# Your grain free "rich in meat" diet may be less balanced than Pedigree



## channeledbymodem (Dec 25, 2008)

In the religious wars surrounding commercial dog food, there are two articles of faith amongst those who criticize the big manufacturers such as Purina and Science Diet: 1) you can tell the quality of a diet by the ingredients listed on the label and their order and 2) in the words of Dog Food Advisor, "we shamelessly favor dog foods rich in meat." In their quest for a kibbled version of the dog's "ancestral" diet, fans of DFA reject "foods made with low quality plant or animal by-products. And we downgrade recipes that use controversial chemicals or plant-based protein boosters." As a result of these biases and the unsubstantiated assumption that corn and wheat are "major" allergens for dogs, the "grain-free" category is the fastest growing and most profitable segment of the commercial pet food industry. Prices per pound for the "best" brands are now ~$4 a lb, justified by the ingredients label and the supposedly high percentage of high quality meat, making a home cooked or raw diet from human ingredients relatively affordable.

According to an article on petfoodindustry.com, a trade organ that seeks to put the best possible spin on commercial diets of all types, "Petfood formulations should aim for balanced diets without nutrient excesses, especially with the advancing age of pets in many markets." 

_Many petfood companies stress the importance of meat-first formulations. The implication to consumers is that these diets are better for their pets. However, meat-first diets may result in overages for a number of nutrients, especially protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus (Table 1). In general, the higher the level of meat in a petfood, the higher the concentration of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and certain micro-minerals. _

Why is that a problem? 
_
These values are . . . double the recommendations by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (2012). Elevated concentrations of calcium and phosphorus can have detrimental effects on bioavailability of trace minerals.

Excess macro-minerals increase risk for a number of dog and cat diseases. For example, phosphorus restriction (and protein) slows the progression of kidney disease. Because detection of kidney disease in early stages is difficult, avoiding phosphorus excess is recommended for preventing kidney disease (Jacob et al., 2002; Ross et al., 2006).

Restriction of magnesium and phosphorus (and protein) is recommended for avoidance of struvite uroliths, whereas restriction of calcium and phosphorus is recommended for lowering risk of calcium oxalate stones (SACNV, 2010)._

The bottom line: *"Meat-first diets may not be what’s best for pets, because these diets often contain excesses of protein, fat and minerals. In light of the advancing age of the pet population, optimal nutrition should aim for a balanced diet without nutrient excesses."*

Now I'm not saying that Kibbles 'n Bits is a "better" food than Acana because, unlike people whose entire knowledge of animal nutrition is derived from ingredient labels, I really don't know. I'd prefer to feed a food that doesn't have artificial colors but paying top dollar for a food because it doesn't include protein glutens or by-products but may well be imbalanced doesn't strike me as an "informed decision."

I _am _saying that what you feed your pet is better determined by science than by product marketing that sounds like the title of a Jack London novel. I am much more inclined to feed a diet that has been studied and tweaked by dozens of professionals over many years than one which began its outsourced manufacture a year ago on the premise that my dog was "hungry like a wolf." 

You can read the entire article here: Avoiding mineral excesses for optimal pet nutrition - https://is.gd/7JBAVF


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

hey Channeled! Adding a bit science! love it! I just got off the phone getting the nutrient levels of Acana Grasslands and Origen Adult and they are both great examples of non scientific, marketing driven, poor quality nutrition. So frustrating! Nutrition is not brain surgery!


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## PomskyMom (Sep 12, 2016)

Thank you for posting - nutrition is a science and I trust my veterinarian far more than I trust any marketing company!


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## Matsuro (Apr 19, 2013)

I'm not so sure, I have a dog that I help take care of, she has been on holistic grain inclusive kibble, grain-free, and things like pedigree. I have noticed the stark contrast betwen them. On the first two she had the proper weight and good skin and coat without the need of flea medications. For the last two years since I have stopped buying her food and my sister is, I have noticed on that on foods like pedigree that her coat is dry, she itching more, and she ended up getting fleas, unlike when she was on the other two (Grain inclusive and grain-free). I work at Target and I noticed too that the lower quality of foods tend to go rancid very fast compared the the better kibbles we used to sale (ex: Newman's Own and Three Dog Bakery, Rachel Ray, etc.). 

If I had a dog of my own I would have stuck with ProPlan when/if it was still the old Purina One, but with the changes they have made I would never feed it to my dogs in the future. My rottweiler when she was alive lived 14 years on L&R Purina One with no issues. I don't necessaryly believe in the whole grain-free only diet because I do think that some grains are good to have; especially, if it comes to poop control as well. I noticed with my sister's dog Molly, that her poop was much softer and harder to pick up on the grain-free food she was eating (Fromm) compared to her Castor and Pollux and the Country Naturals that had some grain.


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## channeledbymodem (Dec 25, 2008)

Pedigree may not have enough high quality fat to support a healthy coat in many dogs. I would definitely supplement the diet of a dog fed Pedigree with fresh foods and high quality canned. As for Pro Plan only the Savor line has the soy shreds. The Focus and Sport lines are "regular" kibble. The Sport Active diet is basically an updated version of the PP chicken and rice that was very popular with breeders until discontinued under that name. However, almost all of the Purina One formulas now contain the shreds.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Hate to say but many "meat first" diets, meat protein isn't a "major player", just from the "drying" factor of kibble. Personally, I feed almost every "quality" and variety of food I can find. From my experience, the less meat protein the more "ick factors". On "grain heavy" kibble, my lot gain weight (flabby weight at that), shed more (and bald spots), have larger poops. I admit that I'm not too concern about "levels" simply because of the way I feed, but the results I've seen lead me to lean more towards meat protein over grain proteins kibbles.


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