Innovative dog chews and treats are all the rage these days. Despite the claims of their sellers, most of these products are new twists on an old theme - taking the parts of food animals that we typically discard as inedible waste and turning them into expensive and often highly sought after dog treats. A few examples are bully sticks, … Continue reading Got Gullet?
pet foods
What’s the Deal with Meals?
The Pet Food Wars: In May 2014, Nestlé-Purina, the largest producer of pet foods sold in the U.S., filed a lawsuit against Blue Buffalo, a competitor. Among other things, the lawsuit alleged that Blue Buffalo’s marketing claims—that their foods contained no by-product meals—were false and disparaging to other companies’ products. … Continue reading What’s the Deal with Meals?
What’s in YOUR Food? (Revisited)
In an earlier blog essay, "What's in Your Food?" I reviewed the results of four published studies that compared the animal protein ingredients listed on various pet food labels with the actual ingredients found in the foods. Multiple instances of mislabeling occurred in which undeclared animal species were included as ingredients and/or protein ingredients declared on the label were completely absent. This month, another study was … Continue reading What’s in YOUR Food? (Revisited)
The Nature of Natural
Over the last few years, the sale of dog foods that carry a claim of natural, either embedded into their brand name or proclaimed on their front label, has exploded. According to the marketing research firm Packaged Facts, natural foods are currently the fastest growing segment of the U.S. pet food market. The sale of foods that are … Continue reading The Nature of Natural
The Science Dog 