The Truth About The Ingredients In Pet Food

[John B. Symes, D.V.M.]

Hi Everyone,

I am sort of serving a dual role these days- fighting battles on both veterinary and human medical fronts. Hey, that's what happens when we become enlightened to the critical nature of food issues as we celiacs have become. I know that many of you have pets and many have also asked themselves whether gluten intolerance can occur in pets. The answer is a resounding "yes". I was taught about KNOWN celiac disease in Irish setters over 30 years ago.

The article below is something I just put together after a week of discussing this subject matter with clients in the exam room. Their reactions compelled me to put it all in writing. I hope this helps and motivates change. Please give this information to anyone who has pets. It can be the difference between a pet living to be 5 or 25.

Cats have been known to live to be 40 years and dogs 30 and yet the average age in this country is 13 and 12 respectively. What could be the single most important factor here? If you said "diet", I think you're right.

I hope this helps,

John

John B. Symes, D.V.M. (aka "Dogtor J")

The Truth about the Ingredients in Pet Food

By John B.Symes, D.V.M. (aka "DogtorJ")

A client came into the exam room the other day with two Boston terriers, one that was about three years old and looking pretty healthy and the other being eight and the main reason for the office call. The latter was having both digestive and skin issues and had been for quite some time. They came to get a second opinion because previous treatments had been less than successful.

As I am prone to do, my first question concerned what they were feeding. They told me that they were feeding a popular brand, the commercials for which are all too familiar to anyone with a television. You have seen it: The vegetable and whole grains falling from the sky, leading all who are watching to believe that this food was a very healthy blend of all of the things we have come to accept as nutritious and necessary for us all. But sadly, most people are like these new clients in that they have never really read the ingredient label for this or any food and simply go on the perceived quality of the food. Marketing is quite effective, isn't it?

I promptly told them that this particular food...unbeknownst to them...was one of the worst dog foods ever made. Once they put their teeth back into their mouths, I explained. They had not yet gotten my "food lecture" for which I have developed such a reputation. (Good or bad, I'm not sure but I have been told that I have a reputation now.) I quickly ran them through the "big 4"- gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn- and explained food intolerance using celiac disease as the model. Thankfully, they did not get the deer-in-the-headlights look that I so often get as I launch into this medical soliloquy. They, in fact, asked very intelligent questions and then proceeded to relate what I had said to their own health, something that excites me to no end. We could have spent hours on their medical history and afflictions but they left armed to deal with them in a more effective manner.

But when I printed out the ingredient label of this popular grocery store brand dog food, they excited me even more when they got visibly angered at what they saw. And they should get mad! We all should when we see that the marketing of these foods is barely...if at all...within the limits of the law when it comes to truth in labeling. It is certainly waaaay outside the realm of decency.

Here is the ingredient list. Remember that we are trying to avoid all wheat, barley, rye, soy, and corn. Also keep in mind that the ingredients must be listed in order of concentration in the food, with the highest levels listed first. Also keep in mind that the more ingredients there are in the food, the higher the "dilution factor", meaning that the use of multiple grains, for example, will artificially elevate the meat or meat by-products to a position toward the front of the list. In other words, if they used only corn, then corn would be first. But, if they use corn, wheat, barley and soy, then something like chicken by-products may be higher in concentration than each of those individually but not if they used corn alone.

So now, here are those ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

First of all, note the main (animal) protein sources and their placement on the ingredient list. Again, by label regulations, the most abundant ingredient is listed first and the least is shown last. But, we must also take into account the "dilution factor", which is a false elevation of the concentration of an ingredient due to the use of multiple similar ingredients that accomplish the same goal (e.g the use of multiple grains to artificially elevate the amount of meat in a particular formula).

With this in mind,we see that the first animal protein source is chicken by-product meal, not chicken or chicken meal. Chicken by-products are the ground, rendered parts of the chicken carcass, such as necks, breast bones, feet, and intestinal tract, not to include feathers, except in the small quantities that may unavoidably occur unavoidable in processing. Basically, it is what is left after the meat has been removed. The next animal protein source is beef, which is the eighth ingredient and well behind the corn, wheat, soy and rice. In fact, the beef is listed after the animal fat. So, for a basically carnivorous animal such as a dog, how does this food stack up to its natural diet? Not too well.

Secondly, I want the reader to see is the positioning of the dried peas and dried carrots relative to the other ingredients.

In this particular food, the commercials for which show vegetables and whole grains falling from the sky and the bags prominently display peas and carrots, these vegetables are listed after such things as sugar, salt, water, and added minerals. The fact is that there is more sugar and more salt in this food than peas and carrots. There is more water in this dry food than peas and carrots. There is even more L-Lysine monohydrochloride in this food than peas and carrots. So, how many vegetables can possibly be in this pet food? Yet, the commercials and bag lead one to believe that this formula is a healthier choice for your pet because of the vegetables it contains. Does this really meet the qualifications of what we like to think is "truth in labeling"?

The sad truth is that this food, like so many others, is loaded with the things that are doing harm to our pets (and many of us) while being devoid of truly healthful ingredients. Our pets need the phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables as badly as we do if, maybe even more so if we base things on the quality of the ingredients listed above.

Let's try another food. This one is a popular formula among breeders and sold in the grocery stores and pet marts. The name of the formula includes the words "with Lamb and Rice". I suppose from reading the ingredient list that the use of the word "with" is a legalism and justifies the placement on the formula's list. The reader can decide.

Here is the ingredient list:

INGREDIENTS

Ground Whole Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat, Meat and Bone Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Lamb, Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Gluten, Potassium Chloride, DiCalcium Phosphate, Vegetable Oil (Source of Linoleic Acid), Carmel Color, Dried Beet Pulp, Titanium Dioxide, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Look familiar? The thing to see here is the placement of the lamb and rice. Note that the lamb comes after natural poultry flavor. How much lamb can there be in this food? Once again, the grains make up the bulk of this food and even with five different ingredients derived from grains, there is still more natural poultry flavor ("chicken squeezin's" as one client termed it) in this food than lamb or rice. Also note the use of artificial colors in both of these food formulas. Do the dogs really care what the color is?

But what about cat foods? (errrrrrh). Yes, most cat foods are even worse, especially when it is taken into consideration that this species is considered an obligate carnivore. They eat meat. The biggest decision of the free-roaming domestic cat would be whether they will have a squirrel, a mouse, a rabbit or a bird for dinner. Can't you just see them "stalking" some corn? And yet, the vast majority of commercial dry cat foods are loaded with the "big 4".

Here is the ingredient list of one of the most popular dry cat foods at the grocery store:

INGREDIENTS

Corn meal, Poultry by-product meal, Corn gluten meal, Animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), Powdered cellulose, Salmon meal, Animal liver flavor, Soybean hulls, Malt extract, Calcium carbonate, Phosphoric acid, Salt, Choline chloride, Potassium chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E supplement, Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Manganese sulfate, Parsley flakes, Niacin, Added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2)...

...and other vitamins and minerals as seen in the other formulas.

In this formula, note that the salmon meal is listed after powdered cellulose. Also, note that the parsley flakes come after zinc, iron, and manganese. This is the case in a food about which the manufacturer's Website print advertising boldly states that our formula "contains a special blend of ingredients- including the wholesome grains and garden greens she craves." Do cats really crave grains? (Only if they have become addicted to them from eating gluten-based cat foods.) Isn't it a major stretch to call this amount of parsley "garden greens"?

After the big pet food recall, this same pet food giant came out with their "naturals" line. Let's take a look at it:

INGREDIENTS

Chicken meal, Corn gluten meal, Soybean meal, Brewer's Rice, Animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), Poultry by-product meal, Corn meal, Chicken, Salmon, Ground Whole Wheat, Soybean hulls, Malt extract, Brewer's Dried Yeast...

......and other vitamins and minerals as seen in the other formulas.

The good news is that this food has an "upgraded" protein source in the form of chicken meal but is the ingredient list quickly deteriorates into the usual fare of unnatural and downright harmful "big 4" components. At least this one does not contain dairy products like so many others contain. We took all of the dairy our of pet food almost twenty years ago and for very good reason. Why it is making a comeback in a number of misguided manufacturer's formulas is almost beyond me. But this blunder is understandable when we grasp that they decided to start making pet foods wheat-based twenty years ago in the face of current veterinary knowledge clearly stating that wheat was the number two food allergen behind dairy. Perhaps they, too, were deceived by the crazy notion that lactose is the real culprit in milk.

The good news is that there are other pet food formulas that are much better than those above. One simply needs to read the labels and read them carefully, taking the ingredient list rule of diminishing quantity in mind. Also, look for key words like "lamb", "lamb meal", "chicken" and "chicken meal" rather than the by-product version of those components. Then look for a food that is devoid of the "big 4"- all gluten (wheat, barley, rye, dairy , soy and corn). If the food also contains significant quantities of veggies and fruits then the manufacturer is at least making an attempt to create a balanced formula. The bad news is that the kibbling process (production of dry food) makes it very hard for delicate phytonutrients to survive. As it is still necessary to add fresh fruits and vegetables to the pet's diet to make it more appropriate, I would never opt for a food with added vegetables if that formula still contains any of the "big 4". It would be much better to get a "clean" food (one devoid of the big 4) and add fresh (raw or steamed) vegetables and fruits. We can give them any of the fruits and veggies that we eat except for grapes, raisins, and onions.

I truly hope that this helps people sort through the jungle (or quagmire) we call the pet food industry. I also hope that it motivates...even angers...the reader into doing something proactive in the way of contacting pet food manufacturers or sharing this vital information with friends, contacts, and loved ones who have pets.

It is time for this situation to change. ("It's way past time", many would say). The pet food giants have had their time of taking full advantage of our nutritional ignorance. Whether the manufacturers are simply ignorant or incredibly greedy is another topic altogether. But we as consumers do not have to be so unknowledgeable in these matters. Nutrition is not as hard to understand as some would think. We simply have to eliminate the bad things and consume the good things. It takes a little thought and research to do the former and some willpower to do the latter but it can be done. For the pets, it is easy: Buy dog food A instead of dog food B (or better yet, home-cook for the pet) and we're off and running. For those people who are afflicted, it is a bit more complicated...but still very do-able.

We do have the destiny our health and that of our pets in our own hands. That should be good news.

John B. Symes, D.V.M. (aka "Dogtor J")

[newlyfree]

Hi DogtorJ,

Just wanted to say I found your website a while back when I first went gluten-free and everyone was just starting to hear about the toxic gluten in dog foods.

Our Shih Tzu mix (a rescue dog) has always had allergies, he would scratch himself bloody if he wasn't on his steroid medication. I'd been bugging Future-Hubby to try a gluten-free diet for the dog, and he just wouldn't do it (he'd spent too much on huge bulk bags of our vet's 'recommended' uber-expensive brand). Then I found your site, and showed him the article that mentions the decline in the Irish Setter population. He went out and bought a bag of gluten-free food that afternoon.

It's six weeks later, our little Fizzgig is off his medication and never itches at all. It's truly remarkable. We'd never seen him jump before, and now he leaps up onto the couch like it's nothing. He's so much peppier and happier. And I know he'll be with us for a very long time.

I just wanted to thank you and tell you to keep up the good work - without your site, I don't know how long it would have taken me to beat FH into submission.

Oh - and on a side note, FH decided to go gluten-free after that, and many of his lifelong complaints are going away too!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Hi, Dogtor J,

I blundered (happily!) on to your site when I was first becoming aware of my own gluten problems a year and a half ago. I hope the manufacturers eventually get your message! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I switched my cats to a grain-free food (Innova EVO), which was WONDERFUL for my diabetic kitty (gee, wonder what triggered the diabetes??) (We need a sarcastic icon here>)--he stopped peeing all over the place, drinks and eats normal amounts, regained his lost weight, washes himself, and is much more sociable. Only trouble is, his poops stink to high heaven and beyond.

Is that normal? Are his poops supposed to stink that much? He is still on insulin (haven't brought him back to the vet since he seemed to be feeling SO much better--I couldn't justify another vet bill of hundreds of dollars for the blood tests he would want to run)--could that cause stinky poops?

I was tempted to make him some rice, but figured that cats don't exactly harvest rice in the wild, so it probably wouldn't be right.

Do you have any suggestions?

[John B. Symes, D.V.M.]

Hi DogtorJ,

It's six weeks later, our little Fizzgig is off his medication and never itches at all. It's truly remarkable. We'd never seen him jump before, and now he leaps up onto the couch like it's nothing. He's so much peppier and happier. And I know he'll be with us for a very long time.

I just wanted to thank you and tell you to keep up the good work - without your site, I don't know how long it would have taken me to beat FH into submission.

Oh - and on a side note, FH decided to go gluten-free after that, and many of his lifelong complaints are going away too!

Hi Newlyfree,

Thanks for the "thanks" and the great testimonial. As far as the FH goes, that's what we call a bank-shot, right? :)

My latest studies have been centered around phytonutrients...those wonderful elements in fruits and veggies that are just as important...if not more so...than the vitamins and minerals we get from them. As many know now, there is a little war going on in us between the good things we eat (healthy proteins, glycoproteins, sugars) and the bad ones. Once we grasp the concept of lectins ( Open Original Shared Link ), things really start to make perfect sense.

So, I strongly recommend that people supplement their pet's diets with fresh fruits and veggies. We can give them just about everything we eat except grapes, raisins and onions. Load them up with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, squash, berries, etc. They will be soooo much healthier. I also recommend a good omega three fatty acid supplement, preferably with vitamin D. However, if D is included, we must be careful with the dose. That's when I recommend the veterinary brands and weight appropriate dosing.

I'm really glad that Fizzgig and FH are doing better.

John

[John B. Symes, D.V.M.]

Hi, Dogtor J,

I switched my cats to a grain-free food (Innova EVO), which was WONDERFUL for my diabetic kitty (gee, wonder what triggered the diabetes??) (We need a sarcastic icon here>)--he stopped peeing all over the place, drinks and eats normal amounts, regained his lost weight, washes himself, and is much more sociable. Only trouble is, his poops stink to high heaven and beyond.

Is that normal? Are his poops supposed to stink that much?

Do you have any suggestions?

Hi Fiddle Faddle,

It's great to hear from you. Thanks for posting.

The problem with the Innova Evo is the cottage cheese (errrrrh). I have been writing to them for years about this serious blunder and they kee sending me back the same thing: That there food has helped many and they are not about to change their formula....this, even after an in-depth explanation of how dairy products (e.g. alpha s-1 casein) have been linked to just about every immune-mediated disease known to man. (Yet another medical study recently showed that our kids that get cow milk in the first month of life have a 40-50 times higher rate of type 1 diabetes in the future. Again, once we grasp the concept of lectins- and their interraction with viruses- we can see how this is so.

Diabetes and dairy proteins have been firmly linked together. They are also the number two food allergen in dogs and cats behind wheat. They used to be number one, back in the days (20 years ago and beyond) that we used milk-coated puppy and kitten chows. AND, we saw A LOT more diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma back then. But wheat, corn and soy can do the same thing so we still see these things. But the absence of dairy...til recently...has really helped. However, now we have these totally misguided pet food companies making a dairy comeback. It's insane but the superficial explanation is that they have bought into the "lactose is the culprit in milk" myth...deception. Wrong! It is the proteins/glycoproteins that are doing this and people who understand celiac disease know exactly what's what here.

So, as celiac disease becomes more well-known, we will move into a better understanding (more public understanding*) of the other three "horsemen of the apocalypse"...dairy, soy and corn. (*Researchers already know this stuff, of course.)

I would recommend that you try the Life's Abundance (www.manna4pets.com) or Felidae, which are formulated very much like the Innova but without the dairy. I would also supplement with fresh (cooked) meats and try to get him to eat some fruits and veggies. Some cats love stuff like that. Others laugh at us for trying. My cat is an amazing omnivore and cleans my plate before the dogs can get to it. LOL

I hope this helps,

John

It's worth doing SOME follow up and monitoring.

[Ridgewalker]

Dogtor J,

It's such a weird coincidence, I just stumbled onto your site a couple weeks ago when I was searching for info on casein, which is somewhat more difficult to find than info on gluten intolerance. I've learned a lot, and just wanted to say thanks, and thanks for posting here!

-Sarah

[John B. Symes, D.V.M.]

Dogtor J,

It's such a weird coincidence, I just stumbled onto your site a couple weeks ago when I was searching for info on casein, which is somewhat more difficult to find than info on gluten intolerance. I've learned a lot, and just wanted to say thanks, and thanks for posting here!

-Sarah

You're very welcome. Glad to be of some help. Reading your signature, it looks like you're on the right path.

That's when I got hooked up with Scott and Celiac.com- when I realized that many celiacs (like myself) were also dairy, soy and/or corn intolerant. I found out all of that myself the hard way as I eliminated each of those one at a time. I have seen it all in the dog and now just recommend the elimination of all four right off the bat. That's a lot harder in people (especially kids) but can be done when needed. I do suggest that people keep the soy and corn in mind. Dairy is really a no-brainer. I really think it could be more of an issue than gluten in the long run.

Then we have to address the secondary food allergies that have developed as result of our leaky gut. A great resource is the Sage Sytems Test (www.foodallergytest.com ). As most celiacs know, many of us have developed significant secondary allergies to otherwise healthy things (beef, chicken, nuts, fruits, veggies, rice) and these can account for some of our failures when we go Gluten-free Casein-free, or like me GFCFSFCF.

Keep in touch,

John

PS. Love the Darth Vader avatar.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Diabetes and dairy proteins have been firmly linked together.

Oh, no--my dad has gone practically carb-free (except for fruits, and vegies) in an effort (so far, extremely successful) to deal with his diabetes without insulin--but he adores cheese, and does have some every day. Should I tell him not to eat cheese?

And if so, do you have some links and/or studies I can throw at him? He is finally starting to listen to me about gluten based on my own experience, but I'm not sure I can convince him on the cheese issue....

Is Felidae available commercially (like, at the big Pet Mart stores),, or is that something I need to order on-line?

Also, what about canned salmon as a protein source for Tigger? Do you have recipes for home-cooked cat food? I don't mind cooking for him at least occasionally. He thinks he's a person, anyway...

Thank you so much for coming on this site!

[psawyer]

Is Felidae available commercially (like, at the big Pet Mart stores),, or is that something I need to order on-line?

I don't know if PetsMart carries it, but Felidae is sold by many pet speciality retailers (including me).

[jerseyangel]

I don't know if PetsMart carries it, but Felidae is sold by many pet speciality retailers (including me).

I'm going to look for it--I thought it was enough to have my kitty gluten-free....

Thanks DogtorJ and Peter

[John B. Symes, D.V.M.]

Oh, no--my dad has gone practically carb-free (except for fruits, and vegies) in an effort (so far, extremely successful) to deal with his diabetes without insulin--but he adores cheese, and does have some every day. Should I tell him not to eat cheese?

And if so, do you have some links and/or studies I can throw at him? He is finally starting to listen to me about gluten based on my own experience, but I'm not sure I can convince him on the cheese issue....

Is Felidae available commercially (like, at the big Pet Mart stores),, or is that something I need to order on-line?

Also, what about canned salmon as a protein source for Tigger? Do you have recipes for home-cooked cat food? I don't mind cooking for him at least occasionally. He thinks he's a person, anyway...

Thank you so much for coming on this site!

Hi Fiddle-Faddle,

If you or he did a search for "cow milk, diabetes", many links will come up that can start you down this rabbit hole. You have to sift through the ADA (American Dairy Association) "propaganda" about dairy benefiting those with type 2, but you will find plenty if evidence for the relationship between early cow milk consumption and the subsequent development of type 1 diabetes.

Yes, Felidae is sold through many pet shops. I also recommend Life's Abundance which can be purchased on-line(www.manna4pets.com) and have actually had better acceptance with this dry food than any other to date. Another food that meets my criteria is the new Wellness CORE but I have no personal experience with it.

You can supplement with salmon as well as some chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, or eggs as long as there are no allergies to these protein sources. Many people feed homemade diets now. I do not have a specific recipe and really don't believe that one is needed. The sad fact is that someone could produce an infinitely better pet food using logic than these pet food giants who have been doing it for years. Their goal has been to mass produce foods that are affordable and easy to feed...and profitable. of course. The grains used are not good nor are they natural protein sources.

One of the key ingredients for the cat's health is taurine. We found this out the hard way years ago. BUT, taurine is plentiful in meat and fish. So why were cats suffering from deficiencies of this NON-essential amino acid before we boosted the levels in cat food? Because the protein sources used in cat foods (corn, wheat, barley) are totally inadequate. Plus, B6 is needed for taurine production from methionine and the B complex is absorbed from the duodenum, where the "big 4" do their harm.

In a proper homecooked diet of meat and veggies, there should be plenty of taurine and none of the things inhibiting the manufacturing of taurine from methionine. After all, wild cats can't get a taurine supplement from the local drug store and don't need one on their diet of wild game. Again, we just have to use common sense and think naturally.

I hope this helps,

John

[BRUMI1968]

Hey, so glad you're here! I've read much of the work on your website and am impressed with the research and the presentation. I'm glad we've got folks out there in the community speaking out.

Quick question I have yet to figure out the answer for. My Staffordshire Bull Terrier, aged 8, has TERRIBLE breath. His breath has always, from the time he was a pup, smelled a bit like blood. Now he's almost 9, has lost one and a half teeth (to getting a bit of a ball stuck at the roots) and has a lot of tartar...it just seems so much more systemic. Anyway, now it's a mix of blood smell and rotting yuck mouth - I'm sure you know the smell well in your line of work.

He eats raw food - lamb mostly, but sometimes beef. for a while we cooked it, and his breath got better - then got worse again. then going back on raw it got better, then worse again. so now he's back on raw, since that seems to keep his weight down, his coat non-flaky, his poop superb, etc. i supplement with olive oil, metacam (for his arthritis), msm, and calcium pills.

Any thoughts?

p.s. if it's inappropriate for me to ask your opinion, that's fine too. This is, after all, a board on celiac. My dog has done great since going grainless, that's for sure, and he's inspired me to be virtually grainless too, except my millett bread toast.

[psawyer]

Moderator speaking:

Yes, it is a celiac board. However, this particular forum within the board is for discussion of non-celiac topics, and as long as the board rules are followed, you can discuss just about anything here. If DogtorJ wants to respond, it would be fine.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Thanks!

I just bought a bag of the Wellness CORE food at one of the big super-pet stores--I'll let you know how it goes.

My dad is type 2 (he's in his 80's and was only just diagnosed). He has been so successful at controlling his blood sugar by diet alone (even with eating cheese) that I hesitate to suggest that he eliminate anything else from his diet.

[Adelle]

Hey Dogtor J!

I'm hoping I can ask a quick question?

DH and I REALLY want to get an English Mastiff. We're moving into a house in November, we've contacted a local rescue (we'll be adopting from them).

What exact food do you reccomed we feed?? I'd prefer to buy from an actual store, but that may be impossible. Is there a link to your website somewhere and I'm just missing it?

I just want a healthy, happy pooch!! I hope you can reccomend something! We only know one person who feeds GOOD food to their dog (gluten-free, CF, well balanced, etc), but their dog is TEENY. I want a food that will be good for a HUGE dog.

Hope you can help! Thanx!

[Felidae]

I love this topic! My cat is allergic to chicken so I have been reading and researching pet food ingredients for almost a decade. It's pretty sad what they put in mainstream pet food and human food for that matter. I have many questions for Doctor J, but I'll refrain for now.