bigk001
50131
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Sep 2, 2024 3:55 PM
bigk001
50131
1929
63
carrotsonfire
Remember when dog poop used to be white because of all the bonemeal that used to be in it?
Manctertyr
Living, breathing and fucking animals
AllTheGoodOnesWereGone
Although when the vet comes out and asks "Are you fluffy's parents?" I feel like I'm having a stronk.
Djkb6718
You're gosh darn right I am. Better stay of my list ya wankers!
Bowtie8bit
How about feed your pets the healthy stuff they'd eat in the wild?
redditmcredditface
you can definitely tell a difference in a dog that is getting good nutrition vs one on crap filler food. Good energy that lasts, shiny coat, personality that comes out, no diarrhea. If your dog is eating grass on their walks, they may be trying to fix a sour tummy.
Feralkyn
Back in the day, when kibble was catching on hard in the US, working dogs were fed that while the ones in Europe were still fed meat. A lot of breeders/trainers commented in their books that the difference was clearly visible in brighter eyes, shinier healthier coats, more energy and lean muscle, etc.
bohjeenie
My wife’s cats have a more expensive food budget than me. But I’m basically 3 raccoons in a trenchcoat and never left the poor mentality.
But yeah, wouldn’t touch any of the regular brand pet stuff, it’s all junk, even the ‘fancy’ stuff. Just Google the ingredients listed.
Cyandvai
As a pet supply store owner, the brands we sell do not contain corn, wheat, or soy. They tend to be higher quality than what you'll find at PetSmart and such. Our most basic bag of NutriSource Chicken and Rice is better quality than Royal Cannin
managedgoods
People who insist on seeing any kind of substitution involving pets and kids has no idea how to care for either
SickBound
I remember growing up my parents tried switching our dogs food to kibbles and bits because it was cheaper than what we were feeding them, and all 5 of our dogs started shitting bloody diarrhea. These companies deserve to go out of business.
keelindsey
Millenials don't want kids because our childhoods were less than optimal and we've watched the world steadily decline into a hellish abyss. Instead, we choose to take in small furry things and protect them from the horrors of the world while at the same time getting more love from the cats that ignore us most of the time than our own parents gave us the entire time we were growing up.
DJThuglifeSupreme
The change from dry kibble to wet food was noticeable, and even the change to more expensive healthy food to delay kidney failure, at 15 years old, was noticeable in our kitty
Navrodel
I have no proof that it was the low quality of the Nestle-subsidiary wet food - that my cat needed when her teeth started going - that caused a decline in her health. She was pretty old already, and all of the issues she faced were most likely just pretty common end-of-life issues for cats.
...there's still a part of me that will always eye Purina with suspicion, either way.
turkizno
Rabbit feed also recently started showing a picture in the corner that says "Grain Free" aka corn or wheat was mixed into their feed, apparently.
bourbonandbaddecisions
I love my dogs more than I do most people.
mutingisforcowardsandsycophants
"The scapegoat demographic is bad and weird for questioning exploitative business practice."
Fuck Business Insider and everything they stand for, from their inception to forever.
Bowtie8bit
I mean, take it to the roots: fuck business. Money should always be a bi-product of a good service, and not the main thing. The service should never be the method to gain money.
Infinias
Business Insider: presented to you by the German tabloid press *king* Springer Media. The main *product* is " Die Bild", a print medium associated with the saying "if you wring it out you find blood". And also a product that cannot use the term "newspaper" since Germany demands from such that they at least contain 60% reliable truth.
Infinias
Oh and "fun" fact the job marketing places Stepstone is also part of this conglomerate. As is The Springer Publication branch where (in my feeling) 90% of education books from Elementary to university comes from.
lindabelchersfirstcousin
AmyBernadettePenny
CoveredBridgeBoy
ngl I bet these companies have a hard-on imagining how they can now overcharge on food by promising quality. I bet that headline did generate clicks tho
DukeDarkwood
I'd allow it IF they followed through on the quality. A little extra for worthwhile nutrition would work.
But, we know they wouldn't really follow through. It would cost them too much to care that much. And the moment we out them as liars, nobody smart would trust them again.
thundercactus
"Millennials are killing the fabric softener industry"
HighlandPotatoe
We can't afford to replace our washers, gotta make it work as long as possible
thundercactus
Actually just tore my washing machine apart to fix it like 2 weeks ago XD
lindabelchersfirstcousin
I pay a small fortune a month for my babies. I had an epileptic Dalmatian and I learned all about how fucked up major pet brands are. Never again.
Smokahontis
Same. One dog developed colitis and the other pancreatitis, so now they can only eat prescription food from Royal Canin. The way my vet described it, Royal Canin and Science Diet are the two brands that actually put a lot of effort into quality control, and veterinarians are a part of the recipe process. I'm sure more info can be found online.
fitgirl1
Raw food is the best. It's much less processed and more bioavailable nutrients for the animals. My cats went from lethargic beings sleeping all day to active and jumping at 12 years old. My only regret now is not doing it sooner.
NR97420
After going to grain free cat food every cat I've had has been nice and healthy for 12+ (except Loki, but that was nothing to do with food)
dreikommavierzehn
Nothing shows you better how addictive sugar is than pets. Feed your cats wetfood that contains sugar a couple of times and they will never touch any other food ever again even when hungry
AllTheKitties
I don't think sugar is the reason cats prefer wet food.
dreikommavierzehn
I'm talking about how they will ignore every and any other kind of wetfood. My older cat started to refuse non-sugar products after eating the products containing sugar for a while and the younger ones ignored their regular wetfood for a few days after tasting leftovers from the sugar one
Feralkyn
On the other hand switching to meat or meat kibble makes 'em so much healthier and they go WILD for it, especially once adapted to it.
dreikommavierzehn
That's true. Had to buy some expensive dry-food for cats with urinary issues for my older cat and now all of them demand to eat just that. At least they're eating healthy with that
VerySmallDuck
Cats can't even taste sugar very well. They must put loads of it in there.
TheCriticsWereConciseItOnlyTookFourLines
Yeah, but if you wait long enough, they don't want any of the sugary wet stuff either
wandermanspacebot
If you wait a really long time, they won't eat anything ever again.
eromitlab
Another reason to say "fuck Nestle" is because they're responsible for a lot of the shitty pet food that's out there.
AllTheKitties
Yep, everything Purina. I avoid their brands whenever possible.
worm61
I switched from Purina to Iams because I learned Purina is owned by Nestle.
EroticZombiePants
Well Millennials can't afford having children, so they may as well use their pets as a surrogate.
GirdleTurtle
Just first born? Was there a memo that said we should treat others differently food wise? Like can I give the 2nd and 3rd kids kibble so long as first gets real meals?
Disclaimer: I don’t have kids. This is a comment made in jest.
evilcoffeechick
I think that happens, except I'm not sure you have to get to the second and third. You go in all idealistic and promising that it'll be all natural and homemade and you come out the other side exhausted and crying, eating the peelings of chicken nuggets because the strange beast you helped spawn refuses to eat the breading of the only food it will eat this week.
GirdleTurtle
You, my friend, are master of the written arts. That was simultaneously the most beautiful & incredibly demotivating recount of reality.
Thank you and you have my sympathies.
evilcoffeechick
I'm just piecing things together based off complaints from friends with kids and memories of what it felt like when I was attempting basic human functioning on no sleep when my cat was very sick.
nomorehate
I know it's not the really fancy stuff, but when I switched my older boy from meow mix to Iams Healthy Adult he had so much more energy, fur looks better, litter box doesn't smell as bad, and he's lost some weight (that's likely from stopping free feeding lol.) I feel like he went from eating doritos for every meal to having a balanced dinner
AlphaTaunTaun
Unsure about local for you but petco/ probably also petsmart brand of foods are better than most of the worst of foods but priced just above them and rotating foods and mixing them gives nutritional and flavor variety without breaking the bank as well. Fresh when you can afford it is great, wet if they got no teeth left too. All forms same brand and it's more affordable
nomorehate
I swap flavors of Iams (there's salmon and chicken) to give em a bit of variety, though they don't really care as long as it's hitting the bowl at 8am/pm lol. They loooove their Sheba perfect portions though, my ex started buying them and thankfully set up a subscription where they get a box a month, if not I'd have a riot on my hands lol.
doubledeckerturbowagon
My grandfather used to feed his horde of well-loved pets tons of fresh table scraps and they were some of the healthiest animals I’ve known. I still remember when visiting after reconnecting later in life being floored that his cat from my childhood was still kicking 23yrs strong.
HawkmanXLII
Iams is not the highest quality, but it's leaps and bounds better than meow mix. It's perfectly acceptable food for the price, especially if your cat doesn't have specific dietary requirements.
crasemana
I was advised purina is a good brand to buy in a grocery store. They have a few types at a few prices.
RunawaySpoons
We fed our cat whenever he asked, so not quite free feeding because we couldn't leave a load of wet food out all day, but close enough - he lost a lot of weight switching from standard canned food to better quality pouches (I forget the brand, we based it on % of actual meat and having taurine). He was a soft chonk before then turned into a svelte, silky boi.
I think the good food contributed to him only looking like a senior cat when he reached 18-ish.
nomorehate
My boys get 1/4c Iams for breakfast & dinner, then a Sheba perfect portions for lunch (which I just realized I'm late for!)
uppercasenumbers
Our dog was having some health issues and on a whim we switched to the farmer's dog. It's expensive but we saw a huge improvement with her weight, energy and overall health.
jessthepetvet
Hey, veterinarian here! Awesome that you found a food that your kitty seems to be doing well on! You don't need to switch diets again, but if you ever decide you want to I'll just drop the names of the three brands that the specialist veterinary nutritionists teach us in school are the highest quality: Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Purina ProPlan. Each of those brands does actual testing on their diets which makes them reliably good. Good luck with your kitty!
JonnyTightlips
And they just happen to give the highest kickbacks to vet clinics that sell it
jessthepetvet
Actually foods are one of our lowest profit margin items (verifiable if you wanna Google) and take a lot of client education time to sell and a lot of those clients who are convinced to buy the diets will go on to buy from Chewy (or similar) which we get 0% of... So no you're incredibly far from the mark. As a practice owner, I can tell you food is truly a service that helps pets and doesn't really help the clinic that much when compared to all other products.
trybuttstuff
Get fucking bent. We vets have a lot more integrity than that. And how would we get kickbacks from something that sells in pet stores anyway? Those are pet store diets, not prescription diets.
junkgoof
In Canada vet clinics, and medical clinics, and dentistry clinics, are getting bought up by investors for prices that only make sense if the goal is to achieve an effective monopoly and raise prices which is what they have done. Vets who have recently sold can give honest advice, but fees are set by the owners. I expect new vets will be forced to consider profits before ethics or animal well being. The business model needs to be banned, or at least heavily regulated.
jessthepetvet
Sorry for delayed response. The corporate/private equity buy-up has been happening here in the US, too, but generally it's difficult for a clinic to impose any requirements/quotas/policies that push things to a point of being bad medicine because there is SUCH high demand for veterinarians right now that anyplace that crosses the line there would just lose the ethical vets they have on staff. That's not to say unethical vets couldn't be convinced but in my experience (about 15yrs in vet med)
JonnyTightlips
Lol, I'm a human doctor and know first hand that many people in the human and vet medicine field are quite easily swayed by financial incentives. The brands you mentioned are always the brands sold in all vets I've been to in the last 20 years of per ownership.
trybuttstuff
Maybe because they are the brands that make prescription food? Vets don't sell food that can be bought over the counter, and you're full of shit when you talk about incentivizing in the veterinary field. I own a busy practice and never has any food company tried to financially sway us to sell their products. As a point of note: we don't sell any food specifically so we can recommend the diets we like (incidentally the diets listed at the start of this thread) WITHOUT conflict of interest.
HawkmanXLII
The person you're responding to isn't the one that mentioned those brands.
Feralkyn
I'm in Germany and found there's two different brands here that are pretty much pure meat in kibble form. The food fucking STINKS but seems very healthy; it's low-carb unlike just about all other kibble out there. A horrific thing in advertising is that if it says "90% human-food-quality meat" it may mean "90% of the meat, which is 5% of the product, is human-food-quality." This stuff, though, is legit, to the point that between the delivery & us bringing the box inside, stray cats arrowed to it
Feralkyn
and TORE THE BOX OPEN to get through the bag and eat some. The cats seem healthy, shinier fur for sure, and definitely have smaller, darker, less stinky stool. The only irritating thing is that they go fucking -crazy- at meal time. They're SO loud about it now, lol.
SometimesIJust
May I ask which brands? My friend just got stationed in Germany and brought along her two cats.
Feralkyn
Leonardo and SaLingo. We got Leonardo "Frisches Rind," aka "fresh beef." It's pretty damn expensive but imo it's worth it. I'll post a link to the info page below, in case Imgur removes it as spam, so it doesn't remove this whole comment!
Feralkyn
https://www.leonardo-catfood.de/leonardo-fresh-beef-0-25-kg
Feralkyn
For info so you don't need to translate: it's 43% beef (meat, liver, kidneys); 42% poultry meat, ground pea, amaranth, then krill (the tiny tiny shrimp)--at this point we're down to 1.7%; egg, fish meal out of ocean fish, poultry liver, chia seeds, beer hops (this is Germany, what do you expect), then various other bits like berries, veggies (carrots etc.), herbs and olive extract.
Uandi82muchBeer
Business Insider is a dogshit propaganda outlet.
Copperbrat
"You people are no longer feeding your pets roadkill, floor sweepings, and rotting grain pressed into pellets. Was it something we said?"
Feralkyn
I'm not gonna lie, roadkill if cooked and relatively fresh would be 100% better than most of what's in cheap kibble.
SomeDetroitGuy
We make homemade dog food for our puppers. Brown rice, ground meat (a variety of pork, beef, or chicken that rotates) and a good mix of veggies (peas, carrots, squash, green beans are all favorites) plus extra fat via bacon grease to make sure she gets all her fat soluble vitamins. She is more active, has more regular stool, has a shinier coat, and is a healthier weight.
jojagiraffe
We do the same. Our dog was always just slightly unwell. We have been doing it for a month or so, decided to try adding in some of her old biscuits, just to use them up, she immediately got the shits. Back to home cooked food for our pupper, and the biscuits are in the bin.
bigdix69420
bigdix69420
nsiceman66
Did the same about a year ago for our now 11 year old, the difference was almost immediate - energy to spare, happy, shiny coat - our girl has never been healthier
bigdix69420
Here's some of mine
bigdix69420
bigdix69420
bigdix69420
kamenhokage
Question, why feed vegetables to a dog? Aren't they carnivorous by nature? I know dogs I'm familiar with will eat anything you give them but I mean in general should dogs have just meat, right? I don't mean buy shit tier dog food, just, actual meat is all they need, isn't it? I'm not being confrontational, I just don't usually want to feed greens to my carnivore pet (I had a cat for 30 years of my life).
AllTheKitties
Cats are carnivores. Dogs are omnivores.
HMKwrites
Even wolves are somewhat omnivorous (will eat things like berries) and it’s reasonable to assume dogs, having been tied to humans for 30K years+, have evolved to eat our leftovers including veggies/grains. Also, there’s the mistaken idea that ancient/wild = healthy. Modern diets that include grains and veggies have improved longevity. A vet could say more. You ask a good question.
kamenhokage
But I'm apparently downvoted for it because I'm not a bio-nutritionist rofl. I know cats should be fed nothing but meat if you want them healthy, but I've seen some videos of so-called vegan dogs rushing to meat when they had the options, so. I don't know and I want to know more. I don't have a pet and can't for health reasons, but if I somehow get one I'd rather have a leg up on keeping them forever.
swedeonamoose
Seen that shift in recent years, we dont even take in that low grade garbage anymore in the store since noone buys it, good pet food is kinda expensive tho so i feel for those who have many/large dogs.
DrBukkakeShots69
It’s cheaper to make the food. I’m spending about 100$ a month with 5 dogs. Every week I spend 25$ or less to buy a weeks worth of food I make. I was spending more on shitty food cause I had to buy for a big dog, a small dog and 3 medium size dogs. 3 bags of food of trash.
TheDreadPirateBoberts
in australia about 40% of the people i see buying dog food at my grocery store are actually just buying bags of chicken necks, which are both cheaper and also more nutritious. i don't think i've ever seen anyone actually eat one of these. they're just thinly veiled dog food.
Kehy
I've seen chicken necks grilled with a sweet sauce, but never tried them myself
Blamblam101
$50 for a 30lb bag.
IMoveWithTheEleganceOfAnAfricanElephant
my german shepherds would rocket diarrhea out of their asses with crummy food. they were much less likely to rocket diarrhea out of their asses with good food, so even if it weren't a matter of not having puddles of liquid shit in my house, it was a small price to pay for their health and happiness.
OmenJones
I knew what I was getting into with a large breed. People need to think first.
trybuttstuff
^this
CraftyGiant
I don't know how the multi dog large dog owners are getting by, I have one cat and his food is stupid overpriced.
DrBukkakeShots69
It’s called making your own feed and way cheaper!
jaxomdad
Sweet Potatoes. Potatoes in general actually. I bulk my dog's food with them because it is a good high-fiber choice that is filling and mixes with trustworthy wet-food easily. Keeps them healthy while letting them feel full, it's relatively cheap, and you can just prebake a bunch and keep em in the fridge.
MimaMaxima
I buy mine good dry food, but I use it only for one meal (I feed him twice a day). The second meal is cooked. I buy tongues and hearts etc. at the butcher's in bulk, cook it and freeze it. He likes chicken best tho. Mix it with rice, sweet potatoes and carrots. Sometimes I add chia seeds, or fruit. Rosemary. Salmon oil. All of this bought separately costs less than the bag of food which supposedly has all these ingredients
hersheytwitch
My dog had stomach troubles as a pup when he transitioned to solid food. Plain baked sweet potatoes and boneless skinless chicken breast were the only thing that kept from exiting his body at high speeds.
heironymousBonk
i had 2 dogs, one huge, while i was poor and I fed them quite cheaply by just making all their food. it's not hard and they eat cheaper stuff than we do
bigk001
dry crap dog food here in $80 for a big bag. used to be $40.
PigsWeGetWhatPigsDeserve
Having a dog is optional for most people.
CraftyGiant
omg never tell that to someone who has a dog, unless you wanna start a fight.
PigsWeGetWhatPigsDeserve
I’ve had several dogs. And cats for that matter. All were wonderful, but all were also optional.
BrdCdn
It's a hard truth though. Dogs are a luxury. If you can't afford it don't get one. Not fair to the animal.
CraftyGiant
I'd agree it's optional to GET a pet, but once you have had it a while and it is bonded to you, it's not optional to just get rid of it unless you're heartless scum.
BrdCdn
Absolutely. Far too many people get one on the fringes of being in trouble and can't even afford the first vet visits. Have to budget in the lifespan costs. Getting a pet is cheap. Maintaining them not so much
DeeplyBroken
When my wife's dog became diabetic, we adjusted her diet until I thought it was better than ours. Every day she would get a quarter of a roasted chicken, 2 scrambled eggs, and about a cup of high quality yogurt. When the dog was initially diagnosed as diabetic, the vet gave her about a month to live. We kept her happy and reasonably healthy for the next 3 1/2 years.
MimaMaxima
I can't count how many times I've yelled "don't give that to the dog, it's crap" only to be met with a confused look "but this is our dinner". We have free healthcare. Vets are expensive 😅
ThePunnyGuy
Meal prep for my doggo
DrBukkakeShots69
I do this but I use zip lock bags.
skincancerisfun
Good work! I did this for my dog, and it did wonders for him. Solved his chalky dandruff coat, his farting, his shitting 5 times a day, and made him much more emotionally stable. Kept it up for 3 months. Worth it, but it just got to be too much work. If I get another dog I'll do it again though
JemIsTrulyOutrageous
Is it wrong if I wanna eat it too
pilomotor
That's a lot of containers. Do you have a separate fridge just for dog food?
ThePunnyGuy
Eh, we have a few fridges for various things
JCBalance
lloydtheschnauzer
What do you use as ingredients? Just curious.
ThePunnyGuy
Ground chicken, sweet potato, green beans/broccoli, a couple cranberries and blueberries, and a tiny bit of ground ginger and ground tumeric
ThePunnyGuy
It's both breakfast and dinner, but for her dinner we also add some garbanzo beans
Jadora
I'm like 99% sure run of the mill pet food is the number one cause for sickness in our furry friends. It's literally just carbohydrates and sugar that turn their cells cancerous. They just simply cannot handle/digest all the corn and filler ingredients. Make sure you read the labels.
lifeamirite
Humans can get cancer from all the processed crap they sell as food. Cancer in dogs and cats is so prevalent because they are fed even worse processed crap.
lifeamirite
Also, pet food manufacturing in the US is regulated by the FDA. The FDA still allows human processed food to be made with chemicals that have been proven to be carcinogenic.
PrincessBatCat
Blue Buffalo nearly killed my cat because the lack of proper nutrients in the food. Couldn't figure out why she was getting so sick until the vet was like "Yeah, don't purchase Blue Buffalo. They're notoriously bad in the vet community and we never recommend them."
jessthepetvet
Yup, I proudly had my dogs on Blue Buffalo because I thought they were a really good brand (their advertising is on point) and subsequently learned in veterinary school that it's really not great lol. Switched to Purina ProPlan and haven't looked back since.
Frostedjakes
Yup, Blue Buffalo was causing kidney issues in our car. Switched to Hill's and haven't had a problem since.