Top 10 Pet Food Lies That Work on You!

[@cbyoung44]

Wow, I used to be completely swayed by marketing, always opting for the most expensive diets, thinking it was the best choice for my animals. My logic was that spending more now would save me on future vet bills. The marketing is so convincing that it made sense to me at the time. But after learning more about how the industry works, my perspective on pet food has really shifted. I'm now rethinking my approach, especially for my small dog and my cats. I'd love to hear your recommendations-I'm particularly curious about Farmina as a potential option. Thanks so much for the valuable information you provide on your channel. I'm glad I found it!

[@aprilmotsinger3613]

I'm pretty sure AnimalDocRae has a video on Farmina.

[@Beyondarmonia]

Purina, Hill's, Royal Canin, lams ( USA ), and Eukanuba Those are the only ones compliant with WSAVA guidelines. Iams is the cheaper option while still being good enough. He recommends Hill's Science Diet if pressed on it ( generally doesn't like openly recommending anything; wants you to do the work).

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@cbyoung44 yes, I did a video on Farmina and Dr Rea did a whole series on their diets. I do like most of their diets and their quality.

[@asuscreamilaugh]

I have a 7 year old dog with chronic pancreatitis and just started her on Farmina about 3 weeks ago. His video on Farmina was helpful as I was contemplating a couple others as well for my girl, I recommend watching it. I like that they use premium ingredients but also combine the use of them with research.

[@mrjcrosby]

I just wanted to say that your channel has been a life raft. I spent the last few years feeding my cat a protein/meat heavy diet featuring a lot of freeze dried stuff like chicken hearts & breast... After watching a few of your videos, then checking out AnimalDocRea (after you suggested her channel) I've completely revamped her diet... She's almost 9, and I'm now feeding her life stage appropriate canned foods and kibble... She's taken well to both Hill's & Purina Pro 7+. Both you, and AnimalDocRea are doing a huge public service with your channels. Thank you so much for having passion about educating people on how to feed their pets in a way that benefits the animal, not the pet owners ego! Cheers...

[@George.J]

In Europe, the marketers upped their game. Some companies are now using 60-70% of fresh meat and no meat meals in their products to sway people into buying these diets. They say it’s more digestible palatable. They have to use high amounts of fresh meat and still need to add plant protein to get to an acceptable protein levels with sufficient amounts of all needed amino acids since fresh meat is mostly water. They use potato and pea protein mostly as plant based protein. I don’t know how corn, wheat, and soy got villainized, while pea and potato protein are now desired.

[@asuscreamilaugh]

This perspective is extremely helpful. It helped me realize that it’s ok to provide fresh foods for my dogs, but there’s nothing wrong with having kibble as their base everyday. With all the noise about pet food on the internet, your information is valuable!

[@Aceofswordss115]

I’ll admit that the “cats (and sometimes dogs) won’t naturally drink enough water and need to get it from their food or it causes kidney/bladder issues” got me for a bit. I think it was so easy to believe because I was use to the similar myths around humans that we need to push ourselves drink crazy amounts of water everyday in order to actually be healthy. I still remember when one of the senior drs I was working under years ago told me “if you need water, you get thirsty, otherwise we’d all be dead” 😅 I figured yeah that makes sense, so no surprise it applies to our pets too for the most part.

[@ChristineClark-ft8tq]

Great video Glenn! I must say I have almost fell prey to some of these gimmicks but was lucky to find the you tube channels for you and Dr Rae early in my food hunt! Pet parents need more support that’s for sure. Even though I did fall for the fresh food fad and wasted money on farmers dog for a bit, expensive lesson learned lol

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@ChristineClark-ft8tq try hanks Christine!

[@peteriwanec3472]

Thank you for your information. I am a first- time dog owner and I went wild listening to many different opinions over the past year. Yours became the voice of reason. I never miss an episode. Please, if you can, review Muenster Dog food, SquarePet, and American Natural Premium dog food. Keep the episodes coming !!!

[@onceuponabanyantree]

I am also interested in SquarePet.

[@funkentanz]

Thank you so much for your videos, they help me so much. I am still relatively new to your channel. As a new dog owner, well 4 years is not so new anymore, you are literally overwhelmed by the huge selection of food. There is so much misinformation and of course the advertising promises a lot. I admit I fell for a lot of it, but I just didn't know any better, my intention was always to do the best for my dogs and to feed them. I taught my dogs to be picky about food. It went so far that they wanted to eat something different every day. The result was frequent gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea. For a while I fed them raw food, then when they no longer liked it, I cooked it for them. But that is now a thing of the past. With a lot of discipline and persistence I got them out of the habit of pickyness and now they eat their Purina One dry food with great pleasure. I would never have thought that my stubborn Shih Tzu would one day like kibble. And their health is great, no more digestive problems and beautiful coats.

[@morganle9863]

For all the people that say vets are just out to make money on the prescription diets they sell. If that was true they would also sell these high priced "appropriate diets". No laws are stopping them from selling all types of food and if it was just for profit, but they don't they sell what works.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@morganle9863 excellent point!

[@ktcharb66]

Thank you for educating me!

[@dennisharvey8435]

I received my dogs (pitbull ,springer spaniel mix) at 4 months old. They were eating Iams chicken and scratching non stop. I slowly switched to purina pro plan salmon formula and the itching stopped , until i couldn't get it anymore. Upon advice from a fellow youtuber video i decided to switch to wholesomes food because she gave it a good review and it was cost effective and after one 33 lb bag my dogs fur was falling out in patches to the point that i thought they had mange! since then i switched to hills lamb and rice their fur is back to normal! i wish hills had a chicken free formula

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@dennisharvey8435 Dennis if you found something that works, and it happens to be very healthy, you’re golden! With sensitivities sometimes you end up with a food that doesn’t illicit a response but isn’t the healthiest.

[@snowps1]

That's my problem, too. I have a cat who can't have chicken or she licks raw spots in her fur. Hills cat foods all have chicken, and Purina uses a lot of generic terms like meat-by-products or poultry-by-products so I have to avoid them as well because I don't know if there is chicken or not in any particular formula.

[@AnimalDocRea]

Best one yet 🎉

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@AnimalDocRea wow! Thanks!

[@justinsnow3979]

It’s so hard to separate fact from fiction when o research best dog food for my dog. We’re getting a golden retriever from a breeder here in late December. The breeder really recommends a raw diet but that is very expensive from what I have seen. I did find one Ross wells raw diet that looked reasonable. I’m torn between that and pro plan or nutrisource. I never knew this would be so hard to figure out…

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@justinsnow3979 Justin, I hope my videos help. If you choose raw I would only use a commercial brand, hoping it is balanced. Home formulas are hard to get right and can provide excesses or deficiencies very easily.

[@Midwestyorkie]

What’s the vet nutritionists name? I would love to look her up. I find this fascinating and eye-opening and I fell for all these tricks for a long, long time!!

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@Midwestyorkie first of all, I appreciate you spending time watching my videos, especially this busy time! The leading so called nutritionists pushing most of these lies are Dr Judy Morgan, Dr Karen Becker, the Pet Quarter, BK Pets, etc. if you like me you’ll love @AnimalDocRea.

[@Jcsalter77]

Hi again! Another great video! I fell for the "burnt balls" and the burning the nutrition out of the food and adding it back in. 🤦‍♀I'm very thankful for your videos!

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@Jcsalter77 well hi again Jana! Thanks for the encouraging words. Farmers Dog advertises everywhere now. Drives me nuts! Happy you’re part of the Nutrition Mission!

[@StephanieStoudt-uv8nv]

Excellent video. I’m not sure if you can do this, but possibly address the detoxes that I see being recommended by these online vets… this wee or last week was liver detoxes! Ridiculous to me! The liver IS your built in detox Keep up the great work… heading on to Montana!!

[@LutraWintersky]

I love the word "ingredient-ist"! When I adopted my first dog in 2003, everyone and everything said to make sure meat was the first ingredient and no by product. It was in dog training books, the shelter I worked at would tell potential adopters that, so I bought into it too. I felt horrible that I couldn't afford the expensive food. Turns out, what I was feeding was fine all along- Members Mark from Sam's Club (Dr. Rae gave it an 8) and Purina.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@LutraWintersky Lutra, Thanks! I’m rather proud of my new word, Ingredientist! No more feeling horrible!

[@neeko4676]

Thank you!!! This is helpful to me because I’m still trying to find the best food for my cats after they got sick. FYI, Purina insurance paid my cat’s vet bill from when he became ill.

[@Tia1976]

Thanks for your channel, I used to feed my kitty Orijen but since being diagnosed end of June with CKD, our vet recommended us to switch to Hils K/D wet and dry, we also rotate regular Hills wet that are lower in phosphorus conent.

[@Dannielle_Lola]

Well as you know I’m a big hills fan.. so I don’t necessarily fall for the crazy marketing tactics. However the one that always gets on my nerves is the “biologically appropriate“ and the use of the word “filler” If only people actually realised there’s actually no fillers in pet food lol By definition the word filler is something that holds no nutritional value whatsoever.. and since every ingredient does hold some nutritional value then that’s debunked. The other term.. biologically appropriate is just a word they use to fool you into thinking your dog is a carnivorous wolf. (Which they are not) Oh and the “dogs can’t digest grains” marketing statement.. don’t get me started on that one 😂 Great video as always 👍

[@LYDIA-et3pi]

I am new to your channel. I, too, got turned off by the words "hot extrudet". I read somewhere that if a dog food is super heated it causes a byproduct that can cause cancer. Is that true?

[@Thetoad738]

Carna4 grabbed me at a low temperature and was non-synthetic. My dog was eating poop when he was on it. My vet told me to knock it off. He is on Hill's Science Diet Adult Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food and doing great.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@Thetoad738 I like your vets style!

[@sasarink8121]

Great content Glenn, I really appreciate your science based approach on pet nutrition. I completely agree that price does not indicate quality. I am from EU where some big brand such as Hills and Royal Canin are much more expensive than Farmina or Eukanuba - which is by far the cheapest. I would be interested to hear your opinion on Eukanuba (medium adult chicken) which I am considering for my dog. It would be also interesting to learn more about the effects of peas and other legumes on dogs health.

[@StephanieStoudt-uv8nv]

Just an fyi, Eukanuba and Iams in Europe are made by a different manufacturer than USA. You may want to show Glen the bag so he evaluated the correct one. In USA they fall under Mars, I believe.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@sasarink8121 sass, thanks so much for the kind words. As Stephanie says the nutrients I can get on Iams and Euk would be for here in the states.

[@MorganMarlene-h1i]

Hey Glenn! Thank you so much. What are your thoughts on Badlands Ranch?

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@MorganMarlene-h1i trying to gather info on them for a video!

[@MorganMarlene-h1i]

@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy Oooooh I'm excited!!

[@paulschmaeng8050]

This was a good video! Was the board certified vet nutritionist who talked about animals needing nutrients, not a specific ingredient Dr Lisa Weeth?

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@paulschmaeng8050 Dr Kelly Swanson, professor U of Illinois. Thanks for the compliment!

[@CathyM-g9u]

I believe that you did a video on Raised Right cat food. I’m curious if your opinion is the same about their dog food line?

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@CathyM-g9u I did do a video on them. I do love their cat food. The dog food was not as precise, being All Life Stage. But since then I spent literally a few hours on the phone with the owner/formulator and he is a pretty brilliant guy.

[@DeborahDruar]

Could you please review Eukanuba dog food?

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@DeborahDruar that is one I really need to get to! Thanks!

[@DeborahDruar]

I look forward to it.

[@TJ-kz1ul]

My (previous) dog groomer said many of these things to me and got very pushy about it when it came up in conversation that I feed my dogs Science Diet. Then she started to trash my dog because he's brachycephalic, even though he's extremely healthy, gets over 2 hours of exercise a day and has 0 breathing problems. I said previous because after this happening several times I had enough and went to someone else!

[@aishalee23]

Well I buy according to his allergy lab work results. He pretty much is allergic to all ingredients. And it still don’t work! I’m seeing a psychiatrist because of this situation

[@Sue-Roxy]

You do know those Salvia, Fur & Blood allergy test get false postives, my vet told me they're a waste of money, the BEST test is a Food elimination diet you either use a Hypoallergenic vet diet then add 1 new ingredeints or do your own cooked elimination diet, feed 1 single novel protein & 1 carb that dog hasnt eaten before & then when dog is stable you continue to add 1 new ingredient every 4-6 weeks & see does the dog react.... Best time to do a Food elimination diet is in Winter when allergens are very low..

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@aishalee23 I’m sorry but I agree with Sue. And I understand your frustration. I do have a three video series on allergies that might help you understand your options. I trained vets on these diets for decades. I would try the Prescription Diet Derm Complete, the only diet designed to manage both good and environmental allergens. Give it 8 weeks. If no results bring back the bag and get your money back. Then try a hydrolyzed diet. Hills zd and RC Adult HP are a bit better than Purinas HA. If no help, meds are your only option. Good luck!!!!!! And spend your money on the food, not useless psychiatrists!

[@SixTimesMrOlympia]

I know what macronutrients and micronutrients are. But what are you referring to with nutrients? If I feed my cat high quality ingredients from different meats/fish/organs then he will be getting the nutrients wont he? Who would have thought it would be so complex to feed a simple carnivore? Unless they are old/certain condition. I also feed canned wet. This lists the % for each ingredient. So it can't be chicken hoofs, beaks etc. Can it? Chicken breast 58%, Chicken broth 33%, Chicken liver 5%, Sunflower oil, Tapioca 1%, Vitamins and Minerals. Thank you and all the best.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@SixTimesMrOlympia thanks for your comment. I am referring to both macro and micro. All are important, especially the balance. Since urinary stones and kidney disease is so prevalent I look at the macro and micro nutrients that affect them the most. Such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and even protein. The danger of home formulating diets is not knowing if you’re delivering a huge excess or deficiency. Getting and sticking your a recipe from a qualified board certified vet nutritionist is important.

[@kilofireb8584]

I personally for my own reasons don't want to buy in on the "big 3" nor pay 100 bucks a bag of food. Can you recommend a family owned company that uses good quality sources, no recalls that meet the large and senior dog requirements? I feel this does not exist.

[@kilofireb8584]

So by that I mean. There's no science diet, royal canin, or pro plan in existence who would you turn to for nutriance? I started looking at Royal canin and found a vitamin d lawsuit. So that's a no.

[@deetles98]

This might be unrelated but since you were a rep for Hills…I noticed in some of Science Diets dog food they are using ground pecan shells….do you know what for or why they use that? I look at it and I’m puzzled by it. Not sure I should be feeding that to my dog!?! Also, you mentioned that one manufacturer of dog food that you have spoken to for hours and that you are impressed with…. Can you tell us what manufacturer this is? Just wondering.

[@Sue-Roxy]

Recalls are GOOD sometimes the pet food companies do a voluntary recall that is GOOD, 1/2 the time nothing is wrong with the pet food but they like to play it safe. In Australia we have a few private pet food companies & they think like you, if we do a recall we'll get a bad name while dogs & cats get sick, suffer & die..Very big mistake.. A few pet food compeies + Hills was also known for not doing proper recalls when they should have but they didnt they waited too long & then media was involved & they had to do recalls, FDA requested that Hill’s test samples of foods it had produced that were not part of the original recall. Hill’s conducted that testing, which led to the expanded recall on March 20, 2019. Pet food companies dont want their good name tarnished. I like "Diamond Natural" they test their batches before they leave the pet food plant & have state of the art testing, where in Australia our pet food companies do not test till the complaints start coming in & media is involved. I like & trust Diamond Natural kibble, when I rescued my dog she didnt look the best then after being on DN Skin & Coat my girl skin & coat was beautiful they also have Pre & Probiotics to make gut & immune system healthy.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@kilofireb8584 well, once grown there really aren’t large breed requirements. Hills does the best with restricted nutrients for seniors to reduce risk of disease but not cheap. I would consider Farmina, though again not cheap, so probably Iams.

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@kilofireb8584 well, I totally trust Hills and ZrC and they both have had vit d recalls. Purina too. Considering the decades of time and the millions of lbs of food they’ve produced, seems like a safe bet to me.

[@black_dog_barks]

The biggest lie is 90% or more of the Pet Food companies are simply marketing companies. They are not involved with manufacturing their product. The personnel working at pet food companies are very low paid, often under educated, and don't give a darn if too many nutrients or not enough get mixed prior to extrusion. It's why most dog and cat owners should stick to Purina, Science Diet, or Royal Canin... you have a better chance the foods are mixed correctly... and each batch is consistent. There are a few good smaller companies that have their own manufacturing plants and do produce consistent foods.. but it takes some research to find who they are. Plus everyone should understand pet Food is not human grade, it is the remains of what humans will not buy. Have you done a video on "Grain Free" ? It's another great lie that it is better for your dog... the peas and legumes prevent absorption of nutrients in the gut.. it has caused heart failure in so many dogs.. bottom line is dogs have evolved to be garbage disposals .... dump dogs. No they are not wolves.

[@clareferris5048]

You forget helps them live a long happy life. Feed fresh

[@PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

@@clareferris5048 oh, good one! Compare our ingredient charts would be another!

[@Jaycv-dq3rg]

All these videos are great but I don't see list top 3 dog foods When I choose dog food I look for all organic ingredients and organic and grass feed free range meats from new Zealand my poodle costs $3 to feed her daily

[@edschulhof6303]

The Top 10 List was a David Letterman routine, not Johnny Carson. I agree, commercial pet food marketing is bad. Which is why my cats eat a homemade diet. Happy Purrsday Eve! LOL

[@edschulhof6303]

@@Unknown-hu4gf You still around. I figured you had self consumed in stupidity. And take the I dots who agree with you.