I allowed Rufus to eat Pedigree dog food for 6 weeks and he just ran out of it last night. The result? He loved it and is just as healthy as on the food we bought from our veterinarian. Now there is a huge discussion in the dog community – more like a battle – of corn in dog food. This battle is just as heated as formula vs. breastmilk. Pedigree lists corn as one of the first 3 ingredients and opposers say that dogs are carnivors and meat ought to make up the bulk of their diet, not corn.
My veterinarian said through his research corn does not harm the dog, and foods with corn can be fed to dogs and be good for them. Watch for the healthiness of your dog and talk to your veterinarian.
My personal experience after 6 weeks of Pedigree – Rufus’ skin, coat, teeth and energy were all the exact same as when he was on the vet recommended stuff. It is incredibly less expensive and it is exactly what Rufus will continue eating from now on. I was very impressed with how much he liked it and how healthy he still was after 6 weeks.
I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Pedigree and received dog food to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
My dog was on a very expensive food. We did the research and chose one that was “supposed” to be the best with the highest quality ingredients and as close to feeding them a natural diet as possible.
He developed seizures on that food. We, and our vet assumed he was epileptic, he had seizures every 6 months for years.
Then my husband lost his job and we switched to a dog food that has similar ingredients to Pedigree.
Since that switch Simon has had no more seizures. The only other change we noticed to his physical health is that he has a bit more tartar buildup, but that’s a much better alternative to brain damaging seizures. Plus the vet also attributes the tartar to his age as well, he’s almost 10.
My in-laws have always fed their dogs Pedigree, purebred or otherwise and they were gorgeous, lived a long time and had very few, if any, medical conditions.
I understand the debate that goes on, but I think, just like other things people get heated about, that it is all relative.
It also depends on how the dog is used.
You can try at first to mix the old food and new food.
Gradually you can substitute it.
DOn’t do it all at once because it may cause problems.
🙂
do you take your dog to josh’s parents?
If I could get the same results from a cheaper food than I do with the expensive stuff, I’d switch too! My bulldogs have such sensitive tummies that anytime we’ve tried to switch, they have gastro issues until we switch back.
Ah sweet puppy! I also want to keep a dog, thank you for sharing.
Of course the dog liked the pedigree dog food, your kids like McDonalds don’t they? It’s the same thing and equally unhealthy. If your children ate McDonalds for six weeks, would they look any different to you? Probably not. It would take much longer for the damage to show and it will eventually. Is the vet food the best either? I would actually say no. The best food is a raw diet, second would be a grain free canned diet, lastly would be a grain free dry dog food. You will not find it in the grocery store either. It would be at a “health” pet food store and yes it is expensive. Our dog died of cancer last year. I would buy him prime steak every night if I could have him back again, cost be damned. It’s too late when they’re gone. I would frankly suggest cutting the budget elsewhere.
Thank you Lisa for your informative comment. I am actually shocked that you suggest a grain free canned is better than grain free dry dog food. Doesn’t the dry dog food “brush” their teeth (so to speak)? I thought by eating canned, soft food all the time, they would have worse oral health.
If I had the money I would definitely purchase Rufus the best organic, raw meat and cook him gourmet food. For now, the budget allows for what you will call substandard food. Food that will not kill him, just not be as nutritious for him as a raw diet or grain free dry food.
I will continue to watch him and care for him. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! They are always welcome, even if they are in opposition to my own.
I love dogs! What breed is Rufus? He is so cute.
Thanks Chris! Since we adopted him from the shelter, we have no idea what breed he is. We haven’t even tried to do that DNA test since that is $$. But after tons of hours digging through pictures of dog breeds online, the best I can think is part German Shepherd, part Mastiff.