Big Paws Only Dog Forums

BPO Food Forum => Food Discussion & Information => : jesday August 02, 2008, 11:54:00 AM

: Another food question.
: jesday August 02, 2008, 11:54:00 AM
You'd think with all the wonderful information about food BPO's have provided here I could figure this out.

We've pretty much ruled out food allergies for our bubs so now looking for a quality yet reasonably price dog food that I can stick with. A "nutritionist" at PetSmart recommended a brand I can't find on any of the ratings charts - Active Care. It is an all breed, all age food with special emphasis on healthy joints.

I went over the ratings chart and tried to do the 100 point rating but not sure of some of the qualifiers. Like what are bi-products? What constitutes a bi product? Does it say, 'bi products'?

Anyway, here is the site if anyone interested http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avoactivedog.htm

If anyone uses this food, input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
: Re: Another food question.
: AltDeutsche August 02, 2008, 12:13:36 PM
I think this will help you...

" Some veterinarians say that feeding animal bi-products, which are commonly found in most mass produced pet foods, to animals increases their risks of developing cancer and other disease. Specifically in regards to dog and cat food, animal bi-products are almost always a chief ingredient, ranging from ligaments, lungs and intestines, to unhealthy blood and bone meal. So what's so bad about animal bi-products you ask? The answer to this question lies in the animal agriculture industry itself. Considering that approximately 50% of each animal carcass that is slaughtered for human consumption is actually considered "unfit for human consumption", if it were not for the pet food industry to make use of these carcasses, the animal agriculture industry would be making a lot less money than it is. The bottom line is that most pet food is simply made up of nutritionally lacking meat bi-products that may contain cancerous organs - all of which is certainly unfit for human consumption. And while it's true that these meat bi-products contain protein and other nutrients, the quantities are sorely missing. The choice cuts of lean muscle tissue, which our cats and dogs need for their natural well being, get packaged for human consumption instead. Furthermore, the way in which most pet food is cooked and packaged removes even more of the nutritional value that is hardly there to begin with. There are actually no assurances of nutritional adequacy because ingredients are not analyzed, nor are the bioavailabilit y values of nutrients asserted. The cooking and packaging process often makes pet food even more potentially harmful to our pets health. Most pet food is rendered, which is essentially the process of removing water and bacteria. However, rendering also compromises nutritional value because it can destroy natural proteins and enzymes found in raw pet food. Additionally, rendering does not necessarily kill the unhealthy hormones and antibiotics that are often fed to animal livestock."
: Re: Another food question.
: People Whisperer August 02, 2008, 12:49:31 PM
The food doesn't look good at all!!! The first ingredient is not even meat :( You want to look for food that has at least 3 out of first five ingredients of meat or fish sources.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=26&cat=all
gives nice reviews to all foods
: Re: Another food question.
: jesday August 02, 2008, 09:14:56 PM
Thanks all. I wondered why a pet food nutritionist would be working at PetSmart. No offense to PetSmart employees but I find some of the workers to be a bit less educated in the knowledge of pets than one would expect at a pet store.

It looks like food month on BPO based of other posts. I will look into them. I want my babies to be with me as long as possible and a good dog food will help in that area then I'm there.
: Re: Another food question.
: Rajas Mom August 03, 2008, 09:49:55 AM
Thanks all. I wondered why a pet food nutritionist would be working at PetSmart. No offense to PetSmart employees but I find some of the workers to be a bit less educated in the knowledge of pets than one would expect at a pet store.

It looks like food month on BPO based of other posts. I will look into them. I want my babies to be with me as long as possible and a good dog food will help in that area then I'm there.

What would we do without BPO, huh?  I was pleasantly surprised during my search for new dog food at the pet store I frequent most often.  The person in charge of ordering food was very knowledgeable and thanks to concepts and terminology I learned here we were able to have quite a conversation.  Enough to make my husband's head spin and say, "You know it's just dog food, right?"