What Dog Food Hysterics Won't Tell You

Almost everything said and written about dog food is complete nonsense, a point I have made before.

Here's the bottom line: No brand of dog food has ever been shown to be better than any another brand of dog food despite the billions of dollars a year to be had by being able to prove such a simple claim.

Which is not to say that all brands are entirely equal.

In my opinion, you should probably stay away from small "boutique" brands, as these companies have no manufacturing facilities of their own, have no historical name to protect, and often have no direct source for the ingredients they are putting into their foods.

In fact, most high-priced boutique-brand dog foods are nothing more than a logo tied to marketing puffery, wrapped in nonsense words like "holistic" and "natural."

A large number of boutique brands are touting cocked-up recipies with exotic-sounding ingredients that have never seen a feed trial.

As I note in an earlier post entitled Canned Beaver as Dog Food?:

[A]a lot of these silly dog and cat food companies that have sprung up in recent years. They have nice new-age names like "Natural Balance" and "Blue Buffalo."

Right.

Blue Buffalo.

The latest news about this company is that "Blue Buffalo dog food may be linked to serious illness."

I am not deeply shocked, even if I am a slightly amused to hear that some folks have taken this latest development as a sign they should be developing their own canine diets wholecloth based on little more than pop philosophy.

"Look Ma: No feed trials, no degree in diet and nutrition, no knowledge, no nothing!"

And YES, it will probably work out fine nonetheless.

Hope so!

But don't come crying to me if your dog comes down with pancreatitis and uric acid stones. Remember, I've been to a few dog shows and walked through a few malls. From what I can see, most Americans are incapable of properly feeding themselves, much less a dog!

But no matter. Do what you want. Seriously, I don't care, and I doubt it really matters in the larger scheme of things.

After all, if you're like the typical dog owner you did not really research the health of your breed before you got it.

As a consequence, your dog is more likely to die from inherited disease than from any dog food decision you might make today or tomorrow.

In fact, your dog is more likely to be die from the very "defect by design" you once thought made "your breed" so very special and cute.

For certain, your dog is far more likely to die from obesity than from toxicity. But is anyone talking about that? Not many!

Food quality?

That's probably the least of your dog's worries!

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