to use as the supplement unless they choose to completely remove it from the formula altogether.

Toxicity

As for the toxicity concerns, there are no reports of nutritional toxicity of any vitamin K sources in dogs or cats readily available in the literature, and certainly no descriptions that could be found showing vitamin K3 (menadione) was harmful to dogs, cats or other domestic animals. The recent Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (NRC, 2006) and the Vitamin Tolerances of Animals (1987) texts are authoritative reviews on the topic, and they state that toxicity of menadione by nutritional routes is in excess of 1,000 times the requirement. Further, vitamin K3 has been fed to poultry, swine and companion animals for more than 50 years without incident. So, nutritional supplementation with vitamin K3 doesn't appear to be a smoking gun.

However, the pharmacological or medical use of vitamin K to combat acute ingestion of anti-clotting agents (e.g., warfarin or coumarin) and bleeding disorders of neonates (human) associated with vitamin K deficiencies is a different story. Under these circumstances and dosages, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is the preferred intravenous (parenteral) source of vitamin K. Further, it has been demonstrated that intravenous administration of vitamin K3 at dosages of 100 mg/kg (which is around 100 times the nutritional requirement) may be toxic. One can speculate that this could be due to the lack of "alkylation" that occurs when vitamin K3 is administered through a route other than via the gut.

Necessary and nontoxic

While small amounts of vitamin K are required in the diet and might be provided by whole ingredients or healthy gut fermentation, the uncertainty of these sources leads many petfood companies to supplement with commercial vitamin K3 (menadione). To provide this wee bit of "insurance" in the petfood, there is only one form availablethe water soluble, stabilized menadione (MSBC). Judicious use of nutritional vitamin K3 is clearly not toxic, so this notion that vitamin K3 as an ingredient in petfoods should not be used is unfounded and should be reversed. Further, it is hoped that through education and communication, consumers can be made aware that not all that is printed on enthusiasts' websites is correct. Also, radical nutrition positions should be compared and contrasted with current and comprehensive research literature and not just a few, potentially unrelated, experiments.


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## Foyerhawk

My show dogs don't each cheap crappy food. Wilderness is definitely the best!


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