A drop in the bucket...

[CorgiPaws]

So here it goes, I'm going to speak out and advocate for Science Diet, even though I KNOW it's not what you're going to want to hear...

It has nothing to do with what we want to hear, and don't want to hear... it's moreso a fact vs. fiction concept here.... and I'm only posting this for any lurkers who may be confused by all this misinformation. I know this is "feeding the trolls" but there is just SO much wrong in this post... I gotta bite it.

Science Diet, at first glance, does seem to have some low-quality ingredients, but sometimes you can't just take a word for what it is.

The ingredients are utter garbage. Saw dust is in no capacity beneficial or appropriate to feed and domestic animal that I can think of, and certainly not a dog or cat.

It comes down to how much you trust a company to use quality ingredients.

There is nothing going for SD that makes me think "hmm, trustworthy!" I'm sorry, but if a company can not even make a halfway appropriate dog food, why in the heck would anyone trust that the ingredients they are using is of any decent quality. Premium Sawdust? Only the finest peanut hulls? Right....

If the meat-first foods list a meal as their first meat ingredient, they are likely above the 20-30% recommended protein content as stated in the key nutritional factors section of Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

Plant based protein is not good in any capacity. Protein from animal sources is a non-issue and will not cause any issues.

Yes, if a dog eats a whole kernel of corn, it's going to poop out a whole kernel of corn. But if the corn is properly processed and ground, the dog can actually digest almost the entire thing, exclusive of the outer-most layer of the kernel that is cellulose - a great source of fiber to keep things moving in the digestive system.

Isn't the fact that it has to be processed to be of any use enough to think
"hmm, my dog can not naturally digest and utilize this ingredient, perhaps it does not belong in his food!" No? As for it being expensive, don't worry, I'm sure they offset their cost with sawdust and peanut hulls... or are those super pricey, too?

(which I must add are NOT carnivores, but rather omnivores - cats are true carnivores).

Alright, so we can go back and forth on the carnivore/ omnivore issue for days. Fact of the matter it, the dog food companies have brainwashed you into thinking that your carnivore needs to be lurking in the corn fields, and you're probably too far gone to ever come back. BUT... one thing we agree on is cats are carnivores. True to the core carnivores. So tell me, then, if Science Diet is this wonderful company that gets picked on oh so much by "sites like this" and their foods are truely formulated for optimum health...

Brewers Rice (go, go carnivore kitty!)
Corn Gluten Meal (mmmm, corn. nom.)
Chicken By-Product Meal (no named meat? Didn't think so)
Whole Grain Corn (wooot! corn! I love it when companies splice ingredients!)
Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid)
Dried Egg Product (cool. egg product. Because simple whole eggs makes too much sense)
Soybean Oil (allergies, anyone?)
Chicken Liver Flavor (oh goodie, at least it might taste like chicken.)
.....and so on.

That's a Science Diet CAT food. Cats are carnivores. This is not one of their rip off RX formulas, either. Just a kitty food right off the shelves. Let me guess, Science Diet is superior in their dog foods but lacking in cat foods? Wrong. They suck. Period. Zero concept of what a dog or cat actually is beyond four legs, a tail, and some fur.

To those out there who say "my dog is allergic to corn" - I'd like to see the results of the $1000 skin-prick test that is necessary to truly determine this, and then I'd like to let you know that you are among the minority.

Okay,how about those who had dogs with hot spots, ear infections, swollen eyes, and itchy paws on corn foods, and are totally perfectly fine without it? Let me guess, coincidence? My beagle had seizures on corn. Has not had one in three years since being put on decent food. Imagine that.

Any human athlete out there knows that energy comes from carbs, not protein - in fact, remember when Atkins was the rage weight-loss method and led to tons of health problems.

Anyone reading this thread knows we are talking about dogs, not humans. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make in regards to canine nutrition, they assume "it's good for me, it's good for them!" wrong. Dogs are NOT people and should not be fed as such. And by the way, the Atkins diet is alive and well.

Animals NEED carbohydrates to survive.

Of this entire silly post, THIS is the most harmful sentence. Dogs do NOT need carbs to survive. In fact, carbs in any significant amount fed over a long period of time are dangerous. Tell this to my Corgi who almost DIED under one year of age because of CARBS. Tell me, what is the minimum daily requirement of carbohydrates for dogs? That's right, you have no idea because there ISN'T one. A low carb, or NO carb diet is absolutely best for dogs. Unless of course you WANT your dog to get cancer, diabetes, and have organ issues. In which case, feed carbs. But to say that dogs NEED them is absolute garbage. They do NOT. Not in any capacity. Even my science diet- pushing vet figured this issue out. Carbs CAN kill your dog. Do not underestimate that.

Also, in meat-first foods, check further down the ingredient list. For instance, in Canidae's All-Life-Stages diet - after the first three meat meal ingredients, the next three are brown rice, white rice, and rice bran. How many different ways can you say "rice"? By splitting up filler ingredients into different "names" it makes the food look like it has more meat in it, because if you combined the weight of the brown, white, and bran forms of rice, chances are, it would outweigh some of the meat. (yes I realize this doesn't apply to grain-free)

Most dog foods do in fact splice ingredients. Much like the whole grain corn and corn gluten meals listed in science diet. I bet they go wonderfully with the peanut hulls.

Basically, Science Diet IS more science based than most foods, formulating their food based on nutrients, not ingredients.

So tell me what part of this food is appropriate for a dog with diabetes or gastrointestinal issues, because surely it's scientifically formulated, and I'm curious which part of it is good. OH, and I see a ton of ingredient splicing going on. How many ways can YOU say soy?


Whole Grain Corn (just couldn't be healthy without corn!)
Powdered Cellulose (Sawdust... my dog LOVES sawdust!)
Chicken by-product Meal (named meats made too much sense)
Corn Gluten Meal (more corn. YES!)
Chicken Liver Flavor (because actual chicken liver might actually up the quality.)
Soybean Mill Run Soybean mill run is composed of soybean hulls and such bean meats that adhere to the hulls which results from normal milling operations in the production of dehulled soybean meal. (AAFCO, 2003) This is considered a cheap, poor quality, by-product filler.
Soybean Oil (more soy based ingredient! One was simply not enough, we REALLY want to go for allergies here!)
Dried Beet Pulp (can never have enough cheap fillers.)
Soybean Meal (I knew we needed more soy!!)
Caramel Color (what? it has to be a pretty color. My dog will NOT eat ugly food!)

but I feel like a lot of the Science Diet-bashing comes from a severe lack of understanding regarding proper canine nutrition.

I feel that most pro-science diet talk comes from a severe lack of understanding regarding proper canine nutrition. It is the result of being brainwashed by dog food reps and undereducated veterinarians everywhere, and blindly listening because the vet said so. Well, if we're being totally honest, vets are lacking in a LOT of areas. They, (much like human doctors) have a far better understanding of the function of medications than they do the basic functions and needs of the canine (or human!) body.