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(More customer reviews)I spent many years studying canine nutrition and it is fairly appalling how many of the major diseases and health issues began when we stopped feeding dogs table scraps and began feeding them processed foods. (See studies by Dr Pitcairn) Now granted, this was still a progression because toxins like onions were eliminated from their diet but poor quality processed foods, the same each day, are no mystery: we would suffer health issues if we chose that diet for life, and they need health as much as we do.
Primary issues: the vitamins added in most foods are then cooked which means they are left deactivated; most foods are made for profit meaning they have mostly fillers and food not fit for human consumption and can even be high in allergens such as soy or corn, leaving chronic itching, poor coat, etc.
But the main issue, aside from it being poor nutrition, in 99% of dog food is that it's not food grade meat. Why would this matter? I've actually visited the places that proved why this mattered. In Hereford, TX they raise the majority of beef used in this country. (Your suitcase will arrive back home after the flight here reeking of cow manure. But it's a pretty city.) In front of me a bulldozer was picking up cows that just dropped dead or were in the process. I wanted to scream. I asked what happens to them and was told they are taken to the local dog food manufacturer...which is why the dog food manufacturers are built near large cattle farms. In a nutshell, free diseased meat. Cows don't go to a morgue to see why they died or what disease or virus they had. They go straight into dog food.
Can't believe this? Think back a few years ago when dogs were dying and there was a massive pet food recall. This was because most of the companies drew from the same downed livestock. There were only a handful of companies that were not on the recall list. These were the very, very few that use food grade meat. What that means? Meat meant for food. Appalling huh? Dogs are usually forced to eat non food grade meat.
Food grade meat is marked as such on the can. You will rarely find it. Newman's Own is an example of one of the very few I've found that use meat inspected for human consumption...i.e. food grade.
However, I've got one dog who for whatever reason doesn't like the taste of Newman's Own. She was raised, prior to my owning her, on cheap dog food and I swear she hates vitamins and good beef or something. (their products are also balanced for nutritional benefit)
So I do supplement her diet back and forth. I like that Ultramix is built better than most dog foods. The nutritional profile and ingredients are well balanced and well thought out. There are no byproducts (the parts that no one would want to eat being ground up) there are good solid veggies like spinach and some fruit mixed in and it has an excellent vitamin profile. It has a very small amount of garlic (garlic in large quantities will hurt your dog's liver and kidneys but in very small measured amounts is a natural flea and worm preventative.)
My dogs love the taste
The drawback is that it's not human grade or food grade meat so yes, you are still subject to use of downed and diseased cattle when it's not. So I don't use this often but for my dog who won't eat Newman's Own and for when I don't have time to mix up a good homemade meal, I do look for alternatives to supplement.
It amazes me how in today's time there are still foods served to any animals that are, by all FDA standards, "not fit for human consumption". There is a rise in homes preparing homemade meals. Veterinary schools are funded by dog food companies but extensive studies show that issues we have today were all but unheard of prior to their poor processed food diets. And vegetables and fruits are important for pets which are often overlooked. Think they don't eat them naturally? If your dog sees grass and begins chewing, it's a way of getting these into their diet. In nature, the first part of an animal a wild dog, coyote, or wolf, will eat is the stomach of the rabbit or what he kills for food. This is where they get their vegetable content naturally. In reality, in the wild their diets are very similar to our own...except they aren't cooked! But the balance of fresh meats and vegetables is actually similar. They do not eat ground corn and fillers in nature but do get minerals and vitamins in naturally--many of which are depleted in most dog food manufacturing even if they are added in because of the high temps in processing.
This is a good natural and balanced food without fillers. It is not food grade. Add that and it will be perfect with no risk of health concerns. Many have no idea that illnesses can be born from downed cattle or diseased fowl. Unless pets start dying food is not recalled and the health issues are never connected. This needs to be changed.Human grade meats cost more and many have no idea why the few dog foods that use it are more expensive as I think there is little marketing and education regarding this. It took years of study and discussions from a rising population of informed vets to understand it myself.
Unfortunately, not one day of veterinary school is spent on learning nutrition. It is spent on curing health problems rather than preventing them with a proper diet. That education has to come from self-learning after veterinary school. And I applaud the rise in vets who are doing it, now that we know how our own diets effect us learn term and can shorten our own lives.
While still better than most dog foods, it has one more leap to make it perfect. But many won't pay more for the pet foods that have it so I applaud at least the small part of change this has.
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Castor & Pollux Ultramix Canine Fomula, Beef, Vegetables & Barley, 13.2-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
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