Why do we all argue about the best dog food & insist on buying only the expensive food? (I 'm guilty too)?

Question

Anyone over 20 should remember back when all we had for our childhood pets was Purina puppy chow or other cheap stuff. All our dogs lived & were healthy & happy. Why isn't it good enough for our dogs now?

I'm not arguing, as I said I am GUILTY myself. Just thought it was interesting how things have changed over the years. I prefer Purina Pro Plan. I've used much more expensive food but I didn't see any difference in my dogs activity level, shiny coat, appetite or anything else.

Answer 1

I do remember the good 'ol days when our choices were limited. But now we think it's best to feed only top of the line foods. Though I have seen many bags of 'Ol Roy at the walmart check out counter.

Answer 2

Expensive isn't always better..IAMS, Eukanuba, Science Diet among some others are expensive foods but are crappy.The best foods for dogs are the ones that don't contain corn, wheat, soy or beet pulp. These ingredients add very little to no nutritional value to a dogs diet, they are nothing more then fillers and they are high allergens. Besides dogs aren't grain eaters. No dog (including wild dogs) ever go raid the corn field or the wheat field. Dogs do and will eat tomatoes, carrots, apples, berries and a few other vggies & fruits on their own but only in moderation. Dogs are mainly meat eaters. They are designed to extract nutrition from meats & meat proteins not grains. Their teeth and jaws are designed for eating meat & bones not for chewing and breaking down fibers from grains.

The cheap grain laden foods have never been good for dogs for all the reasons above.

The better quality the food the less needs to be fed and the more nutritional value the dog will get from it.

Answer 3

Our dogs did not live as long as dogs do now on average...there are viruses & problems that were not around when I was a child, too. Parvo came around in the late 70s, for example. Dogs can live just fine on a complete dog food, even a cheap one. BUT - I can see a huge difference in the muscle tone, coat shine & feel, energy level, and even how often my dogs have needed a bath from being on the cheaper commercial foods -vs- the premiums. If you don't believe it, you can try it yourself. Feed your dog ONLY puppy/dog chow for 2-3 months, then switch to Pro Plan or ONE for 2-3 months. You will be a believer!

p.s. it is easier for me to evaluate muscle tone than on some other breeds - I have a Boxer!

Answer 4

A similar situation was when people smoked because they didnt know it was bad for them.

Nowadays there are huge anti-smoking campaigns.

Its very much like that but to a lesser degree.

First of all, buying low quality food, is essentially wasting your money. Why? Because it contains very little usable nutrients for your pet. What does that mean? It means your pet has to eat more to get more out of it, it means they have to go to the bathroom more often(more mess for you to pick up, and for cat owners, less money spent on litter), and it means you go back to the store more often to get the food. Thus, a cheap food, becomes NOT so cheap.

Can most dogs/cats survive on this food? yes. But it has been proven over the last decade, that feeding quality foods, low fillers and lots of anti-oxidents, highly digestible and nutritious proteins, can lengthen the life expectancy of a dog by 2 years(on average). Thats a lot in doggy years.

So, with high quality food, you can avoid such things as urine problems, skin problems, and many other common issues. Potentially saving alot of money at the vet, and also the suffering that your pet would undergo, not to mention also potentially adding to their life span.

And then of course, there is also the added benefit of the dog/cat not needing to eat as much, and less clean up as well.

There are many more things I could say are benefits, but I'd be sitting here for hours. These are the most common and easiest to understand(and see).

EDIT: CF is absolutely right on the money about the chemical preservatives(BHA etc) that are still in many low quality foods(AND TREATS TOO! Its important to make sure the treats are treated as important in this discussion as well.). Another reason pets looked like they were living happy lives is because noone knew any better. Science Diet is a perfect example of this. Was once considered to be the cream of the crop. Nowadays, we know better.

Answer 5

now days pets are are like children to us and we want to give them what they need. And when a professional (the vet) tells us that a certain type of dog food is best for our beloved pet then we buy it so that we know were giving them everything they need to live longer healthier happier lives. I remember when I was like 7 or 8 we had a pets but hey all had to live out side cause they were pets. Now that I am older every pet we have is inside and they are part of the family. My dog homie sleeps with me, eats when I do, gets a bath regularly, hes spoiled rotten, he even has his own chair in the living room that no one else can sit in. (lol maybe I am just nuts) so I am willing to give my best buddy a more expensive dog food so that I can keep him healthier

Answer 6

We are more educated now... not all dogs were healthy and happy - the leading killer for dogs (and cats) aside from accidents is CANCER.. and many cancers can be traced to ingredients in the lower quality foods (BHT, BHA, by-products - specifically the Ethoxyquin used to preserve the by-products but isnt listed on the lable becuase its considered part of the by-product)

healthy alternatives were around even 20 years ago... just we were not educated then - and we have learned more - thanks to the computers

however not all expensive foods are good.. A person just asked about Science Diet so I got an ingredient list and POW several Terrible ingredients were on it so I pointed this out to them.. this food is over priced because they pay for vet endorsment its a crappy food overall

Answer 7

Just like today's food for humans, there are more additives and preservitives in the less expensive dog foods. I also believe that we are more health concious not just about our food, but our beloved pets health. Think about all the things/foods/ingredients that have been taken off the market because they are harmful to our health, but years ago, it was OK. I believe the same goes for pet foods. There is a certain green treat/chewie for dogs that has been found it "could" be harmful to pets. Yet people still buy them. Each one of "us" pet owners make our own decissions about what to feed our pets. I have absolutely no arguement there. My pet, my choice. I certainly wouldn't argue about what someone else feeds their pets.

Answer 8

Things have changed with our dogs now. Its just like when people were eating the crap food and people thought we were all healthy. Now they are finding that the foods we were feeding really weren't the best foods for our animals health.

Pets these days are more like Children or family members to their owners and they want the best for them at all times, that's why people are willing to spend THOUSANDS at the vet's office. When I was younger and my parents were younger, animals were just that... animals. So attitudes have changed therefore other things are going to change, such as food.

Answer 9

i use aims and eukenube, my dogs like that. and this isn't towards you but the most expensive food isn't necessarily what your dog will like

Answer 10

We learn as we go why dont we still paint with lead based paint? Because we leaned it is not good for us.