Chicken soup for the pet lovers soul... opinions

[Guest Anonymous]

I have just found out about the importance of dog foods when I adopted Mac last week. After doing a TON of research, I went to the pet store and started to research prices of what I concluded was the top 10 dry dog foods. I put my conclusions in order by rank and then I priced all of them.

I found that my first two or three favorites were well about $40.00 for 35 lb bags, and as much as I love my animals, I decided that for a little less money, I could do with "less than best". So, all in all, I picked up a bag of 'Chicken soup for the pet loves soul'. The price was right ($27.99 for a 35 lb bag), my dogs [u][i][b]LOVE[/b][/i][/u] it, and the ingredients seem really impressive.

What has been other people's experience with this dog food? If you do not know, check out the website chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com and let me know. Any expert opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[TDG]

don't fall into the trap of just comparing foods by cost per bag, since what really matters is the feeding cost per day. higher quality foods contain less fillers and more meat, so you have to feed less overall and a bag lasts longer.

here is an example:

canidae and chicken soup adult have roughly the same guaranteed analysis, 24% protein, 14% fat (canidae has half a percent more) but the caloric content differs quite a bit. canidae has a higher content of omega fatty acids, which are beneficial for skin, coat and immune system.

chicken soup statistics:
caloric content: 336 kcal/cup, 1633 kcal/pound
largest bag size: 35 pounds
average price: $27
price per pound: roughly $0.77

canidae statistics:
caloric content: 466 kcal/cup, 1865 kcal/pound
largest bag size: 40 pounds
average pirce: $35
price per pound: roughly $0.875

now let's look at the numbers on a daily feeding basis:

let's say a moderately active dog of 50 lbs has a caloric requirement of 1200 kcal per day to maintain weight and good health. that's just over 2 1/2 cups of canidae per day, but of the chicken soup you would have to feed a little over 3 1/2 cups per day.

35 pounds of chicken soup equals about 170 cups of food,
at 3 1/2 cups a day, it would last 48 days.
your feeding cost in a 30 day period is $16.87.

40 lbs of canidae equals about 160 cups of food,
at 2 1/2 cups a day, it would last 64 days.
your feeding cost in a 30 day period is $16.40.

so even tho canidae is the more expensive food on a per pound or per bag basis, there is only a very small difference if you look at the daily feeding cost. canidae's ingredients are of much higher quality, plus it doesn't contain synthetic vitamin K (health risks) but does have probiotics and enzymes, which chicken soup does not have.

mind you, i'm not saying that chicken soup is a bad food, i know a lot of people who feed it with good results, my point is just that comparing by cost per bag can be very deceptive. :)

[Guest Anonymous]

Gosh... there is so much to know! :o

I don't even feed myself this good! :wink:

Well, my dogs seem to love it, and my 35 lbs bag is full, so I am thinking that I will finish it with them and conclude how well I like the brand. If I think I can do better with Innova or Canidae, then I will switch.

I requested samples from Natura on their products and I should be getting them anytime now.

I just have a hard time feeding Mac and he LOVES Chicken Soup. He's a rottweiler/lab mix and when I took him to the vet he only weighed in at 60 lbs! My boxer weighed in at 58. I already knew that Mac was underweight when I adopted him from the shelter. I'm figuring that he needs to add on about 10-15 lbs. So far, with Chicken soup, he is loving it, so I am aprehensive to switch them.

[AllAmericanPUP]

Chicken soup is good dog food, it's a high quality.
A lot of people feed it and are very satisfied with it.

[Guest Anonymous]

So far, both of my dogs absolutely love it! :D
I am hoping that it works out well because it was not expensive as other high quality foods! It may not be the best, but at least it good, right?!

I have to say that is way above Pedigree or Iams in my book! :roll:

[katetsai]

I did some research about a month ago when I decided to switch too. At the end I came up with Wellness. Although I'll probably be switching between that and another brand (currently I'm thinking maybe chicken soup one but also like Candidae) every 6 month or so just to give it a variety. I was going to go with Candidae because it's cheaper but decided to go a bit higher up with Wellness because of the veg ingredients that's not in Candidae.

Here is a website with lots of good dog food info if you have not yet got it. [url]http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/[/url]

[TDG]

i'm not saying chicken soup is a bad food. i'm just trying to make a point explaining that the price tag on the bag doesn't mean much when you compare prices.

small side note on wellness: it's also a good quality food, but it only contains about 30% meat, the rest is grains and some other things. that's why some dogs get huge, soft stools from eating it.

[Melanie]

Everyone has their opinions on different dog foods. Even if you buy the highest quality dog food possible, your dog may reject it for whatever reason. Don't beat yourself up if you do not take everyone's advice. It all varies.
My dogs eat Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. They love it. Jake is on a senior formula. At our local pet store, we only had the option of this and Canidae, for quality dog foods (all the others were not to our liking). I have a dog food grade sheet, if you're interested. I could post it here, or email it to you. Let me know.

[Daisysmom]

I have never heard of this food. Is it on the new side?

[quote]I have a dog food grade sheet, if you're interested. I could post it here, or email it to you. Let me know.[/quote]

I would be interested in seeing it. Yes, please post it. :)

[katetsai]

TDG said:
[quote]small side note on wellness: it's also a good quality food, but it only contains about 30% meat, the rest is grains and some other things. that's why some dogs get huge, soft stools from eating it.[/quote]

thanks for the info. Part of the reason I picked Wellness is because of it's low calories count for keeping my dog's weight where she is now. I've read other good info from you about dog food. So is it good to switch between 2 dog foods every 6 month or so to give her different varies of nutrition? I'm now leaning towards candidae for the 2nd food to switch between, then Snoopy will get more veg neutriens some of the time, and meats other times. your opinion? thanks for all the info again.

[Guest Anonymous]

Mac and Zeus have been on Chicken Soup for 5 days now. So far, I love it, and they still do. When I first adopted Mac from the shelter (he was found as a stray) he only weighed 55 lbs (5 lbs less than my boxer mix dog :o ) and Mac is a rottweiler/black lab mix! His ribs were soooo out there and when I brushed his hair I had to be very careful because I thought I was going to break his ribs! Plus I had to clean the brush 8 times! Now his ribs are less noticable (but he's still underweight, weighing in at 62 lbs) and when I brush his hair I only have to clean the brush once when I'm done! Also, his coat is shiny and soft now! Today I bought a product called Nutrical that's supposed to add extra calories and help w/ weight gain ( I am thinking that he needs to gain about 13-17 more lbs). He also plays and runs now. Before he was so malnourished that he just wanted to lay there and not move! Things are coming along very well! :D

[EmmeAndCharley]

I feed my dogs Solid Gold... it is right up there with Wellness, Innova, etc.

[Melanie]

Ok, here's a copy of the dog food grade chart:

Giving Dry Dog Food a Grade:
Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer’s rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point



Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
<70 = F


...Keep in mind that a dog food's score may vary by a few points depending on how you interpret a question...

[TDG]

i don't quite agree with all the points of this grading form.

[quote]8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points[/quote]
there is nothing wrong with a food product containing corn, unless you have an animal that is sensitive particularly [b]to[/b] corn. i have talked to many people with dogs who do better on a food that contains corn instead of rice, especially larger breed dogs, and some dogs are outright intolerant to the most commonly used grain in commercial foods: rice.

[quote]9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points[/quote]
this doesn't make sense at all. why the top 5? if this is because of the often made assumption that the first 5 ingredients of a food are the main ingredients, i can tell you this is not the case. some foods have as little as 3 or 4 main ingredients, some have 8 or 9. it completely depends on the formulation.

[quote]10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points[/quote]
this doesn't make sense either. chicken fat for example is one of the best sources of fats in dog food. it is highly digestible and is the highest of all animal sources in linoleic acid, which is important for supporting skin and coat. a dog's digestive system is specialized for digesting animal fat sources, not plant fats, and if the source is of a specifically named source, there is nothing wrong with it at all.

[quote]11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points[/quote]
again, doesn't make sense. allergic or not, some dogs don't do as well on multiple sources of animal protein in foods, so to generalize as much and mark a food down because of this is a mistake. as long as the protein, fat and carbohydrate content are properly balanced, the number of sources doesn't matter.

[quote]13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points[/quote]
i would turn this around to make the statement more suitable. if your dog [b]is[/b] allergic to wheat, substract 2 points. for any other dog it doesn't matter, quality wheat is not a bad ingredient per se.

[quote]14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point[/quote]
see 13), it makes more sense the other way around. i happen to have a dog who does much better on beef than on chicken for example.

[quote]15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point[/quote]
depends on how much salt is used in the formulation. in large amounts it is out of place, but small amounts to support the mineral balance can definitely be beneficial, especially if the food doesn't contain any other natural sources of minerals, such as for example kelp.

on to "Extra Credit":

[quote]3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points[/quote]
doesn't make sense. there is no proven benefit of an oven baked formula over an extruded formula. oven baked kibble is sometimes processed at higher temperature than extruded kibble. oven baked products also tend to crumble easier and tend to stick to some dog's teeth more. definitely not worth a 5 point bonus.

[quote]5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points[/quote]
fruit and veggies are a nice touch, but they don't contribute all that much. also pay special attention how much fruit and veggies are even used in a food. sometimes they are present in smaller amounts than other, less important ingredients. it doesn't make sense that a food that is overall of lesser quality than another product should get a bonus from having some minimal amounts of fruit and vegetables when other products may not have them but contribute more important supplements, such as for example probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes.

[quote]9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points[/quote]
flax seed oil is a relatively inexpensive gimmick that doesn't really contribute all that much to the finished product, since the valuable nutrients in it oxidize quickly once a bag of food is opened. by the time the bag is about half empty, it's just a source of some fiber without much else left. if you want the benefit of flax seed oil, buy the whole seeds and grind small amounts, no more than what you would use up within 2 or 3 days. in supplements ground flax seed is a nice, inexpensive bulking agent. don't get fooled, you can buy a pound of this stuff for about $1.50 - the pet food industry acts like it should be worth its weight in gold.

[quote]11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point[/quote]
i would change that to "a specifically named vegetable oil source", since not only sunflower oil is a good addition to a dog food. personally i'd rate wheat germ oil, walnut oil, hemp oil and canola oil at least equal, if not even higher as sunflower oil.

[quote]12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point[/quote]
see 11) in the previous section - more is not always better. it very much depends on the individual nutritional requirements.

[quote]13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point[/quote]
again a widely played gimmick by the pet food industry. the fact that g&c are present doesn't necessarily mean they do anything, other than making the product more expensive. the amount present int he food must be high enough to even have an effect. if your dog would have to eat 2-3 times the recommended amount of the food every single day to even receive a maintenance dose, it's worthless. you are better off looking for a quality food without this supplement and spending a few extra dollars on a supplement that delivers appropriate doses of high-quality, medical grade g&c.

so while overall this grading thing isn't bad, it leaves out a lot of things that need to be considered and it also includes a good number of myths.

the biggest flaw is that if a food generally scores poorly throughout the first part but has a few extras (regardless whether hey have an effect on the overall quality of the product or not) it can still come out ahead of another food that may have a more basic formulation but offers excellent nutrition.

[Melanie]

I never fully agree with any of these things. I was only sharing something I had received from another forum. I doubt anybody completely agrees with all that's out there, either. It's up to us to pick and choose according to our research and information.
I hope nobody would take anything anyone's posted as absolute truth. And that's the beauty of these forums. To share and learn information, to gain different perspectives and insights, to agree or disagree....
Thanks for posting new and varying items to the list!!!

[TDG]

absolutely, melanie.

it's important to consider different views and file away the best of all of them for personal use. :)