Don't buy cheap pet food.

[ScrimpAndSave]

I know we are talking about budgeting...but really, invest in a high quality petfood like Innova, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, California Natural, Organix, Newman's Own or Nature's Variety.

Anything that you get at the supermarket (even Iams), is really pretty terrible when you find out what they actually put in it.

Cows, sheep and pigs that are diseased and die in the trucks on the way to he slaughterhouse are used for grocery store pet foods.

Really - feed your pets the best that you can afford.

[project15]

We switched to Iams or something comparable from Science Diet and one of our cats started having diarrhea. We took him to the vet, spent money just to be told to switch back to Science Diet. That worked and now I can't complain about having to buy the slightly more expensive stuff. I don't think I would pay anymore than the cost of Science Diet though.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Science Diet is certainly better than so many grocery brands out there.

So many people love their pets and understand that they are truly family members - but they have no idea that they are feeding them literally garbage.

[zakity]

Our cats won't eat the good stuff. I have to mix the cheap with the good stuff. I am slowly trying to lessen the cheap stuff in the mix. I am hoping they won't notice.

I love the dirty looks I used to get when I would give them the straight good stuff.

[Coleroo]

I did a large research report one time on the quality of dog food for a college class I had. Dog food companies are able to use 4D (dead, diseased, dying or disabled) meat in dog food. These are meats that are, by law, not fit for human consumption. Bones, blood, bits of feathers, intestines, and all are allowed in too.

You can easily tell what the main ingredient - and if it's one of these 4D "meats" - by examining your ingredient label on the dog food. Look for words such as "by-product" and "meal". There are many combinations listed on the ingredient list, such as "meal byproduct", "lamb byproduct", "chicken meal", etc. The first ingredient listed is the main one in the food you are buying.

Another bad thing about "cheap" dog foods are that many of them use a wheat or vegetable as the first main ingredient, such as corn. Dogs are carnivores - they need meat to stay healthy. If your dog food bag has corn listed as the first ingredient, you're essentially giving your dog nothing but non-nutritional filler his entire life.

So if you are heavily concerned about what you give your dog, watch out for...

1. Anything in the ingredient list with the word "meal" or "byproduct" beside it

2. Food bags that have a wheat or vegetable as the first ingredient

Don't let the vets "fool" you (they are NOT animal nutritionists) - even expensive dog foods contain byproducts and meal...some of them are even worse than the cheaper ones.

[PrincessPerky]

Why don't folk just feed the dog meat?

I know of one person who always fed their dog 'real' food, only one. but I don't know of any dog turning their nose up at 'real' food when it was dropped from a plate.

I am biased though, my cat hunts for her dinner. (I live with woods behind me, and the cat comes out of there on her own to visit, I get all the petting with none of the work)

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

PrincessPerky, do cats who are outside sometimes dine on dead things they just find, not necessarily hunted, or perhaps which they caught they day before? So that could be kind of like eating the road kill that supposedly goes into some commercial pets foods.

[PrincessPerky]

Not sure about find, though I doubt she would turn her nose up at any food, but I know for sure she eats food up to a day after she caught it. (beyond that and we remove it ourselves)

[Aleta]

And people say that table food for animals is bad for them. After what I've heard is put into the pet food; I'm not so sure about that anymore. If it's good enough for us, it's good enough for them.

My Aunt gave her little dog nothng but table food and that little guy lived for 20 years.

[PrincessPerky]

Well that I imagine depends on the table food..if it is bad for us, it might be bad for them!

[Aleta]

I totally agree with you. My Aunt made about 85% of her food from scratch. She would buy tomato sauce in the can, but she would also can tomatoes. I get really concerned about all of the preservatives that they put into food.

[edmundo]

I agree. If it is bad for us, it might be bad for them!

[cargirl86]

My dog gets Beneful, which I absolutely despise but it's his favorite kibble. He also gets homemade meals. I don't understand why people scoff at the idea of investing in good, quality pet food. If you're going to take on the responsibility, you need to be prepared to put in the time (and sometimes, yes, the money) to keep them the healthiest they can be.

[Lori63]

My cat eats Purina Cat Chow Healthful Life. She has lost 2 pounds (down to 12.6 lbs.), her coat is shiny and she seems so much happier. It works for her and is cheaper so I'm happy.