Best video ive seen yet. Thank you for giving me a little peice of mind with pet foods. I have been spinning my wheels and trying to make a decision on my dogs food. His former owner fed him pedigree. I am trying to switch to purina pro sensitive skin and stomach. His fur a little dry and i was hoping tge slow switch will help him.
Love it! Thank you Glen for finally educating and helping me in chosing the right food for my furry babies! So Science Diet is a go for me, hoping that my very finicky cat will like it! Cheers from Canada!😻
I’ve been giving IAMS Mini Chunks to my miniature terrier mix since I rescued him at 2 yrs old. He’s 14 now and I’ve not had any health issues at all and is still very active/energetic. Hops into our laps from the ground with ease, chases my border collie mix in the yard, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I swear by the stuff, other foods (especially blue buffalo) give them bad gas and upset stomachs. They also like eating IAMS over it lol. Highly recommend, it’s been extremely consistent over 12 yrs
Love the information that you provide that no other resource that I know of has. Can you find the numbers on Open Farm? I can’t find more than the basic numbers (same stuff that’s on the bag).
Warren, good to have you here. Yes, the FIC is great. It’s nice hearing people with much more smarts and extras experience confirming what I have been taught and believe. So many voices saying so many different things.
For the first time in 40 years, AAFCO is changing the ingredient labels on pet food. The new labels will require actual numbers, the same as on human food. For the first time, carbohydrates must be listed. Which is important as dogs and especially cats, don't need carbs. The downside to this? Pet food companies have SIX YEARS to implement the changes! LOL
Do you have a pdf or other document showing your comparisons of all the different foods you've talked about up to date? It would be amazing to see side by side comparisons of all of the vital information you look at to judge the quality of each dog food and price per pound. Thanks so much for making these videos!
I would have your vet call theHills Vet line and ask which diet would be best. Obviously sodium becomes a concern and Hills has plenty of lower sodium diets but they can discuss your pups individual case and recommend the best option, whether Prescription Diet or Science Diet. Pleas let me know what is decided!
I just bought Pro Plan 30/20 Sport because I have to feed a high calorie dry dog food for my 1 year old skinny dog because he will only eat 2 cups daily maximum (he isn’t food motivated at all). I noticed high calorie/sporting dog foods are very expensive.
I was impressed when I finally looked at the Iams dog and cat foods so I expect their Euk is good as well. Just remember it’s 20% fat so a pretty high calorie food.
Thanks for the informative video. I was suckered in by the other youtubers telling me I had to spend a fortune to feed my dog. Tried spot and tango for 4 months. She still scratches and has smelly paws and bad breath. I am about to transition to Hill's sensitive stomach and skin. Hoping that helps.
Excessive phosphorus and calcium is harmful to kidneys over time and can increase risk of stones. It’s high because the meat sources are low in quality, full of bone, hair, hoof, dirt, etc.
Is there a simple way to work out the nutrient levels from the packaging? Mine mentions protein and calcium in the ‘analytical constituents’ panel but only as percentages - it doesn’t mention phosphorus at all!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy thanks. The website sadly just repeats what’s on the packaging - which I’m now learning is largely BS! … should have mentioned that I’m in the U.K. so the rules about what they have to tell us may be different. This is for a relatively new insect based kibble (long story!!) so there’s very little reliable info out there.
Hi Glen, I was wondering if you could do a video to compare the grocery store cat food: brands: Purina One Adult Cat versus Iams Adult Cat. Just wondering if the results would be as interesting as the dog's food of the same brands. Thank you!
@@abnerruiz1848 I understand your point. In my videos after these first ones I switch to nutrient dry matter basis and compare them to the recommended optimal ranges. But when you compare this way the point of extremely high minerals dies in fact reveal lower quality ingredients and less precision. I think you’ll like the newer comparisons though. Thanks for the feedback. I try and be as helpful as I can.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuyAwesome. Good to know that those numbers are on a dry matter basis. What are the optimal levels though? I was a tad confused being that I didn’t know what are those optimal levels. In other words if those are the dry matter numbers, is there a cap? Is there a minimum where it should land? I don’t know if I am explaining myself correctly 😊
Animal Doc Rea shows the parameters in most of her videos. Also, the "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition" book, has tables that list the parameters. It is available online for free.
It’s been a few years now but I fix a slide on Dog Chow, ONE, ProPlan and I remember showing vets there was little difference. Which is consistent with Purina’s position that they are all good. It just depends where you want to buy your food. Kinda lame answer but it’s what they always say.
I have been trying to get average analysis on an as fed basis from Purina for a variety of their Dog Chow without success. The only thing I learned is they are not doing any Animal feeding tests on Dog Chow currently. @@PetFoodPuzzleGuy
I’ve noticed you or doctor rea have not looked into Royal Canin very much. They seem to take a slightly different approach to nutrition than purina or science hill. They added marigold extract in 2016. I also believe their calcium and phosphorus levels may be the lowest of any of the foods you’ve covered. I would be really interested to see you dive into their nutrition profiles and I believe their breed specific nutrition could be the next evolution of dog food. The added nutrients to help avoid certain health issues that certain breeds are vulnerable to is ahead of the game in my opinion.
Thanks for the reminder! RC used to put their wellness diets in their vet product book but today I realized they don’t anymore. And I couldn’t find actual nutrient levels on their website so I will call tomorrow and try and get some. I did do a comparison on RCs urinary diet vs Hills but to be fair that is one of their worst diets. They do very well in GI and Derm diets. Their mineral levels are very controlled in their renal food but I’ll be surprised if their wellness diets are lower than Hills. We’ll see. My personal opinion, influenced by the nutritionists, is that breed specific diets are more marketing than science. It’s in fact very effective, just like Indoor Cat. People love to personalize things. I see them very much like Purina, capable of doing great research and producing great diets but influenced by marketing pressures. Those companies are huge and extremely profitable. Hills is tiny and self limits their distribution. With RC maintenance foods over $100 a bag at Petco, I find it hard to believe I’m going to find a nutrient level worth that! But again, thanks for the reminder! Next video!
@@itsbutters69 just guessing high quality low mineral beef is expensive and it is one of the highest allergens for dogs. But just guessing. Did you watch the Zignature video yet?
Lisa, no disrespect taken. It’s actually a question I should address once in awhile as new folks find me. I was a veterinary rep for hills Pet Nutrition for 34 years. Things were a little different back then. Research and researchers were a big deal. I was taught personally by the v board certified vet nutritionists who made the discoveries and produced the diets. To be honest, sorties when these folks presented to practicing vets the language would go above my pay grade since I wasn’t a vet, but most was understandable. Some of these guys were Rick stars line add Morris and Dr Osborne at MN. So for decades I was immersed in all this. Since a dog lover, what better job spending every day in vet clinics or lectures? I learned all I could about Purina and RC because I wanted to know which was best. During this tie pet food marketing discovered America’s love their pets more than most of their human family and the misinformation and manipulation started. In one of my first videos I go through the marketing changes I watched over the years. So now retired, it’s hard to let it go. I hate to see people shamed and confused, simply because they love their pet so much. So my purpose is at least to expose people to how they are manipulated so they can try and make the best decisions for their pets health. No, I’m not a vet, but most of the vets I’ve trained have trusted my knowledge and experience. I have bias like everyone but I try and stay true to the nutrients, since that’s what matters. But your question is very valid! It should be asked more of people sharing their opinions on UA-cam!
Why have you not been mentioning feeding trials anymore in your videos? Even if ProPlan has a bit more Ca and P than Hill's, if it is trialed, won't that make it safe?
Well, a few reasons. One, almost nine of them will have feeding trials. Two, looking at the mineral levels indicates meat quality and how healthy for the pet. Feeding trials are only ) months so the impact of the mineral excesses wouldn’t show up in blood work, unless they used renal patients. Feeding trials seem redundant to me fir companies line Purina, Hills, and RC, since they have been making trialed diets for decades. Only really unique formulas would it make sense, like vegetarian. For new companies with no experience, it makes more sense but hardly any new companies do anymore. And prescription diets GI way beyond feeding trials so pretty irrelevant with them.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy I understand that, yet Hill’s and ProPlan still perform feeding trials on most of their new OTC products. They have integrity and know where to spend their money.
What's really bewildering is that the 4 foods you compared all have the AAFCO "100% Complete Nutrition" statement. Are their standards THAT low and easy to meet? Maybe AAFCO should revamp their parameters to include tiers of quality instead of just saying "Complete Nutrition" for dogs.
Shooter, yes, the standards are that low. And it’s so confusing that food companies will say they exceed AAFCO standards. That sounds good but what it really means is they are excessive beyond the recommended maximums. So unhealthy and reveals low quality ingredients! It’s really sad!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy We've fed our Toy Poodles Iams Small Breed (green bag) seemingly forever and they've all lived past 16 yrs. The Vet said our dogs seemed to be in good health, at least until their systems started failing in old age. Now, based on your video, I'm tempted to start using Hill's.
Another dog food review. : / No comment on the meatless Blue Buffalo dry food. All of Blue's wet dog and cat food contains carrageenan. A possible carcinogen, that has been banned in the EU. The FDA still allows carrageenan in human and pet food.
Gail, many people have those same feelings but first of all, as the video explains, there’s a big difference in the quality of these four diets. Second, over processed garbage really is an inaccurate description, again, as the video explains.
But what levels am I looking for? You give the levels for protein in all. You said Iam’s was higher, but is it too high? Science diet is lower, but not deficient, but what is the ideal range? You then look at the calcium and phosphorus and can see that it is high in Pediugree, but do you want it that high or is that too high? I can see the comparison but is more better? What is the ideal range for these? Please give an ideal range as a basis for comparison otherwise the numbers don’t mean anything.
Sorry for the confusion. First of all there are no specific ranges in kcals that I know if. Dr Rea on her channel provides the ranges in Small Animal Nutrition in percentages. There is no gospel number but I love that the minerals, certain ones, reveal the quality of the diet. So since Science Diet is not deficient, and optimal according to their nutritionists, anything above that is getting excessive. Clearly some difference us fine, but as we’ve seen, the higher the protein the more excessive the minerals. Excess minerals can harm your pet over time. So my comparisons reveal who is formulating healthy nutrients and who is not. As in this video, my opinion of Iams was wrong. They appear almost as good as ProPlan! Or one could say they are providing good quality ingredients and nutrients at an affordable price. And what’s really frustrating is you have to call the company and many won’t tell you. So I’d say protein between 6 and 7.5 would be fine. And then I’d compare the calcium and phosphorus. By law, no one can be deficient so so far I have not found any lower than Science Diet, but we have definitely identified some bad ones. I hope that helps!
Best video ive seen yet. Thank you for giving me a little peice of mind with pet foods. I have been spinning my wheels and trying to make a decision on my dogs food. His former owner fed him pedigree. I am trying to switch to purina pro sensitive skin and stomach. His fur a little dry and i was hoping tge slow switch will help him.
Love it! Thank you Glen for finally educating and helping me in chosing the right food for my furry babies! So Science Diet is a go for me, hoping that my very finicky cat will like it! Cheers from Canada!😻
Thanks for another interesting video! I’d love to see some Royal Canin diets in some of these comparison reviews if you ever can :)
Yes. I need to include them in the next comparison!
I’ve been giving IAMS Mini Chunks to my miniature terrier mix since I rescued him at 2 yrs old. He’s 14 now and I’ve not had any health issues at all and is still very active/energetic. Hops into our laps from the ground with ease, chases my border collie mix in the yard, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I swear by the stuff, other foods (especially blue buffalo) give them bad gas and upset stomachs. They also like eating IAMS over it lol. Highly recommend, it’s been extremely consistent over 12 yrs
Rugby, thanks for sharing! Awesome! Can’t ask for more than that!
Was going to go with Purina ONE, but it looks like I'll be going with IAMS for now. Great video!
Another great thought provoking video!
You should just make a chart and rank the dog food in order for us to see
Love the information that you provide that no other resource that I know of has. Can you find the numbers on Open Farm? I can’t find more than the basic numbers (same stuff that’s on the bag).
Thanks for the encouraging words. I will try and check out Open Farm.
Great video. I listen to people with knowledge. You and doc rea.
Warren, good to have you here. Yes, the FIC is great. It’s nice hearing people with much more smarts and extras experience confirming what I have been taught and believe. So many voices saying so many different things.
Is Purina Proplan urinary cat food good for senior as well as adults
This was extremely helpful, thank you!!!
Looking forward to your next dog food videos and the one on the Jinx products 😃
Thanks very much 🐾
For the first time in 40 years, AAFCO is changing the ingredient labels on pet food. The new labels will require actual numbers, the same as on human food. For the first time, carbohydrates must be listed. Which is important as dogs and especially cats, don't need carbs. The downside to this? Pet food companies have SIX YEARS to implement the changes! LOL
Wow! Maybe you and I will still be around then! Would be interesting!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy And at the end of the six years, how many compainies ask for an extension!
Cats and wolves eat the insides of pray full of carbs and fiber though.....
Any chance you can review Purina one adult food in a video?
Do you have a pdf or other document showing your comparisons of all the different foods you've talked about up to date? It would be amazing to see side by side comparisons of all of the vital information you look at to judge the quality of each dog food and price per pound. Thanks so much for making these videos!
I don’t have a list. Sorry!
Confused about yeast in dog food, good or bad
It's ok. I have to shop for my food at WM, too. 😊
Can you review farmina, Fromm, rawz, rawbble
Hi Glen,what is a good kibble for a 13 year old Yorkie he was diagnosed with CHF last month.
I would have your vet call theHills Vet line and ask which diet would be best. Obviously sodium becomes a concern and Hills has plenty of lower sodium diets but they can discuss your pups individual case and recommend the best option, whether Prescription Diet or Science Diet. Pleas let me know what is decided!
Do you have a video comparing Science Diet adult line?
@@TiffanyFitzgerald-c8q no, but I should do that! Thanks!
I just bought Pro Plan 30/20 Sport because I have to feed a high calorie dry dog food for my 1 year old skinny dog because he will only eat 2 cups daily maximum (he isn’t food motivated at all).
I noticed high calorie/sporting dog foods are very expensive.
I know a few people in the industry who use it and are very happy with it.
What are your thoughts on Eukanuba?
I was impressed when I finally looked at the Iams dog and cat foods so I expect their Euk is good as well. Just remember it’s 20% fat so a pretty high calorie food.
Thanks for the informative video. I was suckered in by the other youtubers telling me I had to spend a fortune to feed my dog. Tried spot and tango for 4 months. She still scratches and has smelly paws and bad breath. I am about to transition to Hill's sensitive stomach and skin. Hoping that helps.
David, allergies, even good sensitivities are tough to manage. Yeah, fancy marketing isn’t the answer. I hope the new diet helps!
Please clarify, is the high calcium and phosphorus better , or lower calcium and phosphorus better ?
Excessive phosphorus and calcium is harmful to kidneys over time and can increase risk of stones. It’s high because the meat sources are low in quality, full of bone, hair, hoof, dirt, etc.
Is there a simple way to work out the nutrient levels from the packaging? Mine mentions protein and calcium in the ‘analytical constituents’ panel but only as percentages - it doesn’t mention phosphorus at all!
Stephen, the bags will never have actual dry matter percentages. Some websites have them otherwise you have to call the company or email them.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy thanks. The website sadly just repeats what’s on the packaging - which I’m now learning is largely BS! … should have mentioned that I’m in the U.K. so the rules about what they have to tell us may be different. This is for a relatively new insect based kibble (long story!!) so there’s very little reliable info out there.
Hi Glen, I was wondering if you could do a video to compare the grocery store cat food: brands: Purina One Adult Cat versus Iams Adult Cat. Just wondering if the results would be as interesting as the dog's food of the same brands. Thank you!
For me you’re not showing the parameters. Where should the levels fall? What is the minimum and maximum level for adults
@@abnerruiz1848 I understand your point. In my videos after these first ones I switch to nutrient dry matter basis and compare them to the recommended optimal ranges. But when you compare this way the point of extremely high minerals dies in fact reveal lower quality ingredients and less precision. I think you’ll like the newer comparisons though. Thanks for the feedback. I try and be as helpful as I can.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuyAwesome. Good to know that those numbers are on a dry matter basis. What are the optimal levels though? I was a tad confused being that I didn’t know what are those optimal levels. In other words if those are the dry matter numbers, is there a cap? Is there a minimum where it should land? I don’t know if I am explaining myself correctly 😊
Animal Doc Rea shows the parameters in most of her videos. Also, the "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition" book, has tables that list the parameters. It is available online for free.
Hills it’s better ?
Simply....yes.
I’m feeding Fina right now but here in Canada it’s about nine dollars a pound crazy pricey
I wonder how Purina Dog chow compares to these foods, otherwise a great educational video.
It’s been a few years now but I fix a slide on Dog Chow, ONE, ProPlan and I remember showing vets there was little difference. Which is consistent with Purina’s position that they are all good. It just depends where you want to buy your food. Kinda lame answer but it’s what they always say.
I have been trying to get average analysis on an as fed basis from Purina for a variety of their Dog Chow without success. The only thing I learned is they are not doing any
Animal feeding tests on Dog Chow currently. @@PetFoodPuzzleGuy
I’ve noticed you or doctor rea have not looked into Royal Canin very much. They seem to take a slightly different approach to nutrition than purina or science hill. They added marigold extract in 2016. I also believe their calcium and phosphorus levels may be the lowest of any of the foods you’ve covered. I would be really interested to see you dive into their nutrition profiles and I believe their breed specific nutrition could be the next evolution of dog food. The added nutrients to help avoid certain health issues that certain breeds are vulnerable to is ahead of the game in my opinion.
Thanks for the reminder! RC used to put their wellness diets in their vet product book but today I realized they don’t anymore. And I couldn’t find actual nutrient levels on their website so I will call tomorrow and try and get some. I did do a comparison on RCs urinary diet vs Hills but to be fair that is one of their worst diets. They do very well in GI and Derm diets. Their mineral levels are very controlled in their renal food but I’ll be surprised if their wellness diets are lower than Hills. We’ll see. My personal opinion, influenced by the nutritionists, is that breed specific diets are more marketing than science. It’s in fact very effective, just like Indoor Cat. People love to personalize things. I see them very much like Purina, capable of doing great research and producing great diets but influenced by marketing pressures. Those companies are huge and extremely profitable. Hills is tiny and self limits their distribution. With RC maintenance foods over $100 a bag at Petco, I find it hard to believe I’m going to find a nutrient level worth that! But again, thanks for the reminder! Next video!
Nothing beats Hill's. RC nutrients are not as good
What about Kirkland dog food how does it compare?
I haven’t done a review but Dr Rea @AnimalDocRea has a video going go thru the whole line. You should check it out.
Glen, please help me make sense out info from Acana. How can I contact you?
GkMontana1979@gmail.com
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy email sent
I'm surprised SD has not come out with a beef mini kibble.
@@itsbutters69 just guessing high quality low mineral beef is expensive and it is one of the highest allergens for dogs. But just guessing. Did you watch the Zignature video yet?
I feed my german sheppard iams Large breed
No disrespect, what are your qualifications for this channel? Are you a vet?
Lisa, no disrespect taken. It’s actually a question I should address once in awhile as new folks find me. I was a veterinary rep for hills Pet Nutrition for 34 years. Things were a little different back then. Research and researchers were a big deal. I was taught personally by the v board certified vet nutritionists who made the discoveries and produced the diets. To be honest, sorties when these folks presented to practicing vets the language would go above my pay grade since I wasn’t a vet, but most was understandable. Some of these guys were Rick stars line add Morris and Dr Osborne at MN. So for decades I was immersed in all this. Since a dog lover, what better job spending every day in vet clinics or lectures? I learned all I could about Purina and RC because I wanted to know which was best. During this tie pet food marketing discovered America’s love their pets more than most of their human family and the misinformation and manipulation started. In one of my first videos I go through the marketing changes I watched over the years. So now retired, it’s hard to let it go. I hate to see people shamed and confused, simply because they love their pet so much. So my purpose is at least to expose people to how they are manipulated so they can try and make the best decisions for their pets health. No, I’m not a vet, but most of the vets I’ve trained have trusted my knowledge and experience. I have bias like everyone but I try and stay true to the nutrients, since that’s what matters. But your question is very valid! It should be asked more of people sharing their opinions on UA-cam!
Why have you not been mentioning feeding trials anymore in your videos? Even if ProPlan has a bit more Ca and P than Hill's, if it is trialed, won't that make it safe?
Well, a few reasons. One, almost nine of them will have feeding trials. Two, looking at the mineral levels indicates meat quality and how healthy for the pet. Feeding trials are only ) months so the impact of the mineral excesses wouldn’t show up in blood work, unless they used renal patients. Feeding trials seem redundant to me fir companies line Purina, Hills, and RC, since they have been making trialed diets for decades. Only really unique formulas would it make sense, like vegetarian. For new companies with no experience, it makes more sense but hardly any new companies do anymore. And prescription diets GI way beyond feeding trials so pretty irrelevant with them.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy I understand that, yet Hill’s and ProPlan still perform feeding trials on most of their new OTC products. They have integrity and know where to spend their money.
is he a vet?
Who Me?
Even science diet for mini’s is $5.50 a pound
What's really bewildering is that the 4 foods you compared all have the AAFCO "100% Complete Nutrition" statement. Are their standards THAT low and easy to meet? Maybe AAFCO should revamp their parameters to include tiers of quality instead of just saying "Complete Nutrition" for dogs.
Shooter, yes, the standards are that low. And it’s so confusing that food companies will say they exceed AAFCO standards. That sounds good but what it really means is they are excessive beyond the recommended maximums. So unhealthy and reveals low quality ingredients! It’s really sad!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy We've fed our Toy Poodles Iams Small Breed (green bag) seemingly forever and they've all lived past 16 yrs. The Vet said our dogs seemed to be in good health, at least until their systems started failing in old age. Now, based on your video, I'm tempted to start using Hill's.
@@EpiLover well, sounds like Iams has served you well.
Another dog food review. : / No comment on the meatless Blue Buffalo dry food. All of Blue's wet dog and cat food contains carrageenan. A possible carcinogen, that has been banned in the EU. The FDA still allows carrageenan in human and pet food.
I wouldn't feed any of the 4 you show. They're all over processed garbage.
Gail, many people have those same feelings but first of all, as the video explains, there’s a big difference in the quality of these four diets. Second, over processed garbage really is an inaccurate description, again, as the video explains.
Why not tell us the best dog food? Waste of time
Simple. Everyone is telling you that, whether it’s true or not or if they even believe it! It’s worthless to just join the crowd and tell you!
But what levels am I looking for? You give the levels for protein in all. You said Iam’s was higher, but is it too high? Science diet is lower, but not deficient, but what is the ideal range? You then look at the calcium and phosphorus and can see that it is high in Pediugree, but do you want it that high or is that too high? I can see the comparison but is more better? What is the ideal range for these? Please give an ideal range as a basis for comparison otherwise the numbers don’t mean anything.
I also would like to know this 🤷♀️… 😊
Sorry for the confusion. First of all there are no specific ranges in kcals that I know if. Dr Rea on her channel provides the ranges in Small Animal Nutrition in percentages. There is no gospel number but I love that the minerals, certain ones, reveal the quality of the diet. So since Science Diet is not deficient, and optimal according to their nutritionists, anything above that is getting excessive. Clearly some difference us fine, but as we’ve seen, the higher the protein the more excessive the minerals. Excess minerals can harm your pet over time. So my comparisons reveal who is formulating healthy nutrients and who is not. As in this video, my opinion of Iams was wrong. They appear almost as good as ProPlan! Or one could say they are providing good quality ingredients and nutrients at an affordable price. And what’s really frustrating is you have to call the company and many won’t tell you. So I’d say protein between 6 and 7.5 would be fine. And then I’d compare the calcium and phosphorus. By law, no one can be deficient so so far I have not found any lower than Science Diet, but we have definitely identified some bad ones. I hope that helps!
Do you have a video comparing Science Diet adult line?
No, but I really need to do that!