# Science Diet Now Makes a Grain Free



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I don't know if this has been posted before but I found the statistics interesting. Science Diet has jumped on the bandwagon and now makes a grain free dog food.

BUT.....there is a big problem if people do not take the time to research the nutritional information on the bag of Science Diet grain free. 

*Recommended For:*
Normally active adult dogs 1 -- 6 years of age

*Not Recommended For:*
Puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, mature adult dogs

They seem to think only a small range of dogs can eat their own food. 


It has a protein level of 26% and a whopping 45% carbohydrate level. The ingredients are better then regular Science Diet by far, but I hope people aren't fooled by the new marketing into thinking they are getting something spectacular. I mean really.....'*powdered cellulose*'!!!

Ingredients:
Chicken, Pea Protein Concentrate, Potato Starch, Dried Potato, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat, Dried Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Cranberries, Apples, Peas, Carrots, Broccoli, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Potassium Chloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Taurine, Beta-Carotene, Phosphoric Acid, Rosemary Extract.


http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-canine-adult-grain-free-chicken-and-potato-dry.html


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

It gets a meh from me. I'm sure they will ask top dollar for this formula!


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

looks like a bunch of peas and potatoes. chicken meal should be the second ingredient!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

They are the masters of duplicitous marketing. chicken as the first ingredient is wet weight. The real first ingredient is pea protein concentrate.

And celloluse, oh Lord. They LOVE cellulose. And chicken liver FLAVOR? 

And I agree - you can't feed it to a dog unless it is in the prime of its life, thoroughly healthy, and won't show the signs of eating that horrible food until it's too late to blame the food.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

DaViking said:


> It gets a meh from me. I'm sure they will ask top dollar for this formula!


The similar sized bags of it here are more expensive than Orijen!!


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

Wow I wonder if our store will start carrying it. We have like 18 foot shelf devoted to Science Diet. Yuck!


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Caty M said:


> The similar sized bags of it here are more expensive than Orijen!!


That is a crime! If somebody wants to feed a non-meat based kibble, there are certainly dozens of cheaper ones.


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## Sapphire-Light (Aug 8, 2010)

Looks a step up of their formulas,but if only could add more meat :/



xellil said:


> They are the masters of duplicitous marketing. chicken as the first ingredient is wet weight. The real first ingredient is pea protein concentrate.
> 
> And celloluse, oh Lord. They LOVE cellulose. And chicken liver FLAVOR?
> 
> And I agree - you can't feed it to a dog unless it is in the prime of its life, thoroughly healthy, and won't show the signs of eating that horrible food until it's too late to blame the food.


Why do they add the sawdust? is just to make a filler or is supposed to add fiber?

Is nice to see some things like broccoli there, but is placed after the sawdust, oh well.... at least now vets are not going to put a fight like before when they hear the term "grain free".


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Sapphire-Light said:


> Why do they add the sawdust? is just to make a filler or is supposed to add fiber?


I am sure it is just a filler. I can't imagine any positive a dog could get from eating sawdust. Here's what the dog food project says:



> Cellulose
> 
> 
> AAFCO: Purified, mechanically disintegrated cellulose prepared by processing alpha cellulose obtained as a pulp from fibrous plant materials.
> ...


What's a killer is that Science Diet is not a cheap pet food! People pay premium price for that food. I'll say one thing for HIll's - they sure have pulled the wool over a lot of people's eyes while they rake in the dough.
The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Altho being grain free, it does not look to be high quality to me.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

PDXdogmom said:


> That is a crime! If somebody wants to feed a non-meat based kibble, there are certainly dozens of cheaper ones.


I hope they use most of their profit to pay for their excellent advertisement and marketing team! I think they are one of those companies that rely off branding and veterinary recommendations more than anything- ie, someone who doesn't know better feeds Science Diet Adult maintenance.. and hears somewhere that grain free is better.. so they see Science Diet GF.. and think.. "perfect!!". I am sure many many people do not read the labels, and even less understand the way ingredients are listed to manipulate- ingredient splitting, wet weight chicken, and that "pea protein concentrate" means the vast bulk of this food's protein comes from a vegetable source. etc etc.


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

xellil said:


> *What's a killer is that Science Diet is not a cheap pet food*! *People pay premium price for that food.* I'll say one thing for HIll's - they sure have pulled the wool over a lot of people's eyes while they rake in the dough.


I do not understand that either.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Thats alot of carbs. I have a link somewhere from the Dog Food project that has a listing of grainfrees. I give it to people who want to feed grainfree because they don't realize that if you have a chunky or overweight dog, alot of the gf's are not going to work. People will see Science Diet, grainfree and assume it's good. IMO people who feed SD probably don't know how to tell a quality dog food.


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## Sapphire-Light (Aug 8, 2010)

xellil said:


> I am sure it is just a filler. I can't imagine any positive a dog could get from eating sawdust. Here's what the dog food project says:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's sad  , hmm.. I wonder wish type of plant they use for the sawdust?


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Caty M said:


> The similar sized bags of it here are more expensive than Orijen!!


That's outrageous! Looking at the ingredients this is $1.5/lb food to me.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

You know I seriously need to look into investing in the Hill's company. I would love to get rich on peoples stupidity, really........and I'm not kidding.


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