# Thank Goodness We Have Consumer Reports To Tell Us About Dog Food!



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Consumer Reports Issued a report on pet food that our local TV station did a segment on. 
Some of the things it highlighted:

Premium or otherwise, any food you see on supermarket and pet-store shelves that's labeled "complete & balanced," "total nutrition," or "100 percent nutritious" should meet the minimum standards for nutrition set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. That indicates that it's adequate for the vast majority of healthy pets. " the best deal we saw on dry dog food was a 50-pound bag of Ol' Roy at Walmart with a unit price of 34 cents per pound."

Some other ways to save

Forget about buying pet food online. Our comparison found it about 50 percent more expensive on average than Target or Walmart—before shipping costs.
Consider store and private-label brands. Among the least expensive pet foods we found were Costco's Kirkland Signature, PetSmart's Grreat Choice, Safeway's store brand, and Walmart's Ol' Roy. If you're switching foods, gradually offer more of the new brand along with the current one to give your pet some time to adjust.

Don't pay a premium for 'premium' pet food


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Well. I guess that settles it!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i was getting tired of researching for myself.

i'm so glad that there is a body of infinite knowledge and expertise that can make up my mind for me. LOL


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

I just KNEW when I read the title of the thread & saw the instig. . . oops, the author what this was going to be about. Darn I'm Good!


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Thanks for clearing that up! I was feeling overwhelmed by the options.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Welp, i'm going to go save 50c per lb since i can save that with ol'roy and it will be just as good as the beef heart he's getting daily... :lol:


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I don't like that the article suggests that all kibbles that meet AAFCO standards are of equal quality. I know they have money savings as their main goal but there should be some mention of a sacrifice of quality and suitability of ingredients.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Lol what a crock of you know what. >:|


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Ya...I saw this BS a while ago..and its just that, a bunch of BS!!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

It's weird how it's all about $$ not about quality in that article... like here is how i see it...

we're not rich, but were not flat broke either, we've had our hard times but if we couldn't afford to feed a dog the best possible diet available... we wouldn't have gotten a dog. It's sad that people don't look at the big picture in that aspect, instead of can we afford a dog, it's lets get a dog and sure we can afford the very worst food but hey!! it's 40c per lb! then... down the road they have periodontal issues and they can't afford to fix it... so the poor dog ends up getting signed over and finds a new family  it's maddening to me.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Too many people just consider the purchase price and don't think of what they are feeding, consider emergency vet costs, etc. Like I know people who have spent $2000 on a dog from PETLAND who refuse to spend money on nutrition, training etc. Um, why not just get a pound dog and make up the difference in price with classes, good food.. you'll end up with a much better dog.

I think there is a big problem in our society regarding commitment.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Tobi said:


> It's weird how it's all about $$ not about quality in that article... like here is how i see it...
> 
> we're not rich, but were not flat broke either, we've had our hard times but if we couldn't afford to feed a dog the best possible diet available... we wouldn't have gotten a dog. It's sad that people don't look at the big picture in that aspect, instead of can we afford a dog, it's lets get a dog and sure we can afford the very worst food but hey!! it's 40c per lb! then... down the road they have periodontal issues and they can't afford to fix it... so the poor dog ends up getting signed over and finds a new family  it's maddening to me.


The thing is, alot of people may start out financially capable of owning a dog, but due to job loss or some other reason they lose that capability. It's not always because they don't care what they feed, or want to give the cheapest possible food. If I had to feed cheap food I think I would, because I wouldn't be willing to give up my dogs if I couldn't afford the best food for them. Maybe that's wrong - I don't know. They don't respond well to food with corn in it. It would be a horrible quandary.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Caty M said:


> Too many people just consider the purchase price and don't think of what they are feeding, consider emergency vet costs, etc. Like I know people who have spent $2000 on a dog from PETLAND who refuse to spend money on nutrition, training etc. Um, why not just get a pound dog and make up the difference in price with classes, good food.. you'll end up with a much better dog.
> 
> I think there is a big problem in our society regarding commitment.


Paying $2000 for a puppy mill dog from a pet store that is often not even a purebred dog is the height of stupidity - can't expect those people to be smart enough to train them, feed them right, etc.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

When I first read the article a couple of weeks ago, I kept saying over and over "I can't believe it". While I've often thought Consumer's Reports doesn't always see the whole picture or consider upper end brands in lots of their reports, I was surprised that the only standard they used to rate quality was if the food met the minimum AAFCO requirements. 

I felt like they must have given out the assignment to someone on their staff by saying, "Anyone with no interest or knowledge about dog food should snap up this assignment."

Why would they possibly rate a product based only on cost and nothing else?


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

xellil said:


> The thing is, alot of people may start out financially capable of owning a dog, but due to job loss or some other reason they lose that capability. It's not always because they don't care what they feed, or want to give the cheapest possible food. If I had to feed cheap food I think I would, because I wouldn't be willing to give up my dogs if I couldn't afford the best food for them. Maybe that's wrong - I don't know. They don't respond well to food with corn in it. It would be a horrible quandary.


if all i could afford to eat myself is eggs, then that's what my dog would eat...eggs, milk and bread.....two out of three things i don't eat...but finances being finances, you do what you can.

it would be like giving up a child....i could not do it. no matter what the circumstances. even if it meant being homeless...i bet my dog could teach me how to dumpster dive.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> if all i could afford to eat myself is eggs, then that's what my dog would eat...eggs, milk and bread.....two out of three things i don't eat...but finances being finances, you do what you can.
> *
> it would be like giving up a child....i could not do it. no matter what the circumstances. even if it meant being homeless...i bet my dog could teach me how to dumpster dive.*


TOTALLY agree with you!!!
and to the bold part: BAHAHHAHHAHA You know that Bubba and Brody would be teaching us to!LOL


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

thanks chowder, ust picked up some ol roy...looks pretty solid. Took me a while though..was going to order it online but once i got to the checkout, i went back to read the article as I'm an indecisive buyer(cheapskate) and it told e to go the store -_-....waste of time finding the best deal online for this.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

magicre said:


> if all i could afford to eat myself is eggs, then that's what my dog would eat...eggs, milk and bread.....two out of three things i don't eat...but finances being finances, you do what you can.
> 
> it would be like giving up a child....i could not do it. no matter what the circumstances. even if it meant being homeless...i bet my dog could teach me how to dumpster dive.


This actually happened recently - a woman lost her job, lost her home, and ended up living in her car with her two dogs. She tried for several weeks to keep them, but in the end realized they were living a horrible life in the car, in the heat of the summer, with nowhere to go and no money to buy food. Of course, you can't take dogs to a shelter but you can take kids - they may be like children to us, but not the social agencies. 

I felt so sorry for her. I pray I am never faced with something like that. My dogs are 8 and 12, respectively, and the oldest has a heart condition and really bad arthritis - they would both be extremely hard to adopt out.

I am slightly OCD, the sole support of my family, and my company is downsizing alot. So I am thinking about these things.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

xellil said:


> This actually happened recently - a woman lost her job, lost her home, and ended up living in her car with her two dogs. She tried for several weeks to keep them, but in the end realized they were living a horrible life in the car, in the heat of the summer, with nowhere to go and no money to buy food. Of course, you can't take dogs to a shelter but you can take kids - they may be like children to us, but not the social agencies.
> 
> I felt so sorry for her. I pray I am never faced with something like that. My dogs are 8 and 12, respectively, and the oldest has a heart condition and really bad arthritis - they would both be extremely hard to adopt out.
> 
> I am slightly OCD, the sole support of my family, and my company is downsizing alot. So I am thinking about these things.


in this economy, we all are, yes?


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Ha so glad I don't invest in that magazine! Making a trip today, as a matter of fact to Walmart , need some new Rubbermaid products, hmmmm debating here whether now to just go pick up some old Roy!~ Gee ~consumer reports tells us its ok LOL! Also their was a rebuttal about this in Whole Dog Journal. Got that one and liked reading that!


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

This article was listed in Pet Product News. After reading the article, click on "view more comments". 

Consumer Reports Urges Pet Owners to Forgo Premium Pet Food, Shop for Vet Services


This is the response I got from Consumer Reports:

"Thanks for taking the time to contact Consumer Reports®. It is always a pleasure to hear from our readers!

We appreciate your taking the time to write to us regarding our report on pet food. Your correspondence has provided us with invaluable feedback on how we're doing. Please be assured that our readers' comments and thoughts help shape the work we do. I will, of course, forward your correspondence to the appropriate departments for their review and consideration for our future reports.

Thanks again for taking the time to write. Your interest in our work is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Moreira
Customer Relations Representative
1479811
****

My response:

Hi Stephanie,

I want to thank you for responding to my comments. 

CR's article has really sent shock waves to pet parents who look for the best food for their pet and not the cheapest, which is what CR is suggesting. They take time to educate themselves in what's really in pet food and learn how to read labels. One could eat at McDonald's day in and day out and save a ton of money. Down the road, I wonder how their health will be affected.

I never had the need to look at Ol' Roy's ingredients. I've been feeding holistic since 1996. I just about fell off my seat. This is the brand CR recommended.

Ingredients:
Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate.

Two reasons off hand to avoid corn - dogs could be allergic and Mold and Mycotoxins | Complete Natural Nutrition Blog

There isn't one ingredient that is a healthy choice. After the devastating recall in 2007, consumers lost trust in pet food companies. Dogs need protein and that should be the first ingredient in any pet food, not ground yellow corn. Our choice shouldn't be based on what's the cheapest food out there.

"A significant part of the national pet-food bill these days goes for so-called premium and super-premium varieties. But "premium" has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality, notes Sarah Abood, D.V.M., a small-animal clinical nutritionist and assistant dean at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine."

Did you know she had worked for Purina? ABVP - symposium, certification, species, credentialing, veterinary clinical practice, vet

Here's a few links you might want to pass along. Perhaps CR can interview these people for your next issue and educate your readers in choosing a healthy brand for their pet. 

The Dog Food Project - Dog Food Label Information 101 (Sabine Contreras)

The Truth About Dietary Fiber and Prebiotics in Pet Food (Dr. Karen Becker) 

DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend (Mary Strauss)

I wrote Who's Your Vet? with my journey into the world of veterinary medicine and to enlighten all pet parents about the importance of choosing a good pet food. The average pet person will listen to their Vet's recommendation who really isn't trained in nutrition and will suggest Science Diet or whatever brand Hill's manufactures. When I ask "what is the first ingredient," they have no clue. They never read the label. 

The purpose of the book is to encourage all pet parents to be proactive in their pet's health.
"Let food be your first medicine" – Hippocrates


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

yeah, I'm jumping in late to this thread but the CR article was pretty pathetic.

Even if they want to make a case that there is no evidence to corn and grains and other stuff not being detrimental to our Dogs, they just didn't dig into it enough. Heck, make your case... I'll hear all sides. It was just real half-ass, to be frank. 

I've caught CR on a number of questionable ratings.... they just don't seem to be very thorough in many of their reviews. They don't go into stuff deep enough. Cars?...sure, they test the hell out of them. Dog food?...what a joke of a review.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Yea, I saw this late as well....this makes me want to cry! :frown:


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

CR posted this article on their website since many people contacted them. I personally would love to see an article written to educate all pet parents as to what's really in pet food and how to read a label.

Shop around to get the right food for your pet


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

runwiththewind said:


> CR posted this article on their website since many people contacted them. I personally would love to see an article written to educate all pet parents as to what's really in pet food and how to read a label.
> 
> Shop around to get the right food for your pet


Well that response from them said a whole lot of nothing!! What a joke!

"There are probably many good reasons for choosing a higher-priced pet food--for example, if your dog or cat has special nutritional needs or simply won’t eat anything else. But fulfilling basic nutritional needs does not seem to be among them. there appears to be no scientific evidence that more expensive pet foods are nutritionally superior to economically priced foods that meet standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). "


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Well that's one pathetic response on the CR website.

If your dog has a "special need" maybe consider spending more $ on kibble they say? What about what is put in a dog's body day after day, year after year, for its lifetime? Gee, should it be corn gluten,brewer's rice and food coloring; or might chicken meal and millet be an upgrade?


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

Letter from Rene A. Carlson, DVM - President, American Veterinary Medical Association

http://www.avma.org/issues/consumer_reports_article_response_aug2011.pdf


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## jiml (Jun 29, 2010)

So now we know once we hit the* minimal* nutritional requirements set by aafco food nutritional value flattens out w no further benifits. OK


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

runwiththewind said:


> Letter from Rene A. Carlson, DVM - President, American Veterinary Medical Association
> 
> http://www.avma.org/issues/consumer_reports_article_response_aug2011.pdf


Looks like Consumer Reports managed to tick off everyone except Walmart with that original article!!!


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

CR, as I said above, has really got some work to do. 

slightly off topic but related... I've been searching for flooring. Laminate, Hardwood, vinyl plank tiles--I've researched them all. After doing my own research and then seeing the CR article on flooring, I walked away laughing at its lack of depth and real work to provide information. They didn't begin to hit some of the main points on resilient flooring(laminate, hardwood, etc...) and my internet search was 1000% more beneficial. 

So if they aren't going to do a thorough review on a household product like FLOORING, safe to say that their Dog Food review could be compared to something a 3rd grader would come up with. 

After reading the review again... If I turned something like that in to a college professor, they would tear it up and tell me to go back to work.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

kevin bradley said:


> CR, as I said above, has really got some work to do.
> 
> slightly off topic but related... I've been searching for flooring. Laminate, Hardwood, vinyl plank tiles--I've researched them all. After doing my own research and then seeing the CR article on flooring, I walked away laughing at its lack of depth and real work to provide information. They didn't begin to hit some of the main points on resilient flooring(laminate, hardwood, etc...) and my internet search was 1000% more beneficial.
> 
> ...


As a long time subscriber to CR since the "paper only" days, I find that on average, they are a good resource. However, I have to admit that I'm sometimes dismayed by the lack of depth on some of their articles.

Additionally, their reviews need updating more frequently, especially when it comes to electronics. For stuff like that I _may start_ with CR, but use several other sites that whose focus is ONLY electronics (or PCs or similar) for more up-to-date information.

That being said, I too wanted to contact CR about the article in this thread, but was dismayed to find that I could only do so by mail. What is this, the 19th century? Guess I should never have gotten rid of my quill & ink pot... hwell:


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

Did you see my post runwiththewind 08-19-2011 01:19 PM ? I emailed them and got a response.

You can fill out their form - Contact Us


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

SubMariner said:


> As a long time subscriber to CR since the "paper only" days, I find that on average, they are a good resource. However, I have to admit that I'm sometimes dismayed by the lack of depth on some of their articles.
> 
> Additionally, their reviews need updating more frequently, especially when it comes to electronics. For stuff like that I _may start_ with CR, but use several other sites that whose focus is ONLY electronics (or PCs or similar) for more up-to-date information.
> 
> That being said, I too wanted to contact CR about the article in this thread, but was dismayed to find that I could only do so by mail. What is this, the 19th century? Guess I should never have gotten rid of my quill & ink pot... hwell:



oh, I have another one, Sub. 

Dish washing detergent. They tried saying that the Ajax dish washing detergent was just as good as the more expensive stuff like Dawn. They are crazy. Ajax doesn't sudz up like Dawn and you end up using a lot more. Its not even close. 

yeah, I'm a nerd


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

kevin bradley said:


> oh, I have another one, Sub.
> 
> Dish washing detergent. They tried saying that the Ajax dish washing detergent was just as good as the more expensive stuff like Dawn. They are crazy. Ajax doesn't sudz up like Dawn and you end up using a lot more. Its not even close.
> 
> yeah, I'm a nerd


Actually, they may be right on the money with that one. My hubby is a chemical engineer and he said that basically all dish washing liquids are the same. In fact, we don't even bother with "liquid hand soap" anymore for the kitchen: we just use regular dish washing soap because chemically it is the same (with the exception of some minor "add ins" like bleach or fragrance).

An interesting story about Dawn: when we lived on the sailboat we used Dawn because it was the only one that would "suds up" in salt water. This may not be important here on land, but when you have a finite amount of fresh water, you tend to wash things in salt water first, then RINSE with fresh. 

That being said, I use the Ajax stuff myself here at home. :wink:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

SubMariner said:


> An interesting story about Dawn: when we lived on the sailboat we used Dawn because it was the only one that would "suds up" in salt water. This may not be important here on land, but when you have a finite amount of fresh water, you tend to wash things in salt water first, then RINSE with fresh.
> 
> That being said, I use the Ajax stuff myself here at home. :wink:


We're a "Dawn" household here!! Everything from my husbands hair to the deck furniture gets washed in it!


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

chowder said:


> We're a "Dawn" household here!! Everything from my husbands hair to the deck furniture gets washed in it!


I wasnt' going to mention that bit, but yes, we used to wash "everything" off the stern of the sailboat with Dawn, then climb up & use the fresh water hand shower to rinse off. :embarassed:


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Dawn is what they use to clean oil of sea animals after a spill. It's one reason I buy it exclusively, i want them to keep helping the animals.


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