This type of article is what keeps uninformed people buying IAMS and the like :

http://www.slate.com/id/2162164?GT1=9231

Get a load of the last paragraph. Yeesh.

 Quote:

the list of ingredients on a tin of dog chow gives you a general sense of what's inside. But pet-food companies manipulate the order of the list such that meat (and meat byproducts) appear first, even when other ingredients are used in larger quantities. For instance, a can of cat food may list wheat flour and ground wheat as two ingredients; that way it seems like there's more meat than grain in the recipe.

I found this part interesting.

YUK!!!!
The reason pets are becoming obese is because of the CRAP people feed. (not to mention that they feed them WAY too much)

 Quote: jason sidener

 Quote:

the list of ingredients on a tin of dog chow gives you a general sense of what's inside. But pet-food companies manipulate the order of the list such that meat (and meat byproducts) appear first, even when other ingredients are used in larger quantities. For instance, a can of cat food may list wheat flour and ground wheat as two ingredients; that way it seems like there's more meat than grain in the recipe.

I found this part interesting.

Yes, it's prevalent. If you add up the three or four different grains in a premium kibble, they will often account for the biggest share of ingredients...... but that allows the manufacturer to put "meat" first, instead of "grains," which would be far more informative.

Like snack foods for humans with four different forms of sugar spread out in the list.

I have always rolled my eyes at the "labels" pet food manufacturers use.When I see pretty pictures of vegetables and grains on the package, it is so happealing to humans because we see those items as healthy FOR US! but some people don't realize that cats don't eat vegetables and grains as a natural diet AT ALL and dogs do not either.But it sells..

That last paragraph really seems to contradict the rest of the article. Reading through it I thought the author was bashing commercial pet food, until I read the last paragraph.

Seems like the author dug up some good truths on commercial pet food, then threw them all out the window and went with the status quo general acceptance of it.

And did you notice with whom the author consulted?

Looks like the first guy could be a professor but the second guy was a vet.

If the author was at all interested in informing the public, he would have consulted others industries as well and included, at least a mention, that some people don't feed their dogs comm'l dog food - ever.

 Quote: angelique cadogan

I have always rolled my eyes at the "labels" pet food manufacturers use.When I see pretty pictures of vegetables and grains on the package, it is so happealing to humans because we see those items as healthy FOR US! but some people don't realize that cats don't eat vegetables and grains as a natural diet AT ALL and dogs do not either.But it sells..

I totally agree! I wonder how many bags of food would sell with pictures of all the stuff canines SHOULD eat hahaha.

 Quote: Alex Corral

I totally agree! I wonder how many bags of food would sell with pictures of all the stuff canines SHOULD eat hahaha.

Yeah, like tripe and eyeballs

I read it as caveat emptor. Yes pet food is made of things we find disgusting. But we've got to remember two important things:

1) Dogs and cats eating those disgusting things in the wild survived, no, thrived for millennia. They get their grains from eating partially digested food in prey animal's guts.

2) Just how discriminating is a dog or cat's palate anyway? They lick their own butts and eat poop for crying out loud! Yes, cats do it to kill the taste of canned cat food, but, brains, kidneys, and intestines are edible protein.

Pet food companies try and make a good product, they have a lot of money tied up in ensuring our animal has all the stuff they need. Buying Ol' Roy is like putting the cheapest fuel in town in your car. If you're driving a Yugo it probably doesn't matter what you feed it it simply isn't going to perform very well. If you have a Porsche, it'll run on the cheap stuff but to get Porsche performance you need good fuel. If your dog is a Yugo kinda dog and his only requirement is to poop in the yard; Ol' Roy is just fine. If your dog is better engineered, and, you want peak performance, ....