Rat Poison Found in Recalled Pet Food

[EtaPhiZTA]

I have been seriously considering changing my dog's food since all of this has been developing. I have a bichon who is 13 1/2 years old, and he has always been on a combination of Iams minichunks and Eukaneuba dry food. In addition to the dry kibble, I give him 1-2 Tbsp. of moist Iams mixed in. He likes his food, but I have to say I was very shocked to see that Iams dogfoods were made in the same plant as other brands. I always thought Iams was a high-quality food.

The local privately-owned pet store stocks Solid Gold dog food, and the owner could not sing its praises enough. (I was glad to see that this is considered to be a true high-quality dog food in Tippiechick's post.) I don't mind switching my dog's food, but I have always heard that dogs often have problems when being switched from one brand to another.

Does anyone have any advice for how to make the switch without getting my dog sick? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

True, high-quality foods are not involved in this recall.

Why?

1) The really good brands use human-grade ingredients.

2) They do not use large amounts of fillers, like wheat gluten. Most of the petsmart/walmart/etc. brands have fillers as their main ingredients. Dogs only process a percentage (usually from 40-60%) of their food when fillers are used. When high-quality foods are used, the dogs' bodies can use around 90%. The more their bodies can use, the LESS THEY POOP OUT. Your good foods all have meat or protein as their main ingredient.

While you do pay more for high-quality foods, you aren't spending more money in the long run. Since they use so much more of the food for nutrition, they require less. I feed my dogs a fraction of what most people feed their dogs. But, they are healthy and happy.

Some really good brands are Solid Gold, Merrick, Primal, Flint River Ranch and Canidae.

If you absolutely cannot afford these brands, Purina One is the best store-brand. It's better than any petsmart brands.


ANOTHER OPTION:
Buy a bag of chicken thighs. Put them in a crockpot overnight with some brown rice and veg-all. Remove the bones before feeding. This is just as cheap as buying pet food. You just store the excess in the fridge and feed over the next week.

[33girl]

Just because they're made in the same plant doesn't mean they all have the same ingredients.

[PM_Mama00]

I don't get why people keep talking about high quality dog food. If it's healthy for my dog I don't care what the quality is. I don't eat filet mignon or caviar everyday... it's a treat (not that I have ever had or will ever try caviar). And I feel the same way about my dog.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I don't get why people keep talking about high quality dog food. If it's healthy for my dog I don't care what the quality is. I don't eat filet mignon or caviar everyday... it's a treat (not that I have ever had or will ever try caviar). And I feel the same way about my dog.

Low quality food is often coated with old restaraunt grease to give it that "dog food" smell. It can be composed of euthanized dogs and cats, cancerous parts of animals, roadkill, etc. High end companies do not do this. Thus, the cost of manufacturing is a lot more. In turn, the consumer pays a higher price when buying it.

Here's one of my favorite sites that I send my clients to...
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spri...Processing.htm

It's not a matter of filet mignon and caviar, Phyl. It's a matter of providing a healthy diet for your baby. If you don't care that much about your baby's diet, then fine. I want my dogs to live a long, HEALTHY life. I want to know what I am feeding my dogs. And, I don't see any reason why I should not be giving out information to those who feel the same way.

[jon1856]

Some rather interesting POV's from the nations Op-ed cartoons:
http://cagle.com/news/PetFoodRecall/

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Just because they're made in the same plant doesn't mean they all have the same ingredients.

You're right, but when it turns out that Ol'Roy and Eukanuba were both made at the same plant with the same poisoned wheat gluten. . .

I don't know much about truly high quality foods, and I suspect that the ratios are very different. But I was still kind of surprised by the variety in the price range affected. It's not that I thought that it would be impossible to taint expensive brands or anything, but I had imagined that each company had its own suppliers and production facilities.

It's kind of like when you realize that your expensive handbag with a designer name is probably produced in the same factor with similar materials as the Target handbag. You know all along on some level that you're merely paying for branding, but can be surprising never-the-less.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by EtaPhiZTA

I have been seriously considering changing my dog's food since all of this has been developing. I have a bichon who is 13 1/2 years old, and he has always been on a combination of Iams minichunks and Eukaneuba dry food. In addition to the dry kibble, I give him 1-2 Tbsp. of moist Iams mixed in. He likes his food, but I have to say I was very shocked to see that Iams dogfoods were made in the same plant as other brands. I always thought Iams was a high-quality food.

The local privately-owned pet store stocks Solid Gold dog food, and the owner could not sing its praises enough. (I was glad to see that this is considered to be a true high-quality dog food in Tippiechick's post.) I don't mind switching my dog's food, but I have always heard that dogs often have problems when being switched from one brand to another.

Does anyone have any advice for how to make the switch without getting my dog sick? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

The easiest way to switch a dog's food is to gradually add in the new food while decreasing the old food. Mix it all in together. Each time you feed the dog change the proportion. Depending on how often you feed your dog the wet food (every meal or once a day or whatever) you can do it in less than a week as long as s/he is eating and their poop is normal.

[EtaPhiZTA]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

The easiest way to switch a dog's food is to gradually add in the new food while decreasing the old food. Mix it all in together. Each time you feed the dog change the proportion. Depending on how often you feed your dog the wet food (every meal or once a day or whatever) you can do it in less than a week as long as s/he is eating and their poop is normal.

Thanks so much for the advice. I have purchased the Solid Gold Little Bites, and I am planning to start mixing the two foods tomorrow.