DOG FOOD! WHICH IS THE BEST?

Who among us hasn't been a victim of Madison Avenue advertising at one time or another, I know I have. So let's be honest here while we are talking about dog food.

This is the 21st century and we have changed the way we treat our pets. They are now a member of our family. This wasn't always the case. Not so long ago, a dog was just a dog and any old dog food was Who good enough. We changed the way we see our pets and the dog food industry changed right along with us, because, well, there's money to be made with this change and so now pet food in America is a multi billion dollar industry.

It's big business and as with any big business, it requires marketing! Madison Avenue Marketing!! The only difference is that they are not marketing to your dog, they are working to capture your emotion. They know you love your dog and they know you want to give your dog the very best, and so, it is their job to capture your trust through emotion.

Now, to be sure there are junk dog foods out there, and we can all agree that we stay away from those, but the real question is...are different brands really that much different from each other, and does paying more really mean you're getting a better quality dog food. An easy search on google will list a host of the "top brands" being recalled due to salmonella, etc. One food was recently recalled over the death of several dogs because it contained the drug used to euthanize animals. So are you really giving your dog the best simply by paying more. The short answer is, NO.

One of the things that I hear that always makes me cringe is, "My told us to feed XYZ because it's the best." How does your vet know that? Is your vet a breeder? Has you Vet been involved in dog food trials, comparing a number of different foods to see which one is the best? The answer is more than likely, no. So your Vet is giving you an educated guess.

Ever notice how the news seems to change daily about what is and is not good for us humans? First, drinking coffee can give you cancer, then drinking coffee is good for you. Then eating carrots is bad for your liver, then eating carrots is great for your heart. I'm making these up but you know what I'm talking about. Well, the same is true of the food you are feeding your dog. Remember how grain in your dog's food was very unhealthy. The pet store shelves are still lined with bags of dog food in pretty packages and a big price tag that say, "GRAIN FREE." Well, if you've been paying attention, the news coming out now about giving your dog "grain free" food isn't so good. Now they are saying that grain free food can lead to heart problems in your dog. Go figure.

We feed and recommend, Inukshuk. I have a large kennel and so I can report to you with all authority that it is a good food. Stools are good, coats are shiny, weight is great and we have never had an issue in this kennel with cancer or allergic reactions such as itching, etc. So, what does that tell us? You decide, but I would suggest that a pretty wrapper with slick advertising and a hefty price tag does not make for a better dog food.