Reddit Reddit reviews Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices

We found 4 Reddit comments about Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices
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4 Reddit comments about Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices:

u/brdtwrk · 16 pointsr/dogs

You won't find m(any) published studies comparing specific named brands to other specific named brands. Many published peer-reviewed studies tend to keep the names blinded to avoid appearing as endorsements.

But, I have oodles of resources for you about canine nutrition in general.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is an association of associations. Its membership is made up of veterinary organisations from all over the world, which are concerned with companion animals. Currently there are 92 member and affiliate associations, representing over 145,000 individual veterinarians from around the globe.

Here is what they, along with a few other expert resources have to say about pet/dog nutrition.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association

  • The Savvy Dog Owner’s Guide: Nutrition on the Internet
  • Recommendations on Selecting Pet Foods

    Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

  • FAQ's on Pet Nutrition

    The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

  • How to Choose a Diet
  • Myths and Misconceptions Surrounding Pet Foods

    'Dog Food Logic' Book Excerpts written by an animal nutritionist (MSc)

  • What's Your Dinner Ritual?
  • Label Claims
  • Not Your Grandmother’s Kibble
  • The Nature of Natural

    I HIGHLY recommend reading the full book. It's a great read, and dives into detail on the science of canine nutrition for the layman. No, seriously, read the book Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices.

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    Peer-reviewed studies related to dog/pet/animal nutrition (borrowed from the book Dog Food Logic):

  • Ahlstrom O, et al: “Fatty acid composition in commercial dog foods.” J Nutr, 134:2145S-2147S, 2004.

  • Aldrich G: “Rosemary extract acts as a natural antioxidant.” Petfood Industry, September 2010.

  • Aldrich G: “The formulator’s dilemma: how processing affects pet nutrition.” Petfood Industry, February 2012.

  • Aldrich CG, Daristotle L. “Petfood and the economic impact.” Proc. California Animal Nutrition Conference, Fresno, CA. pp. 1140-148, 1998.

  • Altom EK, Davenport GM, Myers LJ and Cummins KA: “Effect of dietary fat source and exercise on odorant-detecting ability of canine athletes.” Res Vet Sci, 75:149-155, 2003.

  • Axelsson E, Ratnakumar A, Arendt M-L, et al: “The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet.” Nature, 495:360-364, 2013.

  • Baskin CR, Hinchcliff KW, DiSilvesttro RA, et al: “Effects of dietary antioxidant supplementation on oxidative damage and resistance to oxidative damage during prolonged exercise in sled dogs.” Amer J Vet Res, 61:886-891, 2000.

  • Buchanan RL, Baker RC, Charlton AJ, et al: “Pet Food Safety: A shared concern.” Brit J Nutr, 106:S78-S84, 2011.

  • Burkhard PR, Burkhardt K, Haenggeli C A, Landis T: “Plant-induced seizures: reappearance of an old problem.” J Neurology, 246:667-670, 1999.

  • Butterwick RF, Erdman JW, Hill RC, et al: “Challenges in developing nutrient guidelines for companion animals.” Brit J Nutr, 106:S24-S31, 2011.

  • Case LP, Czarnecki GL: “Protein requirements of growing pups fed practical dry-type diets containing mixed-protein sources.” Am J Vet Res, 51:808–812, 1990.

  • Chen A, Hung K, Peng N: “A cluster analysis examination of pet owners’ consumption values and behavior—segmenting owners strategically.” J Targeting Measure Anal Market, 20:117-132, 2012.

  • Courcier EA, Mellor DJ, Thomson DM and Yam PS: “A cross sectional study of the prevalence and risk factors for owner misperception of canine body shape in first opinion practice in Glasgow.” Prevent Vet Med, 102:66-74, 2011.

  • Courcier EA, Thomson RM, Mellor DJ and Yam PS: “An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated with canine obesity.” J Small Anim Practice, 51: 362–367, 2010.

  • Darley JM and Gross PH: “A hypothesis-confirming bias in labeling effects.” J Personality Social Psychol, 44:20-33, 1983.

  • Diego MA, et al: “Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns of alertness and math computations.” Int J Neurosci, 96:217-224, 1998.

  • Dörrie J, et al: “Carnosol-induced apoptosis and downregulation of Bcl-2 in B-lineage leukemia cells.” Cancer Letters, 170:33-39, 2001.

  • Dunlap KL, Reynolds AJ and Duffy LK: “Total antioxidant power in sled dogs supplemented with blueberries and the comparison of blood parameters associated with exercise.” Compar Biochem Physiol, 143:429-434, 2006.

  • Dzanis DA: “Regulation of pet foods in the United States.” Compend Contin Ed Vet, July 2009; 324-328, 2009.

  • Eirmann L, Cowell C: “Pet food safety: The roles of government, manufacturers and veterinarians.” Compend Contin Ed Vet, January 2012; E1E3, 2012.

  • Fiske ST: “Attention and Weight in Person Perception: The impact of negative and extreme information.” J Personality Social Psychol, 38:889–906, 1980.

  • Frankel EN, et al: “Antioxidant activity of a rosemary extract and its constituents, carnosic acid, carnosol and rosmarinic acid, in bulk oil and oil-in-water emulsion.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44:131-135, 1996.

  • Freeman LM, Michel KE: “Evaluation of raw food diets for dogs.” J Amer Vet Med, Assoc 218:705-709, 2001.

  • Freeman LM, Schreiner KE and Geronimo Terkla D: “Survey of opinions about nutrient requirements of senior dogs and analysis of nutrient profiles of commercially available diets for senior dogs.” Intern J Appl Res Vet, Med 9:68-79, 2011.

  • Frei C. Pet Industry Statistics Show the Power of Pet Humanization; Packaged Facts (blog); http://blog.marketresearch.com/blog-home-page/bid/209521/Pet-Industry-Statistics-Show-the-Power-of-Pet-Humanization#sthash.OfYn9pgl.dpuf German AJ, Holden SL, Mather NJ, et al: “Low-maintenance energy requirements of obese dogs after weight loss.” Brit J Nutr, 106:S93-S96, 2011.

  • Greer KA, Canterberry SC, Murphy KE: “Statistical analysis regarding the effects of height and weight on life span of the domestic dog.” Res Vet Sci, 82:208-214, 2007.

  • Gross KL, Burchett S, Harmon DL, et al: “Effect of altering starch cook and resistant starch content of extruded food products on nutrient digestibility in the dog.” J Vet Intern Med, 12: 241-245, 1998.

  • Hammel EP, Kronfeld DS, Ganjam VK, et al: “Metabolic responses to exhaustive exercise in racing sledge dogs fed diets containing medium, low and zero carbohydrate.” Am J Clin Nutr, 30:409-418, 1976.

  • Heuberger, R and Wakshlag J: “The relationship of feeding patterns and obesity in dogs.” J Animal Physiol Anim Nutr, 95: 98–105, 2011.

  • Huston L: Concerns About Pet Food Recalls and Safety Paramount to Owners, petMD Survey Finds, petMD http://goo.gl/jY5Zus Jenkins CC, Allen TA, and Roudebush P: “Application of evidence-based medicine to veterinary clinical nutrition.” Proc Hills Symp Lower Urinary Tract Disease, pp. 5-12, 2011.

  • Joffe DJ and Schlesinger DP: “Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets.” Can Vet J, 43:441-442, 2002.

  • Kerr RK, Vester-Boler BM, Morris CL, et al: “Apparent total tract energy and macronutrient digestibility and fecal fermentative end-product concentrations of domestic cats fed extruded, raw beef-based and cooked beef-based diets.” J Anim Sci, 90:515-522, 2012.

  • Kerr KR, Beloshapka AN, Morris CL, et al: “Evaluation of four raw meat diets using domestic cats, captive exotic felids and cecectomized roosters.” J Anim Sci, 91:225-237, 2013.

  • Kronfeld DS: “Diet and the performance of racing sledge dogs.” J Am Vet Med Assoc, 162:470-473, 1973.

  • KuKanich KS: “Update on Salmonella spp. contamination of pet foods, treats and nutritional products and safe feeding recommendations.” J Amer Vet Med Assoc, 238:1430-1434, 2011.

  • Langer EJ: “The illusion of control.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32:311-328, 1975.

  • Lefebvre SL, Reid-Smith R, Boerlin P, Weese JS: “Evaluation of the risks of shedding Salmonella and other potential pathogens by therapy dogs fed raw diets in Ontario and Alberta.” Zoonoses Public Health, 55:470-480, 2008.

  • LeJeune JT, Hancock DD: “Public health concerns associated with feeding raw meat diets to dogs.” J Amer Vet Med Assoc, 219:1222-1225, 2001.

  • Leonard EK, Pearl DL, Finley RL, et al: “Evaluation of pet-related management factors and the risk of Salmonella spp. carriage in pet dogs from volunteer households in Ontario (2005–2006).” Zoonoses Public Health, 58:140–149, 2011.

  • Locatelli ML, Howhler D. “Poultry byproduct meal: Consider protein quality and variability.” Feed Manage, 2003;54:6-10.

  • Lord C, Ross L, Lepper M: “Biased Assimilation and Attitude Polarization: The effects of prior theories on subsequently considered evidence.” J Personality Social Psychol, 37: 2098-2109, 1979.
u/mamiesmom · 12 pointsr/dogs

DogFoodAdvisor is not a very good resource when it comes to evaluating food. The writer has no education in nutrition or veterinary medicine; he's a dentist who believes that his dog died because of the food it ate, and therefore has developed this completely unscientific method of evaluating how good a food is based on how palatable the ingredients sound to him personally, without taking into account actual reputable benchmarks of food quality such as AAFCO labeling, feeding trials, in-house veterinary teams available for consultation, in-house research, reputability of company/length of company's existence, in-house quality control procedures, and actual food safety (in the case of raw).

He also has a number of completely unqualified beliefs about which ingredients are better than others when it come to how he rates various foods, and he frequently uses the naturalistic fallacy in determining what is good and bad for a dog without taking into account the difference in lifespan between feral and owned dogs and between dogs and wolves, as well as the large differences in biology (including digestive ability) between domesticated dogs and wolves.

He, along with other dog food corporations, claim that veterinarians get little nutrition training - completely false (they take multiple courses in nutrition over the course of their veterinary school years) and really laughable when put in juxtaposition with how it's recommended we take advice from lay people like groomers and trainers instead. They also like to claim that vets only recommend brands with research like Science Diet and Royal Canin because they get a kickback - again, completely untrue, and vets only carry prescription varieties of those foods in their offices anyway. According to some analyses done at /r/AskVet, vets actually lose money carrying those prescription diets, too, because they have to keep all kinds in stock regardless of the frequency of it being used, and get rid of that stock when it expires. The only reason they even carry these prescription diets at their office is because otherwise some of their patients would not be able to access the prescription food they need to live. It's a courtesy that costs the practice money, not a money-making venture.

You are likely much better off choosing a high quality food from a brand that meets the above requirements (AAFCO labeling, feeding trials, in-house veterinary teams available for consultation, in-house research, reputability of company/length of company's existence, and in-house quality control procedures) than going off of a fad "holistic" diet with no scientific research backing it up and no advanced quality control such as the kind used by larger, more established companies.

For more information on choosing a healthy diet for your dog:

u/redchai · 7 pointsr/dogs

Have you spoken to your vet about this?

Every dog is different and there is no objective "best" dog food - you will get a lot of anecdotal evidence in threads like these. If you're interested in understanding canine nutrition and how to differentiate science from marketing/pseudoscience, I would really recommend the book Dog Food Logic by Linda Case. She has her MS in canine nutrition - the book should really be a staple for all dog owners.

u/spidercounteraww · 6 pointsr/AskVet

If you're seriously interested in learning about pet food and making an informed decision, I really suggest this book: Dog Food Logic. It's aimed at dogs, but a lot of the information is similar. It'll walk you through a lot of the myths about pet foods, human biases, talk about what "by-product" and "filler" really means, etc. It won't tell you exactly what to buy, but will definitely make you more informed when you walk the aisles at Petsmart. :)