Hi all, I have seen that many of you reject Pedigree. What would they need to do to gain you as a customer?

Question

I am seeking information as I am putting together a case study and know very little!?

If it became more expensive to improve the quality would you actually buy it and trust it?

Do you still use the products even if you know they are bad for your dog (can you afford to feed them premium products, especially those like mine that eat anything in sight)?

How do measure the quality?

I love my dog and other dogs and want to ensure that they all get the right information and the best product!

Answer 1

Pedigree is garbage. It's mostly water and otherwise has total rubbish in it that makes the dog fart a lot. Buy a good brand of food, preferably from the vet.

Answer 2

The best way to get the answers that you're seeking is to do a search on the internet and read the reports on dog food and see how they're rated and look at all the comparison charts. There's lots of information out there and it's easy to see why some foods are better than others. Pedigree is not a desirable dog food due to the ingredients. When you take a look at some of these websites and charts that I've mentioned, you'll see what ingredients are nothing more than fillers and add to disease and serious medical conditions. Premium, high quality foods which are human grade are always going to be your best bet...no fillers, no products used that are not fit for human consumption, no penobarbitol used to kill animals used in the manufacture of that particular food, etc.

Answer 3

I think people who really care about their animals will use the best product, regardless of the cost. I've done a lot of shopping around for good dog foods & the highest quality ones seem to be priced in the same general range, so I don't think people would have a problem with paying more money for a better product.
However, people associate the name Pedigree with an inexpensive, not-so-great quality dog food. They'd definitely need to do some market research on how to get people to look beyond their name and see the food for what it really is.
They could try cutting out all the fillers like corn and replacing them with high quality ingredients.
You'd be amazed at how much better dogs like a quality dog food, they must be able to taste the difference. AND, their skin& Coat improves dramatically, there's much less shedding.

Answer 4

"If it became more expensive to improve the quality would you actually buy it and trust it?"

If they improved the ingredients -- yes, I probably would.

"Do you still use the products even if you know they are bad for your dog..."

Nope. I can afford to feed better, and my dogs deserve better. I don't feed junk just because I can.

"How do measure the quality?"

The easiest way to determine the quality of a dry dog food is to learn how to interpret the ingredients list. Not just the AAFCO nutritional breakdown, but the actual ingredients. Dog food ingredients are listed in order of composition -- most to least. IMO, a whole meat source (not by-products) should be the first ingredient. There should be at least 3 protein sources (meats) in the first 4 ingredients. If corn is the second ingredient in a dog food, I drop it like it's on fire. Corn is a filler. Yeah, it's a carbohydrate, but it's a cheap carb and there are better.

Any added colors or flavors immediately throw a red flag.

There is good information on deciphering dog food ingredients all over the web. Examples:
http://dogs.about.com/library/dogfood/blpedigree01.htm
http://dogs.about.com/cs/dietandnutrition/f/foodlist_AB.htm

ADDED:
Another excellent site:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main

Answer 5

Animal nutrition is not, and never will be, an exact science because not all dogs have the same nutritional needs. This simply means that there is no "one size fits all".
When investigating foods specific breed needs has to be a high priority.
One of the most interesting studies was done by "Eagle Pack" several years ago.
They split up seven litters of sled dog puppy's so that each litter had one puppy from every litter. Each group of seven puppy's was then raised on a different product ranging from the highest rated food to junk grocery store brands. The results were that those raised on the best foods looked beautiful as young dogs, but all broke down during racing and were retired before the age of five. All of the pups raised on junk store brands and allowed to mature at a slower rate have since ran and finished the Iditarod . The result of that study is the reason that there are now "large breed" puppy foods on the market.
Knowing what the best foods are is worthless information unless we understand the particular needs of the dog.

Answer 6

They would have to make a quality product and yes i would be willing to pay a higher price for a quality food. I have done a lot of research on pet foods and the ones I feed my pets are the more expensive foods. In the long run you save money by having a healthier pet and you don't need supplements. Our pets need quality pet food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient. California Natural, Solid Gold, Innova and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359& more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByRating?OpenForm

Answer 7

I will not...and I repeat will not feed my dog anything like pedigree, science diet, Iams...etc. They are BAD for the dog. They have nothing but fillers in them and not enough nutrients that the dog needs. So they tend to over eat and get fat. Not to mention the dogs eating those foods have nasty flaky skin, and oily looking coats that are NOT shiny at all. They also contribute the the diseases and illnesses that can hurt your dog. I found a website that has almost every dog food you can think of listed and the nutrition information, also the ingredients, and a review at the bottom of every dog food you click on to look at the information. They rate each one from 1 star to 6 stars....Pedigree, Science Diet, Iams and all those cheap ones you can find at the grocery store or your local wal-mart are 1 star dog foods...I recently did this research and changing my dogs food NOW to Innova Evo which is a 6 star food.. It has no fillers, and none of those grains that dogs cannot digest. I had to order his food because none of the local pet shops carry it.

If you would like to check out the website I found it is:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Answer 8

I feed my dogs pedigree! I have for years, and my very large dog is 11 years old! Obviously it can't be that bad! I have used the "expensive" brands also, and read the labels closely! Not really a difference. I also have a friend who has 3 "retired" shepards, one being a police dog, the other two service dogs and they eat pedigree. My vet also knows as the other answer said, and they have nothing bad to say about it!

Answer 9

If Pedigree put better quality ingredients in their food without so many preservatives I'd buy it if my dogs would eat it.
As it is they refuse to touch it.
I divide half a can of dog food to mix with their dry as a treat and have in the past used Pedigree canned foods.But they've gotten to where they won't touch it either.The only canned food they'll eat is Alpo's chop House originals rib-eye flavor.

Answer 10

Many more dogs are showing signs of allergy to the commercial dog kibble. This is primarily due to the amount of grains and by products used in the production of most kibble. The only way I would start buying Pedigree is is they increased the amount of human grade meats and did away with all grains and by products in their kibble.
Currently ,I rotate between the grainless varieties offered by Solid Gold, Timberwolf Organics and Innova.