Kibble is bad just for one huge reason - it's processed! Processed foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. These ingredients make the food to taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Lacking in nutritional value. And just look at the ingredients. Lastly, I'm not sure if there's different stage-of-life foods from the these companies. But I know when you buy your first order from Farmer's Dog the ask how old your dog is, what their weight is, do they have any diseases, allergies, etc. - seems to be custom design but I could be wrong.
This is an excellent comment to help clarify something! The anti kibble marketers will say just what you said. No one can argue that the human food supply, at least in America, processes foods to simply taste better and even increase your craving for them, while adding all kinds of horrible things. High fructose corn syrup would be an example. So the smart marketing is to describe formulating a kibble as the same process. There’s a Dr Becker, a veterinarian who knows nothing about clinical nutrition and of course pushes raw, actually says kibble fir pets is the same as McDonals for people! Nothing could be further from the truth. Kibble can be made with all the animal and plant protein an animal needs to provide all the essential amino acids. It can contain the many vitamins and minerals in the most precise, optimal levels. It can provide high quality fats fir energy, skin and coat conditioning. It can provide optimal fiber (prebiotics) for GI health. Many are starting to add antioxidants, though few add enough to bd beneficial. The process is very different! The top board certified vet nutritionists and chemists formulate these diets to perform all kinds of results. Managing kidney disease, dissolving urinary stones, putting diabetes into remission, relieving arthritis pain, the list goes on…..all in a kibble form. (And canned too.) I actually did a video on Farmers Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom. I compared the actual nutrients the company provided. Farmers Dog won but you are correct that it is not a life stage food, which means by law it is high enough in nutrients to feed an eight week old puppy! That’s what you’re feeding ti your adult or senior dog! Nothing optimal or healthy about that. If I knew how I’d link my video here but you can go ti the Pet Food Puzzle Guy and find it there. I hope you do. Thanks for the opportunity to talked about the term processed!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy PLEASE let me know which dry kibble is this healthy. I'm dog-tired (pardon the pun) trying to search for a quality kibble. I do like kibble because it helps "scrub," the teeth. Although I still believe in regular dental cleanings our vet does. Thank you!
@@MidwestMotor well, I hate just recommending products but Science Diet is the diet I trust the most. Of course I know personally the nutritionists, past nutritionists who have retired like me, and most important the actual nutrient levels. There’s a reason most vets feed Science Diet to their own pets. I hate to disappoint you but dry really doesn’t clean teeth. I wish it did. Years ago canned food was extremely high in ingredients that produced plaque. Many vets could guess a dog was on canned. Now canned food is much more balanced so there is no difference. As a matter of fact, only Hills makes two diets which squeegee the tooth up to the gum line, removing plaque before it becomes tarter. Welcome to the channel!
For everyone watching these videos no matter what you're feeling your dogs you have to get out and exercise them. I don't care what you feed if you don't exercise them daily you are doing them a disservice. EXERCISE YOUR DOGS PEOPLE. GOOD VIDEO
I’ve learned a lot from your video. Being a new first time pet parent I want to provide the best food (healthiest) for my puppy but it has been overwhelming. So many products with so many conflicting messages. Your video has clarified for me that I have succumbed to marketing tactics and to influencers’ opinions. I’m still struggling to find a dog food that my picky puppy will like but at least I feel better equipped.
Morning Glenn and thanks again for all your work and compelling info. Since I’ve been changing from a raw diet for my 🐶 I’ve started with Ollie after watching Dr Rea’s review done for a client. I happened to find it and the Ollie Kibble at Petco. I know you get lots of request but was hoping you could add Ollie Kibble to list for review. Thanks
Hi Glenn, thank you for mentioning that "breed specific" diets such as the ones RC makes are just a marketing bait! I was concerned because I couldn't find the RC Cocker Spaniel" breed specific diet anymore, but now I feel better. You have sold me on Science Diet!
Ive used all 3 of these. In my opinion farmer's dog is the best I wasn't impressed with ollie or nom nom. But if I had to choose one of the two I would say Ollie. I have a 13-year-old lab that's fighting IMHA definitely noticed an improvement when he ate the farmer's dog. Now I feed him half farmer's dog half orijin original. Not excited about orijin being bought out though.
The FDA sates that Frosted Flakes, McDonalds and a whole lot of other questionable food items are safe to eat, but I am surely not going to rely on any one of them for staples in my diet. My dogs on Kibble, gain weight, have bad gas, dirty teeth, sleep all day and chew on their feet. I have tried many brands mostly the expensive recommended ones. After loosing a dog to diabetes and another to cancer, for good or bad, I now make my dogs food and have recently started supplementing with the farmers dog. I prefer home made but it is nice to have another option I am comfortable with when I am pressed for time. That is just my two cents anyway.
I have 2 dogs. First 13 year old mixed lab and Second - 7 yr Corgi-Jack mix. They are so bored and tired of their food. I say this because they used to gobble their food, but in the last 3-4 years they just are never excited to eat. They smell and walk away. Most days their morning food sits for 4-5 hr before they will eat 1/2 of it... I feed them Blue ... I've tried all of the different flavors, I've added a bit of topper etc. Sometimes I find something they will eat for 3 or 4 days and then, they stop wanting that too. So...I know nutrition is important - what about desire to eat? What's yummy to a dog? Is it okay to mix up the foods for variety? Both of my dogs are a healthy lean weight but it is enjoyable for humans to see their dogs LOVE to eat - that's just a natural desire. I even cooked up ground chicken or salmon or something to add to their food. But again... after 5-7 days they start not wanting that either.
I always had big dogs, grateful for any food. My two little ones now are very finicky. I add boiling water to their dry, let it cook, and they love it. So I do that pretty regularly and then they eat their dry better. I add cooked egg sometimes too. But they’re going to eat what I think is best for them.
One issue I have with kibble is the meat can be from sick, dying or dead animals. That can’t be good in any way. I like the fresh food is human grade meat.
Stephanie, yes the minimum standard for most ingredients is dismally poor. You’re talking about 4D meat. But think about it. If a food company was using such low quality meat sources, there would be other items in that meat source, such as hair, hoof, beaks, feathers,etc. which is actually much more common than 4D meat. And that would show up in the mineral content of the food, namely calcium and phosphorus. So that’s how a food company can promote appealing ingredients yet why do these companies with human grade ingredients have such excessive mineral levels? Those excessive mineral levels can be very harmful to your dog or cat, especially as they age. So your issue is a valid one but human grade meat doesn’t mean optimal nutrients either. Hope that clarifies a bit. Other videos go into it more. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you for that explanation. We just started farmers dog and are hoping to see a difference. We have 2 dogs, one eats great and is 4. The other has stopped wanting the kibble and is 9 with Cushings disease. We’ve had to entice him by mixing wet food and toppers. So we are hoping this change will help. We’ve also noticed all of our dogs have died from cancer and the only common thing we can think is the food which has always been kibble. As a child our dogs lived to 15+ but in the last 20 years they haven’t made it past 10. It gets us thinking why and what changes have been made possibly to the food to cause it? They get their regular vet checks, aren’t over weight and have all their shots. Being a pet parent is tricky trying to make the best choices for them.
@@stephaniehetzerso sorry for your losses. I wish we had a simple answer to cancer, both animal and human. Our last Berner we list to cancer, but she was a month short of 13 and her blood work was perfect. But I agree before age 10 is tragic. I appreciate your commitment to your pups. That’s why I started my channel. I hope you’ll learn some new insights from my videos.
I purchased Royal canin kibble for my new Jack Russell puppy thinking by the brand name it was a high-quality food but was disgusted when I saw the ingredient label... Chicken by-product meal, Brewers rice, wheat, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, natural flavors... The number 2 ingredient by weight is a low nutrient filler, Brewers rice which is a very low nutrient value filler, it's the left over white rice pieces not fit for human consumption... And other ingredients I would consider horrible for a dog...wheat, corn gluten, corn, wheat gluten, vegetable oil... I was like WTF!!! Still searching for the best alternative for my Jack Russell puppy. TC in Annapolis MD
For a puppy, there are many foods out there that are good. Animal Doc Rea just did a multi-part series of videos on every Farmina N&D variety. Many of them received good scores. Another high scoring brand is Simply Nourish. It is PetSmart's own brand. You can check them out on her YT channel.
I have a question about the Orijen review. I called Orijen and they told me that they have had their dog food go through feeding trials. However, not all of their foods. Like the one I’m feeding my puppy which is their large breed puppy kibble with grains. They couldn’t they said that the affco feeding trials take 5 years and that’s why not all of their foods have had the trials. Does this sound accurate to you? It seems they would say that in their nutrition profile.
I am trying to do a review on Dr Marty’s but his website offers no actual nutrient levels. I’m not surprised since he is not a nutritionist or even a veterinarian but a great self promoter. I did find a phone number so I will call and try and get some real nutritional info. I see a 5 lb bag is almost $40. Not surprised!
We tried the smaller, introductory bag of Dr. Marty’s. Our dog, who loves all food, also loved Dr. Marty’s. One thing kept us looking for something better- the fact that this dehydrated food had a shelf life of OVER ONE YEAR! We were sure we could do better & are very happy w/the Farmers dog. Farmers is also the only one of the 3 reviewed, that is certified Human Grade. If you think that’s just not a big deal, you should see how different the criteria are for getting certified to be designated as Human Grade! Mostly, we were horrified at the lax ( pretty horrid actually), requirements . in place for preparing & selling dog food. Look it up….When my grandkids ate the whole package of Farmers Training Treats, I didn’t have to worry! Made w/only 3 ingredients- Beef-Apples- Salt, and in a kitchen clean enough to supply a restaurant, we knew we were safe. I did get half of a stick the kids left behind, & have to say it was really delicious!
Hi I love your videos. Our vet recommended royal canin, purina pro, the farmers dog or homemade. In researching farmers dog, they seem to formulate based on size and age. I didn’t find that they were all life stages. Maybe they’ve changed since this video.
Excellent video! 30 min of pure logic and no BS. Excited to see the senior video! I wonder if these companies specifically request that the board certified veterinary nutritionist formulate all life stage diets instead of asking them to create diets for every life stage. I also notice that many companies twist their words to mean that they have a board certified veterinary nutritionist as a staff member when in reality they merely consult with one who checks the diets to see if they're complete and balanced.
@PetFoodPuzzleGuy could you give me the dry matter percentages for the chicken and grains in The Farmers Dog, for calcium and phosphorus? All Values Are Expressed As-Fed Chicken and Grain Protein: 9.3% Fat: 6.92% Fiber: 0.29% Carbs: 10.27% Calcium: 0.5% Phosphorus: 0.4% Moisture 74.5% Thanks!
Just found you channel. It was refreshing to see another point of view of kibble vs gently cooked food. I would have to say loved to see you compare nutritional value of these brands as I was deciding between 2 of the companies Famers Dog and Ollie for my 11 month old Mini Aussie Blossom. However I do think that not ALL KIBBLE is created equally and MANY brands of kibble are horrific for our pets. So many companies have had recalls used horrific ingredients for our dogs to eat and many times when there is a recall not accepting responsibility. So personally I will go the gentle cooked food route. As far as the "meat meal" argument yes beef liver is considered beed meal however many companies will put been liver on the ingredients list if its in their food cause no one wants to put meat meal on the bag cause they know consumers know what that means. So yes chicken liver and beef liver ect is considered "meat meal" however so is many other horrific pieces of an animal that no one should be eating and many of those things end up in our dogs kibble.
that's the frustrating thing. The ingredient definitions are so vague that you really don't know what you're getting. That's why the nutrient profile really is the best and really only way to judge a food.
Personally all three are equal. But what is the most obvious to me is how excited they are during meal time. They were always looking forward to their meal time. But now its a different level of excitement. For that reason alone. Im staying with fresh food
I'm curious on your thoughts on Balance It and Just Food For Dog's nutrient blends that are intended for use in recipes that you cook at home - it's quite similar to these three brands, but much more niche and perhaps more budget friendly.
Not familiar with them but if they’re a recipe I’d want to see their actual nutrient profile. The real issue with recipes is how accurate are they and how easy to follow. Hills used to produce recipes for all their prescription diets till vets reported clients weren’t following them very well. They stopped, realizing pets weren’t getting the proper nutrients.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Balance It involves adding a powdered mix containing minerals and vitamins for various recipes that revolve around mainly just one protein source and one grain source (with optional additions of fruits and vegetables). They indeed have a nutrient profile that they produce for any recipe that they produce on their website based on what ingredients you want to include within the recipe. The issue I can think of is that because they use one powdered mix for a variety of recipes - so in some cases you have a possibility excess of certain minerals or vitamin in certain recipes. The nutrient profile is pretty comprehensive, as far as dog food tends to be, so I think you'd find it interesting. As for Just Food For Dogs' recipes, I'm not sure where you can find the nutrient breakdown - but their recipes are a bit stricter and there's only a handful of recipes available. Perhaps they respond to emails?
@@onejaelee7044 I agree with you that there could be excessive minerals with certain recipes but I guess if they are accurate at telling you how much meat etc to use, the excesses might be minimal….especially compared to the boutique foods with really bad excesses!
I have some balance it on hand but I’ve moved away from it. You use a lot of powder per batch and then it’s very specific with regards to random grams of each ingredient. Further it was salty! For a home made food already pretty moist the dogs were chugging water on it. Now I have leftover powder that I doubt I’ll use.
I’m still trying to find a fresh food home delivered with actual optimal nutrients but so far nothing. Since we have Chewy all food can be home delivered so that’s not an issue.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuyI had to cancel Farmers Dog due to price. Trying to make my own yet grocery store & raw food stores are just as expensive. It’s about $350 I think Q 2wks
You worked for Hills so I have a question. I have been feeding my my dog the senior vitality, which is a bit more then standard senior. I noticed they used peas. I thought peas and lentils were what contributed to heart disease in dogs for grain free, are peas safe if is not the large among in grain free? Might go with the standard senior hills next time
@@Montessori_Motherhood the nutritionists wouldn’t use peas if they were a threat. I believe the Vitality has a much higher antioxidant package, the main benefit.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy I got Farmers dog before doing tons of research for one of their trials. I canceled it, but I have a lot of it left that wasn’t cheap. My dog seems to enjoy it, Do you think issuing a little daily as a topper until it’s gone would be problematic with the high vitamin just as a topper? My dog is 10
We raised 4 Berners on Science Diet Large Breed and they all did great! One passed a month shy of 13 years old. I did a video comparing a few large breed puppy foods.
Thanks for the review. I want to dig deeper regarding your last point -- adult food shouldn't be the same as puppy food. If my understanding is correct, you believe adult/senior food should be much more nutrient-dense than puppy food. However, based on the nutrition guidelines from AAFCO, NRC, and FEDIAF, most of the requirements of amino acids, minerals, and vitamin intake per unit for puppies are higher than that for adult dogs (some are even double the amount). Based on this fact, doesn't it mean that foods meeting the nutrition standards for all life stages should be healthier for adult dogs than for puppies because adult dogs' nutrition requirements are lower than puppies'? Thanks again.
So sorry for the confusion. Yes, puppy food is much higher in nutrients for the growth of the pup. Adult diets should start restricting those high levels the adult dog no longer needs. Sorry if I confused you! Just posted a video on the nutrients of senior foods!
One more thing.. you did say something about canned food not being any worse for teeth plaque... So is Hills SD canned as healthy as the kibble? Thanks
The myth that dry was better first teeth was kinda true a few decades ago. Canned food was very high and excessive in ingredients/nutrients that promoted plaque. Some old vets could look in a mouth and tell you if the dog ate canned. I remember those vets fondly. And Milkbone taught a whole generations that it cleaned teeth. Today we know dry food does not clean teeth any better than canned. It has more to do with the formula. Another reason to not have excessive minerals in the food.
Hi, I have a 5 month old 8 pound Shih Tzu and I have been feeding him Royal Canin dry kibble. He recently started rejecting the food (not sure if it's do to teething or not) I recently decided to try The Farmer's Dog which hasn't arrived yet. What are your thoughts? I just want the best for my pup, regardless of price. Please help... all suggestions are welcome
@@alicia4002 since your pup is a growing puppy all the Farmers Dog formulas are appropriate. At a year old I’d reconsider but if still doing well, it’s not a problem for a few years. Then I’d switch.
@timothymeans9618 I would say that’s because you’re listening to the Ingredientists who look at ingredients individually and don’t understand nutrition. You’re watching the best of marketing.
@timothymeans9618 well Tim, not going to argue with success! You're right! with enough time, seeing is believing.Thats much different than saying my dog likes the taste.I assume from your success longevity has been impressive and bloodwork has been normal in these dogs. Thats the real test. God bless you, but as you know most pet parents are not going to be that commited. i try to help them with the commercial stuff but have no problem with homecooking or raw, just whether its balanced or not.
I don't get mad when I see species specific by-products, such as chicken by-product, beef by-product, etc. What I will avoid is generic terms such as meat by-product because I want to know exactly what's in my pets' foods. What if my pet is allergic to chicken? I need to know if that meat by-product includes chicken! So if I see a food that says chicken liver, chicken heart, chicken lung, I'll pick that over a food simply labeled chicken by-product. Just a personal preference because it's easier to troubleshoot if my pets ends up having problems with a food.
That makes sense, at least if you’re trying to rule out allergy symptoms. It is amusing to me though how the same people who want to feed their dogs line a wolf, a scavenger that will eat almost anything they can get, get upset over the term by product and less than specific meats. Parts is parts if you’re a wolf! But your point is valid. But h fortunately AAFCO will never be helpful in determining what’s healthy for your pet.
I think it really comes down to a question of quality of life, we feed inmates and prisoners this stuff called nutraloaf as a form of punishment. Kibble might have all the nutritional value as fresh food, but- if you had a choice? When it comes to Breed specific diets- I have to strongly disagree there, There are some breeds that require more tailored nutrition than others, for example a retired racing Greyhound- is not going to do well on the same diet as a Golden Retriever! Some dog breeds have common medical issues like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels- are well known to have cardiac issues therefore a heart healthy diet might help your little Cavvie live a little longer. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.
@@JayS-bf3bv I appreciate your two cents and agree there are a few breeds where certain nutrients should be tweaked based on health risks. But that is more specific than the wide breed specifics offered by RC. People like seeing their dog on the bag! That probably has a lot to do with it.
I checked Earthblend website! I wouldn’t line the bottom of a bird cage with it( if I printed it). There’s so much BS in it, I think I need to do a video on it!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you so much. I thought so. I had my doubts when it's a "one size fits all" type of food, from puppy to adult to senior. But wanted to see your thoughts.
I know you recommend Hills but is there a close 2nd you would recommend? We have a 70lb 13 yo, and two 60lb dogs: 1 yo lab mix and 1 1/2 boxer mix. We feed them Purina One Adult /puppy. Just wondering if you have a more budget friendly food you could or would recommend?
Well, my first thought is the 13 yr old. I would do a basic senior panel on him and see how kidneys and everything is doing. Don’t get fancy and expensive, just the basics. If his blood values are good a good like Purina ONE is fine. I live SD Senior but it has gotten expensive. But again, not critical if bloodwork is good. It’s time to get your other oils off puppy. Again, Purina ONE is a good food for the price. And I just did a video and Iams Chunks was surprisingly good at a low price. I think it’s my video on ‘Is More Expensive Healthier? Something like that! I was surprised
You know what’s insane? I literally talk to clients about how natural skincare is marketing and how fun packaging doesn’t mean a scientifically valid product (I’m an esthetician). Yet I bought all this marketing BS hook, line and sinker 🤦♂️
@@goneburgers1709 curious what you read that indicated Fromm was so bad. Haven’t looked at it in years but was a good company years ago. I went to the Carna4 website. I couldn’t find any nutrient levels so will have to call them.
I tried Carna4 but the food was like rocks!! I was honestly worried my dog was gonna crack a tooth on them :/ and they did not soak well either. My cat, the little drama Queen, was actually picking her Carna4 pieces out and throwing them on the floor lol. Not sure what was up with that, because I’ve tried “baked” foods for my pets before and none of them were rocks like Carna4
well, between these 3 Farmer's Dog wins but as I say at the end, even it is too high in nutrients since all their formulas are ALL LIFE STAGE, which means they are puppy food! with all those supposed great ingredients if they can't deliver optimal nutrients, why would I choose it?
There are no such studies. I did ask a board certified nutritionist last month the same thing and she said she knows of none. The mistake raw proponents make is they just look at individual ingredients. If I look at raw meat, I can test amino acid and vitamin bioavailability and digestibility. Now I cook it and can say there’s slight degeneration of amino acids and certain depletion of certain vitamins…. So raw meat is superior! But if we are formulating a complete diet offering a total combination of ingredients to deliver specific nutrients, we simply add more of that protein source or add additional alternate protein sources like egg or soy, etc. we also need to not just cook the meat but carbs like corn that offer digestible protein, fatty acids, fiber, need to be cooked correctly to be bioavailable. And offering protein is great but the formula has to be controlled in certain minerals like phosphorus, potentially harmful for compromised kidneys, and meat can be very high in. Lol! So you see there’s more to it!
@@bautista929 not that she was aware. It’s difficult to show differences in results with healthy pets. Studies and even obvious results are much easier with sick animals and therapeutic diets. I believe a raw diet or a kibble diet would be indistinguishable if one was just testing digestibility and nutrients bioavailability when testing the finished product. Would simply depend on the company’s standards and expertise.
I understand the logic for humans is that the more " processed" the food the less healthy it is. From your perspective would this logic also apply to cat and dog food ?
@@bautista929 I really need to do a video on this topic. We all know human processed food has one purpose… provide convenient good taste! Everyone knows, from fast food to all those yummy snack foods near check out, it’s horrible ingredients, terrible preservatives, artificial colors, mystery meat that at least in the US isn’t really meat! Etc etc! But it all tastes great and that is it’s purpose. Now compare that to the top board certified vet nutritionists and chemists formulating a dry food with all the various ingredients available, to deliver an optimal balance of not only protein, carbs and fat but even all the micro nutrients including vitamins and minerals. Knowing which ingredients act on each other and how long and what temperatures ingredients have to be cooked at to either become more bioavailable or to replace nutrients list in cooking. Does that sound like the processing of McDonalds or TastyCake? Those selling their own diets or their books always use the term ultra processed. It’s great marketing but it’s not just misleading, but a flat lie. It’s tough being a loving pet parent these days. Everyone wants to use your love to rip you off!
I have tried all these dog food my dogs hate Nom Nom they are picky dachshunds they got sick of Farmer’s dog the best is Ollie or Just for dogs. I’m gonna try The pet table and Evermore and Nextrition which is air dried not like nom nom, Ollie or Farmer’s dog. I also tried Darwin I had to cook on the stove for my dogs with butter lol
Have you tried Happy Howl? My Chorkie is a bit picky sometimes. I feed her Purina Pro Plan small bites shredded beef and put small dollops of Happy Howl (it's like Farmer's Dog and Ollie etc), on top and mush it around. It's cheaper in the long run since 1 container will last her 5 days. Of course, she is VERY active and is like a hopped up energizer bunny and I'm sure she is getting a bit more than she really needs, but at 1 yr old and having that high of an energy level, she probably burns it off LOL!
The data is out there that contradicts what this guy is saying. I'm detecting real Baby Boomer vibes that "I hate everything I don't understand" mentality. How out of touch with society do you have to be to not know the term "nom nom" (the sound cookie monster made while demolishing cookies) This guy sounds like he has animosity because they didn't offer fresh delivered dog food in his day.
One thing for sure is that the human race is suffering from much more disease related directly to diet. Pets are getting more and more disease, and shorter lifespans, even though the dry foods we’re feeding them are said to be nutritionally healthier than in the past. So if kibble is healthy, then what is making our pets sicker and sicker? Like humans, dogs have zero requirement for carbohydrates, yet most of the kibble foods are loaded with carbohydrates. Looks like the plan is working cause now they’ve got us all confused (and scared)as heck. I’ve resorted to finding the kibble containing quality ingredients, mostly meat, and also adding a high quality raw diet with varying ingredients.
N2daair23, great thoughtful comments. We can all agree humans are eating more junk processed foods and suffering from disease like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. can’t even argue that. With modern busy family life there aren’t many home cooked meals like years ago. Pets suffer from obesity for sure and research proves it is from overconsumption… not fat, not carbs. We show our love by feeding too much and little exercise too. I don’t believe their lifespans are now shorter. I have no stars but spending 34 years every day in a few hundred clinics across the country, most vets are seeing longer life spans, which of course means more age related disease, including cancer. When I joined Hills in 1988 many grocery foods were pretty unbalanced. No one except me in my job looked at magnesium levels in cat foods or protein in dog food, but the nutritionists trained me well. I can tell you even the cheapest foods today are usually much better than foods in the 80s. They had no choice but to improve as nutrition became more well known. Now sadly, tragically, we have gone full circle and the pet food marketers have convinced caring pet parents that high protein is actually healthy and carbs like corn is bad. There is no nutritional basis for such claims but now it’s all about selling expensive pet food. You ask what is making pets sucker and sicker? Well, who knows how we’re corrupting our water and food supply!?! Pets and people included. Look at allergies! When I wax a kid there was that one dweeb in the class with his inhaler for allergies. Today it’s half the class. Vets see the same thing with dogs and cats! The simple fact is we have allowed the pet food markets to get us looking at ingredients, something they can control and manipulate, rather than asking what the nutrient levels are. It’s hard and expensive to formulate a consistent diet of optimal nutrients! Most don’t do it! So I do believe we will see more kidney disease and urinary stones from all these new so called fresh foods with real whole ingredients because their nutrient levels are horrible. Want proof? lol at the nutritional statement… All Life Stages! That includes the high levels needed for puppies and kittens. Those levels are excessive and dangerous for adult, worse yet, senior pets. But the industry doesn’t care because they’re making too much money. And they have done a great job of demonizing the few companies doing all the research and formulating amazing therapeutic diets! Yes, it drives me nuts and breaks my heart.I almost don’t want to ask what kibble you’re feeding, believing it has high quality ingredients. You said it’s mostly meat, yet you’re adding more meat. That’s protein you are adding and your pup can only use so much. It can’t store it for another day. It has to be broken down by the liver and kidneys and eventually turned to energy. A simpler easier way to provide energy would be with fat and carbs, reducing the workload on those kidneys. That’s important if your dog is geriatric and in the earliest stages of kidney disease. Sorry foff RC this long comment but sitting on the porch with my two dogs with a beer, watching the sun starting to head behind the mountains.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Overconsumption? I feed my cats three or four times a day. When they act hungry, I feed them. They have between a 4 or 5 on the Body Condition Score. Feeding fresh food, with organic minerals and nutrients keeps them the lean hunters cats are meant to be. Not overweight couch potatoes, filled with grain and carbs. Since I started eating the same food as my cats, I have lost 15 pounds. And my bloodwork (three weeks ago) is perfect.
I’ll check it out but whenever Dr. Becker is involved I know it’s pseudo science and philosophy, not science. There’s plenty of self promoters these days. I try and believe they are sincere but…
I actually like the guy. I think he needs to work more with actual nutritionists. His one comment that the companies he talked with and visited were not interested in micronutrients is just the opposite of what I experienced with Hills. With the Hills nutritionists, who I talk with often, it’s all about the micronutrients.
Wow! A veterinarian, we both know, is not so openly cynical in her reviews. When mars bought NN, they immediately quit making cat food. I wonder what else they cut? (I can't say product names or UA-cam deletes my comment.) Some positive comments starting at 20:05! LOL Home made food, with a supplement package, or added individually, is much healthier and cheaper, than any of these three. Notice, I made this comment without mentioning my cats once! 😄
No, me either. But unless you’re involved in the last 7 decades of history you probably haven’t read about board certified vet nutritionists researching and formulating complete diets that manage kidney disease or hypertension, o RC diets that dissolve urinary stone, almost eliminating a certain surgery, or diets that activate an obese pet’s metabolism, or help manage their allergies or relieve the pain of arthritis. Nature doesn’t offer such benefits. In fact, what a wild animal is able to fetch in the wild is pretty irrelevant to modern nutrition science. In fact, there’s not even geriatrics in nature, nevermind therapeutic nutrition.
Careful, corn is popular around here. You would think Caitlin Clark picked it herself. LOL 🎶"The corn is as high as an elephant's eye; And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin'; Oh, what a beautiful day" 🎶 Rodgers and Hammerstein
If i would feed my pregnant females kibble they would've had to eat 6 1/2 cups of food a day for a 55 pound dog meet the nutritional needs according to my NRC guidelines book. There's no way my dogs could eat that even if they wanted to they would die from cotton mouth
Well, you would feed puppy food during the last trimester. That amount of food seems a bit high. I had a Bernese Mountain dog male, exactly 100 lbs. the bag said 5-7 cups. He maintained perfect weight on 4 cups. The amts to feed are just a guideline.
Yes it was all life stages I was feeding till I was more educated in feeding a raw food diet. You know wayyyyy to much about nutrition to just dismiss the benefits of a fresh food diet. BUT I'LL KEEP WATCHING GREAT VIDEO
@@thoroughbredbullterriers9039 I am honestly trying hard to not dismiss fresh feeding. It may very well be a great option. But my main purpose, my lane, is fighting against the lies against kibble and canned. That’s where my videos so appeal to fresh/raw feeders because the industry is so dishonest! I didn’t expect that! Lol! I am good with lots of perspectives, but hate dishonesty!
@@thoroughbredbullterriers9039 trying not to ignore any comments but as I said elsewhere, if you had a sound recipe from real board certified vet nutritionists, and you’re buying the ingredients yourself, what could be better? Just understand I’m here for the people who aren’t going to do anything but dry or canned.
Yes, and a little brown ball can’t possibly provide nutrition. It looks like little burnt brown balls so it must be! Let’s not look any deeper. I see you used Bible in your name. As a student of the scriptures imagine a Mormon or a JW coming to your door with all those verses they like to use. It sounds very compelling and convincing if you don’t have a knowledge of the scriptures. The same is true with false deceptive marketing. I have 34 years of experience and knowledge so I can see the error. Maybe that helps you understand my position.
@@faru6 well it’s hard to believe I’m doing all this and no one is paying me! I guess it’s just in my blood now after so many years. I hate seeing people who love their pets like I do get so confused, and frustrated over what to feed their beloved pet. Or even be happy spending a fortune on a food that’s not as healthy as even Dog Chow in the grocery store. Clearly you don’t agree with me. That’s cool. You’re not the first, especially on social media!
@@faru6 oh, well that’s easy. Yes. But if you choose to feed your pup a homemade diet just make sure you obtain a healthy recipe from a credentialed nutritionist. Same if you are a raw proponent. My channel is not here to argue with those who oppose kibble. I am here for those like me that are going to feed kibble and/or canned and how to evaluate and choose the healthiest, rather than buy into the marketing. I could try and convince you that your opinion of processed food is based on listening to the wrong people, but instead I just try and make videos based on facts, realizing I must have some bias like you and everyone else, based on my 34 years of working with diets..
Since you seem to be an expert on pet food. Have you ever noticed that a cat will eat dog food but a dog won't but a dog will eat cat food a dog will actually drink out of a catfish before it drinks out of its own the same with the cat will drink out of the dog's dish before it drinks out of its own has any of you know it all people ever realize that
@@Pleasegoaway2024 well, since I have never lived with dogs and cats just really am not qualified to state an opinion on that. But I’m sure other folks on this channel are more qualified. Personally, I would prefer a healthy diet that my dog accepted over an unhealthy diet he loved eating. Same is true with myself, my kids and my grandkids. Thanks for the interesting comment!
Kibble is bad just for one huge reason - it's processed! Processed foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. These ingredients make the food to taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Lacking in nutritional value. And just look at the ingredients. Lastly, I'm not sure if there's different stage-of-life foods from the these companies. But I know when you buy your first order from Farmer's Dog the ask how old your dog is, what their weight is, do they have any diseases, allergies, etc. - seems to be custom design but I could be wrong.
This is an excellent comment to help clarify something! The anti kibble marketers will say just what you said. No one can argue that the human food supply, at least in America, processes foods to simply taste better and even increase your craving for them, while adding all kinds of horrible things. High fructose corn syrup would be an example. So the smart marketing is to describe formulating a kibble as the same process. There’s a Dr Becker, a veterinarian who knows nothing about clinical nutrition and of course pushes raw, actually says kibble fir pets is the same as McDonals for people! Nothing could be further from the truth. Kibble can be made with all the animal and plant protein an animal needs to provide all the essential amino acids. It can contain the many vitamins and minerals in the most precise, optimal levels. It can provide high quality fats fir energy, skin and coat conditioning. It can provide optimal fiber (prebiotics) for GI health. Many are starting to add antioxidants, though few add enough to bd beneficial. The process is very different! The top board certified vet nutritionists and chemists formulate these diets to perform all kinds of results. Managing kidney disease, dissolving urinary stones, putting diabetes into remission, relieving arthritis pain, the list goes on…..all in a kibble form. (And canned too.) I actually did a video on Farmers Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom. I compared the actual nutrients the company provided. Farmers Dog won but you are correct that it is not a life stage food, which means by law it is high enough in nutrients to feed an eight week old puppy! That’s what you’re feeding ti your adult or senior dog! Nothing optimal or healthy about that. If I knew how I’d link my video here but you can go ti the Pet Food Puzzle Guy and find it there. I hope you do. Thanks for the opportunity to talked about the term processed!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy PLEASE let me know which dry kibble is this healthy. I'm dog-tired (pardon the pun) trying to search for a quality kibble. I do like kibble because it helps "scrub," the teeth. Although I still believe in regular dental cleanings our vet does. Thank you!
@@MidwestMotor well, I hate just recommending products but Science Diet is the diet I trust the most. Of course I know personally the nutritionists, past nutritionists who have retired like me, and most important the actual nutrient levels. There’s a reason most vets feed Science Diet to their own pets. I hate to disappoint you but dry really doesn’t clean teeth. I wish it did. Years ago canned food was extremely high in ingredients that produced plaque. Many vets could guess a dog was on canned. Now canned food is much more balanced so there is no difference. As a matter of fact, only Hills makes two diets which squeegee the tooth up to the gum line, removing plaque before it becomes tarter. Welcome to the channel!
I use their Oral diet for treats. The dogs love the big chunks and the teeth are looking good. But I brush and use a water additive.
@@MidwestMotorI feed my dogs Farmina and carna 4 they are great quality kibble but expensive
For everyone watching these videos no matter what you're feeling your dogs you have to get out and exercise them. I don't care what you feed if you don't exercise them daily you are doing them a disservice. EXERCISE YOUR DOGS PEOPLE. GOOD VIDEO
I just finished a video and ready to publish it… on Obesity. I couldn’t agree more! Exercise and staying a healthy weight. Nothing more important!
Amen to that!!!
Yes, I feel like most people don't walk their dogs. Especially in modern times because we are so sedentary.
I’ve learned a lot from your video. Being a new first time pet parent I want to provide the best food (healthiest) for my puppy but it has been overwhelming. So many products with so many conflicting messages. Your video has clarified for me that I have succumbed to marketing tactics and to influencers’ opinions. I’m still struggling to find a dog food that my picky puppy will like but at least I feel better equipped.
Glad it was helpful! I appreciate that!
Morning Glenn and thanks again for all your work and compelling info. Since I’ve been changing from a raw diet for my 🐶 I’ve started with Ollie after watching Dr Rea’s review done for a client. I happened to find it and the Ollie Kibble at Petco. I know you get lots of request but was hoping you could add Ollie Kibble to list for review. Thanks
Hi Glenn, thank you for mentioning that "breed specific" diets such as the ones RC makes are just a marketing bait! I was concerned because I couldn't find the RC Cocker Spaniel" breed specific diet anymore, but now I feel better. You have sold me on Science Diet!
Ive used all 3 of these. In my opinion farmer's dog is the best I wasn't impressed with ollie or nom nom. But if I had to choose one of the two I would say Ollie. I have a 13-year-old lab that's fighting IMHA definitely noticed an improvement when he ate the farmer's dog. Now I feed him half farmer's dog half orijin original. Not excited about orijin being bought out though.
The FDA sates that Frosted Flakes, McDonalds and a whole lot of other questionable food items are safe to eat, but I am surely not going to rely on any one of them for staples in my diet. My dogs on Kibble, gain weight, have bad gas, dirty teeth, sleep all day and chew on their feet. I have tried many brands mostly the expensive recommended ones. After loosing a dog to diabetes and another to cancer, for good or bad, I now make my dogs food and have recently started supplementing with the farmers dog. I prefer home made but it is nice to have another option I am comfortable with when I am pressed for time. That is just my two cents anyway.
I have 2 dogs. First 13 year old mixed lab and Second - 7 yr Corgi-Jack mix. They are so bored and tired of their food. I say this because they used to gobble their food, but in the last 3-4 years they just are never excited to eat. They smell and walk away. Most days their morning food sits for 4-5 hr before they will eat 1/2 of it... I feed them Blue ... I've tried all of the different flavors, I've added a bit of topper etc. Sometimes I find something they will eat for 3 or 4 days and then, they stop wanting that too. So...I know nutrition is important - what about desire to eat? What's yummy to a dog? Is it okay to mix up the foods for variety? Both of my dogs are a healthy lean weight but it is enjoyable for humans to see their dogs LOVE to eat - that's just a natural desire. I even cooked up ground chicken or salmon or something to add to their food. But again... after 5-7 days they start not wanting that either.
I always had big dogs, grateful for any food. My two little ones now are very finicky. I add boiling water to their dry, let it cook, and they love it. So I do that pretty regularly and then they eat their dry better. I add cooked egg sometimes too. But they’re going to eat what I think is best for them.
One issue I have with kibble is the meat can be from sick, dying or dead animals. That can’t be good in any way. I like the fresh food is human grade meat.
Stephanie, yes the minimum standard for most ingredients is dismally poor. You’re talking about 4D meat. But think about it. If a food company was using such low quality meat sources, there would be other items in that meat source, such as hair, hoof, beaks, feathers,etc. which is actually much more common than 4D meat. And that would show up in the mineral content of the food, namely calcium and phosphorus. So that’s how a food company can promote appealing ingredients yet why do these companies with human grade ingredients have such excessive mineral levels? Those excessive mineral levels can be very harmful to your dog or cat, especially as they age. So your issue is a valid one but human grade meat doesn’t mean optimal nutrients either. Hope that clarifies a bit. Other videos go into it more. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you for that explanation. We just started farmers dog and are hoping to see a difference. We have 2 dogs, one eats great and is 4. The other has stopped wanting the kibble and is 9 with Cushings disease. We’ve had to entice him by mixing wet food and toppers. So we are hoping this change will help. We’ve also noticed all of our dogs have died from cancer and the only common thing we can think is the food which has always been kibble. As a child our dogs lived to 15+ but in the last 20 years they haven’t made it past 10. It gets us thinking why and what changes have been made possibly to the food to cause it? They get their regular vet checks, aren’t over weight and have all their shots. Being a pet parent is tricky trying to make the best choices for them.
@@stephaniehetzerso sorry for your losses. I wish we had a simple answer to cancer, both animal and human. Our last Berner we list to cancer, but she was a month short of 13 and her blood work was perfect. But I agree before age 10 is tragic. I appreciate your commitment to your pups. That’s why I started my channel. I hope you’ll learn some new insights from my videos.
for a man in your shape at 63, must know a thing or two about nutrition. keep it coming glenn, I'm all ears.
Well thanks for the compliment. I’ve been blessed. But I will say my dogs eat a more balanced diet than me!
I purchased Royal canin kibble for my new Jack Russell puppy thinking by the brand name it was a high-quality food but was disgusted when I saw the ingredient label...
Chicken by-product meal, Brewers rice, wheat, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, natural flavors...
The number 2 ingredient by weight is a low nutrient filler, Brewers rice which is a very low nutrient value filler, it's the left over white rice pieces not fit for human consumption... And other ingredients I would consider horrible for a dog...wheat, corn gluten, corn, wheat gluten, vegetable oil... I was like WTF!!!
Still searching for the best alternative for my Jack Russell puppy.
TC in Annapolis MD
For a puppy, there are many foods out there that are good. Animal Doc Rea just did a multi-part series of videos on every Farmina N&D variety. Many of them received good scores. Another high scoring brand is Simply Nourish. It is PetSmart's own brand. You can check them out on her YT channel.
Have you checked out Sundays Air dried food
I have a question about the Orijen review. I called Orijen and they told me that they have had their dog food go through feeding trials. However, not all of their foods. Like the one I’m feeding my puppy which is their large breed puppy kibble with grains. They couldn’t they said that the affco feeding trials take 5 years and that’s why not all of their foods have had the trials. Does this sound accurate to you? It seems they would say that in their nutrition profile.
AAFCO Feeding trials are 6 moths long. Not sure what would take 5 years. Even with to without feeding trials, show me the nutrients!
Thank you for this review! What are your thoughts on Dr. Marty’s Nature’s blend freeze dried?
I am trying to do a review on Dr Marty’s but his website offers no actual nutrient levels. I’m not surprised since he is not a nutritionist or even a veterinarian but a great self promoter. I did find a phone number so I will call and try and get some real nutritional info. I see a 5 lb bag is almost $40. Not surprised!
We tried the smaller, introductory bag of Dr. Marty’s. Our dog, who loves all food, also loved Dr. Marty’s. One thing kept us looking for something better- the fact that this dehydrated food had a shelf life of OVER ONE YEAR! We were sure we could do better & are very happy w/the Farmers dog. Farmers is also the only one of the 3 reviewed, that is certified Human Grade. If you think that’s just not a big deal, you should see how different the criteria are for getting certified to be designated as Human Grade! Mostly, we were horrified at the lax ( pretty horrid actually), requirements . in place for preparing & selling dog food. Look it up….When my grandkids ate the whole package of Farmers Training Treats, I didn’t have to worry! Made w/only 3 ingredients- Beef-Apples- Salt, and in a kitchen clean enough to supply a restaurant, we knew we were safe. I did get half of a stick the kids left behind, & have to say it was really delicious!
Hi
I love your videos. Our vet recommended royal canin, purina pro, the farmers dog or homemade.
In researching farmers dog, they seem to formulate based on size and age. I didn’t find that they were all life stages. Maybe they’ve changed since this video.
Excellent video! 30 min of pure logic and no BS. Excited to see the senior video! I wonder if these companies specifically request that the board certified veterinary nutritionist formulate all life stage diets instead of asking them to create diets for every life stage. I also notice that many companies twist their words to mean that they have a board certified veterinary nutritionist as a staff member when in reality they merely consult with one who checks the diets to see if they're complete and balanced.
Hope to publish that Senior video tonite!
@PetFoodPuzzleGuy could you give me the dry matter percentages for the chicken and grains in The Farmers Dog, for calcium and phosphorus?
All Values Are Expressed As-Fed
Chicken and Grain
Protein: 9.3%
Fat: 6.92%
Fiber: 0.29%
Carbs: 10.27%
Calcium: 0.5%
Phosphorus: 0.4%
Moisture 74.5%
Thanks!
Just found you channel. It was refreshing to see another point of view of kibble vs gently cooked food. I would have to say loved to see you compare nutritional value of these brands as I was deciding between 2 of the companies Famers Dog and Ollie for my 11 month old Mini Aussie Blossom. However I do think that not ALL KIBBLE is created equally and MANY brands of kibble are horrific for our pets. So many companies have had recalls used horrific ingredients for our dogs to eat and many times when there is a recall not accepting responsibility. So personally I will go the gentle cooked food route.
As far as the "meat meal" argument yes beef liver is considered beed meal however many companies will put been liver on the ingredients list if its in their food cause no one wants to put meat meal on the bag cause they know consumers know what that means. So yes chicken liver and beef liver ect is considered "meat meal" however so is many other horrific pieces of an animal that no one should be eating and many of those things end up in our dogs kibble.
that's the frustrating thing. The ingredient definitions are so vague that you really don't know what you're getting. That's why the nutrient profile really is the best and really only way to judge a food.
Personally all three are equal. But what is the most obvious to me is how excited they are during meal time. They were always looking forward to their meal time. But now its a different level of excitement. For that reason alone. Im staying with fresh food
Well, their nutrients vary so they are not nutritionally the same. If excitement at meal time is your highest priority I suppose you’re right.
I mean to be fair, if you put a pile of literal shit in front of a dog they would be excited. They’re scavengers
I'm curious on your thoughts on Balance It and Just Food For Dog's nutrient blends that are intended for use in recipes that you cook at home - it's quite similar to these three brands, but much more niche and perhaps more budget friendly.
Not familiar with them but if they’re a recipe I’d want to see their actual nutrient profile. The real issue with recipes is how accurate are they and how easy to follow. Hills used to produce recipes for all their prescription diets till vets reported clients weren’t following them very well. They stopped, realizing pets weren’t getting the proper nutrients.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Balance It involves adding a powdered mix containing minerals and vitamins for various recipes that revolve around mainly just one protein source and one grain source (with optional additions of fruits and vegetables). They indeed have a nutrient profile that they produce for any recipe that they produce on their website based on what ingredients you want to include within the recipe. The issue I can think of is that because they use one powdered mix for a variety of recipes - so in some cases you have a possibility excess of certain minerals or vitamin in certain recipes. The nutrient profile is pretty comprehensive, as far as dog food tends to be, so I think you'd find it interesting.
As for Just Food For Dogs' recipes, I'm not sure where you can find the nutrient breakdown - but their recipes are a bit stricter and there's only a handful of recipes available. Perhaps they respond to emails?
@@onejaelee7044 I agree with you that there could be excessive minerals with certain recipes but I guess if they are accurate at telling you how much meat etc to use, the excesses might be minimal….especially compared to the boutique foods with really bad excesses!
I have some balance it on hand but I’ve moved away from it. You use a lot of powder per batch and then it’s very specific with regards to random grams of each ingredient. Further it was salty! For a home made food already pretty moist the dogs were chugging water on it. Now I have leftover powder that I doubt I’ll use.
I’d like to know, too
Anything for under $75 a month delivered. ?
I’m still trying to find a fresh food home delivered with actual optimal nutrients but so far nothing. Since we have Chewy all food can be home delivered so that’s not an issue.
Right?
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuyI had to cancel Farmers Dog due to price. Trying to make my own yet grocery store & raw food stores are just as expensive. It’s about $350 I think Q 2wks
You worked for Hills so I have a question. I have been feeding my my dog the senior vitality, which is a bit more then standard senior. I noticed they used peas. I thought peas and lentils were what contributed to heart disease in dogs for grain free, are peas safe if is not the large among in grain free? Might go with the standard senior hills next time
@@Montessori_Motherhood the nutritionists wouldn’t use peas if they were a threat. I believe the Vitality has a much higher antioxidant package, the main benefit.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy I got Farmers dog before doing tons of research for one of their trials. I canceled it, but I have a lot of it left that wasn’t cheap. My dog seems to enjoy it, Do you think issuing a little daily as a topper until it’s gone would be problematic with the high vitamin just as a topper? My dog is 10
@@Montessori_Motherhood not a problem. I’d use it for sure.
My question is, what be a good kibble - freeze dry or raw to feed a puppy to a large dog like a Boerboel
We raised 4 Berners on Science Diet Large Breed and they all did great! One passed a month shy of 13 years old. I did a video comparing a few large breed puppy foods.
Thanks for the review. I want to dig deeper regarding your last point -- adult food shouldn't be the same as puppy food. If my understanding is correct, you believe adult/senior food should be much more nutrient-dense than puppy food. However, based on the nutrition guidelines from AAFCO, NRC, and FEDIAF, most of the requirements of amino acids, minerals, and vitamin intake per unit for puppies are higher than that for adult dogs (some are even double the amount). Based on this fact, doesn't it mean that foods meeting the nutrition standards for all life stages should be healthier for adult dogs than for puppies because adult dogs' nutrition requirements are lower than puppies'? Thanks again.
So sorry for the confusion. Yes, puppy food is much higher in nutrients for the growth of the pup. Adult diets should start restricting those high levels the adult dog no longer needs. Sorry if I confused you! Just posted a video on the nutrients of senior foods!
One more thing.. you did say something about canned food not being any worse for teeth plaque... So is Hills SD canned as healthy as the kibble? Thanks
The myth that dry was better first teeth was kinda true a few decades ago. Canned food was very high and excessive in ingredients/nutrients that promoted plaque. Some old vets could look in a mouth and tell you if the dog ate canned. I remember those vets fondly. And Milkbone taught a whole generations that it cleaned teeth. Today we know dry food does not clean teeth any better than canned. It has more to do with the formula. Another reason to not have excessive minerals in the food.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuywhich hills doesn’t have right?
@@Montessori_Motherhood right!
Hi, I have a 5 month old 8 pound Shih Tzu and I have been feeding him Royal Canin dry kibble. He recently started rejecting the food (not sure if it's do to teething or not) I recently decided to try The Farmer's Dog which hasn't arrived yet. What are your thoughts? I just want the best for my pup, regardless of price. Please help... all suggestions are welcome
@@alicia4002 since your pup is a growing puppy all the Farmers Dog formulas are appropriate. At a year old I’d reconsider but if still doing well, it’s not a problem for a few years. Then I’d switch.
@timothymeans9618 I would say that’s because you’re listening to the Ingredientists who look at ingredients individually and don’t understand nutrition. You’re watching the best of marketing.
@timothymeans9618 well Tim, not going to argue with success! You're right! with enough time, seeing is believing.Thats much different than saying my dog likes the taste.I assume from your success longevity has been impressive and bloodwork has been normal in these dogs. Thats the real test. God bless you, but as you know most pet parents are not going to be that commited. i try to help them with the commercial stuff but have no problem with homecooking or raw, just whether its balanced or not.
I don't get mad when I see species specific by-products, such as chicken by-product, beef by-product, etc. What I will avoid is generic terms such as meat by-product because I want to know exactly what's in my pets' foods. What if my pet is allergic to chicken? I need to know if that meat by-product includes chicken! So if I see a food that says chicken liver, chicken heart, chicken lung, I'll pick that over a food simply labeled chicken by-product. Just a personal preference because it's easier to troubleshoot if my pets ends up having problems with a food.
That makes sense, at least if you’re trying to rule out allergy symptoms. It is amusing to me though how the same people who want to feed their dogs line a wolf, a scavenger that will eat almost anything they can get, get upset over the term by product and less than specific meats. Parts is parts if you’re a wolf! But your point is valid. But h fortunately AAFCO will never be helpful in determining what’s healthy for your pet.
I think it really comes down to a question of quality of life, we feed inmates and prisoners this stuff called nutraloaf as a form of punishment. Kibble might have all the nutritional value as fresh food, but- if you had a choice? When it comes to Breed specific diets- I have to strongly disagree there, There are some breeds that require more tailored nutrition than others, for example a retired racing Greyhound- is not going to do well on the same diet as a Golden Retriever! Some dog breeds have common medical issues like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels- are well known to have cardiac issues therefore a heart healthy diet might help your little Cavvie live a little longer. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.
@@JayS-bf3bv I appreciate your two cents and agree there are a few breeds where certain nutrients should be tweaked based on health risks. But that is more specific than the wide breed specifics offered by RC. People like seeing their dog on the bag! That probably has a lot to do with it.
What do you feed your dog?
ua-cam.com/video/zkzumEU_sTA/v-deo.htmlsi=gMvLXlTu3eRvd0uN
Can you check Earthblend dog food? My sister recommended it but not sure how it stacks up to any other dry kibble. Thanks
I checked Earthblend website! I wouldn’t line the bottom of a bird cage with it( if I printed it). There’s so much BS in it, I think I need to do a video on it!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you so much. I thought so. I had my doubts when it's a "one size fits all" type of food, from puppy to adult to senior. But wanted to see your thoughts.
I know you recommend Hills but is there a close 2nd you would recommend? We have a 70lb 13 yo, and two 60lb dogs: 1 yo lab mix and 1 1/2 boxer mix. We feed them Purina One Adult /puppy. Just wondering if you have a more budget friendly food you could or would recommend?
Well, my first thought is the 13 yr old. I would do a basic senior panel on him and see how kidneys and everything is doing. Don’t get fancy and expensive, just the basics. If his blood values are good a good like Purina ONE is fine. I live SD Senior but it has gotten expensive. But again, not critical if bloodwork is good. It’s time to get your other oils off puppy. Again, Purina ONE is a good food for the price. And I just did a video and Iams Chunks was surprisingly good at a low price. I think it’s my video on ‘Is More Expensive Healthier? Something like that! I was surprised
Thank you for responding. So would you recommend Iams chunk adult for young dogs over purina one adult then?
@@eliacastilleja301 yes, I think so. see how they do!
You know what’s insane? I literally talk to clients about how natural skincare is marketing and how fun packaging doesn’t mean a scientifically valid product (I’m an esthetician). Yet I bought all this marketing BS hook, line and sinker 🤦♂️
Hi!! I love your videos! I recently found out how bad Fromm food was. So I switched to to Carna4 a Canadian brand
Could you potentially do a video on Carna4?
@@goneburgers1709 curious what you read that indicated Fromm was so bad. Haven’t looked at it in years but was a good company years ago. I went to the Carna4 website. I couldn’t find any nutrient levels so will have to call them.
I tried Carna4 but the food was like rocks!! I was honestly worried my dog was gonna crack a tooth on them :/ and they did not soak well either. My cat, the little drama Queen, was actually picking her Carna4 pieces out and throwing them on the floor lol. Not sure what was up with that, because I’ve tried “baked” foods for my pets before and none of them were rocks like Carna4
Have you looked into Carna 4?.. if so, is it healthy?. Thanks
Well, after all of this. Is there a “ best”
well, between these 3 Farmer's Dog wins but as I say at the end, even it is too high in nutrients since all their formulas are ALL LIFE STAGE, which means they are puppy food! with all those supposed great ingredients if they can't deliver optimal nutrients, why would I choose it?
Do you have any info on current or recent studies comparing dry food to these fresher options that shows health otlutcomes ?
There are no such studies. I did ask a board certified nutritionist last month the same thing and she said she knows of none. The mistake raw proponents make is they just look at individual ingredients. If I look at raw meat, I can test amino acid and vitamin bioavailability and digestibility. Now I cook it and can say there’s slight degeneration of amino acids and certain depletion of certain vitamins…. So raw meat is superior! But if we are formulating a complete diet offering a total combination of ingredients to deliver specific nutrients, we simply add more of that protein source or add additional alternate protein sources like egg or soy, etc. we also need to not just cook the meat but carbs like corn that offer digestible protein, fatty acids, fiber, need to be cooked correctly to be bioavailable. And offering protein is great but the formula has to be controlled in certain minerals like phosphorus, potentially harmful for compromised kidneys, and meat can be very high in. Lol! So you see there’s more to it!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy That's interesting. When speaking to the board certified nutritionist did they mention any plans to conduct such studies ?
@@bautista929 not that she was aware. It’s difficult to show differences in results with healthy pets. Studies and even obvious results are much easier with sick animals and therapeutic diets. I believe a raw diet or a kibble diet would be indistinguishable if one was just testing digestibility and nutrients bioavailability when testing the finished product. Would simply depend on the company’s standards and expertise.
I understand the logic for humans is that the more " processed" the food the less healthy it is. From your perspective would this logic also apply to cat and dog food ?
@@bautista929 I really need to do a video on this topic. We all know human processed food has one purpose… provide convenient good taste! Everyone knows, from fast food to all those yummy snack foods near check out, it’s horrible ingredients, terrible preservatives, artificial colors, mystery meat that at least in the US isn’t really meat! Etc etc! But it all tastes great and that is it’s purpose. Now compare that to the top board certified vet nutritionists and chemists formulating a dry food with all the various ingredients available, to deliver an optimal balance of not only protein, carbs and fat but even all the micro nutrients including vitamins and minerals. Knowing which ingredients act on each other and how long and what temperatures ingredients have to be cooked at to either become more bioavailable or to replace nutrients list in cooking. Does that sound like the processing of McDonalds or TastyCake? Those selling their own diets or their books always use the term ultra processed. It’s great marketing but it’s not just misleading, but a flat lie. It’s tough being a loving pet parent these days. Everyone wants to use your love to rip you off!
Can you do a video comparing different puppy brands?
I have tried all these dog food my dogs hate Nom Nom they are picky dachshunds they got sick of Farmer’s dog the best is Ollie or Just for dogs. I’m gonna try The pet table and Evermore and Nextrition which is air dried not like nom nom, Ollie or Farmer’s dog. I also tried Darwin I had to cook on the stove for my dogs with butter lol
Have you tried Happy Howl? My Chorkie is a bit picky sometimes. I feed her Purina Pro Plan small bites shredded beef and put small dollops of Happy Howl (it's like Farmer's Dog and Ollie etc), on top and mush it around. It's cheaper in the long run since 1 container will last her 5 days. Of course, she is VERY active and is like a hopped up energizer bunny and I'm sure she is getting a bit more than she really needs, but at 1 yr old and having that high of an energy level, she probably burns it off LOL!
@@itsbutters69 Thanks I will try Happy Howl. It’s frustrating
@@lgronewold1962 u could also just try a little bone broth to see if that helps
@@itsbutters69 I got some today from Amazon it worked for my older dog. Thanks so much.
I feed my dogs Farmina and carna4 with happy bond and pup above. Also buying raw food but I am cooking it.
I like Farmina’s nutrient levels.
Does Farmina have Large breed puppy
@@jorjor362 yes they do, I get mini puppy … my dogs are small breed.
The data is out there that contradicts what this guy is saying. I'm detecting real Baby Boomer vibes that "I hate everything I don't understand" mentality. How out of touch with society do you have to be to not know the term "nom nom" (the sound cookie monster made while demolishing cookies) This guy sounds like he has animosity because they didn't offer fresh delivered dog food in his day.
Thanks for the very unique entertaining comment.
"nom nom" means "yummy." your pet will eat it up "nomnomnomnomnom". That's what the name means. 😂
Well thanks Katherine!
Nom nom is a chewing sound
I like your contact some people love sensationalism it sells
Well thank you! Good to have you!
One thing for sure is that the human race is suffering from much more disease related directly to diet. Pets are getting more and more disease, and shorter lifespans, even though the dry foods we’re feeding them are said to be nutritionally healthier than in the past. So if kibble is healthy, then what is making our pets sicker and sicker? Like humans, dogs have zero requirement for carbohydrates, yet most of the kibble foods are loaded with carbohydrates. Looks like the plan is working cause now they’ve got us all confused (and scared)as heck. I’ve resorted to finding the kibble containing quality ingredients, mostly meat, and also adding a high quality raw diet with varying ingredients.
N2daair23, great thoughtful comments. We can all agree humans are eating more junk processed foods and suffering from disease like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. can’t even argue that. With modern busy family life there aren’t many home cooked meals like years ago. Pets suffer from obesity for sure and research proves it is from overconsumption… not fat, not carbs. We show our love by feeding too much and little exercise too. I don’t believe their lifespans are now shorter. I have no stars but spending 34 years every day in a few hundred clinics across the country, most vets are seeing longer life spans, which of course means more age related disease, including cancer. When I joined Hills in 1988 many grocery foods were pretty unbalanced. No one except me in my job looked at magnesium levels in cat foods or protein in dog food, but the nutritionists trained me well. I can tell you even the cheapest foods today are usually much better than foods in the 80s. They had no choice but to improve as nutrition became more well known. Now sadly, tragically, we have gone full circle and the pet food marketers have convinced caring pet parents that high protein is actually healthy and carbs like corn is bad. There is no nutritional basis for such claims but now it’s all about selling expensive pet food. You ask what is making pets sucker and sicker? Well, who knows how we’re corrupting our water and food supply!?! Pets and people included. Look at allergies! When I wax a kid there was that one dweeb in the class with his inhaler for allergies. Today it’s half the class. Vets see the same thing with dogs and cats! The simple fact is we have allowed the pet food markets to get us looking at ingredients, something they can control and manipulate, rather than asking what the nutrient levels are. It’s hard and expensive to formulate a consistent diet of optimal nutrients! Most don’t do it! So I do believe we will see more kidney disease and urinary stones from all these new so called fresh foods with real whole ingredients because their nutrient levels are horrible. Want proof? lol at the nutritional statement… All Life Stages! That includes the high levels needed for puppies and kittens. Those levels are excessive and dangerous for adult, worse yet, senior pets. But the industry doesn’t care because they’re making too much money. And they have done a great job of demonizing the few companies doing all the research and formulating amazing therapeutic diets! Yes, it drives me nuts and breaks my heart.I almost don’t want to ask what kibble you’re feeding, believing it has high quality ingredients. You said it’s mostly meat, yet you’re adding more meat. That’s protein you are adding and your pup can only use so much. It can’t store it for another day. It has to be broken down by the liver and kidneys and eventually turned to energy. A simpler easier way to provide energy would be with fat and carbs, reducing the workload on those kidneys. That’s important if your dog is geriatric and in the earliest stages of kidney disease.
Sorry foff RC this long comment but sitting on the porch with my two dogs with a beer, watching the sun starting to head behind the mountains.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Overconsumption? I feed my cats three or four times a day. When they act hungry, I feed them. They have between a 4 or 5 on the Body Condition Score. Feeding fresh food, with organic minerals and nutrients keeps them the lean hunters cats are meant to be. Not overweight couch potatoes, filled with grain and carbs. Since I started eating the same food as my cats, I have lost 15 pounds. And my bloodwork (three weeks ago) is perfect.
More info for you on how to learn about the damage of kibble: ua-cam.com/video/5xDK-4lkpR0/v-deo.html
I’ll check it out but whenever Dr. Becker is involved I know it’s pseudo science and philosophy, not science. There’s plenty of self promoters these days. I try and believe they are sincere but…
I'm with you but I try to hear his points. But clearly he's anti raw /fresh food despite the overwhelming evidence over the years
I actually like the guy. I think he needs to work more with actual nutritionists. His one comment that the companies he talked with and visited were not interested in micronutrients is just the opposite of what I experienced with Hills. With the Hills nutritionists, who I talk with often, it’s all about the micronutrients.
Wow! A veterinarian, we both know, is not so openly cynical in her reviews. When mars bought NN, they immediately quit making cat food. I wonder what else they cut? (I can't say product names or UA-cam deletes my comment.) Some positive comments starting at 20:05! LOL Home made food, with a supplement package, or added individually, is much healthier and cheaper, than any of these three. Notice, I made this comment without mentioning my cats once! 😄
I dont remember reading about all the dogs throughout history running around corn fileds eating corn to survive.
And I dont hink most of us would enjoy eating brown crunchy balls for the rest of our lives.
No, me either. But unless you’re involved in the last 7 decades of history you probably haven’t read about board certified vet nutritionists researching and formulating complete diets that manage kidney disease or hypertension, o RC diets that dissolve urinary stone, almost eliminating a certain surgery, or diets that activate an obese pet’s metabolism, or help manage their allergies or relieve the pain of arthritis. Nature doesn’t offer such benefits. In fact, what a wild animal is able to fetch in the wild is pretty irrelevant to modern nutrition science. In fact, there’s not even geriatrics in nature, nevermind therapeutic nutrition.
Careful, corn is popular around here. You would think Caitlin Clark picked it herself. LOL 🎶"The corn is as high as an elephant's eye; And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin'; Oh, what a beautiful day" 🎶 Rodgers and Hammerstein
Blue buffalo vs wilderness
Yes, I have a video comparing them!
I feed vital essentials that %100 raw meat with no snythice vitamins
If i would feed my pregnant females kibble they would've had to eat 6 1/2 cups of food a day for a 55 pound dog meet the nutritional needs according to my NRC guidelines book. There's no way my dogs could eat that even if they wanted to they would die from cotton mouth
Well, you would feed puppy food during the last trimester. That amount of food seems a bit high. I had a Bernese Mountain dog male, exactly 100 lbs. the bag said 5-7 cups. He maintained perfect weight on 4 cups. The amts to feed are just a guideline.
Yes it was all life stages I was feeding till I was more educated in feeding a raw food diet. You know wayyyyy to much about nutrition to just dismiss the benefits of a fresh food diet. BUT I'LL KEEP WATCHING GREAT VIDEO
@@thoroughbredbullterriers9039 I am honestly trying hard to not dismiss fresh feeding. It may very well be a great option. But my main purpose, my lane, is fighting against the lies against kibble and canned. That’s where my videos so appeal to fresh/raw feeders because the industry is so dishonest! I didn’t expect that! Lol! I am good with lots of perspectives, but hate dishonesty!
@@thoroughbredbullterriers9039 trying not to ignore any comments but as I said elsewhere, if you had a sound recipe from real board certified vet nutritionists, and you’re buying the ingredients yourself, what could be better? Just understand I’m here for the people who aren’t going to do anything but dry or canned.
It's common sense dude. Just like with humans baked is better than fried. Processed crap is not good for you.
@@nycpwcsi ua-cam.com/video/hG3GVEVPP4I/v-deo.htmlsi=00OEhmNVNStQ06US
I dont trsut kibble tbbh
@@MarcosRios-r2z I wouldn’t either. That’s why you have to see the actual nutrients they are delivering. That tells most of the story.
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Thank you for replying! Its just overwhelming finding something healthy :(
This guy definitely feeds Kibbles n Bits, practically chicken feed. 😂
Yes, and a little brown ball can’t possibly provide nutrition. It looks like little burnt brown balls so it must be! Let’s not look any deeper. I see you used Bible in your name. As a student of the scriptures imagine a Mormon or a JW coming to your door with all those verses they like to use. It sounds very compelling and convincing if you don’t have a knowledge of the scriptures. The same is true with false deceptive marketing. I have 34 years of experience and knowledge so I can see the error. Maybe that helps you understand my position.
You must be vaccinated and it shows
Well thanks for your input!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy who's paying you to say otherwise
@@faru6 well it’s hard to believe I’m doing all this and no one is paying me! I guess it’s just in my blood now after so many years. I hate seeing people who love their pets like I do get so confused, and frustrated over what to feed their beloved pet. Or even be happy spending a fortune on a food that’s not as healthy as even Dog Chow in the grocery store. Clearly you don’t agree with me. That’s cool. You’re not the first, especially on social media!
@PetFoodPuzzleGuy your telling me dogs are supposed to strictly rely on processed kibble for the rest of their lives?
@@faru6 oh, well that’s easy. Yes. But if you choose to feed your pup a homemade diet just make sure you obtain a healthy recipe from a credentialed nutritionist. Same if you are a raw proponent. My channel is not here to argue with those who oppose kibble. I am here for those like me that are going to feed kibble and/or canned and how to evaluate and choose the healthiest, rather than buy into the marketing. I could try and convince you that your opinion of processed food is based on listening to the wrong people, but instead I just try and make videos based on facts, realizing I must have some bias like you and everyone else, based on my 34 years of working with diets..
Since you seem to be an expert on pet food. Have you ever noticed that a cat will eat dog food but a dog won't but a dog will eat cat food a dog will actually drink out of a catfish before it drinks out of its own the same with the cat will drink out of the dog's dish before it drinks out of its own has any of you know it all people ever realize that
@@Pleasegoaway2024 well, since I have never lived with dogs and cats just really am not qualified to state an opinion on that. But I’m sure other folks on this channel are more qualified. Personally, I would prefer a healthy diet that my dog accepted over an unhealthy diet he loved eating. Same is true with myself, my kids and my grandkids. Thanks for the interesting comment!