We are just going to jump right into it. We only carry foods that we have hand selected and that we are comfortable feeding to our own pets. This is actually why my wife and I (Ryan and Jessica) opened the business on our own instead of a franchise. We were being pushed on things such as certain foods and raw hide treats which we know are not good for our pets, but we would have had to sell under a franchise, and that is just not the way we wanted our business to run.
So what's so terrible about certain foods?
The answer is complex, but in it's simplest form, there are keywords that you should look for on your pets food, that in my advice for whatever that is worth, if you see these 4 words, you should run.
1. By-product (of any kind, such as Meat by-product, Poultry by-product, Animal by-product)
2. Corn
3. Soy
4. Wheat
What is the problem with By-products?
The biggest problem here is that it is unregulated and can literally be from Dead, Dying, or Diseased animals (called the 3 Ds). In fact, in 2018, Gravy Train dog food made by Smuckers had to be recalled because it had high levels of the pet Euthanasia drug called Pentobarbital, which was making large amounts of pets sick. This drug entered the food because they were using Euthanized pets in the food.
How does this happen?
I dont want to be bleak so I will mainly leave this to better written articles to explain this if you would like to know more information than I provide. In short, many pet food companies will get these cheap sources of meat and put them in large grinder piles, which are then ground into the by-product line items used in the foods. These sources come from the 3 Ds, road kill, slaughter house waste not deemed fit for human consumption, etc..
Here are several articles which go in depth on the By-product rendering process:
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/shocking-truth-about-dog-food/
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-meat-content/
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/investigates-dangerous-chemical-used-veterinary-euthanasia-found-dog-food/M4SSJHHE35GARCCVACRX73UJHQ/
It does not mean that all by-products are bad, it depends on the brand and manufacturer, but because it is not regulated, we can't be sure if the by-product is good or not, so it is best to avoid any foods that use by-products.
What is the problem with Corn?
The biggest problem I have with corn is the lies that dog food companies tell for their use of corn in their food. The only reason dog food companies use corn is because it is extremely cheap. They can sell you a $60-$70 bag of dog food, when better brands that do not use cheap filler ingredients and are better for your dogs can be bought cheaper. These large companies are jacking up the prices on their food while using cheap ingredients to make it and enjoying astronomical profits while lying about it.
The first lie about corn is that it has a low glycemic index and therefore won't cause your dogs blood sugar to spike. This is not true, here are the real glycemic values in corn compared to other ingredients:
Corn Meal (69)
Brown Rice (55)
Corn (53)
Oatmeal (49)
Wheat (41)
Barley (25)
Chicken (0
Beef (0)
Compared to most other ingredients, corn does NOT have a lower glycemic index.
The second lie about corn is that it is highly digestible. This is just flat not true. The only way that corn becomes more digestible is by milling and refining it further down into a meal, which then causes its glycemic index to increase. You will see that most manufacturers will label corn as 99% digestible, which is intentionally misleading as it confuses consumers to interpret the statement to mean that corn has a high nutritional value, which it does not. It is just a cheap filler.
The third lie about corn is that it has a high biologic value, and is again, blatantly false. Here is the graphic which shows the biological value of corn compared to other ingredients:
I think I have said enough here, but incase you would like to read more on Corn and its nutritional value in dog food, here is a wonderful article with sources cited:
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dog-food-corn/
What is the problem with Soy and Wheat?
94% of all soy produced in the United States is GMO, which are saturated with Glyphosate (roundup). It has been established by WHO that Glyphosate is a "likely carcinogen". Dog cancer has been on the rise steadily and now we are at the point where at least 1 in 15 dogs develop cancer. This is still being researched, but there are links being made to the ingredients and chemicals used in dog food (BHA/BHT, and pesticides used on Soy and Wheat products like roundup (glyphosate).
To be clear, I am not saying that Wheat and Soy are bad for dogs, but what I am saying is that the way it is now predominately being produced and the chemicals used in it's production is potentially harmful. In addition, the main reason these are being used is as a source of protein, which is cheaper than using meat. So again, its a situation where cheaper ingredients are being used, while large companies are then able to sell the bags for a higher price and higher profit margins.
In Conclusion
Thank you for reading! It is not my intention to offend or alienate anyone. These are my opinions and advice, and information that goes into the products that we carry in the store. Our dogs are our kids which I freely and proudly admit (my wife and I cannot have children so this is what we have chosen to do). We pour over articles, peer reviewed studies, and try to connect as many dots as we can. We want to be a safe and secure source for you and your pets.
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