Although you are (hopefully) reading the ingredients on the food you buy to feed your family, are you reading the ingredients on your pet’s food?
A fascinating new report was just released today by the nonprofit watchdog group, The Cornucopia Institute:
“Overall, the pet food industry is failing its customers as a provider of nutritious, wholesome food for our dogs and cats. As a whole, it could be viewed as a waste disposal vehicle for human food manufacturers, exhibiting disregard for the health of its customers.” – Decoding Pet Food: Adulteration, Toxic Ingredients, and the Best Choices for Your Companion Animals, by The Cornucopia Institute.
What they reveal in this report is shocking to say the least, and Cornucopia’s report highlights how important it is to read the ingredients on the pet food you buy (even if it’s organic).
The Top 6 Things To Stop Feeding Your Pets:
1. Food-Grade Carrageenan – They found that more than 70% of canned pet foods contain this additive. Although it’s linked to intestinal inflammation, it’s even found in prescription pet foods for pets with gastrointestinal problems! According to Cornucopia: “The frequency of inflammatory bowel diseases in cats and dogs raises concerns about conventional pet food and its effect on the gut, including changes in the gut microbiota.” Here’s more on why I avoid this ingredient.
2. Synthetic Preservatives – This is why some pet food has a shelf life for 25 years! BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, propylene glycol, or ethoxyquin are common preservatives in pet food linked to serious health issues – such as organ damage and cancer.
3. BPA – The lining inside cans of pet food contain this endocrine disruptor that mimics hormones and can lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
4. Artificial Food Dyes – Do you think your pet cares what color their food is? Colors like red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, and blue 2 are common in dry pet food. According to CSPI, these dyes can cause allergic reactions, hyperactivity, organ damage and cancer.
5. Grains – Remember, cats and dogs are carnivores so their food should be primarily meat and grains aren’t necessary. Fillers like corn, wheat, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and brewer’s rice should not be listed in the first few ingredients (if at all) to ensure that a product is mostly meat. Grains that aren’t fit for humans to eat, like moldy grains containing carcinogenic mycotoxins, are still allowed in pet food.
6. Rendered Meat Byproducts – Pet food regulations allow the use of meat from animals that died “otherwise than by slaughter”. Although the pet industry denies it (of course) there is testimony that this allows for dead pets (dogs, cats) from shelters to be added to pet food, and that some companies actually engage in this practice. The FDA has also found residues from a drug that’s used to euthanize animals in 30 different samples of pet food, which is evidence that euthanized animals are ending up in cans. In some states, rendering facilities that process dead animals are also authorized to process roadkill and rotten meat, which may also end up in pet food, along with the remains of animals that died of disease. According to Cornucopia, this can possibly lead to degenerative neurological diseases in pets.
Avoid These Pet Foods:
- 9 Lives: Tender Morsels
- Whiskas: Trays and Pouches
- Friskies: Pate
- Purina ProPlan: All formulas
- Iams Proactive Health: Pate, Filets
- Royal Canin: Feline Health Nutrition
- Hill’s: Science Diet, Ideal Balance Natural
What about organic pet food?
First, you need to determine whether a pet food is really organic or not, because there’s some serious misleading labeling going on. There are no exclusively organic brands, and many companies use deceptive packaging to make their non-organic formulas appear the same as their organic varieties. Make sure to look really closely at the labels to make sure what you are buying is truly organic by looking specifically for the USDA certified organic seal, because these cans can look nearly identical!
Organic pet food is the best choice, especially as artificial food dyes, GMOs, and most questionable food additives are banned from these products. However, organic pet food can still contain carrageenan, and some brands make some products with it and some without – so you need to check each one separately.
Another thing to point out – products labeled as non-GMO don’t contain GMO ingredients, but the feed given to the animals raised for the meat in these products was almost certainly GMO – unless the meat is certified organic.
Safer Foods For Your Pet:
- Organix Castor and Pollux: Grain Free Pate, Adult Cat, Natural Ultramix
- Pet Guard: All formulas
- Evanger’s : Organics, Classic, Signature, Super Premium
- Orijen: All formulas
- Nature’s logic: All formulas
- Wellness: TruFood, Spots Stew, Vigor
- Taste of the Wild: Canyon River, Rocky Mountain
- Great Life: Essentials
- Purina: Beyond, Muse (Owned Nestle)
- Hound and Gatos: All formulas (Paleo Diet)
Check out Cornucopia’s Pet Food Buying Guide for the complete list.
Want to save money and feed your pet well?
Make your own dog and cat food.
What else to look for when shopping for pet food:
- Read the ingredient list (even on the brands you trust, the ingredients are always changing!). High quality meat should be the first ingredient, and preferably the second and third ingredients as well. Beware that pea protein is a cheap substitute that doesn’t have a complete amino acid profile.
- Ignore the name and other marketing terms such as “healthy” and “premium” because slack regulations on pet food render these terms meaningless.
- Watch out for the terms “meat meal”, “bone meal”, “animal fat”, “animal digest”, and/or “blood meal” on an ingredient list, as this typically means meat from rendering facility that may have processed roadkill, sick animals, expired grocery store meat, and euthanized pets.
- Instead of synthetic preservatives, choose pet food with natural antioxidants such as tocopherols, vitamin C, and flavonoids.
- Look for cans that say they are “BPA-Free” on the label.
- Avoid pet foods with added colors and dyes, especially artificial ones.
- It’s better for the health of our oceans to choose pet food with fish meal byproducts (without ethoxyquin) instead of whole fish. But, you need to call the company to verify whether they use ethoxyquin because it’s not required on the label.
I’ve been wanting to cover this topic for a long time, and I’m so happy that the experts at the Cornucopia Institute put all of their research into this public report to expose what some pet food companies have been getting away with, as well as providing a buying guide of the best of ones to choose so that we can avoid poisoning our pets with disgusting ingredients. You can read the full report here, and check out their Pet Food Buying Guide to find the safest food for your pets.
If you know someone who has a pet or plans to get one, please please please share this info with them.
We want our pets as healthy as us!
Xo,
Vani
Great article Vani! I’ve been wanting to feed my cat a lot better than he is eating now. He is on a prescription diet that I feel is probably equivalent to us eating McDonalds everyday! I am going to consult a holistic vet first but I think it will work to change him to an all organic meet diet or something similar. I saw you mention in the article making your own. Do you have any recipe ideas for cats and/or dogs?
Thanks for all you do!
Paige – there are a lot of different recipes available online – here’s one I have from All Recipes:
Ingredients
6 cups water
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups brown rice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination
Directions
Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the ground turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until using.
You must put in supplements though to feed this long term. For instance, there is no calcium in this recipe which cats must have along with certain other vitamins and minerals. You have to be careful using just any recipe you find online as they may not provide the proper nutrients. I make homemade food using the Balance It supplement (balanceit.com).
Listen to Janine- this recipe needs to be balanced. And your cat diet needs Taurine otherwise it will die of heart failure.
Hi!
This is a very dangerous recipe as it adds in unnecessary ingredients and doesn’t include some very essential ingredients.
Cats do not need their meat to be cooked (as in fact, you can remove several important parts by cooking). They do not need grains or veggies or fruits. These can cause major problems because their digestion system is very different from ours (i.e. they have a shorter intestine tract than we do).
A recipe I have used for many, many years is found on catnutrion.org (no affiliation, paid endorsement here, etc.). My cats are now 17 years old and do not have any problems except for the occasional constipation problem which is cured with a little pumpkin puree or slippery elm.
How much of this recipe is a serving?
I make my own food for my dog. I went to a holistic vet and she told me to add approximately 1500mg of calcium per pound of meat. I usually crockpot a batch of food which contains about 3 pounds of meant along with lots of veggies, leafy greens, and a good quality carb like brown rice, quinoa or barley with some turmeric, mustard and garlic. Everything is measured and proportioned according to her needs. I also supplement with a good quality whole food vitamin, organic kelp, coconut oil and fish oil. So yes, homemade food requires supplements…
In your article, you say to avoid feeding a food containing grains. So why are you recommending a recipe that is EXTREMELY grain heavy…rice is a grain. While dogs can eat rice as a small portion of their diet, cats cannot digest carbs…which is why you don’t feed grains to cats. You said it yourself…..”Grains – Remember, cats and dogs are carnivores so their food should be primarily meat and grains aren’t necessary. Fillers like corn, wheat, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and brewer’s rice should not be listed in the first few ingredients (if at all) to ensure that a product is mostly meat. Grains that aren’t fit for humans to eat, like moldy grains containing carcinogenic mycotoxins, are still allowed in pet food.”
I got my recipes at petdiets.com – they’re by a veterinary nutritionist. Then I add the supplement they suggest. My cat’s been eating it for 3 years and looks good and is healthy!
Janine – Thanks for the resource and turkey does have calcium, but agree to check with a veterinarian for the best diet for your cat or dog.
Vani
I feed my Golden Organic Paul Newmans Canned food.
What do you think about this brand?
Thanks!
Chad
It has carrageenan 🙁
Want to make your own, contact a nutritionist. The recipe below is very unbalanced and could cause issues.
Paige, Look at Honest Kitchen
I’m sorry…but the above recipe is extremely dangerous!!! Cats should not be fed rice, and making a home prepared diet requires making sure the diet is balanced with all of the proper nutrients…this diet is not. Vets strongly dislike people who make their own pet food because a lot of them do more harm then good by malnourishing their pets because the food they make is unbalanced. Because of this, I don’t think it’s a good idea to recommend a home made animal recipe unless you’ve done EXTENSIVE research on the matter. Personally, I’ve been researching and making my own home prepared meals for over 2 years. If you want good advice on how to make your own cat food, join a Facebook group called ‘Cats Completely Raw and Proud.’
Read Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Has a complete discussion of what’s wrong with commercial foods, and has a lot of different recipes specific to cats and specific to dogs. I tried a bunch when the vet said our 2-year old cat had an autoimmune disease. He was down to less than 8 pounds and not expected to live a month (he’s 15 now :-)). I tried recipes until I found one that both our cats like. The recipe includes all the essential nutrients for cats–taurine, vitamin A, vit E, bone meal, calcium, etc. (A small amount of veggies are recommended for cats. In the wild they get this from eating the stomach contents of their prey.)
My wife and I own a natural pet food store so I naturally love seeing this stuff talked about. This is a great discussion starter, but there are still so many things to consider and add to it. Also, there are a lot of excellent brands I would’ve loved to see listed, such as Acana, Petcurean, Primal, Zignature, and others.
One thing I would like to say, and I know it probably seems really nit-picky. Please, if you can, buy your pet’s food from a local natural pet shop and not Amazon. I don’t just say that because I own such a store, but because of the lack of quality control. We recently had a customer come in who had been buying his dog’s food through Amazon for years. The most recent bag he bought had a dead mouse in it. It also turned out that the formula he was feeding had actually been discontinued over 5 years ago, so he was definitely feeding old and expired food. Plus, a local place can actually work with you to help find the right food for your dog’s needs. Thanks for getting awareness out about this!
I’d love some tips on how to choose a good, quality store to buy from. I know a lot of people order online from Chewy but have not done so myself. Some of the stores around me have closed shop are are reputedly sketchy. As I hear my dogs crunching on their food as I type this…. How do I find a store that I can trust? What are good signs that this is the place to shop.
One thing you can do is use the store finder tool on some of the high quality brand sites. Try going to petcurean.com and use their store finder. They’re one of the highest quality dry foods and are typically only found in smaller stores. Also try the store finder at primalpetfoods.com. Primal is a raw brand and are also typically found in smaller specialty shops. Also, I know you wouldn’t purchase from us since you don’t live near us, but we can help you find a good store if you message us on Facebook or send a message through our website. Good luck!
As a pet food store owner, do you have any recommendations for a 15 year old feline with IBD? He’s otherwise healthy. He’s on a LID (Natural Balance) now but still has issues. I’ve tried browning ground turkey but that didn’t go too well. He does like canned pumpkin.
You’re doing great with being on LID. The simpler the food the better off you’ll be. You could also look into feeding a raw diet such as Primal or Nature’s Logic. Raw has tons of benefits for cats and dogs. You could also look into Petcurean’s GO! line if you don’t want to feed raw. It’s one of the most limited ingredient dry foods available. As always, talk to your vet and your natural pet food store. Good luck! 🙂
Thank you so much! I will look into that.
Don’t feed your cat with IBD raw food… You’re asking for trouble with abnormal intestines like that. Without knowing more specifics about your cats case, none of us should be giving you more specific advice other than the LID Diets being a good call. He may need other meds or supplements.
I highly recommend the cat and dog food supplement called “PureAll” by Simiens.
It can be purchased at Amazon.com. Here is a direct link to the product. http://www.amazon.com/Probiotics-Vitamins-Digestive-Antioxidants-Reputation/dp/B00SQORJSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447895705&sr=8-1&keywords=simiens+pureall&pebp=1447895733600&perid=0SXMWHHDNYXWPZFYK4BT It has 197 reviews and a five star rating. It is a vitamin supplement that is loaded with good things like probiotics, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes. As cats and dogs age they need a good supplement to keep them going. I sprinkle about half a teaspoon on my Yorkie’s dry food and mix it all with a little filtered water. Best wishes!
I so agree to go local, ours provided many samples and have rewards programs for every brand. Would love to see other companies that are midrange in price (such as Acana and Fromm’s) added to the list. Reputable sourcing for ingredients with NO history of recalls. People don’t realize how long a bag of high quality food lasts compared to low quality–the feeding recommendations are vastly different because of fillers.
Hi Quincy! You said Petcurean’s is the best dry food out there for pets. I looked at the website and was wondering if you know of an equivalent organic option. I will still consult with my Vet but do you have any recommended organic brands for a cat that has previously had a urethral obstruction? Banfield pet hospital immediately put my cat on a prescription diet after that and I am not completely convinced he needs one. Thanks for your recommendations!
Hi Quincy – We use Fromm dry food and Merrick ‘Natural Food for Dogs’ wet food for our 3 year old Maltese. The (local natural) store we buy these from has told us Fromm is good, but warned us that Purina recently purchased Merrick and does not have to post any changes in ingredients for 6 months. Do you have any insight about whether Merrick food is still good? And any recommendations for a similar wet food if it isn’t? Many thanks for any advice you can offer!
I HIGHLY recommend ACANA Brand! BEST ingredients!
Our dogs love Ranchlands variety. It is pricey! $86 on most online sites for a 28.6lb bag.
Are those your fur babies??
My family’s 🙂
Um, what can I say. You have absolutely shocked me with this post ~ especially the part about “rendered meat byproducts” I mean, I’m speechless and feel really naive right now. How horrible. Just feel sick!
As the mom of 2 dachshunds, I knew that dogs and cats are carnivores and have to eat meat. What I don’t understand is how so many vegetarians and vegans have dogs and cats. How do they feed them?
Laura, I’m a Vegetarian and I feed my dogs raw food or will cook for them. I know my dog needs meat and not veggies and grains to live. Those that try to feed a vegetarian or vegan diet to their dogs and cats are not thinking in the best interest of their pet. I switched from Kibble to home cooking then to raw and will never feed kibble again.
I totally agree with Mary. I am 99% vegetatian. I do eat eggs and fish. I feed raw with some organic pumpkin and mixed greens frozen from Whole Foods) Also give them raw organic beef bone(whole foods) once a week to chew on for healthy white teeth.
lol, while not a complete vegan, I’m a vegan at heart, and the first time I ever in my life cooked chicken was for my dog. Always the best for my babies! Now that I’ve discovered the raw diet, he gets that. The things I have to cut up! Ew!
I’m vegan 🙂 And I feed a home prepared raw diet for my three kitties. They first time I ran into one of my vegan friends at the grocery store with a cart full of chicken, pork, beef, hearts, liver, and chicken necks/wings was very embarrassing for me. But I want my kitties to be as healthy as possible…and I truly believe this is how. the proof is in the pudding 🙂
Why do vets know so little about pet nutrition? Or is it just the paybacks they get from Science Diet & Purina make them force it on us? We’ve been vet shopping and if the lobby is full of these foods, we keep on looking elsewhere!
Dani..Not sure about vets..but I am often asked ( as an RN and Wellnes coach)why don’t MD’s know more about nutrtion..so it may be similar. MD’s ( unless this has changed in the last few years) only get approx 4 hrs of nutrition during their medical training. AND the drug companies are always at their door..so there is typically not the incentive to learn more about preventive nutritional practices.
While I was in the hospital a few years ago, I got to talking w/ one of the night shift nurses. Her dog’s health problems during her recent nursing education, had gotten her very interested in pet health. She was in the process of learning ‘all things natural’ for her dog, and herself. I asked her if nurses get much teaching about nutrition, and she said ‘very little’, and something about the aware ones had to learn on their own. I commended her for following her curiosity about all this, and urged her to continue. Seeing how every veterinarian I’ve ever known seems to push meds just like Big Pharma drs do, I’m guessing they’re also taught only allopathic medicine.
Yes, this is true Chris J. Animal health professionals are the same as human western medicine, and Veterinarians I have worked with have no knowledge of nutrition and I have worked with over 20 of them in two different states. Even the holistic ones still use chemicals when not needed. Some are starting to learn because their clients are becoming more knowledgeable, but for the most part they bully horse owners into things like chemicals to take care of worms on a regular schedule without even testing for the worm count. It was quite frustrating, but I learned to to advise folks to research and get knowledgeable in your pet and family care! Don’t rely on a Dr. because of the M.D. behind the name. Of course, make sure your resources are credible too because not everything you read on google is accurate. http://www.pubmed.gov is a good resource.
12 weeks of nutrition course here. More side research because I find it very important and there is too much false Information leading pet owners astray, hopefully unintentionally.
Yes, they are paid money to sell Purina, Science Diet/Hills, Etc. These companies are also writing their textbooks on pet nutrition…so all of the information they’re learning is basically saying our brand is the best and only brand that should be fed. Also…they only learn about nutrition for about a week in vet schools (occasionally, a vet school might offer a semester course over nutrition, but not usually).
It’s hard to believe but I do believe it! After my dog got deathly ill with liver disease, I took her to a holistic vet. The first thing she said was that almost all dog treats are toxic. She totally changed her diet to a raw food diet (Raw Bistro, Natural Instincts, etc.). Her only treats are Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried meat or raw bones. Not only is she completed back to normal, she lost several pounds (that needed to be lost) and her energy level has returned to the 3- year old stage! What we feed them makes ALL the difference and most, if not all, labels are misleading or dishonest.
I researched a lot during the recalls and came across Life’s Abundance. This dogfood was formulated by a Vet who actually cares. It is made in small batches and delivered right to your door. If you have ANY questions about the food they answer them truthfully! If the person on the phone does not know the answer they will find it out even if they have to ask the Vet Dr. Jane her self. http://www.newhealthypets.com
I would highly suggest them. Its best to at least educate yourself on the ingredients in general even if you do not buy Life’s Abundance. This is no Science Diet folks. The skin and coat on my pooch is so nice shiny and soft and i didn’t notice that until i switched from Purina One to this. Thank goodness i did come across them!
Thank you…this is so timely for me and my dogs! A few weeks ago I bought Dr. Becker’s book on making homemade pet food. My two golden retrievers are 10 years old this week so they’re having some age-related issues and I wanted to feed them healthier. I found it was very difficult to source all the ingredients, and I couldn’t buy a meat grinder or prepare all the items and freeze them at one time. I would have LOVED to do this but it was getting way more expensive than our food, and we eat organic and very healthy. I was exhausted even trying, so I was only able to do it for a couple of weeks. I love Dr. Becker and follow a lot of her advice, and it has been helpful otherwise. I am still using the supplement mix she suggested but I have more work to do, to make sure it’s still balanced.
I’ve long been upset about the high carbohydrate content of dry food and all the added fillers. My female is overweight and has thyroid issues, and I cut back on her food as much as I dared. My vet suggested a Science Diet food for overweight pets but no way am I going to feed that. They ate Science Diet some years ago, and I apparently got a bad bag of food…they wouldn’t touch it. I bought something different and they ate it right away. I contacted Science Diet with a detailed explanation and the only thing they did was send me a coupon for THREE DOLLARS.
I’m convinced that with pets as with humans, health all comes down to nutrition. Thanks, Vani!
I make my own dog food with products from http://www.vegepet.com
Vegetarian diet for your dog? Sounds dangerous. You being vegan or vegetarian is perfectly fine, but not your dog. Unless I read this wrong, it seemed the site promotes vegetarian diets for pets.
Agreed. And I’m a vegan myself. If I wasn’t prepared to feed my pets a species appropriate diet including meat (which they NEED to be healthy), I wouldn’t have gotten a pet.
How about Taste of the Wild?
No better or worse than the others but some dogs cannot handle the protein content and most cats won’t eat it.
Taste of the Wild is a Diamond Pet Food brand and I wouldn’t go near them. They, TOTW, have had several recalls. My pup was on it and had so many skin issues. I switched to higher quality foods and her issues completely resolved.
We like variety. I never buy the same food twice in a row. Maybe there is one ingredient that her breed doesn’t digest well, just like humans. We rotate brands and always feed a little kibble, wet food and raw goats milk. Our dogs have both had excellent health since switching to this regimen. We only buy from a pet store dedicated to companies who reveal all their ingredients and their ingredient sources. Good ingredients from bad sources (China) = bad ingredients!
Hi Vani, thanks for this important article. There are many other brands that don’t use grains as fillers, but remember, cats and dogs are carnivorous so they really don’t do well on lots and lots of veggies and fruits (like cranberries) either. It seems that there is always a “swing” to the industry. Back in the 1970’s-1980’s the pet foods were alright. I raised 4 kitties and one dog on Purina and they lived for 20 & 22 years. Then everything changed and again now with “designer pet foods” that are, as you have stated, not particularly healthy or appetizing. My present Siamese Kitty pal is 12 and I SUPPLEMENT her food with Probiotics and Amino Acids. I use the ones that I take, lol so am double dipping and the Amino Acid product has helped SweetPea reclaim her energy, coat and health. I simply sprinkle a little of the probiotic (I use an over the counter product called NOW 4X6) and my Amino Acid product on her food daily and she loves it.
Since winter is coming it might be good to remind everyone that our pet friends need more food and water to help their body’s create more energy to stay warm 😉
You don’t mention Fromm’s grain free. I feel it should be on the list of good guys.
I think it’s in the same league as Origen and Taste of the Wild. Does anyone know about Fromm’s and if so please comment.
Fromms is fine. No better or worse than any of the others.
Fromm is a fantastic food made in Wisconsin and is a family owned business. I have fed my dog and cats their food for years and cannot speak highly enough about it. It is reasonably priced and is never on the list of recalled pet food. You can’t go wrong!
I was recommended Fromm’s (especially the grain-free) ’cause my dog has such bad gas (either curls my hair or sets it on fire!!) Just opened the first bag and he loves it (though he scarfs any food) and wala…no gas! The clerk told me he always recommends it, especially for Bull Dogs who are especially gassy!
Same guy also told me a lot of the foods cause gas because they add a lot of potatoes, which add weight and yet, are so hard to digest (for people too!)
I feed my large breed dogs Fromm…. its a good product. This is a family business, and I believe they have never had a recall. They use local sources for their meat and veges. I think they are the best for my pack. Lots of healthy choices…. Go to their website: Fromm.com and see what you think. PS my Dober girl is 15 usual lifespan is 10….? Good nutrition? I think yes.
What a good article. I have 3 dogs and for a long time went to the store to buy what I thought was the best food for them. It was expensive, but not very good. I had one of them develop a bladder stone as big as his bladder. They removed it and put him on science diet. He sure looked bad. His hair lost its shine and got sparse. Then another dog started with seizures. They did tests, and did not find a reason for the seizures. The vet then put her on drugs and she was so sick. The seizures did not stop. Her quality of life had gone down so much I contemplated putting her down. I started research and found darwinspet.com. I have had all my dogs on it for years. My dogs are healthy and happy. The dog with the bladder stone is now over 15 years and still likes to play. The 0ther has been seizure free for about 3 years and has been off all meds for almost 2 years. The only other thing that I might try someday is doing my own raw food but darwins is the next best thing to it. Thanks Laura
Vani & Quincy,
Do you have any opinion or insights on Honest Kitchen ( http://www.thehonestkitchen.com )? It is quite expensive but I have assumed the “you get what you pay for” motto applies here. They seem to be on the up & up but i would feel better with a second/independent opinion. Thanks for any insights as well as thank you for posting this riveting article.
The Honest Kitchen is expensive but it saved us from tons of expensive trips to the vet once we started our dog on it. Our guy used to get sick with any type of kibble – even the good stuff.
We switched to The Honest Kitchen (one of the base blends) and add our own meat, coconut oil, and a little kefir. He is absolutely healthy, bright eyes, perfect weight, shiny coat, great breath, and acts like a pup. A little more money has been worth it for us. I cannot recommend The Honest Kitchen food more than I do.
Where is your information on the AAFCO Certification? It’s the most important part of the label.
So disheartening because my former cat food is on this AVOID list. My male Abby cat was prescribed a “prescription formula” to avoid crystals in his urine. I’ve been unknowingly feeding him this poison with GMO soybean and corn for approximately 8 years. Last year I had a terrible gut feeling to get up and go check the ingredients. Needless to say, I sat on the floor and cried. When I first began feeding him this brand, I was uneducated about toxic ingredients and was motivated from fear. Now, I know better, but it’s too late. My Abby has cancerous tumors and is dying. Wet food diet ONLY for cats and they will NOT get crystals that can cause an emergency situation. Wish I had known this information back then. Now, I’m left with guilt and sorrow. These companies should be ashamed of themselves and be brought to task for such selfish financial motives.
Don’t feel guilty 🙁 Your cat’s food didn’t give him Cancer. Hope he is comfortable as he ages.
John, don’t feel guilty. I know of someone who fed her cats healthy homemade food – meats with a supplement and two of her cats still got cancer. So it’s not just from commercial pet food. Perhaps it’s the meat supply or any other toxic substance in the environment or maybe it’s even hereditary for some. So sorry about your Abby.
There is a way of treating cancer in pets that has had success- turmeric. I’m on a facebook group for it, and there are many people who have helped their pets with it. It doesn’t necessarily cure the cancer, but it can improve the pet’s quality of life. Switching to raw feeding also can greatly improve health.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/415313751866609?view=permalink&id=1035004686564176
Thank you so much Vani for getting the word out about the problems with pet food ingredients!! There is a great website run by the tireless Susan Thixton http://truthaboutpetfood.com/ that will tell you more than you want to know about what gets put into pet food. It is actually quite shocking and upsetting, especially because the FDA and AAFCO turn a blind eye and do not enforce regulations. Regarding Evangers being on the list of recommended foods, please google “evangers maggots fda” to find out the real scoop. Thanks again Vani, your blog reaches so many people and I know a lot of pets will benefit from your post.
What about blue buffalo grain free hard food and Merricks grain free soft food..
Any thoughts….
Merrick has historically been a fantastic food but they were just purchased by Purina 🙁
oh my!! I’ll have to keep my eye’s open!! thanks for letting me know that!
Kristina- Being purchased by Nestle DOES effect quality and you are delusional to think otherwise.
Blue Buffalo is my least favorite food out there. Great marketing but many animals have chronically soft poop on it. Merrick is a good food.
J have three cats and would like to know opinions on canned Fancy Feast that I gave been feeding them?
How are they doing on it? How are their check ups? Weight? Annual blood work? As a veterinarian, my cats get Fancy Feast and foods considered bad on this list… If they were truly bad for them, why would I feed them to my own pet?
If your animal does well and is healthy on it (your vets discretion), then it’s fine.
I beg to differ. As also a former veterinary professional for 15+ years, one who has studied canine and feline nutrition and does not buy into all the promotion and politics, this is false. Just look up the studies on the increase in renal disease and cancers in dogs and cats since the invent of processed pet foods and that alone will tell you something. Realistically, all pets should be eating food like nature intended them to, but since this is not possible for most pet owners, there are definitely ways they can still improve their feeding. Cutting out the chemicals and byproduct is a major one. In reference to your question above about AAFCO information, we all know that AAFCO means nothing. All it is, is the bare minimum that a pet food must analyze as to be permissible, but AAFO does NOT mean a petfood is healthy by any means. AAFCO approves plenty of poison. They approved Beneful, which is currently killing dogs, after all. The saddest part about this is that most veterinarians are so brainwashed by the big consumer pet food corporations who give them “nutritional training” in backward pet nutrition designed to sell product and create customers, this is why vets come on sites like this and try to tell pet owners that feeding 9 Lives and Fancy Feast is healthy.
Lynn- without AAFCO, you’re feeding an unbalanced diet. So, it actually has an important purpose.
I wish I got kick backs from pet nutrition companies! My loans would be paid off! Instead, I use my education to try to help others pick apart the fallacies promoted on pet nutrition. Scare tactics are used and people will go above any beyond for their pets- and that is exploited. Kidney disease increases with dry food- which I don’t deny! Cats are best fed wet diets.
Nutrition is everything. Fancy Feast has soy and corn in it which is most likely GMO. Cats have no business eating corn. It’s terrible for digestion. GMO soy and corn have been shown to cause carcinogenic tumors. ALSO, you will find artificial flavors, red dye, (toxic farmed fish) etc., in Fancy Feast. Does this sound like a recipe for health? No. Please reconsider your take on this subject. Many people trust their vet to give them accurate and safe nutritional advice. Thank you for retracting your statements.
Fancy Feast is far from the best canned food, but it’s also not the worst. Just make sure you are feeding one of the GRAIN FREE formulas. Props to you for not feeding your kitties dry food 🙂 I wish this article would have mentioned how dangerous dry food was for kitties. Even the worst canned food is much better for kitties than the highest quality dry food because the lack of moisture in the dry food causes so many preventable diseases in cats. Cats are designed to get their moisture from their food. They dont drink as much water as they need to, so it’s necessary that they get it from their foods. Cats on a dry food diet become chronically dehydrated their entire lives, and eventually end up with preventable diseases. So while some might argue that Fancy Feast still has junk in it that kitties shouldn’t be eating…it is so much better than all of the dry foods on this list!
(GMO) Soy, corn, red dye, fish (farmed and toxic, but I’m sure), artificial flavors, etc. These are just some of the very unhealthy ingredients in one of Fancy Feast’s canned cat food. These ingredients can lead to cancer in humans, so I’d try to switch your cats to something without soy, corn, artificial flavors, dyes, and def. w/o fish. Cats should not consume fish. Cats should not consume dry food or any treats with toxic ingredients. Try Evo canned wet food or almost any other brand than Fancy Feast. My little guy has cancer and I unknowingly fed him toxic dry and wet food with the above ingredients for years before I realized it.
What about Fresh Pet?
Small Batch is the best Dog Food we’ve found!! You should check it out!!
http://smallbatchpets.com/
I feed our 3 dogs Nutrish by Rachel Ray.I don’t think I saw that one mentioned.Do you know if it is bad for dogs too.
What would make it “bad”? Not the best, not the worst. It’s all about how your pet does on it! There are foods on the “good” list I’d never feed my dog. It’s very subjective.
Love this much needed post Vani. SO happy I feed my dogs Orijen. They are both eight years old Chinese Crested dogs and have never been sick. Big shout out to Wet Nose, the store I go to in Illinois that has amazing food products to choose from. I agree with other posters about not buying from Amazon…..keep up the great work Vani!
I think RadCat raw food is the best you can buy. http://www.radfood.com/products I can’t afford to feed it all the time but I rotate it with other foods. The chicken is certified organic, lamb is pasture raised and turkey is free range. Made in USA, almost no supplements added because the nutrition comes from the food. Also, full nutritional analysis is on the website. Plus my cats LOVE it. I just looked at their website, they added a grass fed beef and pasture raised venision. Can’t wait for my cats to try those. I am just an enthusiastic customer and am not associated with RadCat in anyway.
I COMPLETELY agree. RadCat is top of the line…can’t be beat by any other commercial pet food diet 🙂
You left out the chief offender, Beneful, which is also one of the most highly sold bags of junk on the market today. There is a class action lawsuit in the works against this brand specifically because it is causing liver damage in dogs.
http://www.forthepeople.com/class-action-lawyers/purina-beneful-dog-food-deaths/
PLEASE update your article to include Beneful in this list.
Though I think beneful is garbage food, the lawsuit will be thrown out because the claims are ludicrous and unfounded. Those who know animal nutrition will know this. Don’t buy into the hype. It’s not doing what the claims are.
And you would happily feed this to your dog? I didn’t need a lawsuit to tell me it’s junk. I highly doubt you’d feed this to your own animals.
My dog is fed Natural Balance LID for mild food allergies. My cats get Friskies and Fancy Feast canned food and a prescription dry diet (which saved my cats life, otherwise I’d have had to euthanize her 3 years ago).
My own aunt feeds this to her dog. And while I’ve been trying to get her to switch because it doesn’t suit him (weight, ear infections etc), I don’t feel like she’s “killing him” by feeding it. I have many clients who feed this and they are all healthy.
Someone needs to film a Blackfish documentary for pet food! I feed my pets Steve’s Real Food – it is high quality, comes from healthy animals, is easy on the environment, and my kitties cannot get enough of it!
How do you know it’s high quality? That the animals it comes from are healthy?
I just started making my dogs homemade food a year and a half ago. I took them to a holistic vet, and the doctor recommended making my dogs’ food because of the junk that’s in commercial food. I felt a little daunted by the fact that I would have to cook for three large dogs. However, the doctor has an exact recipe, and I made a triple batch the first time I ever made it. It was easier than I thought. I ended up going out of town after making their first batch of homemade food, and my husband ran out of the homemade food while I was gone and resorted back to feeding our dogs Blue for just one day. The dogs had been on the homemade food for one week, and they had the Blue for only one day. After just that one day of going back to Blue, my one dog got a really swollen face and ears, and her ears were full of puss, and one of her eyes was swollen almost shut. I took her to the vet and the first thing the doctor asked was if I had changed her food recently. I explained that they’d had one week of homemade food and then ran out, so she had Blue for a day. The vet said that it was from the commercial food and that my dog’s body had started to detox from the homemade food, and the swelling was an allergic reaction from putting junk back in. I couldn’t believe it. My dog had just ONE DAY of Blue and had that strong of a reaction. That convinced me there was junk in the commercial food. I was a very mislead puppy parent in thinking that Blue was a high quality food. My dogs have been on the Crockpet Diet for a year and a half now, and it’s unbelievable how great they’re doing. They lost weight (which they needed to), their coats are silky, and this is the first year they haven’t had to go on allergy medications during the summer and fall. I bought a 13 quart Dutch oven and use a crockpot as well and make a triple batch at one time and store it in the fridge. It’s really easy, and I have to make it about every 10-12 days. It’s full of fresh veggies, meat, turmeric, coconut oil, and some supplements. I wish I’d known about homemade food for all my years as a dog mama. It would’ve made all the difference in their health. Here’s the link to the doctor’s recipe if you’re interested: https://crockpet.drruthroberts.com/crockpet1 Also, as Food Babe would attest, I’m sure, try to make sure the meat you’re putting in your pets’ food is not from CAFO animals. Check with your local farmers who raise pastured animals or stock up when there’s a sale on grass-fed meat or pasture-raised whole chickens. When Whole Foods has their organic chickens for $1.99 a pound, I’ll buy 10 or more of them.
I did not have good results with Blue, either. When my goldens were on Blue, they looked fine, but they kept eating their own poop. They would come into the house and throw up. I don’t have to tell you how disgusting that was. I met a rep for Nutro, who told me when they eat their own poop, they’re smelling undigested protein in it. That made sense to me. I tried them on Nutro and they haven’t eaten their poop since then. It may not be a perfect food, but they have had far fewer problems on it. I wish we had known all this years ago, but with my big dogs, and the potential for health issues with big dogs, it’s very difficult to afford and feed the absolute perfect diet. Most humans don’t eat perfectly, for sure. I do all I can because they’re my best buddies.
What about Rachael Ray’s dog food brand? She claims that it is safe for humans to eat. Thoughts on that since its not in your list? Thanks <3
Hello is there a reason Fromm food isn’t on the list? I know you can’t list every food, but I thought they were in the top 10?
GO RAW!!! Stella & Chewy’s & Raw Bistro are the top 2 in this house! Or make your own raw food diet but frankly that’s just too much work for our busy life.
WHY GO RAW? (taken from http://www.rawbistro.com)
A raw diet—meats and greens that are fresh, uncooked and wild—is the diet that dogs and cats evolved to eat. Raw food is the nutrition nature intended for dogs and cats. It is more easily absorbed and contains vital naturally occurring enzymes and vitamins that cooking destroys.
In fact, until 50 or so years ago, our domestic pets ate what we did, usually in the form of leftovers and table scraps. Dry, pelletized pet foods—kibble—was unknown until the mid 20thcentury.
Convenience and marketing, rather than animal health, drove the growth of the pet food industry as we know it. Now, many vets are making the connection between pet disease and diet, just as healthcare professionals have shown us how our own dietary choices affect our health, and our companion animals suffer with cancer, arthritis, diabetes and many other human diseases.
Stella & Chewys is actually quite high in carbs. They add fruits, veggies, and pumpkin seeds…which translates into about 25 g of carbs per 100 g of food on a dry matter basis (this is for the cat food which contains pumpkin seeds…the dog food contains even more carbs). Primal raw dehydrated and frozen nuggets and RadCat raw frozen are much better choices for a raw commercial diet…each of these brands contain close to 0 g of carbs for every 100 g of food on a dry matter basis. But raw is definitely the way to go 🙂
You should add “holistic”, “natural” and “human grade” to your list above of meaningless terms. There are no regulations for these in pet foods so they can be falsely used.
I am curious why Neuman’s Own didn’t make any lists. I have been feeding my cats organic grain free turkey wet food, and the adult dry.
Any info you have on that? Thank you for all you do!
Newman’s Own is listed in Cornucopia’s Pet Food Buying Guide as containing carrageenan. Some varieties may not have it so, you’d need to check the label to be sure.
What about tuna or chicken breast made for human consumption? The price is comparable or less.
Sarah- feeding just that is not balanced and would kill your cat.
Can you feed a cat raw chicken? My cat has gotten finicky and she was born in 2004. I have noticed her getting sick more often throwing up her food. What would be the best thing for me to try for her.
You should try taking her to the vet and seeing why she’s vomiting. May (and likely) has nothing to do with her food. She needs an exam and blood work.
If you’re feeding her dry food, that’s why she is vomiting. If you feed ONLY canned food and she still vomits, it’s probably the treats…when feeding a cat treat, make sure their is only ONE ingredient in it…a type of meat (chicken, beef, liver, etc.). If you feed canned and dont feed treats and she’s still vomiting, it could be an allergy to a protein…switch proteins (so if you feed chicken, switch to beef). If this still doesnt work, try adding a digestive enzyme for pets in her food once a day…mercola has a good one. If none of these are the issue, it could be a health problem…she’ll need a full blood panel to rule out kidney issues and other health problems. And yes, cats can eat raw chicken…mine eat raw chicken, raw beef, raw pork, raw venison, raw turkey, raw liver/kidneys/brains/hearts/bones. But only feeding chicken would result in an unbalanced diet, and nutrient deficiencies.
What about tuna fish and chicken breast made for human consumption? In many Instances they are equal or less the price of wet cat food.?
Sarah – Chicken made for humans is fine if it is less than 10% of what you feed your cat. Chicken meat alone is NOT balanced and is missing many nutrients that your cat requires. For starters, meat is high in phosphorus and MUST have a calcium source to balance it out or kitty will end up with oxalic kidney stones. If you are interested in cooking for your cat, you need to research the nutrients needed or use a supplement such as Alnutrin http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/alnutrin_supplements.html or BalanceIt. Your cat would die of malnutrition if you fed just chicken meat. Tuna is fine as a treat or a once a week meal, preferably packed in water and no salt. It is not nutritionally complete and a cat will get very sick on a diet of only tuna. Of course NEVER give a cat raw fish. Sardines also make a good healthy treat or snack for a cat but just once a week.
I agree about the calcium even for dogs. My dog recently started having muscle spasms in her face that I thought were seizures but when I had her blood tested she was low on calcium. Thanks for the info Quincy about primalpetfoods.com
After our first dog died early from a tumor (most likely cancer) I did a little more investigation into what we were feeding him. We had been feeding him mostly Purina products his whole life – yikes! With our new puppy we found The Honest Kitchen, which is human grade dehydrated food. We’ve been so happy with it and I highly recommend it to everyone. We’ve also started alternating feeding him Fromm’s and I’m quite satisfied with their ingredients as well. Don’t forget to check the ingredients in their treats as well. We had been giving our first dog mostly Canine Carryouts and Beggin Strips because that’s what my mom also got for my childhood dog. They are loaded with artificial color! Feed your pets well!
My French bulldog has bad allergies so doctor prescribe Hills canine ZD. What do you suggest for us to do?
Follow your vets advice. They had a reason to benefit your dog for suggesting this.
I understand but its so much harmful ingridience in this food so I thought maybe any suggestion
Elina – You are right to want better ingredients for your dog. The first ingredient in Hill’s Z/D is cornstarch!! As in GMO cornstarch. The third ingredient is soybean oil. As in GMO soybean oil. If this is the only food that makes your dog feel better, then you should stick with it. You may want to try Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet. I know they make canned food, not sure about dry. Also Acana Singles is a high quality dry food with novel protein and limited ingredients.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=acana+singles
Even Natural Balance, now owned by Smuckers, would be a better alternative but it is very high in carbs.
What about tuna fish or chicken breast made for human consumption. It is the same price or less. I would like further opinion.
YES!!!! When I decided to adopt the neighborhood stray cat (miss meow; and she promptly became daddy’s kitty) I wanted to do right by her because we had to give up another cat during the early part of the recession when my mother forbade me bringing her to her house (and I paid her $550 a month in rent AND I was five months pregnant with our third child) when my husband was deployed.
So I started researching the best cat food and that’s when I stumbled upon catinfo.org. and Dr. Pierson. She’s a veterinarian and talks about all this crap in pet food and how corrupt the schools are. Just like in our hospitals and universities doctors are being out and out bought by amoral corporations (because sending a doctor to Tahiti for a mentally stimulating convention in paradise brought to you by Pfizer is bribery). During her schooling classes on diet WERE ACTUALLY TAUGHT BY PET FOOD EMPLOYEES!!!!! Talk about conflict of interest!!!! It’s amazing how much it parallels our own fast food to hospital loop.
Check dogfoodadvisor.com I subscribe, this is the best to see what is in your pet food. I use Orijen on for dry food, they love it, are healthier! I also supplement with canned – stay with 5 star food only.
We only use raw (uncooked) grass fed beef for our dog because all other meats are fed with corn and soy (even if organic), like chicken and turkey. No grains needed because as Vani says “grains aren’t necessary.” We add in pureed raw broccoli, greens, carrots at times. His coat is very shiny and his teeth are healthy. And his poop has almost no smell. Have no idea if right for others.
It’s great that you’re feeding raw. It is by far the BEST thing you can do for him. But only feeding one type of animal protein can cause him to become allergic to the beef in time. A truly balanced and healthy raw diet includes variety of animal proteins, organs, and bones.
One of my favorite vets is Dr. Marty Goldstein, who once had a great show on Sirius satellite radio (it was called “Ask Martha’s Vet” as he is the vet to Martha Stewart’s animals). Dr. Marty has preaching good food for pets for a very long time. Here is one of his blog posts where he outlines eleven gradations of pet food (it’s not just good and bad but from goes ideal to stay the hell away!). This guy is a remarkable human being and knows what he is talking about (his 16 year old book on natural healing is awesome too).
http://www.drmarty.com/what-should-i-feed-my-pet-for-best-health/
I have recently learned about freeze dried food. It is whole foods, the brand I am buying organic, simply freeze dried without additives. I am using Honest Kitchen. Have you checked them out.
My dogs eat raw and have never been to the vet. My friend’s dog eats box-store kibble and is at the vet’s office twice a year. She says she can’t afford to feed her dog raw, yet she’s paying $1200 a year in vet bills. She, for some reason, can’t wrap her head around why that concept is crazy!
I so agree with what is happening with the pet food industry which parallels the “human” food industry . You can add Purina Benefit to the list of brands to avoid . My dog lost weight and started having seizures after eating this. The vets were no help trying to figure out what the problem was. I am sure they would have had no issue with me paying for expensive tests . I am a nurse . I did some research and deduced the problem as seizures caused by low blood sugar due to the Purina Benefit being high in carbohydrates from sources like corn and an inadequate percentage of protein which dogs need. This brand did not meet the nutrient needs for a dog’s diet. Don’t get me started on all the other ingredients in this food. I am happy to report my dog is healthy and has been seizure free since I switched to a healthier filler and chemical free brand. Do the RESEARCH and make an informed decision about what to feed your pet !!
My 11 year old lab was diagnosed with bladder cancer last Jan. They wanted to start the radiation/chemo stuff and I refused. I did a lot of research and can’t believe I was feeding my dog poison…$80 bag of a perscriptive Science Diet…first ingred…corn. I started making her food with brown rice, organic ground chicken, liver, and ground veggies. I first mixed yogurt and flaxseed oil (See Dr. Budwig!), and mixed in her food and enzyme powder (Dr. Goodpet) and a vit supplment. I noticed her behavior shed years within a day! Before this she kept coming home with deer parts trying to say, “Hey, Mom, I’m a dog…I don’t eat corn!” She’s a new creature! In Jan., we will celebrate her 12th birthday and she still loves life, chasing the deer in the woods. What if we had taken the other route? It’s about money.
dogfoodadvisor.com does ALL the dog and cat food on the market and it is a very reputable website.
My dogs eat Orijen, love always seeing it on the ‘good’ list!
I’ve been feeding my 14-year-old lab Solid Gold with Fish Meal dog food, and she has really bounced back! I’m gonna start the six cats on the Solid Gold cat food as soon as they run out.
Vani,
I have a 10 year old black lab, blind from birth and arthritic. She is slowing down, much less activity now and sleeping much more. I’ve been feeding her California Naturals senior chicken and brown rice formula. I’ve been thinking about feeding her the Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult + formula, but since reading your article I want to find a better solution. What do you suggest?
Kirk – California Naturals used to be an awesome food until all Natura Brands were sold to Procter and Gamble. Natura Brands never had a recall until they were sold to P & G. P & G sold all of their pet food brands to Mars. Mars tortures animals so anyone who loves animals wouldn’t want to buy their pet food plus the quality is crap. Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind is very high in carbs. NOT healthy. It is not true that senior dogs need less protein. Your dog would probably do well on a quality raw food. Or try a premium food such as Nature’s Variety Instinct grain free, canned or dry. Canned is healthier for all animals. Your dog could benefit from probiotics and enzymes, a human grade quality fish oil and also glucosamine for the arthritis. I hope this helps.