Author Topic: Truth About Pet Food  (Read 16365 times)

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Offline Lola

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Truth About Pet Food
« on: July 07, 2011, 10:33:20 PM »
I subscribe to Susan Thixton's PetsumerReport.   
Let me say first...She does a LOT of great work "investigating" and explaining the ingredients lists in pet foods.  For that, I applaud her.
HOWEVER...In her Petsumer Report, Susan rates foods from 1 to 5.  5 being the best.  For the record, she states that her ratings of food are not recommendations.  ??  Who is going to pay for a subscription for her PC Report and then WANT to buy a food given a 1 rating? I find that just a litttttttle odd.
Here is what bugs me...Susan AUTOMATICALLY deducts a point for ALL wet food.  Her explanation - "The highest rating for a canned pet food is 4 paw points - due to high moisture content of all canned pet foods."  Doh1



This is a screen shot from the Petsumer Report, I took today...and dated.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2011, 10:55:05 PM by Lola, Reason: added screen shot »
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2011, 11:46:25 PM »
 :o  You'd think she would have adjusted that by now.  Doh1

I do wish she'd name the site "Truth About Dog Food" as many cat parent reading will come to all kinds of conclusions that both species have the same nutritional requirements.  Susan should apparently NOT be rating cat foods AT ALL.
 People not knowing how detrimental insufficient moisture content and carbohydrates etc. are,  will read her site and those 4 paws thinking a food she's reviewing with 5 PAWS (less moisture, who knows how many carbs as long as they meet HER "ingredient" standards) will be just FINE for their poor cats!

Geez, if a "Truth About" site don't get it, who the heck will?

Tried,  cited veterinarians,  posted on there...

 bangsheadgif

And to think SHE'S writing about all those organisations who don't listen to HER about ingredients and concerns all the time!!
« Last Edit: July 07, 2011, 11:55:43 PM by CarnivorousCritter »

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2011, 12:05:41 AM »
Update:
Susan HAS updated a few of her wet food ratings.

« Last Edit: July 08, 2011, 12:08:17 AM by Lola, Reason: resized screen shot »
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2011, 12:54:45 AM »
I find it odd that she would rate the wet food 4 stars just becuase its wet WTH!!
I thought maybe she did that because its in a can and becuase of the lining issues of some cans.
Geesh!!
I myself do my own rating  :D
"Education is the key" to make informed decisions about the health of our pets

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2011, 01:12:28 AM »
I find it odd that she would rate the wet food 4 stars just becuase its wet WTH!!
I thought maybe she did that because its in a can and becuase of the lining issues of some cans.
Geesh!!
I myself do my own rating  :D

Yup when I saw she "dinged" wet food due to moisture content (and wasn't open to learning from vets or her readers) ...it bummed me out.  I unsubscribed from her newsletters.  It just sorta made me doubt the rest of her opinions on ingredients and such.   
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2011, 01:58:39 PM »
Update:
Susan HAS updated a few of her wet food ratings.





What food is that?  what IS so bad about carrageenan. It's seaweed, right?   The foods have to have some kind of thickener/ binder.  I'd rather have carrageenan over wheat gluten.

And she didn't flag white rice? huh. How do you find out if all ingredients come NOT from china? I'm no chemist but man we could go crazy (and often do I think, and yes I am speaking for myself :)) over this food issue.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2011, 04:40:01 PM by Lola, Reason: MY comments were in the quoted part of post. Oops »

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2011, 02:10:42 PM »
What food is that?  what IS so bad about carrageenan. It's seaweed, right?   The foods have to have some kind of thickener/ binder.  I'd rather have carrageenan over wheat gluten.

And she didn't flag white rice? huh. How do you find out if all ingredients come NOT from china? I'm no chemist but man we could go crazy (and often do I think, and yes I am speaking for myself :)) over this food issue.

Susan does post her reasons for red flagging certain ingredients.  It just doesn't show in that particular screen shot.
I BELIEVE that Susan asks the manufactures where they get their ingredients.
Since the info is from an area that is by subscription only, I didn't want to show tooooo much info.  I was "centered" more on the paw point ratings.
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2011, 02:16:38 PM »
okay. :)  I guess I won't pay to subscribe to a site that thinks high moisture content in pet food is a reason to detract "points"

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2011, 02:46:32 PM »
okay. :)  I guess I won't pay to subscribe to a site that thinks high moisture content in pet food is a reason to detract "points"

The website (TAPF) is free to visit and post comments.  The Petsumer report (Susan's ratings of pet food brands) is by subscription only.
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2011, 12:31:25 AM »
Lola, this one for Meow Mix is public, from the latest Petsumer Article:

<<<Original Choice Cat Food Dry

Ingredients:  Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, beef tallow (preserved with mixed tocopherols), animal digest, calcium carbonate, turkey by-product meal, salmon meal, ocean fish meal, phosphoric acid, choline chloride, salt, ...

Red Flag Ingredients: chicken by-product meal, animal digest, turkey by-product meal, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, dyes>>>


So Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal ...salt, ... aren't in red for an obligate carnivore?  :o bangsheadgif  Doh1

Chicken and turkey by-products are WORSE?!

« Last Edit: July 09, 2011, 12:33:33 AM by CarnivorousCritter »

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2011, 09:35:05 AM »
well, by-product can mean beaks, feathers, feet...in addition to any other number of undisclosed things. By-product in a food is a food to stay away from. I'd take corn over by-product.

 Unfortunately for my FLUTD kitty, she is eating both in the Hills prescription c/d. :(. I try not to think about it too often.

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2011, 11:07:11 AM »
CC,
Did Susan rate that food?  (ewwww)
Sometimes, we have to pick the lessor of the evils when feeding our pets, but I don't see ANYTHING in that ingredients list that I would feed...to a cockroach! 
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2011, 03:50:23 PM »
Yeah Lola, no paws. But they should ALL be in red!  :-\


By-products look to be the much lesser of the evils when we really think about it though -- especially when specific meat sources are named (not "meat" or "poultry" or "animal" by-products...)

The Doctor is not saying to run out and buy stuff with by-products, but we're also talking corn and other high-carb, most species inappropriate ingredients.

<<<By-products are always a controversial subject but it makes much more sense to feed animal-based by-products to a cat than it does to feed grains. ... Therefore, do not shy away from the more economical foods like Friskies or 9-Lives if you cannot afford the more expensive canned foods without by-products.

I would much rather see a cat eat an all-by-product canned food than any dry food.   This is because even the cheaper canned foods have the 'Big Three' covered:

    1) high in water

2) usually low in carbohydrates

3) the protein is from animals - not plants

"This is an area of controversy and there are no clear-cut answers as to whether to feed products containing them because the quality and quantity can vary with each company and batch of food. ...  It also makes more sense to include some animal-derived by-products in a carnivore's diet than it does to add potentially hyperallergenic, high carbohydrate grains like corn, wheat, rice, or soy."

We already know about the corn but should also consider --

"Soy contains phytoestrogens and soy also negatively influences the thyroid gland. Given how common hyperthyroidism is in the cat, soy has no business being in cat food. Unfortunately, soy is a common ingredient used by pet food manufacturers because it enhances their profit margin..."

  http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods#By-products  >>>

When we look at the most common maladies in cats, the ingredients Susan does NOT have in red do more harm to more cats than parts of animals not fit for human consumption do.



Offline Middle Child

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2011, 05:46:15 PM »
<-----always listening and learning.  :)

finnlacey

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2011, 09:14:47 PM »
Just so you guys know, she doesn't do as much research on some of her alerts and articles as she should. She relies on here-say information without asking WHO really wrote it. I agree she does do great work but in my point of view anyways, she can make accusations and cause a panic without proof. I've seen it happen on many occasions.