Which is the healthiest Senior Dog Food? Blue,Orijen, Kirkland, Purina ONE, Science Diet - Review
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2024
- So why are we supposed to feed a Senior food to our senior dogs? what makes it a Senior Food? what's the benefit anyway? using the same definition of "healthy" lets take a look at a variety of Senior Foods for dogs and see how they measure up. You might be surprised!
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Thanks again. This was very helpful!
This was very helpful! Would love Royal Canin to be included in one of these!
YES Please put Royal Canin & Hills in the mix.
Great video, I like the break down of the nutrients.
Great to hear!
Great video
Thanks!
Could you compare pure balance food and pure vita for small dogs and pedigree please?
Would love to see a comparison on these foods
Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion Adult Senior 7+ Dry Dog Food - Chicken & Brown Rice
and
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large Breed Senior Dry Dog Food - Natural, Chicken
Would love to see a comparison of a variety of large breed adult dog foods :)
Thank you for showing the comparison. It really helped me choosing the right one for my dog. Do you recommend for getting snacks for senior dogs?
as long as treats are kept to a minimum, I dont go crazy trying to find healthy ones. obviously avoid high sodium and phosphorus on the label, and oc course calories.
I’ve got the Science Diet for senior dog food and she loves it. Thank you very for the recommendation.
How about pure vita, pure balance, bistro kibble pedigree comparison for small dogs?
Thank you! Love to hear about weight-control tips for 8+year old healthy dog (with early-stage heart murmurs).
San Fran, my favorite is Science Diet Perfect Weight. It is a copy cat if a Prescription Diet that activates the dogs metabolism so they start burning fat instead of storing it. And heart/kidney friendly nutrient profile.
What do you think about a vegan diet for my 14 year old Yorkie? He is pretty healthy still, but his last blood tests are starting to show a hint of kidney disease developing. I’m thinking I need to start reducing his animal protein now. Thanks for your videos.
A hint is totally normal for his age. God bless you for being so proactive. There’s no reason to go vegan. It’s nutritionally possible but the idea is to just reduce the workload on the kidneys by controlling protein and limiting phosphorus and sodium. I would discuss the blood values with your vet. Maybe you don’t need a prescription diet yet. Science Diet Senior is a great option if values aren’t too high. Canned is better than dry but of course costs more. Thankfully you have a Yorkie! Lol! We have a Havaneese who’s 13 and her values are still perfect, thank God! And you’re welcome!
Excellent video. Really interesting to see how some “grocery store” pet foods can be low quality not because of corn but because of the nutrient levels. How important is vitamin E for seniors? I’m feeding my senior cat Hill’s prescription diet dental care t/d, but I’m not sure if it has less vit E compared to adult 7+ or senior vitality.
Hey George, you’re catching on! Dr Rea will be happy! I was just trying to find a few other nutrients to compare, antioxidants being an obvious one. I will look up those Vit e levels in those diets since I have the book. Interesting story… when they were working on a dental diet and trying to figure out which fiber sources best worked to squeegie the teeth, they discovered many cats in the Colony known for hairballs indeed had less hairballs. That led to Hills making a Hairball Diet that works very well and is pretty popular!
Oops! You’re George! I was thinking of Ed, my anti kibble cat friend!😂
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Ha Ha! 81% of cat owners feed dry kibble most or all of the time. Plenty of future business for your veterinary friends! Since I started feeding real food, there have been no hairballs. 😹😻
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy I looked at the ingredients and nutrients in the "prescription" t/d and compared it to the science diet Adult 7+ Senior vitality. Other than the t/d having much higher fiber, there is not much difference. They both have lots of grains and meal. The t/d cost a lot more.
@@edschulhof6303 I haven’t looked up the actual numbers yet but not surprised. TD is designed for adult/ older pets, like almost all prescription diets. The higher fiber produces the fiber matrix, proven to squeegie the teeth up to the gum line, removing plaque before it can harden to tarter. Works extremely well and cats surprisingly like the texture! But it is kibble!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Cat dental health is dependent on several factors. Teeth location is important. The front teeth, canines and incisors are less likely to develop disease. The back teeth molars and pre-molars, are more likely. Animal Medical Center of Chicago found, " In general, dry is not better for your cat’s oral health when compared to canned cat food. Most dry cat food offers no significant chewing resistance due to its small size and brittle nature. When the cat’s teeth come in contact with the dry pellet, the food shatters before the tooth penetrates it, losing any of its abrasive action benefit. In fact, as carnivores, cats frequently swallow their dry food whole." They did single out Hill's t/d as an exception. The Veterinary Oral Health Council lists Hill's t/d as an accepted product. See, I can be fair. But doesn't mean I will feed my cats dry food. In fact, they just finished Sardine Sunday. 🙂
Can you do puppy dog food review
Would like to see you do dog chow vs pro plan vs science diet
I have a few videos like that
Thank you. I'm having such a hard time finding a food for my two senior dogs. Can you review Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult 7+ Chicken and Rice Formula
if your pup isn't having cognitive issues I don't think you need Bright Mind. Hills has excellent senior diets, including 7+ Senior Vitality, their newest. the senior life stage is where Hills diets shine the most, besides Prescription Diet.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you. His mind seems clear, I just want to give him stage of life appropriate food . I ordered the SD 7 + after watching your videos i think it is my best choice, If not I'll try one of the other formulas.
Thanks for the video - very informative. I subscribed immediately.
What is your take on the function of bioavailability? Like, I know that not all vitamin C Supplement brands or even type (pill VS liquid) that we buy for ourselves are used by our body fully, as taking certain amounts of vitamin c, or collagen or other supplementation doesn’t necessarily mean our body will utilize it all, and possibly gets mostly excreted then absorbed.
Does the nutritional analysis on the bag mean all of that will be absorbed by my dogs body? I guess I’m asking would x amount of B12 in a kibble be equal across all brands, or would it’s bioavailability play a role in it being utilized fully by my dog?
Great question. Just had this conversation with a board certified nutritionist yesterday about this. One could look at any particular nutrient and the question of bioavailability will not be answered on the bag or anywhere else. The industry on purpose makes sure the regulations, definitions, etc are kept vague. So as a consumer you really are trusting the company more than you should have to. The bioavailability of meat, corn, flax seed, etc can vary tremendously. Remember the bag is minimums and maximums. That’s useless. The ingredient panel is manipulated because it’s based on weight, not volume. So easy to mislead people. If you call the company and get their actual nutrients in grams per 100 kcals, that is after cooking. That’s the best you can do. If excessive in minerals like calcium and phosphorus than the meat sources are low quality, full of junk. It’s the only true indication of the company’s knowledge or integrity. That’s why I want the company with the most vets, nutritionists and chemists and their own facilities.
For dry, standard kibble. The bioavailability rate, is roughly about 60%. Adding moisture alone, will increase the bioavailability. Even if it’s just a splash of water. I rarely feed my dogs kibble. But when I do, I add the broth, from the meats and organ meats that I cook for them. And I’ll mix it with wet food. This helps bring the bioavailability up. You can also buy no sodium added meat broths at grocery stores. But it HAS to be NO sodium added. Not LOW sodium, or REDUCED.
@@9hk38f as far as I understand bioavailability you can’t really list all kibble as the same. Too many various ingredients. The quality and purity of the meat source can vary bioavailability. The bioavailability of corn ingredients varies widely based on how it is cooked properly. So I don’t think you can claim ALL kibble since way too many variables. As always, comes down to the company’s abilities and expertise
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy You are absolutely correct. And that’s why I specifically said, “standard kibble” Pedigree, Iams, Purina, Kibbles and Bits. I would assume Hills has a higher bioavailability.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy But in general. When a mammal’s digestive tract, comes in contact with dry, powdered, processed food. The bioavailability is roughly going to be about 60%. Whether it be a human consuming a vitamin tablet, or a dog eating kibble. Regardless of quality and ingredients, dry processed food, will always have a lower bioavailability, then natural food.
What about fiber? I've been giving my dog Boot the Scoot for several years, but now that she's 8, I wonder if I should stop. Do they need more or less fiber at that age?
The Hill's Adult 7+ has brown rice. Brown rice can have high amounts of arsenic. How do I find the amount of heavy metals in Hill's foods, contact directly? Thanks
All types of rice can be high in arsenic. That's why you have to wash it thoroughly before cooking it.
@@alesanchez87 Can't wash rice when it is mixed into dry pet food. Most dry pet foods have traces of many common pesticides.
I would like to see a comparison of the best selling dog foods like Purina dog chow, Iams and Pedigree. What most folk sI know feed their dogs along with table scraps. (Lot of fat dogs around here.)
Just finished a video comparing Pedigree, Iams, ProPlan and Science Diet. Should get if published in a day or two!
Do contact the manufacturer for theses numbers or do you find them on the bag.
Nothing on the bag is very helpful since it’s all regulated by the industry. I call their 800 number. Not all can give you nutrients! That’s pretty amazing!
Thanks. There should be a site where any pet parent could find out how much phosphorus and calcium (and every other mineral) has every brand. Some of them do disclose that info in their own website, but that is not always the case.
No way the industry will let that happen! Then they would have to make nutritious food with optimal nutrient levels, and that’s too expensive. Easier to just manipulate folks with ingredient claims that make them feel good.
My dog Rottweiler has been on Fromm all his life he is 12 blood test came out great just a little inflammation. But my vet insisted on changing his diet to Purina Senior I don't like there is corn . I'm very stressed about changing what do u think
well, at 12 years the Fromm diets are All Life Stage, which means the nutrients are high enough for growing puppies. That's obviously not optimal for a 12 year old. so your vet is right that its really time to change that nutrient profile a bit. Fromm served you well but age and the risks it poses are real. None of us escape that. id consider a switch or do blood work every 6 months or so and if no major changes you're still doing fine. sorry for the delayed answer!
I stopped feeding commercial dry pet food, and I never fed commercial wet pet food. I feed a pre-made raw diet, along with a raw diet using a base mix, and, occasionally, a DIY raw meal.
Thanks for sharing! Just remember the nutrients are important for geriatrics
video just like this for puppies please!
Because puppies use high levels of nutrients, there’s not the same concern of nutrient excesses. Little breeds are easy. And large breed pups should get a large breed puppy food. It’s been a few years now but I looked at the popular name brands and their puppy foods were all fine. Some young pups will go thru a diarrhea or soft stool stage so you just need to find which one works. Not really a reflection on the quality of the food. Large breed puppy foods are lower in calcium and fat to slow down rapid growth rate common in large breeds. Science Diet, Purina, Iams, etc would all be among the safe ones. I’d avoid the glitzy, all natural expensive stuff. The more glitz, the more suspect I am!
"Dog Eat Dog." This Sunday, July 16 at 9pm, the HISTORY channel series: "The Food That Built America" will be airing an episode (season 4, ep.15) on the rise of the billion dollar pet food industry. After the broadcast, the show will be available for streaming the next day. This could start some interesting conversations! LOL
Well, like everything else, it will depend on the agenda of the producers! Need to check it out!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy No matter what, you know we are going to have fun with it! 😂
@@edschulhof6303 absolutely! Judging from the name I’m betting it’s going to be like PetFooled, showing all the worst practices of small pet food companies.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy It's an entire series on the food history of America. The episodes are pretty matter of fact. The one on Oscar Mayer and Hormel introducing sausage and processed meats was that way. If they are ok with people eating unhealthy processed food, I'm sure they will be ok with pets eating the same. The History Channel is co-owned by Disney and Hearst. Maybe the pet food industry needs its version of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle."
@@edschulhof6303 not familiar with that. But I have been to the Spam museum in MN. The Hormell history is interesting.
Meat is not magic….that was my favorite part
I realize that you have to deal with people who don't take care of their pets well. I would never tell someone not to listen to their veterinarian. But meat has been magic for my two cats. Their diet is mostly chicken thighs and raw ground beef. No more throwing up. No hairballs. No smelly litter boxes. You should see how sleek and trim they are. If it ain't broke . . .
This video has left me a little confused. I just recently took my older dog off of Hill's Science Diet because it seemed to be giving him low grade recurring pancreatitis. I have no medical training but this is what I concluded after researching his symptoms. Nonetheless, his condition has significantly improved after switching foods. Both Zignature and Orijen have worked well so far. What I especially didn't like about Hill's Science Diet is that once I had done some research and knew what to look for, I saw a lot of very deceptive marketing on their bags. This - combined with the fact that about four years ago they were the target of a class action lawsuit - led me to the decision to never trust this company.
What did you find is deceptive on the Hill's bag?
@@edschulhof6303 An example I can recall is how they put the picture of all these different foods on the front of the bag to suggest that these foods are an important part of the formula, but when I used the salt divider test I could see that the amount of these foods was so small that it was obvious they only put enough in there so that they could say they put it in there. The salt divider test is a way to determine if there is less than 1% of a particular ingredient, because dog foods are only allowed to have 1% salt. So anything that comes after that in the ingredients list must have less than that. Some of these ingredients they put on the front of the bag were literally the last ingredients on the list.
To be fair, what matters most is the actual nutritional content. Whacky marketing shouldn't necessarily overshadow that, but for me the combination of factors made the company seem untrustworthy.
@@kulak8548 To be fair, all commercial pet food companies do that. I just cooked some ground beef for dinner. The half pound is now about a third pound. My two cats will get raw ground beef. LOL You seem to be doing the right things. Research what is going on with pet food and decide what you think is best for your senior dog. Good luck.
@@edschulhof6303 It does seem that there is always something funky about the marketing, even for good pet foods. I guess that's just how it goes. Of course what is most important after all is whether my dog's symptoms and overall happiness improve, which it certainly has.
Thanks for the feedback! Sorry for any confusion. First of all, recurring pancreatitis is managed by simply reducing dietary fat. I know Hills and RC make two excellent low fat foods to manage the condition. If the foods you mentioned are low in fat that would explain the relief of symptoms but I’ d be surprised it’s that low.
Your comment about the pretty ingredients on the bag, as my good UA-cam friend Ed said, all companies do that now. The salt percentage rule is a myth. Sounds good but not very accurate. Ingredient panels go by weight, not volume. Some ingredients are heavy, like real meat with all the moisture vs egg or some other items. I am not aware of any limit on salt. A company can add as much salt as they want! You should watch my video, Don’t play the Ingredient Game. It goes over all that.
As far as that class action suit. I believe it was California. They charged Hills and RC I believe for claiming their food was medicine by limiting distribution to vets and price fixing. Also the FDA didn’t like they were claiming to treat diseases since food isn’t medicine. The fact is it was nothing but lawyers making money. Many companies restrict their distribution. There’s two very valid reasons Prescription Diets are sold strictly thru vet’s recommendation. Animals on those foods are sick and being managed and monitored. It’s not true anymore with the advancement of nutrition knowledge but all the way till the 99’s there were diets that would be harmful if fed to the wrong patient. The other real reason, Hills can’t make enough food to supply the shelves of grocery and mass stores! Not even close! So the lawsuit changed nothing. The fact it’s not medicine these food companies have to state they “manage” disease instead of saying they “treat” disease. Big deal! The efficacy of the diets was never questioned. The reason vets trust these diets is the decades of peer reviewed studies and the clinical proof and seeing the results in their own patients. I got to see it every day for 34 years. It was awesome and I miss it!
So I don't understand. One of your main points, is how ingredients don't matter, nutrient values do. And obviously yes, nutrient levels matter. But, I can take a load of saw dust, and horse poop. Take it to a lab, and have them add all the nutrient's and protein in the World. Doesn't make it good food. You defend Hill's over use of corn gluten, saying it adds protein, amino acids, and helps bioavailability. All great things of course. But if you are using properly sourced, natural ingredients. You will have no need for adding extra protein. And in the past, you claimed adding a variety of meat, won't enhance the amino acid profile. But when you actually look at amino acids in corn gluten, and a variety of meats. Corn only has an abundance of like 2 or 3 amino acids. And is greatly lacking, in some necessary ones. Simply using two different types of meats, will in fact, add a more broad profile of amino acids, then using one meat source, and adding corn gluten. And natural meat, doesn't need added protein, and you won't need anything to help with bioavailability. I am sorry, ingredients 100% matter! Corn gluten is only beneficial, when using poorly sourced ingredients. I understand when you see "chicken" on a label, there is no indication of the quality. But using poorly sourced chicken, still counts as using poorly sourced ingredients. If you do not use poorly sourced ingredients, you don't need corn gluten, in the top 3 ingredients. I am sorry, but Hill's does this to cut corners, and cut cost. Not because its honestly the best possible thing, to feed dogs.
If you research major pet food studies, saw dust and poop have been found in some pet foods. A study by the U of New Mexico, published January 6, 2023, found dog DNA in two of six dog food brands tested. The study did not name the brands. By-product meal can be anything, including 4D meat and rendering plant waste. Things are worse for cats as they have much higher nutritional needs than dogs.
@@edschulhof6303 Yes exactly! My education on cats is EXTREMELY limited! However I am aware, that’s cats truly are, obligate carnivores. Technically dogs really aren’t. And cats by nature, don’t drink enough. Even with ample water supplies. They depend on moisture in meat, even more so then dogs. These man made, hardened powder diets, are even more detrimental on cats health.
@@edschulhof6303 I stay away from by product completely! And I hate when people rationalize. Oh, it MIGHT contain a bunch of organ meat, mixed with real meat. Well, it also might contain a euthanized animal for all we know!
@@edschulhof6303 Why would a company hide its ingredients, in a umbrella term? If they were actually using a good balanced mixture, of properly sourced meat, and organ meats. They would list the ingredients individually. If you have nothing to hide, you aren’t going to hide anything. 1+1=2
@@9hk38f 4D meat is from a dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals. Ironically, secreting organs, liver and kidney mostly, are an important part of a cat's diet. But only if it's real meat, not rendered into dust. And should only be about 5% of their diet. The heart is a muscle meat. Just like chicken wings, legs and thighs and beef. The more work a muscle does, the more taurine it has. Which is important for dogs, cats and people.