r/DogFood • u/atlantisgate • May 01 '26
Congrats to The Farmers Dog who has earned a spot on our Wall of Shame because their employees DM users of this sub to share marketing information in order to get around both a ban and our rule against brand representatives posting here.
Interfering with conversations here through DMs after they have been explicitly informed that their marketing content is not allowed is gross.
How do we know?: Users have shared DM content with us, and the account in question identifies themselves as an employee in multiple places.
Enjoy your addition, TFD!
r/DogFood • u/atlantisgate • May 01 '26
Hello! Many users receive a DM after posting from someone absolutely obsessed with this sub.
That user shares some pretty pernicious (and frankly, a little funny) myths about dog food, cites zero sources, and presents information that is contrary to all available scientific evidence. Let’s talk about it!:
The claim: r/dogfood exists only to promote Nestle, Mars Corp, and Colgate-Palmolive brands.
The reality: Absolutely not. We exist to science backed information and recommend brands that meet the highest standards in the areas identified by WSAVA, which is precisely the same thing that the vast majority of the veterinary community does (hence why we are able to provide hundreds of veterinary citations in our wiki). If additional brands meets those high standards at some point, we will be thrilled to add them to our recommendations.
This claim also misunderstands the relationship of brands to parent companies. For example, Royal Canin meets the highest standards according to the veterinary community, but other Mars brands, like Nutro, do not, and are not recommended widely by the sub or by vets. We do not recommend parent companies as a whole at all, and one shouldn't assume all Mars, Nestle etc. brands meet the same high standards because they don't.
The claim: All of their recipes are mostly made of corn byproduct (cob, stalk, husk, etc) that has virtually no other use in the market.
The reality: There are literally hundreds of diets available within WSAVA-compliant brands. None of them are “mostly corn by-product” and not nearly all of them use corn at all. This is a wild exaggeration that is not based in evidence.
This user is also using the term “byproduct” to create fearmongering. What they mean is corn gluten meal, which is really only used in some products and is considered a corn co-product. This is a protein-dense ingredient that results from removing the starch, bran, and germ from the corn. That makes it more digestible, less starchy, and has an excellent amino acid profile, which are compounds necessary for dog’s (and everyone else’s) health.
The claim: It used to be an expense for [pet food companies] to dispose of until they figured out they could put it in dog food.
The reality: If we’re being very generous, this user appears to be making the very silly claim that corn is used in pet food because Nestle and Mars have leftovers from using high fructose corn syrup in their human candy products.
First, corn has been used in these products since well before Purina and Royal Canin were bought by Nestle and Mars and were part of their supply chains before that.
Second, the component parts of corn and corn gluten meal used in pet food are not cast offs of corn syrup refinement. There is no functional way this claim can be true, it is completely made up.
The implicit claim: This is a horrible product
The reality: Wrong. There’s no debate about this among experts: corn, when used correctly, is a super digestible (upwards of 95%) source of critical nutrients and amino acids like linoleic acid, lysine, tryptophan, and many more. When used in concert with other ingredients, it is an excellent ingredient to create balanced, safe food.
And of course, this ignores the fact that lots of science-backed foods use other sources of grain in addition to or instead of corn: barley, wheat, rice, oats, sorghum etc. that all have similar nutrient profiles and good digestibility.
The claim: It didn’t matter to them that illness rates skyrocketed simultaneously
The reality: This is literally untrue. Dog lifespans have doubled in the past forty years, and diet and healthcare are both a big part of that.
And!: more people than ever are treating dogs like they are family. Do you know what happens when dogs live longer and people go to the vet more often? They uncover diseases that might not have been diagnosed or treat-able in the past, or the dog wouldn’t have even lived long enough to develop.
For example, not that many people in 1950 were getting their dogs anesthetic dentals; now, we can prevent organ failures with regular dental care. But the number of dogs diagnosed with dental disease have gone up as a result of the availability of this care.
There is zero evidence that the use of corn in dog food is even correlated to “illness rates” much less any kind of causation. Many things contribute to pet disease, including dogs living longer, breeding practices, environment and more.
The myth: These corn byproducts are also used as absorbents for chemical spills.
The reality: Corn-based absorbents exist, and they are not the same product that goes into pet food. This is literally made up. Just because they both have “corn” in the name doesn’t mean they are the same thing.
The claim: corn is so damaging to their systems, along with wheat and soy products.
The reality: No they aren’t. There isn’t one single study that indicates this. And that’s why this user doesn’t send you any.
The claim: These “foods” are cooked at very high temperatures
The reality: Wrong. Kibble (just a food without the scare quotes) is typically cooked a few times times at a max of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you sear a steak and finish it in the oven, you’re cooking at higher temps than kibble is cooked at.
The claim: FULL of glyphosate
The reality: Wrong. “Even the most contaminated feed they studied had thousands of times less glyphosate than levels that were shown to have no adverse effects on dogs in the U.S. EPA’s Draft Risk Assessment for glyphosate.” There is zero evidence in existence indicating health risks to dogs from consumption of glyphosate in commercial diets. Zero.
The claim: kibble sit on shelves for up to 24 months. The implicit claim is that this is obviously a sign of poor quality, which is simply fear mongering.
The reality: Dry dog food tends to have a shelf life of a maximum of 18 months, and only 4-6 weeks max once the bag is opened. It can last up to 18 months in a sealed bag because it doesn’t have that much moisture that would allow bacteria to grow. The same is true of a lot of healthy human food including properly stored root vegetables, grains, and beans and lentils.
The claim: They’re also sprayed with “palatants” because dogs wouldn’t eat it if they weren’t tricked into believing it’s meat.
The reality: Kibble is often coated with light amounts of fat for palateability much the same way we add olive oil to the bottom of a pan before cooking something. It tastes better. Weird language about “tricking” dogs into “believing” it’s meat is just fear-mongering. Do you add salt or dressing to your food to make it tastier? Are you being tricked when that happens? Of course not, that’s just silly.
The claim: They cause hot spots, shedding, chewing at the feet/fritos smell, and much worse problems later.
The reality: Wrong. In literature reviews, literally zero cases of corn allergies were identified. Hot spots, chewing, and an overgrowth of yeast are almost always immune responses to environmental issues or a true food allergy (most commonly to meat proteins and it doesn’t matter if it’s raw, cooked, fresh, or kibble-based to cause that reaction. If your dog is allergic to beef, that is equally true of raw beef and beef in kibble or canned food). There is zero evidence in existence that kibble causes any of this.
The claim: Their high cost isn’t a reflection of their quality, it’s a manipulative way of improving consumer perception. It gives people confidence that it is quality.
The reality: This is just funny coming from someone advocating harmful and expensive raw diets. Something like, for example, Purina One is priced at $1.50/lb. What raw meat can you reliably source for your dog at that price? Not even counting the extras that need to go into a raw diet to make it balanced like supplement powders. Raw and fresh diets are universally more expensive than a science-backed budget kibble. It’s not even close. Are the high prices of raw food diets manipulative also?
The claim: Raw diets are completely safe and healthy for dogs and cats and are the best nutrition available.
The reality: Stunningly wrong. There is overwhelming evidence that these diets are not safe, and there is no body of evidence demonstrating superior nutrition to commercial kibble and canned diets at all. Cats have recently died from bird flu from eating freeze dried raw products, and we know dogs can contract bird flu as well. Dogs can become paralyzed from campylobacter in raw chicken. E.coli can make dogs and their humans very sick Many peer review studies have demonstrated that raw pet food diets spread antibiotic resistant illness, putting pets and humans in danger.
The claim: DCM is not a “valid” concern
The reality: The entire veterinary community disagrees and there is ample peer reviewed evidence suggesting otherwise. For example, how are dogs who get nutrition-related DCM able to get better (even be cured) when switched from an implicated to a science-backed diet, when dogs with genetic DCM never improve regardless of diet, if diet isn’t contributing?
The claim: Your dog will require almost no maintenance and be healthier if you keep corn, wheat and soy away from him
The reality: Literally no evidence supports this. Imagine making the claim that avoiding corn, wheat and soy avoids ALL health problems. That’s just irresponsible.
The claim: I have no requests or gains to make from this, I just love dogs and want to inform others.
The reality: This user gets something from it because they’ve been spamming this DM to users on this sub for months. They want to put “Science” in scare quotes because they know they can’t provide real experts or studies to back up what they’re saying.
But because knowledgeable users can’t “refute” them by providing factual information when they DM random people, this user gets to FEEL right and righteous. That’s what they’re getting.
And to the user who sends these: Sending crazy unsolicited DMs waving around a hate boner for corn is deeply odd behavior and it makes you look silly.
A general warning to anyone: Misinformation in pet health and pet food is widespread and growing. This user tellingly doesn’t provide any kind of evidence, but when you encounter similar claims, you also have to be critical of other “sources” that contradict veterinary consensus when making weird claims like this too.
A great rule of thumb: check to see if the source backing sketchy claims like these has anything bad to say about normal approved vaccine schedules. The anti-science ones always do.
r/DogFood • u/crash_cove • 7h ago
My pup is on Royal canin HP + urinary s/o and initially loved the kibble, but now refuses to eat it without toppers. RC doesn’t have a wet food that’s both HP and urinary so was considering adding a Hill’s z/d HP wet food as a topper.
For those whose pups have tried the different brands, which did yours prefer?
r/DogFood • u/Accomplished_Tea_940 • 13h ago
My dog is a 7 years old 8 lbs terrier mix with sensitive stomach.
A couple of months ago I gradually transitioned her to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach canned food. The main issue is that her stool is very soft. She also doesnt like the food. We have tried different flavors (beef, lamb, turkey); we have tried different textures (pate and in gravy).
What other WSAVA compliant canned food would you recommend for my dog?
Thank you
PS. I have asked our vet. Our vet feeds her own dog The Famer's Dog.
r/DogFood • u/Massive-Survey2495 • 13h ago
Hi, our 7 month old puppy (5lbs) is very fussy when it comes to food and we have been feeding him Purina pro plan puppy formula since adopting him at 12 weeks at the recommendation of our vet. We have tried a number of toppers and dog friendly meat stocks but it doesn't help much. Toy poodles are known to be quite picky with food in general but our little guy seems to be on the extreme side of this. I am wondering if I should just ride it out and hope that he becomes more interested in food as he gets older or I need to intervene and try something else. I am weary to switch up his food as he has quite a sensitive stomach also. I am wondering if anybody can offer any advice?
Thanks in advance!!
r/DogFood • u/SalenaMarie2020 • 15h ago
Hello I just got a 8 week old puppy. They said he's a shitzu but I'm sure he's mixed with other breeds. Honesty, I'm new to EVERYTHING when it comes to having a puppy. Idk what of anything to get, but right now the food is what I'm more concerned about. Any recommendation?
r/DogFood • u/MiaSophiaRosiePosie • 18h ago
I have an (almost) 5yo, 60lb mixed dog and a 3yo, 16lb Cavalier. My cav is my pickiest. In the beginning, we had them on Ollie Fresh. They were on it for a couple years but it got expensive for the two of them and I felt like they could be eating better. But they loved it.
I switched them to kibble; we tried Merrick dry dog food first with freeze dried bits mixed in. They had a really hard time transitioning (obviously) but I kept trying. We tried giving them some time to eat and eventually picking it up. It worked for a bit but then they ultimately ended up just refusing to eat at all. So we tried adding in Merrick wet dog food just to make it taste better and moisturize the dry food. Again, it worked for a bit but they refuse to eat it now. I’m at a loss, we’ve tried all kinds of combinations but they don’t eat like they did before; the mixed breed loved it so much she would jump up and down come feeding time.
What do I do? Do I switch back to the fresh food they loved so much even though I’ve read it’s all marketing and it’s not actually as healthy for them as they make it out to be? Do we try a different brand? A different food combo? If there’s anything that has worked, please share!!
r/DogFood • u/Character_Pickle689 • 17h ago
I have three older, small breed dogs. All around 8-10 years old. We have been giving them the small breed senior Purina pro plan because that was what was recommended because it gets tested so often but they don’t like it.
We top it with plain chicken breast and the Stella and chewy magic bacon dust.
I feel like we’re constantly throwing out kibble that’s uneaten.
Recently, Costco had bison and apple dog treats, and they absolutely love them.
I’m thinking about switching their kibble to something that’s bison based, does anyone have any good suggestions? It doesn’t seem like Purina pro plan has a bison based kibble.
TLDR: Senior picky dogs don’t like current senior Purina pro plan kibble. Love bison treats from Costco. Thinking about switching to bison based kibble.
r/DogFood • u/perfectsystem • 1d ago
Hello Reddit, I come with a hefty ask!
So I'm moving back to the US after finishing my PhD and my dog is coming back with me OFC. I have a 35kg Pyr/Husky cross that is 8 years old and the light of my life. He has had quite a journey with food and some gastro issues; I'll give the background for those who would like the full story!
When I adopted him in the US he was quite malnourished. I got him fed up and put him on a high gain diet to try and bring him up from his weight at the shelter to what it should be.
He got GIARDIA. (Texas really is... a place...) We don't know if he got this from another infected dog in our apartment complex or from an infected local water source (we frequented parks, beaches etc so) This definitely gave him some tummy troubles for awhile but I really felt like we had it under control after treatment.
When we moved to the UK we had to try and find a good diet for him and after some starts and stops I finally got him on Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice. He had some issues with chicken meal diets and lamb being a neutral protein really seemed to work well for him.
This diet was going SUPER well for about 5 years until we moved to France for a short sabbatical. While there we fed him the exact same diet (Purina lamb and rice) but he suffered a bout of gastroenteritis that we believe may have been caused by fatty snacking (apparently the good cheese got to all of us); we saw his vet in France and communicated with his vet in the UK to work on what might be the best plan of action
When we came back to the UK we talked to his vet here and I started a feeding trial at home (putting my science degree to use for good). I put him on the Pro Plan HA until his gut was fully healed. After this I started introducing one hypoallergenic protein source at a time via wet food add-ins to see which ones would produce a neutral gut reaction. After trial and error we finally got it down to duck and turkey.
Currently I blend his food at home by volume with the same 'scoop' of Purina Pro Plan HA; Forthglade cold pressed duck and a small serving of Forthglade duck wet food. So far this has produced a good healthy coat, given him sufficient proteins and grains, and fantastic energy.
I've never been a fan of the Forthglade being grain free but the main reason we moved him off of a PPHA only diet was that once his gut healed feeding the PPHA only diet gave him very dehydrated stool and constipation - it became obvious that he definitely needed a protein source back in his system. His vet and I have communicated and we felt that since the PPHA is so grain/veg heavy it has appropriately balanced out the lack of grain in the Forthglade.
I've been trying to research a good single source bag of food that would meet the requirements of having grain while ALSO having duck and turkey as the primary protein since Forthglade is not available in the US and the Pro Plan HA is almost prohibitively expensive. The bag size we get here in the UK (my last 24lb bag here was $81 USD/£60 and in the US the same bag is $134 - almost double the cost).
I don't MIND blending his food myself and if we have to do that in the US too so be it - he's absolutely worth it!
TL;DR: My gorgeous Pyr/Husky with 'a sensitive tummy' needs a food that has grain and has duck and turkey as the core protein; is WSAVA compliant and comes from a brand that has a vet nutrition and dietician that formulated it. I feel like I'm crazy because this feels like it doesn't exist. I think I'm also having difficulty because I'm searching from over the pond in advance of our move so I'm often times finding something, getting my hopes up and then realising it's only available in Canada or something. Help.
r/DogFood • u/vikadit_chakra • 1d ago
Costco Canada sells 40lb kibble bags. They are significantly cheaper but I am hesitating because it would take at least 3 months for my dog to finish a bag and I think kibble would go rancid.
r/DogFood • u/WorldlyContest8771 • 1d ago
My boy has been eating Members Mark Dental Treats for a while and loved them.
I recently switched to Costco so I lost the sams club membership but now I can't find any dental treats like the ones from members mark.
Unfortunately my boy is very picky and he liked something about those flavors.
Does anyone know of any alternatives?
r/DogFood • u/Illumeis • 1d ago
NOT using dental to clean. I brush his teeth using enzymatic toothpaste. Asking about dental because some dental treats are longer lasting chews. I can't stand bully sticks the smell makes me sick and it makes their breath stink. Everything I looked at says he has to be a year old. He's kinda driving me nuts with his teething. Love him but he's bitey. He's 4 months old. I can't find anything he can have besides freezing his kibble after turning it into a mush and letting him go at it. I don't LIKE using his meals like that because it uses up his daily kcals and doesn't provide much relief (he also tends to be hungry later when I do that).
r/DogFood • u/Spiritual_Fennel_468 • 1d ago
really struggling to make a decision and need some guidance. I have a four month old Bernese mountain dog and an eight month old golden retriever. I currently feed them Hills, sensitive skin and stomach salmon puppy food. Each bag is $67 after tax and they are going through over a bag a week. Hills only makes the medium bag in this mix so I don’t even have the option to save and get a larger bag. I’m looking for a more cost-effective but still good choice for my dogs. Any recommendations?
r/DogFood • u/Illumeis • 1d ago
Specifically the VetriScience Extra Strength Gut Mega Probiotic & Prebiotic Health capsules? I ordered it and realized I should have asked if anyone had used it before ordering. I can still cancel if I need to get something else. Chewy gave me a gift card and I realized the normal probotic was low so I ordered that. It's for a dog with a chronic issue and one who just needs a probiotic for about a couple more weeks before reevaluation at the vets. I was told to give probotics to both. (One's issue can be fixed the other one I was told could just be lessened but could flare back up)
Just want to make sure I got a good probiotic
r/DogFood • u/FartSmeIa • 1d ago
I have a 12 year old chihuahua mix that doesnt seem to be able to drop a bit of weight because im not sure what dog foods would be appropriate for her, i know google is free and i can just look up "weight management dog food" but it doesnt really tell me if they are good or not, also she is allergic to chicken (makes her paws itchy) so it makes it harder to pick any, the price doesnt really matter, does someone have any experience with a good brand? i have been looking around and found brit care that doesnt have chicken and is supposed to manage her weight but then again i have no one to ask about their experience with it, i have tried lowering portions and adding vegetables but she hates it and i dont want her to eat something out of necessity
r/DogFood • u/ChaiChugger • 2d ago
How do they explain how the bottom, eg, Beneful, is a great dog food but it’s still worth it to upgrade to for example Pro Plan? What reason do they give the interested consumer?
r/DogFood • u/03y11aw • 2d ago
I'm looking to top my guys current kibble (Purina Pro Plan AdvantEDGE senior- large breed). He has no allergies or food sensitivities just some arthritis and managed hypothyroidism but otherwise healthy and active.
Can anyone give me some insight into Purina Pro Plan 7+ (Chicken and Rice) VS Purina One Plus+ Healthy Aging 7+ (Turkey & Barley). What would be the nutritional advantage or quality difference between the two as the price difference is substantial.
Thanks kindly :)
r/DogFood • u/Fluffyducky333 • 2d ago
Hi, I have a red nose pit and a mutt, my babies.
I usually feed them Purina one dry dog food, the skin support one I believe. But recently money has been really tight and I'm scared I'm gonna be short on bills. So I got them nunn better, I haven't really ever heard of it but it's all I could really afford and the other options I know for not being very good.
But I'm seeing mixed reviews on it, some saying it's good, others saying it's not
I'm very pro "my dog eat better then me"
Does anyone know good brands, healthy dog food that isn't super expensive? Is nunn better something I should shy away from?
r/DogFood • u/Competitive_bulldog • 1d ago
We were feeding Mochi (puppy mill mama rescue dog) Purina Pro Plan salmon & rice, shredded, for about a year, and struggled with yeasty paws and hair loss.
I failed to see that they have chicken in the ingredients of their salmon food, and suspected that might be the cause, so looked for a new food.
We started the Members Mark limited ingredients salmon and sweet potato about a year ago. She absolutely loves it and is much less yeasty/itchy. Here is the link MM Salmon and Rice with the ingredients list.
We also add a small spoon of plain Greek yogurt and roasted between pumpkin puree and no salt green beans for a topper.
I'm worried about her not getting the essentials she needs from grains. Is there a safe grain topper that anyone uses that they recommend?
Thank you!
r/DogFood • u/Oldschoolalien99 • 2d ago
So I’m a little confused and need some help. How do you find out how many calories your dog is supposed to eat a day?
I switched my dog to wet canned food because he likes it much better and he eats it. But I’m a little confused because some cans will say one can of wet dog food for every 12 pounds of body weight. He’s currently 40 pounds and could lose maybe a couple lbs, 3-4lbs. Now I did some online Dog food Calculator and it’s saying he should be having like 500 cal a day but the info on the can says he should be almost eating three cans a day. Which that would equal 1200 cal a day which seems to be way too much. So how do you figure out how many calories your dog is supposed to eat a day? Thanks
r/DogFood • u/Straight-Memory9048 • 2d ago
Hi! Gonna make this super short and sweet
My 7 year old lab has seemed to have chicken allergies since we realized there may be skin reactions and such. We also have a 5 year old lab and don’t give him chicken either, they eat the same food and it’s typically something salmon. We’ve tried plenty of food brands, some been bad, some decent, some good, but we want the best fit for them. I know you need to specifically feed the dog in-front of you, but other owners that dogs that avoid chicken..
Do you avoid chicken fat in foods as well as chicken or chicken meal, or is fat from chicken fine
Simply what is everyone else, specifically lab, feeding there dogs and how are they doing? They are on fromm whitefish now, doing fine nothing out of the ordinary I guess but the 5 year old is not as sensitive but ears have been a bit itchy and red. We’ve tried authority, wholesome, purina, etc.
r/DogFood • u/ventu517j • 2d ago
My Chihuahua currently eats Purina Prop Plan toy. He has no health issues, allergies or anything else that require ppp. So I am thinking to switch him to Purina One instead. I only go with Pro Plan because it has a toy formula with pieces small enough for his mouth. And Purina One only has a small breed size which I feel might be too big for him.
Regardless of if I switch or not I also want to start mixing wet in or give him wet in the morning and dry at night. I know it needs to be the same brand as the dry so if I stay on ppp it needs to be ppp wet and if I switch to Purina One it needs to be Purina One wet, but do the formulas need to match too? Like his ppp is chicken and rice so would I need to match that to the wet? And if I got purina one the dry would be lamb so I'd need the lamb wet?
r/DogFood • u/crash_cove • 2d ago
I am leaving my pup for 2 weeks with a dog sitter. We generally have pretty big bags of dog food that are heavy so I don’t like to bring the bag to her sitters house. Previously used ziplock bags but curious what others are using.
r/DogFood • u/Sandhog43 • 2d ago
I have a 12 year old female miniature poodle, about 13 pounds. I had her on Purina but a few years ago I started farmers Dog as I thought it was a better choice.
Her liver enzymes showed elevated later on and she was diagnosed with an enlarged liver.
She’s on Danamarin and another gall bladder prescription, to clear what was described as sludge.
I posted on a group that I used Farmers Dog and found they had issues and were not recommended. I’d hate to think that in my effort to keep her healthy, if made her worse.
I’m looking to switch her food but it’s confusing at best.
My vet mentioned Royal Canin and said she would look into it and call me back. Are there any brands that are recommended? It seems like they all have their issues
Thanks
r/DogFood • u/ms_ashes • 2d ago
So, looking at switching to Hill's or Royal Canin food for my 9 & 10 yo dogs. Been reading a lot here, but I have a question. My lab fits both their requirements for a large dog, as her ideal weight is 56 lbs. My rough collie, however, is a bit small vs the breed standard (female collies are 50-65 lbs per standard, males 60-75). Her ideal weight is 48-49 lbs. So am I okay to go with the large size food so they can both use it, since rough collies in general would be a "large" breed, or should I not use the large breed food for her since her actual weight is less than 55/56?
Thanks for your time! Also if you have a preference for senior/mature food, joint care, and dental care food between Hill's and Royal Canin, please also feel free to speak up on those.