# Science Diet



## MeandMyMalt (Sep 25, 2005)

I have been giving Obi Eukanuba puppy food and i wanted to start him on an adult food as soon as this bag is done which should be about a month. Where i live there are not alot of choices, i cant get the brands that are talked about on the forum. I was wondering if anyone here uses Science Diet and if it's a good one to use. Its the only one that seemed healthy that i can get. Thanks for any help i can get!


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

My vet suggests Science Diet...I think it is better than some, but not as good as the price they ask for it. Ha ha...my cats are on it and they do great! Although people say it has lots of fillers etc...my cats have very little poo and less stink. (valuable information in a three cat household...ha ha...)

Both the dogs get Science Diet canned in the morning mixed with their dry kibble. I tried the dry when Brink was a pup. He didn't care for it. It is the only "good" food besides Iams...that I can get conveniently too.
I can get some better foods if I travel about 45 minutes, so that is what I do.
The good thing is that luckily the dogs don't go through the food as quickly, so a trip every so often does the trick for me.

Good Luck...


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Here's the ingredients for Science Diet - Original. The first ingredient is chicken, which is good but then the next one is corn and then chicken by-products and soybean meal... corn and soy are often allergens in dogs. And then it lists cheap fillers such as corn gluten meal and brewer's rice. It's not a premium food and if you can, I would find a premium food. Processed food is not the greatest anyway and a low quality one just makes matter worse, in my opinion. I haven't found the perfect food, either, but there are foods that are a lot better than this one.

Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Corn Gluten Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), DL-Methionine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

Hello. If you end up going with Science Diet, go with the Lamb/Rice formula. Better ingredients.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

A lot of people will tell you not to go with SD; however, it is approved by the AAFCO so it can't be ALL bad. Some of the products that we humans think of as being better for our doggies have not been tested and therefore may not be as good for doggies as humans think. 

After trying a gazillion "premium" products that Sassy would not eat I have settled on 2 products that she eat. They are SD Senior small bites and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul small bites. I mix the two together and she likes them. Some days she eats both and some days she will pick out one or the other. 

JMO, no nasty remarks please.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> A lot of people will tell you not to go with SD; however, it is approved by the AAFCO so it can't be ALL bad. Some of the products that we humans think of as being better for our doggies have not been tested and therefore may not be as good for doggies as humans think.
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> After trying a gazillion "premium" products that Sassy would not eat I have settled on 2 products that she eat. They are SD Senior small bites and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul small bites. I mix the two together and she likes them. Some days she eats both and some days she will pick out one or the other.
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Hi Pat, SD is definitely not all bad... It is just that there are a lot of foods out there that are a whole lot better as far as ingredients go... that have no by-products, no corn, no soy, no fillers, etc.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

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Yes, you are correct that there are some that are in deed better. I wish I had all the info on canine nutrition







wouldn't that be nice









I sometimes wonder:
How much protein is enough and how much is too little?
How many carbs are too much? (There was a documentary on TV the other day saying that science has found that carbs are actually good for dogs, and corn falls into that category if your doggie is not allergic [thankfully Sassy is not allergic])

I know too much protein is not good. But I don't remember the numbers and %'s.


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

> A lot of people will tell you not to go with SD; however, it is approved by the AAFCO so it can't be ALL bad. Some of the products that we humans think of as being better for our doggies have not been tested and therefore may not be as good for doggies as humans think.
> 
> After trying a gazillion "premium" products that Sassy would not eat I have settled on 2 products that she eat. They are SD Senior small bites and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul small bites. I mix the two together and she likes them. Some days she eats both and some days she will pick out one or the other.
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Pat, so I guess if you mix a senior food with a puppy food you will get adult food.








My vet actually got mad at me when I implied that I was feeding Sugar a dog food BETTER than SD. 
Bottom line........you have to find that happy medium between what's good for them and what they will actually eat. Obviously, whatever Sassy is eating is doing fine. She is soooooo pretty!


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

I typically use Royal Canine and Pro Plan (depending on the dog), but let mine have Nutro (my Westie's food) when I was running low on theirs. Since they all liked it, I have been using it for the last few weeks. Last night, I realized, while grooming Secret, that his coat did not have the same feel. His hair seems dryer. I can't tell any difference in the others, but I'm wondering since Nutro is something often used by breeders because there isn't much poo if it's drying out his coat. Any ideas? I'm going to switch him back over to ProPlan since that is all I have here, besides the Nutro.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

> I typically use Royal Canine and Pro Plan (depending on the dog), but let mine have Nutro (my Westie's food) when I was running low on theirs. Since they all liked it, I have been using it for the last few weeks. Last night, I realized, while grooming Secret, that his coat did not have the same feel. His hair seems dryer. I can't tell any difference in the others, but I'm wondering since Nutro is something often used by breeders because there isn't much poo if it's drying out his coat. Any ideas? I'm going to switch him back over to ProPlan since that is all I have here, besides the Nutro.[/B]


I bought the Royal Canine for Sassy but she would not eat it, in fact, I tried two different ones of them. I also tried the Nutro, again she would not eat it. So I am sorry I can not offer any info on either of them. 




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Makes sense to me. You would think it would fall somewhere in the middle, huh? Actually, my vet said even just the senior is fine if I also supplement her with vitamins. I have the vitamins but don't always remember, but since I mix her kibbles I think she surely gets enough. Then add the mommy treats that she shares.......Sassy don't go lacking







Her little 6 lb. butt gets plenty.


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

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Makes sense to me. You would think it would fall somewhere in the middle, huh? Actually, my vet said even just the senior is fine if I also supplement her with vitamins. I have the vitamins but don't always remember, but since I mix her kibbles I think she surely gets enough. Then add the mommy treats that she shares.......Sassy don't go lacking







Her little 6 lb. butt gets plenty.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Well, I guess you can tell who the "old" ones are in SM. Everybody else is out partying tonight and we are here posting.


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## Satiné_Rose (Dec 1, 2005)

Satiné's vet also suggested Science Diet for puppies. I had heard not to buy anything with by-products and such, but everything I have looked at for her, has all of this stuff.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> Satiné's vet also suggested Science Diet for puppies. I had heard not to buy anything with by-products and such, but everything I have looked at for her, has all of this stuff.[/B]


Vets always seem to recommend Science Diet. I think it is just a matter of how picky you are. Just like with humans.... There are those of us who read every label and would not eat certain things that our doctors would likely eat themselves. Some people are just more casual about what they eat and others more picky.

I think that is the same with vets and people, in general, concerning dog food. For some, by-products are no big deal and others just can't imagine buying anything with by-products in them. 

There is a web site that gives the AAFCO definition of some of the most popular ingredients we see in pet food. My takeaway on it is that by-products are not deadly. But they are a very cheap and low grade of protein. 

Here is the site and by-product info below. Once on the site, scroll down for the definitions, although the info at the top is interesting, also. http://www.iei.net/~ebreeden/kibble.html

AAFCO - Poultry By-Product Meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, beaks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices. 
Natura and Solid Gold feel that it is an "Inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. The origin is from any fowl (turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.) instead of a single source, like chicken. Poultry By-Product Meal is much less expensive and less digestible than Chicken Meal."


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## sweetypiegirl (Nov 17, 2005)

my sunshine is eating eakanuba (for puppy) , i tried the SD for her last week but she seems having hard time to chew them cause the kibbles are big, I am talking about the SD lamb and rice. So i switched it back to Eukanuba again. I am going to try the IAM for her, because i got a free coupon IAM for her, I went to the pet store and claimed that coupon so I got a free bag of IAM.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> my sunshine is eating eakanuba (for puppy) , i tried the SD for her last week but she seems having hard time to chew them cause the kibbles are big, I am talking about the SD lamb and rice. So i switched it back to Eukanuba again. I am going to try the IAM for her, because i got a free coupon IAM for her, I went to the pet store and claimed that coupon so I got a free bag of IAM.
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SD makes small bites.


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## sweetypiegirl (Nov 17, 2005)

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I know, the regular SD for puppy are small bites, but i picked the other SD(puppy) with LAmb and Rice says on it . and it seems big bite for Sunshine , She was trying to chewed the one piece , but it took more than 5 seconds to chewed the one piece , compare to the other regular small bites. When my furbaby eating the small bites , she eats 2 or 3 pieces just in 1 seconds at a time , until they are all gone. 
I know there is another one SD for puppies which is the regular one and small bites.


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

I like to give my adults something with a larger chunk from time to time, if nothing if but for a treat. The bigger one requires more chewing, thus more help for cleaning the teeth. Some vets recommend you stay away from soft food altogether for this reason.


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

> I like to give my adults something with a larger chunk from time to time, if nothing if but for a treat. The bigger one requires more chewing, thus more help for cleaning the teeth. Some vets recommend you stay away from soft food altogether for this reason.[/B]


My friend had that problem with her maltese. She was giving him Royal Canin Special and it has very small pieces. He is only 2 and his teeth are horrible. The vet told her to switch to a larger kibble because he wasn't even chewing when he ate his food.


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## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

I picked up a bad of SD Lamb & Rice small bites today. I didnt want to change now being he is sick, but he is almost out of Wellness and it isnt working well for him. 
Rex first was on Nutro Natural Choice (bad tear stains and itching), he tried a sample of Newmans and didnt like it and most recently and currently has been on Wellness (Venison and Rice- the one with two ingredients). I thought he loved it at first. It was also nice that his tear stains started going away...but he had lost almost a half pound in the 2-3 weeks he has been on it and he was only 5.6 pounds then and 5.0 at the vet today. It doesnt smell much at all and although he liked it better than the Nutro when I did the transition, he hasnt been eating it much since the transition has been complete. He will wait until night time when he finds he isnt getting anything else and then he will eat it. 
Anyway the vet has always recommended Rx- SD Z/D Ultra, which is rather expensive to buy not even knowing if Rex would like it. I read the bags for a while in the store and Royal Canin seemed too high in protein (I seem to remember hearing or reading somehwere too much protein isnt good?) So I got the SD Lamb and Rice small bites. I mixed it with his Wellness and he ate it piece by piece eating the SD and puting the Wellness on the living room floor. I tried many times playing games with him trying to fool him to eating the Wellness and he wouldnt. He ended up having 2 bowls of it just eating the SD out. 2 bowls is a record for him, he usually eats just one bowl a day. I will keep trying the transitioning, but what is the point of that anyway? 

Okay there is my long post!


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## chocolatecoffee (Sep 1, 2005)

There are worse foods out there than Science Diet but, in my opinion, there are also better foods. When I got my second dog (my first Maltese), she was on Science Diet and since she's been on Merrick, her tear stains have drastically improved, she smells better, and her coat is much nicer. Of course, every dog reacts differently to different types of food, so you have to find the food that works for your dog. I know that some Dobie owners swear by Purina ProPlan for their puppies (I think it's Purina ProPlan, but don't quote me on that...), and although the ingredients aren't exactly the greatest, it works.

Personally, I've just stopped taking food advice from my vet. When one of my dogs is feeling under the weather, he's great at getting her as good as new, but I just don't like how he constantly pushes Science Diet on me. Although I don't know if it's true, I've heard that a lot of vets get SD at a really cheap price, so they try to push it on people to make more money.

Do you have a PETsMART near you? I would probably feeding Royal Canin or Authority before I fed SD, but once again, whatever works for your dog. Have you tried the store locators on the websites? I had never seen any of the premium food brands when I first heard of them since none of the stores I shopped at carried them. Or you might be able to ask a store in your area to special order a food for you, I know some stores in my area do that. I know what you mean about not having anything in your area though, I have to drive 40 - 45 minutes to drive one way to get the dry Merrick, but it's not bad since I only have three small dogs, so I just get a 30 lbs. bag and it lasts me a while.

Anyways, good luck with your decision!


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

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Gosh, I am so glad this topic came up. I feel Newman's Own, which is a large kibble, but had been wishing they made it in a small kibble so there wouldn't be a chance they could choke on it. Gosh, now I won't even consider a tiny kibble. Thank you all so much for sharing this info!!


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## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

Within a week of just plain Science Diet, Rex hates it. Another wasted bag of food, we are trying Merrick next.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

> Within a week of just plain Science Diet, Rex hates it. Another wasted bag of food, we are trying Merrick next.[/B]


The SD is 100% guaranteed.....take the unused portion of the bag back to the store (even the vet) and they will refund your money







be careful with the Merrick, it might be too rich and you will see diarhea.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> Rex first was on Nutro Natural Choice (bad tear stains and itching)[/B]


I guess the staining is caused by different things in different dogs. Massimo used to have bad staining, he was on IAMS when I got him, then I switched him to SD puppy, then I tried like 4 or 5 "great" foods in between, and of course he wouldn't touch any of them.... then I went back to the SD and tried the Lamb/Rice, he actually ATE that, and his staining wasn't bad. I have since switched to Nutro Natural Choice Lamb/Rice (and he has been on that for QUITE some time, over a year) and Massimo has a little pink around his eyes...but I wouldn't consider that staining really..lol Massimo's parents both have staining and all of his siblings have staining to some degree...I think maybe it's genetic. So I'm not really worried about getting rid of it, it really doesn't bother me. 

I wish you luck on your dog food search.







I know it's frustrating! lol Please let me know what you find that works for Rex.


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## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

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Thanks! It is frustrating. I want him to have some sort of dry food, I worry about tartar and stuff his teeth were so bad when we got him and then we had them perfect and now he is getting a slight bit of tartar back, I am really having to brush extra now! I do think the Angel Eyes is helping the stains, so we wont have to rely on the perfect food to not give him stains, the only one they went away with so far was Wellness. We just have to find something that boy is willing to eat. My children are just as picky and I am a very picky eater too


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

> A lot of people will tell you not to go with SD; however, it is approved by the AAFCO so it can't be ALL bad. Some of the products that we humans think of as being better for our doggies have not been tested and therefore may not be as good for doggies as humans think.
> 
> After trying a gazillion "premium" products that Sassy would not eat I have settled on 2 products that she eat. They are SD Senior small bites and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul small bites. I mix the two together and she likes them. Some days she eats both and some days she will pick out one or the other.
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Please understand that sometimes these "approvals" are based on BIG dog findings. Personally, I wouldn't feed Science Diet to a flea...and I don't much care for fleas.


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## RexsMom (Jun 8, 2005)

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You hit the nail right on the head! After I posted on another topic that he wouldnt eat it, he did. I mixed it about half and half with his SD and water. When we came home tonight, his stool was darker and softer than usual and he has loud gas. However he did eat, I may just have to put less of it in the mix and see if he can handle that. Sometimes he will eat things the first 2-3 days before he decides he doesnt want to touch it again, so we will see. But you were right about it being too rich! Glad we just got sample bags of that first.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

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A lot more goes into approving dog food than you think. You can feed your dog what you want. 
Like I have said before....The greatest dog food in the world isn't going to help much if your dog won't eat it.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

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_*Exactly Carrie.......*_


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## csantana (Mar 12, 2005)

What about Nature's choice?


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> I've just red an article about science diet.
> here is the link: Science Diet Scam
> what do you guys think??
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What a great article!! I'm posting it below as I didn't see any copyright info whatsoever on the site. I think she makes some excellent points. There are live links throughout the article.

*The Science Diet Scam -* By staff writer Mordanna. This is actually a repost of an article I had originally written for my personal blog on 03/12/04. I figured it would be accessible to a wider audience in this location. Now I have to take a few deep breaths before I even start commenting.

Of all the crooks in the commercial pet food industry, Hill's (the manufacturer of Science Diet) has got to be the worst. The fact that their slogan "Veterinarian Recommended" is a cleverly used trademark is just the beginning. If you don't know even some very basic facts about commercial pet food, I suggest you poke around on my Dog Food Website for a bit before reading on. Of course you can also read this article first and then go there to read up on the details you don't understand.

Warning: this is going to be a long read. Let's dive in with a short summary:

Science Diet is a pet food that is often recommended by veterinarians, and is heavily advertised, so many people buy it, thinking they are giving their pets the best product on the market. The fact that it is pretty popular doesn't make it a quality product though.
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Why is Science Diet recommended by veterinarians?*

The answer is simple and Tara Parker-Pope of the Wall Street Journal probably said it best in her article "Why Vets Recommend 'Designer' Chow" (reprinted here):

<blockquote>_"[...] Borrowing a page from the pharmaceuticals companies, which routinely woo doctors to prescribe their drugs, Hill's has spent a generation cultivating its professional following. It spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year funding university research and nutrition courses at every one of the 27 U.S. veterinary colleges. Once in practice, vets who sell Science Diet and other premium foods directly from their offices pocket profits of as much as 40%. [...]"_</blockquote>So there you have it - veterinarians don't recommend this food because they are convinced it's a great product, but because they make a profit and have other personal benefits. To the contrary of what many people think, nutrition is not a major subject in veterinary schools, and most of the courses offered are sponsored by one of the pet food giants. Any vets specializing in nutrition or following a holistic approach do their own research outside of what they were taught at college. If you look at books about pet nutrition, you will find that pet food companies are involved in those too. Need some examples?

"The Waltham Book of Companion Animal Nutrition"
Does Waltham ring a bell? Pedigree, Whiskas, Cesar, Sheba? The stuff you find on the shelves of the pet supply aisle at your grocery or department store?

"Canine and Feline Nutrition: A Resource for Companion Animal Professionals"
Daniel P. Carey, Diane A. Hirakawa and Leighann Daristotle, all three of them employees of the IAMS Company in leading positions. The fourth person, who edited this book, is Linda P. Case, the only independent on the team.

Look at others used as textbooks at veterinary schools and investigate the authors. You'd be surprised at the level of involvement of the pet food industry. But I don't want to spin conspiracy theories here. No doubt that research is needed to learn more about how to keep our pets healthy, and that it has to be funded somehow - but as a consumer I do not appreciate being left in the dark, much less purposely mislead about what is best for my pet. So back to the topic at hand:

*Have you ever looked at the ingredient lists of Science Diet products? *And compared those ingredients to the claims Hill's makes about the quality of their foods? Well, I have. And frankly, it disgusts me how many people get scammed into buying an overpriced product of poor quality just because they don't know much about what they are actually feeding their pets.

Adult Original?
Mostly grains with some chicken and chicken byproducts, animal fat and some chicken liver flavor. 48.1% carbohydrates.

Adult Beef (or Chicken or Lamb) & Rice Recipe?
Some beef, chicken or lamb and some rice or rice fragments, but mainly other grains (corn meal, soybean meal, ground grain sorghum, ground wheat), some chicken byproducts (except in the lamb variety - and yes, even the "beef" variety most likely has more chicken byproducts than beef!), animal fat, beet pulp and flavors. 50.6%, 50.2% and 48.7% carbohydrates respectively. I'm beginning to get the impression we are trying to feed cattle here, not animals with a carnivorous background!

The other "normal" foods of the main product line follow pretty much the same principle, but it gets worse when we get to the so-called "light", "oral care", "sensitive stomach" or "senior" products. 16% "soybean mill run" (read floor sweepings) and 10.8% peanut hulls? And you are paying how much per bag for this crap? $29? $33? $38? More??? Talk about being taken for a ride. Did your vet recommend that too?

But it gets better yet. We haven't discussed the fairly new "Nature's Best" line yet. It's available " with real beef" or "with real chicken". Go have a look at the product labels, I'll wait.

Did you check it out? Good. What did you see? As you may know (or not), the ingredients are listed by descending weight proportions as they appear processing. What I see is that the first two ingredients are rice fractions and wheat and the third is turkey. The "real" beef or chicken is listed 7th and not even among the main ingredients. As per AAFCO labeling rules, a product labeled "with [something]" only has to include a minimum of 3% of the named ingredient by total weight.

Out of the 6 main ingredients, 4 are grains or grain byproducts, one is a poor quality source of fat (rendered from nonspecified animals, possibly including euthanized pets and roadkill) and only one is actually an animal-based protein. Peas, carrots and flavorings in small quantities round out the "wholesome goodness found in nature" advertised by the manufacturer as "real beef/chicken, real garden vegetables and wholesome grains - the best of everything". Mind you that not even USDA inspected ingredients are used, so my guess would rather be feed grade grains and poor quality meat.

It's hard to believe that even that can be topped, but they did it!

Yes, it is possible. Believe it or not. Enter "Science Diet Advanced Protection" - the ultimate scam, Hill's attempt to secure its market share, riding on the more and more popular natural/holistic wave. I present you the ingredient list of this product with "patent-pending breakthrough of nutritional technology":

========== Main ingredients ====================

*corn meal* (not ideal as a first ingredient, which should be a quality source of animal protein)
*chicken by-product meal* (anything but quality cuts of meat!)
*soybean meal* (a byproduct of manufacturing process of soybean oil)
*animal fat* (rendered fat of unspecified animals, possibly diseased, decayed or even euthanized pets)

========== Present in lesser quantities ============

*flaxseed* (no complaints here)
*chicken liver flavor* (a higher amount of a flavoring ingredient than vegetables? interesting...)
*dried egg product* (a byproduct of the egg grading industry instead of fresh, whole eggs?)
*dried carrots* (instead of fresh carrots?)
*dried spinach* (instead of fresh spinach?)
*dried grape pomace* (when it is known that grapes can be toxic to dogs?)
*dried tomato pomace* (a byproduct of the tomato processing industry instead of whole, fresh tomatoes?)
*dried citrus pulp* (the dried residue of peel, pulp and seeds of oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruit - a byproduct more suitable as cattle feed, but in this product actually marketed to make the consumer think it's "citrus fruit"?.)
*vegetable oil* (could be worse I suppose, but a specific oil like sunflower oil would be preferable.)
*oat fiber* (as opposed to whole grain oats that include the entire range of nutrients?)
and some amino acid supplements, rosemary extract, minerals and vitamins.

Just for comparison I'll list the ingredient list of a true quality product that has a similar formula but actually includes quality ingredients:

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, pearled barley, lamb meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, dried eggs, fish meal, natural flavoring, canola oil, flaxseed, fresh potatoes, fresh carrots, fresh peas, whole fresh apples, cranberries, dried chicory root, salt, potassium chloride, lecithin, garlic, vitamins, dehydrated kelp, minerals, yucca schidigera extract, sage extract, digestive enzymes and probiotics.

The manufacturer of the above mentioned quality product guarantees that all ingredients are human grade and free of pesticides, antibiotics or hormones - an assurance of quality you will never hear from Hill's. If I told you that this food costs about the same (or even less) than Science Diet "Advanced Protection", would you believe me? What about if I said that one 33 lb bag of this quality food would last longer than 35 lbs of "Advanced Protection" because it contains less grains and more quality animal protein - and thus is more digestible?
*
So are you still getting scammed or already looking into a better dog food?*

Don't be fooled, Hill's is not the only company trying to convince you to shell out your hard earned money for a poor quality product. Many other pet food manufacturers are doing the same thing, all you need to do is watch the cute, colorful commercials on TV or walk down the pet food aisle at your grocery or department store. Heck, even your local pet store is likely to have more crappy brands than good ones on their shelves.

For the sake of your dog (and the same goes for other pets as well!), next time you go shopping for pet food, don't just toss a random bag into the cart, but look at the ingredient list.

Or even better, do your homework beforehand so you actually know what to look for.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

I just wanted to add in here that I had a dog, we presumed to be a mutt, who came to us on a rainy day. My father spent 2 months looking for the owner (alerted all the animal shelters, called the police, put up fliers and adds in the paper). He finally decided to let me keep him. He was my first dog ever. Anyway...he was fed the crap you get at the grocery store. He lived to be 21 human years old. In perfect health, I might add (aside from when his age caught up with him, that is).


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> I just wanted to add in here that I had a dog, we presumed to be a mutt, who came to us on a rainy day. My father spent 2 months looking for the owner (alerted all the animal shelters, called the police, put up fliers and adds in the paper). He finally decided to let me keep him. He was my first dog ever. Anyway...he was fed the crap you get at the grocery store. He lived to be 21 human years old. In perfect health, I might add (aside from when his age caught up with him, that is).
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I guess that is similar to some people smoking all their lives and living a long life. We all know someone who knows someone who had no ill effects from tobacco. Or some people eat mostly junk food their whole lives and are fine, while others who do so develop heart problems, clogged arteries, etc. 

So, it seems prudent to find a food that is a balance of high quality ingredients and palatability than to take our chances with a food containing low quality ingredients. Yes, they may do fine on a low quality food but why take that chance?


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Sher - thanks for all of that VERY valuable information. I feed Bonnie what I consider to be a higher quality food (Solid Gold), but am always interested in reading more on it, and on others that may be better for her.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

I know many members on here that have switched their dog food from the so called lower quality foods, such as Nutro or Science Diet, to the so called higher quality foods, such as Flint River Ranch or Natural Balanace and have had problems and switched back. (Me being one of them) 
I guess it's up to the dog then, isn't it.....
And, if you read the labels, corn is not the main ingredient on SD lamb/rice. Corn isn’t even an ingredient in Nutro lamb/rice.


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## Kisses-4-Princess (Dec 4, 2005)

I wasn't aware of this in the past, but my last puppy was a very picky eater. We had to buy up to 5 diff bags of dog food to try to get her to eat one. The clerk at Petsmart noticed how often I was buying food and she asked me why. I simply told her my pup refused to eat any of it. She told me that I can return the unused portion of the food if my dog refuses to eat it or got sick from it.

I took everything that she wouldn't eat back and they refunded it. They say as long as it doesn't look like you ate half and then returned it, they will refund it.

This might be useful info for those of you who are trying to find the right food and are worried about the costs =)


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## miko's mommy (Feb 8, 2005)

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I don't think Science Diet food is a good food. I thing its questionable (maybe even unethical) for vets to recommend it while deriving profits from its sales. However, I think we are overestimating how much harm food really does. I mean, at worse, the food your dog is eating is causing allergies.... Its not going to kill them (or cause any major illnesses) !!! It still contains nutrients, vitamins, a balanced diet every dog needs. 

I tried the higher end foods like Chicken Soup...but Miko wouldn't eat it. To me, Natural balance is a compromise between those foods and science diet type of foods. But, that's because Miko loves Natural Balance and its a decent food. If all he was willing to eat was Science Diet, I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it.


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## Skippy4Us (Feb 20, 2006)

Great article..thank you for posting..I have to send this to my friend who was thinking of switching to Science Diet..I also read that the first ingredient should be an actual meat..not ck meal or corn.



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