Cat/Dog/Other

[Reaperpilot2014]

Declawing is more like clipping off a finger than clipping a nail, but we did rescue a cat that had its front claws declawed. It couldn't scratch the furniture, and still tore mice and toys open with its back claws. It still doesn't make it right though.

Why is Science Diet bad? I've always thought of it as one of the better dog foods. I can't speak in terms of cat food.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Take a look at the ingredients list on the SD bag. And as for declawing... http://thetriopsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=884

If you want scientific backup for my statements, keep reading - there's a link to a post on another site with lots of studies and such.

[Reaperpilot2014]

I just did a little research of my own into Science Diet. It looks like Hill has lost control of the product to Colgate/Palmolive, so the formula has changed significantly. Corn, bleh! I never realized that had happened. Bummer. For dog foods, are there any you would recommend?

[sevenyearnight]

My cats and ferrets eat Blue Buffalo Wilderness too!!

Reaperpilot, google "the truth about pet food" and read and watch the videos on the subject. There is some seriously unethical practices in pet food!
Look up the ingredients of Science Diet, it's basically barely edible chicken parts and corn, fortified with vitamins. They have been around a long time, and they have a monopoly of the veterinarians, but it's really an expensive bag of walrus. Look up ingredients for some affordable holistic foods, like phallus van Patten's Natural Balance, Wellness, or Blue Buffalo, etc. and you'll find human grade food ingredients appropriate for obligate carnivores, mainly meat, because carnivores should NOT be fed corn.

[sevenyearnight]

LMAO at phallus, ok it's called D1ck Van Patten's

[LilGreenPuffer]

My cats and ferrets eat Blue Buffalo Wilderness too!!

High five! Unfortunately, my cat's been eating my parents' cat's food too (he's free-fed on 9 Lives and is indoor/outdoor, so he hunts too), and she's gotten fat from corn gluten and meat by-products, but we're moving out in November, so she'll be back on strictly controlled portions of BBW and raw snacks. I used to add water to her kibble to help her stay more hydrated, but she would ignore the watered food completely when I did that, so I had to go back to leaving it dry. If I can't afford raw, I sure can't afford canned!

Reaperpilot, http://catfoodreviews.com/ and http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ are good sites. The first one doesn't yet cover wet food, which is too bad since it's better than kibble for cats, but the second site is comprehensive. I usually figure that if a dry food is good, its wet counterpart should be of equal quality, and if you learn to read labels, you're good to go anyway.

[sevenyearnight]

There are a lot of great choices for dog food, like Lilgreenpuffer said, just learn how to interpret the labels and you'll be fine.
I would avoid anything made by Hill's, even if it claims to be holistic, and anything made by Nutro, they used to be a good company, but they were bought out by Mars and are caca along with the rest. Any food made with corn is out to rip you off and they don't give a surlaW about your pet.

I feel as though a lot of the holistic foods are great choices, your choice will depend on your dog's individual needs and your budget.
I think some of the holisitic companies go the extra mile to make sure they have exceptional quality, but most of those companies are very honest either way.

[LilGreenPuffer]

I would avoid anything made by Hill's, even if it claims to be holistic, and anything made by Nutro, they used to be a good company, but they were bought out by Mars and are caca along with the rest.

Mars does animal testing. Obviously they don't give a "surlaW" about animals and have no business making animal food.

[Reaperpilot2014]

Thank you for the links. I hadn't read the labels on Sciencediet in a long time unfortunately, as they were still owned by hill and corn-free when we started using it long ago. It looks like it's desperately time for a change, so I'm thinking Artemis since our local IFA store carries it.

[RTR]

Dog. Not just DOG, but Basset hounds.

[sevenyearnight]

Bacon. Not Canadian bacon, just bacon.

[Reaperpilot2014]

Breakfast bacon.

[xrayjeeper83]

Real bacon not that ham that Canadians call bacon

[Flutter]

Canadian bacon is back bacon and not ham. Silly Americans

[xrayjeeper83]

Either way it looks funny and doesnt taste NEAR as good