I know this is an older video but as a farmer I just wanted to clarify a few things. When a farm markets antibiotic free meat doesn't mean treatment free. If an animal is sick and needs antibiotics they are given it and vet care. That individual animal is moved to a different part of the farm or to a different fram all together that is not antibiotics free and is sold in a traditional market. Certified humane is a third party that comes in and looks at the animals living conditions. Everything from how many square feet of space per animal, cleanliness, noise, lightning and risk for potential injuries. If there is a nail sticking through a board, they will make you fix it.
I find it really helpful how you analyse these products like how I would shop for it, and point out the baseless marketing and highlight what we should be checking
I’m so glad I found you! Thank you I’m definitely switching my dog off of open farm. Thank you explaining everything in depth, often vets would just tell me to feed a food with no background or explanation! This channel is awesome
Thank you so much for such a helpful video, Dr Rea! Your video solved all of my concerns when feeding Openfarm to my dogs. I started feeding Openfarm to my two dogs a year and a half ago. During this time, I noticed overweight on them despite the guaranteed daily exercise I provided, especially my large breed dog (I wondered if its her breed’s problem at that time, bc she is a Labrador mix…) And my other dog, a 6 yo French bulldog’s weight was okay, but she was struggling with the allergy sometimes and I thought that was due to the seasonal reason. A few months ago, I switched my French bulldog’s kibbles from Openfarm to Carna4 due to the allergy problem. Since then, my French bulldog has barely scratched herself, the allergy seems to have gone away.. and I surprisingly found that her weight become healthier, and so as her poop!!! I started questioning Openfarm’s quality in terms of its high price. So this question brought me here, and your scoring results give me a much clearer idea of Openfarm’s quality instead of what they state for marketing purposes.
Thank you sooooo much! Ive been so confused and worried about my little Cockapoo!! Im hearing so many horrible things about kibble 😢 you are the first person that has been clear and factual! Ugh!! So much deception out there. Im so upset. You're saving pets with your intelligence. I can not express my appreciation. ❤
Thank you so much Dr Rea for this video! I am so disappointed in Open Farm! I thought they were the best here in Canada and, of course, I bought it for my dog! Since I found your channel a few weeks ago, I realized how gullible I was, along with so many other pet parents I am sure, and I fell into that marketing trap!!! I since then have switched my dog and cat to Science Diet, and so far so good... I really appreciate you taking the time to do this video in the middle of a hurricane... I hope you and your family keep safe! 😻🐶
Wow, this was so incredibly helpful! My Iggy was recently put on a new medication for his seizures, which has resulted in some weight gain. I’ve been on the hunt for a better food for him to eat. He does have kidney issues so I’m extremely grateful I ran a cross this video, before I bought this brand of food. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Hurricanes are scary I’m pleased your okay keep fighting every day I myself own a1 year old pug who was diagnosed with dermitos last year he is on a prescription diet and he is on medication to control this thank you for helping us pet parents
I wish I had found your channel sooner. I've been feeding my dog (now 8) Open Farm (Lamb & Ancient Grains) for a few years now. Previously she was eating something else, but the company went hard core on the "grain-free" train, as well as kept changing the formula. The OF has maintained her weight, as well as stopped her chronic diarrhea, but I didn't know about the issue with the high minerals in the food. I also didn't realize the AAFCO standards on the food were for dogs under 70lbs. I've decided to do a senior bloodwork panel this year to get a better picture on her overall health, and I'm hoping that no damage has been done. It's been challenging finding something to feed my dog, as she has a combination of allergies and a very sensitive digestive system. I tried multiple vet foods, as well as regular foods available through regular retail, with little success in terms of controlling her symptoms. Trying to find a poultry-free, potato-free, grain-inclusive food, that's not excessively high in protein, and is a good choice for an aging large breed dog is like trying to find a unicorn.
Don’t stress, just because it’s out of ideal range doesn’t mean it’s deadly. Bloodwork is the way to go and maybe no change will warranted at all. Just when you feed a food outside of ideal you have to stay on top of labs. Don’t stress. I do however recommend avoiding grain free. Maybe check out my farmina playlist. Similar to OF but better nutrition profile.
I get her point about nutrients versus ingredients, however, both are important, in my opinion. I just went through an episode with Spinone. He got very sick, vomiting, blood, excess, diarrhea, lethargy, and was not even drinking water. This was an issue with Purina pro plan. We had an emergency vet visit, and follow ups. He went on a planned diet, and prescription dog food. I mix back in some of the Purina symptoms returned with a vengeance. I took him right back off, and will never feed an animal Purina again. He's doing fine now, finishing up his prescription, dog food, and Transitioning to Open Farm. I've also looked at Nutri source. Maybe try both of them.
Both are important, the point is not to feed a food that is nutritionally inadequate, just to satisfy a desire that may be artificially stimulated by marketing to have certain ingredients. Ideally yes, find a food with both, but if that’s not possible, find one that is at least nutritionally sound or you aren t doing any better and potentially doing worse.
Open Farm I’ve been feeding our doggies for awhile. I also add freeze dried with bone broth to my Open Farm our doggies thrive and I must add I haven’t had to take our doggies to Vet over 6-7 yrs our dogs are healthy happy and not sick I thank God always! 🙏🏽 I would like to know which one you rate a 8/10
I’d highly recommend yearly bloodwork especially I dogs over 7. It’s takes 75% of organ dysfunction until you know there is a problem just by physical exam, so often I see owners tell me a pet I diagnose with chronic kidney or renal disease has been “healthy their whole life” I guess sometimes not knowing is bliss.
@@AnimalDocRea yes. Basically what is a good dry dog food. I assumed products such as orijen(currently feeding dogs), carna4, open farm, were good dog foods best ingredients. But I watched a few videos, including your own, on reviews of these companies and have stated the nutrition values are too high for dogs. So I was curious what is a good dog food. I am looking to change dog foods from orijen but I don’t want to choose incorrectly
other reviewers have given this food a very positive review so now I am more confused than ever trying to find a good food -what are your food recommendations??
I'm sorry to have contributed to your confusion. I actually am trying to make it simpler by doing a point system to avoid some of the marketing manipulation that often clouds consumer judgement. I honestly don't recommend foods, I promote constructive evaluation of foods by removing some of the effects of some of the marketing haze. I encourage you take my point scoring system (if it makes sense to you, and I hope it does) and apply it to foods you are interested in, and ABOVE ALL, nutrients first!
@animaldocrea-I have been reading reviews and opinions for 3 years since I brought my rescue home and getting more frustrated all the time between raw grain free gently cooked kibbles-getting very confused -I am not a nutritionist
Ingredients do matter. For instance, getting protein from meat and protein from grains is way different. You should be getting your nutrients form the best Ingredients you can afford. Just saying
I’m so glad you understand what I’m trying to say. Get the proper nutrients from the best ingredients you can afford. Thank you! You are saying it just right.
I’ve been hearing vets encourage rotating proteins for dogs every 3-6 months to provide coverage on all amino acids and that it decreases likelihood of developing allergies to one type of protein. This tracks for me as it’s similar for humans (ex. The chance of developing a corn allergy is higher for someone who eats a lot of corn). Can you speak to why there vets seem to be split on this? Genuinely curious what data & research is causing vets to not be aligned on their recommendation. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and yes I can certainly explain. The explanation however does require a pretty good knowledge base of veterinary immunology and not so much papers or research although there are some papers I could likely refer you to. Basically, Food allergy likely involves both immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated (Type I hypersensitivity) and/or non-IgE mediated (Type III and IV hypersensitivity) responses. In order to have these responses a pet must be exposed to the allergen first. Therefore by exposing your pet to multiple ingredients not only are you increasing the likelihood IgE and Type III and IV hypersensitivity responses, you have also made it impossible to treat the allergy by feeding a novel protein ( since you already fed them all). This is in animals of course and I cannot speak to the mediation of food allergies in humans. I’ve never heard of this “rotation” recommendation in any of my training or continued education so I’m not sure where that theory stemming from. The only reason I can think other vets may be recommending changing foods often is they either are extrapolating from human medicine incorrectly, or they are referring to desensitization Wich we do for atopy (environmental allergens) but is not done for food (that is another conversation that is even more convoluted). Also changing the diet regularly leads to the bonus of GI upset.
I forgot to add that beef, fish, poultry and pork all provide the complete profile of essential amino acids so switching between proteins is not needed to get all the essential amino acids.
I really appreciate your knowledge and ability to cut through the hype of the pet food industry. I know it's a bit strange, but I actually like the Open Farm Insect recipe, which according to your scoring system seems to be a pretty decent food. I am surprised to see how bad their traditional recipes are though!
@@AnimalDocRea I just saw your Harvesting Black Soldier Flies video! So cool! You are definitely my favorite pet food TH-camr now. Future of pet food, here we come.
Are you able to do the nutrience infusion and subzero food next please! I’ve had my dog on the infusion for a very long time but he started to not want it anymore so I switched to subzero but I don’t like that it doesn’t have grain! Would love to know how else it scores!!
Thank you for all you do. I’ve tried to solve my German Shepherd’s gut health due to runny stool and fed him Orijen and Open Farm currently but nothing works. He just had his spleen removed in a major surgery and is able to begin eating kibble once again on Sunday and have been looking for the best kibble for him. I’d appreciate help and recommendations. Thank you
Darn! I thought I got a good food for my dog I use the exact food in this video for my dog. Looking to se what food you recommend for my 1 yr old Aussie
You hit the nail on the head 08:27 : people have different "definitions"of humane! (While it only has a limited meaning in the dictionary). These packaging labels feel like 'humane-washing'....animals deserve positive health and wellness treatment when in the care of humans - THAT is humane. "G.A.P" especially feels deceiving with the "6 steps" of standards of care. It could simply be said that animals raised in the meat and dairy industry, as well as the pet industry, are inherently subject to mistreatment - period. This is just my opinion as having gone down the food label marketing rabbit hole over the years, and consider all animals sentient.
Just a comment ( before finishing the video) I was taught that feeding a wide variety of foods , starting at puppy age, prevents food allergies. What to believe? I feed lots of variety and have never had a dog with allergies. Thank you, I’m enjoying this video.
That is a theory that is extrapolated from human medicine but not applicable to pets. Pets food allergy are IGe and type 3,4 hypersensitivity and that means that a previous exposure is needed there forever by exposing your pet multiple allergens you have primed the system for the reaction. Common issue with people assuming pets are like humans and they are not, different species
@@AnimalDocRea I live under no belief that dogs are human and don’t treat my pets as such, I’m not their momma. I’ve been showing, raising dogs for 55 years and have never had a single dog with allergies. None of my buyers have ever reported back to me either that their dogs had developed an allergy. Just like to keep learning. Thank you for your reply.
Hi Dr. Rea. I have a 17 year old female cat named Joey. She has hyperthyroidism and IBD and weighs 7 pounds. She's at the vet every month getting injections of Depakote and B-12 and also gets medication for hyperthyroidism. Is there a healthy but not overly expensive canned cat food you recommend? (I do not give her any fish/seafood). She seems to like beef, chicken and lamb. She also has very few teeth. I don't feel my vet gives me proper nutritional guidance. Right now, I alternate between ACANA canned cat food (Lamb) and Weruva or Merrick. I do not ever want to give her anything like Purina or Science Diet. I prefer no grains and carrageenen free. Thanks so much for your help.
I would find a good senior diet that meets the parameters for senior cats and I would avoid grain free as cats with hyperthyroidism are prone to heart disease. But as I am not personally familiar with your pet, I cannot speak to anything other than generalizing for age and medical condition. I would tell your vet specifically you are interested in nutrition and request a recommendation, they are best suited to know what may be best for your particular situation.
I can tell you're very young vet because the more I watch your videos because I'm actually interested in learning about very particular food brands the more I realize you're very contradictory to vets who have been veterinarians way longer than you I mean food rotation protein rotation is the best thing you can do for your animals when they eat one protein their entire life is actually when they develop allergies
I’m glad you think I’m young, my credentials are listed in the description box. It’s actually basic veterinary immunology. I’ve gone over this several times in my videos and comments section. Food Allergies are IGE type 3 and 4 hypersensitivity reactions Wich means a food must be presented to the immune system in order to prime it for reaction. By rotating the diets you increase the chances of reaction. I’m sorry I’m contradictory to vet that have practiced longer than me, but this information has been around a long time and is also in the current literature. You may be falsely extrapolating from human medicine Wich is a common mistake j see even my peers make from time to time.
Thank you for the valuable information. Is there a way to know the quality of the meat? I am not sure I can trust a brand by just reading the ingredients or the reported nutritional value in their labels.
Some feel the quality of the meat is related to the ability to properly keep the minerals in the proper level because sloppy processing of meats leads to excess bone ect therefore driving ca/phos up
This was a very informative video. Ive been feeding my chihuahuas orijen fit and trim and thought i was doing right by them but now that ive been made aware of the link between too high of protein & kidney problems im worried. So i was looking at open farm but now after the video im leary of that also. What are some kibble brands that you would suggest that are all around very nutritional for a dogs needs?
@AnimalDocRea Thank you very much for the link I will have to watch that. Just finished watching the one where you gave the Royal Canin Small breed a 9 score. I think I may try that food. Ps I always thought corn was a no no so I'll have to watch your video on corn as well. Thanks for all your insight and videos!
Informational and deep, wrap up could use some work. Including alternatives would be nice or if we're already feeding our cats or dogs this, what may be included for a more nutritionally complete diet. Sorry if I missed any information that may have been included in the video or description.
i decided to switch to Open Farm salmon w/ ancient grains formula dog food after another reviewer posted a video highly recommending it..both my dogs started having constant soft mushy poops, sometimes pure liquid..both started scratching, itching and licking their paws and had terrible smelling gas..neither one of my dogs had these issues prior to switching to Open Farm? after doing more research, this seems to be a fairly common issue with this dog food? going to have to switch back to what i was feeding them or try another brand all together, not sure yet?
I have a question, if I may. If you are researching new foods because you’re trying to do better for your animals and you just realized you weren’t feeding great kibble, how do you try a few of them to see if it works best for your pets? I know changing their diet isn’t healthy-is there a way to do this without harming them? Thank you!
Yes I’d say, if you find one you feel confident in, make a change over several weeks and give it at least 12 weeks to totally see the effects. But yes, changing foods more frequently than that ( outside of a completely disastrous result) may be counterproductive.
Good channel you talk a lot of sense ☺️ Are you a qualified animal nutritionist? Kibble is highly processed dog food so is not a healthy food for your animal do you agree?
I am not a boarded veterinary nutritionist, I’m a general practitioner of small animal veterinary medicine and also hold a degree in animal science biology. I have extensive training in nutrition as it relates to the medical aspects of small animals so I consider myself qualified to comment on how nutrition affects a pet in vivo. I think when properly formulated to contain the optimal nutrients ( as measured after processing) can be a completely nutritious and healthy option. There may be other options that perhaps could be arguably more nutritious but that’s not what this video is about. This video is about this specific diet only
Could you please provide a similar review for the Rawz brand? I'm curious to know if it meets the minimum nutritional standards required for an adult cat. I've been purchasing Open Farm's chicken/turkey recipe for my two cats, but after watching your video, I'm in search of a better option, something superior to a 5/10 rating. Otherwise, very informative video. Thank you for your work!
Thank you so much for all that information! I didn’t know about the rotating food. I understand the « do not rotate dry food » part. What about raw and dry food and rotating raw food? I’m presently giving my dog raw in the morning and dry in the evening. Is that ok? And can I give her different raw food meat ?
I don’t recommend raw due to the public health issues and lack of data to support any significant health benefits. Adding anything to a commercially balanced diet will likely by definition unbalance it and thus be more deleterious in the end. But in general, there is no reason to rotate properly balanced diets of any variety.
New 4mo old border collie pup owner . What is your pick for kibble for her. The more I watch the more conflicting things I hear on foods. Currently feeding open farm puppy but only been on it a week. Want health food that isn’t going to have a ton of recalls and cause my animal to be sick
I think the easiest way to not be confused is stick to the data and facts. When you start entertaining philosophical views of what “sounds good and right” that’s when it starts getting muddy. Puppy foods scoring 7-10 th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIV_f-gpYKQPVDszowFCbLU.html I think many of the nutrition channels try to over simplify a complex and science based topic and in doing so skew the information so much it becomes foreign to most of us trained in the science.
I don’t make recommendations per se, I do have a playlist though of foods that score higher on the PSS parameters you may want to look at as a starting point. Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10 th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
Id be more interested in you comparing these foods to the food that you prefer or recommend which you have yet to mention to anyone looking for a good food.
I have a playlists of foods that scored 7-10.Puppy foods scoring 7-10. Also keep in mind that the scoring system allows you to compare any food to any other food. I don’t have a food I prefer because everyone’s needs are individual. I simply teach you how to evaluate the foods using a system that avoids marketing traps. th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIV_f-gpYKQPVDszowFCbLU.html or Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10 th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
Hello Dr Rea, following up on my previous message, I would like to know when it will be time to switch my Cocker Spaniel from regular Science Diet adult dry food to the SD Senior 7+ food. He will turn 7 at the end of October. So can I wait a couple more years in order to switch him or should I switch him when he turns 7 years old? As you mentioned in one of your videos, some dogs should switch at 7 while other dogs can go to 10 before going on senior diet. What should I do with my boy?
My cat had diarrhea for months nearly a year and even the medications didn’t help and for some reason hydrolyzed protein by royal canine stopped helping but Rayne nutrition was prescribed by her vet and it totally cleared up. They have kangaroo and alligator or crocodile. It’s so expensive but I’m so happy my cat is feeling better.
This video was super informative, and after checking my own kibble for my dog it meets the standards that you marked for proper kibble, which makes me glad to know I've been giving him a good product all along. That being said I do like going above and beyond for my dog, and I've been getting non stop ads for something called Farmer's dog. It's essentially frozen "real food" made by board certified vets and all that fancy stuff. It's incredibly expensive though. I'd like to know if you had any experience with these types of products and how big the difference between fresh and processed foods in this case can be. In the packaging they even addressed what you said about using words such as "wholistic" and "premium food" which ultimately means nothing, so I'm leaning towards trusting them. A month's worth of food is $182 though which is... exponentially more than what I'm spending now on dog food.
This is so helpful, thank you! My dog is on Royal Canin’s Vet prescribed HP diet because of terrible allergies and it’s been working well for her for about a year now. But I’m trying to find information if it’s safe for her to be on long term, and if not what I should try next. Wondering if you have any recommendations/could make a video about hydrolyzed protein diets? Thank you again!!
If your pet is being prescribed a food to medically manage a disease, this question is best directed at the vet managing the patient. It can be a very delicate situation, but most prescription allergy diets are meant for long term use.
When you add the protein, how do you know how much minerals or actual protein you are adding on a dry matter basis? How can you be sure you aren’t deficient or oversupplementing or what interactions that may occur altering bioavailability.
@@AnimalDocRea it comes with specific instructions based on dog weight (lbs) Also it has recommended amounts for puppies adults and seniors even kidney disease amounts. I tried it with my small dogs ( 10 lbs)and it was amazing the effects on their health. The customer service is amazing. Just make sure to tweak the amount of water if needed. I used a little extra water that recommended sometimes.
I understand that, but how do you know the nutrient break down of what you are adding, you cannot therefore you really need to be doing yearly lab work to ensure you aren’t causing issues due to the uncertainties. They can’t know how much protein fat or minerals are in whatever cut of meat you choose, let alone on a dry matter basis as a percent of the total diet. This method is inherent with inaccuracies and unfortunately is more fad than science or actual nutrition. If you are serious about home cooked diets, I highly suggest consulting a boarded vet nutritionist to formulate a proper homemade diet and not cut corners. You can find one at ACVIM.org.
I’m confused by how eating more things would cause allergies in pets, since from what I knew it’s basically the opposite with people. I would be interested in a video on that.
At the risk of over simplifying, in dogs allergies are a manifestation of the immune system and the immune system doesn’t usually attack a protein it’s not recognized and marked as suspicious. So by offering many proteins you not only allow the immune system the chance to get aggravated, you also limit the ability to feed a novel protein should the need arise.
@@AnimalDocRea i fed only chicken to my puppy he developed an allergy before 6 months of age. Tried every novel protein and he reacted to everything other then vegan 🤷 each protein i tried for a month... His littermate (have contact with his siblings owner) got allergy test and came back reacting to pretty much every protein. Had dogs that I rotated proteins and never got an allergy. It really depends on genetics too
I’ve got a review on that scheduled to post in the next few weeks and members already have access to it. I’ll have to leave you in suspense until it goes live to the public 😉
I agree with your comments about all of the marketing. As someone who feeds homemade/raw most of the time, the source and freshness of the chicken or beef is important. I understand that nutrients are more important. A new viewer may get the idea that ingredients don't matter, but they do. Four ounces of ground beef contain 20 mg of calcium and 180 mg of phosphorus. I haven't figured out how to convert that to the AAFCO guidelines. I also feed a wet cat food, that is low in calcium, phosphorus and sodium, every two or three days. We all just want what is best for our pets.
Now that I think we can all agree on. I’m glad you understand that pointing out manipulative marketing is the main goal of this Chanel because others seem to miss that.
@@Unknown-hu4gf Cooking reduces the amount of taurine in chicken thighs from about 200 mg to about 45 mg. I cook the chicken about six minutes. Cats need 100 mg a day.
I’ve not seen any reasonably convincing arguments it causes cancer, but at the same time I don’t like it because it’s completely unnecessary and so why?
@@AnimalDocRea thanks the Purina website says it adds “add variety and richness to the appearance of your pet’s food. It is not an FD&C color.” Not sure my dog cares about that but at 15 he has become very picky. I’m just happy to find something he will eats and he cleans the bowl with this Purina one lol
Very true! I was mostly looking into it thinking of changing my 18 month old to the food switching him to an adult food (they are large breeds). It’s not a specific senior formula :) I’m intrigued by this dog food world and all the many options lol
I’ll try and research the performance angle but from a functional angle, and a reduced weight for hiking angle, maybe there is a freeze dried brand that is not unbalanced and not raw. Freeze drying makes food so light, I have a freeze dryer and I love it for making stuff for primitive camping. Or….maybe you can find the food you like and then just freeze dry the kibble with an at home freeze dryer like I have. Again I’m not talking raw or other bs reasons companies freeze dry. I’m talking commercial kibble you could freeze dry at home. I just ran that by my husband and he’s going to get my freeze dryer running and we are going to do an experiment!
I don’t agree that ingredients should be secondary or good ingredients should be considered “fancy”. You could be eating actual poop and get calories/ nutrients from that. Human nutritionist put a lot of emphasis on consuming whole foods, not solely look at the nutrient panel, same thing should be for dogs and cats.
I’ll have to disagree, I don’t see the point to feed a food that doesn’t meet the nutritional requirements your pet needs, then you are doing no better. But you are certainly entitled to your opinion.
@@AnimalDocRea a lot of whole food ingredients that you could be feeding your pets DO provide nutrients, why are you saying they don’t? so why not feed better quality food instead of big name brands that have had multiple recalls? It can be a win/ win.
@purrr8182 Because the food I’m reviewing in this specific video did not meet the nutrients outlined in the text ( reference the chart displayed in video). As explained in the video, I’m not saying that you can’t have “good” ingredients and a proper nutrient profile. I’m saying this food did not. Each videos specific to the food highlighted. If you have a food you feel meets the nutrient parameters and has the ingredients you find acceptable, I’ll be happy to do a video as I entertain requests.
Hi Dr.Rae, Thanks for the great content! If a dog food is considered all life stages but satisfies all the small animal nutrition guidelines for an adult would that be good, or would you still look for an adults specific food? Also, my dog is picky and seems to get tired of her food (after a few months), so I was thinking about rotating between proteins in the same line of food such as Pro Plan Shredded foods, but in this video you warned against it due to GI and allergies. Do you have any recommendations on how to keep a picky, non-food motivated dog interested in her food? Thanks again!
I’d be less concerned if it meets all the parameters, just watch calories. As far as picky, that’s either a learned behavior, or maybe a gastric motility or reflux issue I’d try and get worked up. Could also be a hormone imbalance or other systemic issue.
@@AnimalDocRea thanks for your reply!My dog is a 1 year old female mini Goldendoodle. From 8 weeks old when we got her she wasn’t really excited about eating. We slowly transitioned her to a new food (from Royal Canin to Farmina N&D) initially she was interested but overtime she seemed to get bored after ~6 months we did another slow transition (Farmina N&D to Purina Pro Plan). The only way we seem to be able to entice her to eat is stimulate her through play (Fetch/tug then handful of food and repeat). All food has been Grain Inclusive. Pretty much once a week he won’t want to eat or drink in the morning and eventually throws up yellow bile, speculation on that has been empty stomach syndrome. On one more concerning occurrences we took her to the vet and was given antacids (~3 week course) as a possible approach incase of acid reflux and long with probiotics (ProPlan FortiFlora), she was still sick about once a week during that course of antacid meds. I think they also took a stool sample for testing. When visiting others she’ll gladly eat their food from their bowls, but I assume that’s just like a bowl of treats to her. What sort of work up should we be asking for? Thank you so much, your time and help is greatly appreciated!
@bradlane3371 you may need to see an internist if your regular GP doesn’t offer these services but with these symptoms I’d recommend a metabolic work up looking for endocrinopathies, minimum database of blood work, stool check, and maybe imaging and then if not finding results motility and IBD work up with upper GI endoscopy. Obviously I’ve never seen your pet so I can’t give you medical advise but this is the usual order I normally do a work up with a chronic “sour stomach” case.
I am not sure that AAFO stabdard woukd apply to this brand as it is a Canadian brand. Also Canada's standards are more stringent so i am not sure they are able to just slap hollistic on their food like you can here in the US. Edit: she addressed aafco and it met the standards but she still took off points for not having feeding trials. Can't win for losing.
Not following how we're claiming that changing food CAUSES an allergy. My understanding of allergies is that it's largely the opposite (in humans anyway).
It’s not a claim, but how allergies work in the canine and feline species. This is discussed in preceding videos but the reason is two fold. 1. by exposing animals to multiple proteins you allow the immune system to develop an allergy ( you can’t have an allergy to something you haven’t seen) 2. It makes it impossible to find a novel protein to then treat the allergy with. Different species so Totally different than humans
@@AnimalDocRea but the definition of an allergy is basically an immune response DUE to not being exposed to it. Your immune system doesn't recognize it and "paints" it as an enemy erroneously. This is how they finally have started treating allergies in humans, small amounts of exposure over time so the body quits over reacting. Not claiming this is the only method of allergy development but this how they've explained kids getting so many allergies nowadays, that being theyre never allowed outside to play in the dirt etc, and don't eat things like peanuts at all. Btw I'd be very curious about your opinions about Diamond Naturals, Nutrisource, and the Horizon dog foods. Having to switch from Victor bc of the recall.
I'm not familiar with the complete pathophysiology of human food allergies or how it specifically differs from what we understand in animals. I can pass along this link to a good text explaining the process in animals that may interest you. Chapter 31: s3.amazonaws.com/mmi_sacn5/2019/SACN5_31.pdf I will also look into the foods you suggested. Thanks!
The term holistic or holistic vets, who are these people. I know all they care for is a grain-free and raw diet. My friend is on open farm ancient grain line (I think is the beef raw mix). I am worry about my friend's dog health
I’m not sure what you are referring to, this video is about open farm, it only compares open farm to the standards, not to any other brand. Also Purina is a company that makes a wide range of foods, from many price points and quality ranges. I don’t recommend or endorse any food, I score it based on the nutritional value. Some may score better than open farm, and others worse. I have no control over what the final Score is. It either meets the nutritional requirements set forth in the literature, or not. Also chocolate is toxic to dogs so I recommend avoiding it in dogs as a general rule.
I really enjoyed this video - I want to learn as much as I can about dog nutrition but *so* many people just talk about the ingredients, hardly anyone talks about the nutrients. They're just as important as each other - you can have an a god awful ingredient panel but really good nutrients, just like you can have a great ingredient panel with awful nutrients. Both of these diets would be awful for dogs. Do you think you could do a review on DARF cold pressed? I feed my dogs their regular recipe, and just going off of this video, it's a little high in protein and calcium. I love this food personally and these excess nutrients haven't been causing any issues for us, but it'd be brilliant if you could review all of their foods and determine which you think is best nutrient wise :). Just for some extra information, too - it's manufactured in the Netherlands so there won't be an AAFCO statement. However, all the meat they use is from their own butcher's shop (De Greone Weg) and you can find every single one of their farmers on their website which is awesome.
Wow that’s awesome, thank so much for watching from the Netherlands. I’m glad you still find my content relevant and helpful. I think I might need to branch out and do a point system for non AAFCO countries
@@AnimalDocReaI'm not from the Netherlands but I am from the UK! There's a retailer in Ireland that ships DARF to the UK which is where I get it from - it's called Fetch Your Pet Needs :). I did a little bit of research and found some information on De Groene Weg's website. They work closely with local authorities such as the NVWA, which to my understanding, is the Netherland's version of AAFCO
@@AnimalDocReaI just wanted to share something I learned - it appears as though Europe has different nutritional guidelines to the US. Our pet food follows the FEDIAF - my only real qualm with this is that there's no maximum recommended amounts for the majority of the nutrients, only minimums. For example - the lowest recommended protein is 18% for an adult dog but there's no recommended amount for maximum protein.
@@amberrea8152My mistake, I thought they were AAFCO standards :'). At least we know now that Europe does have a version of AAFCO though, I only heard about the FEDIAF today. It stands for Fédération européenne de l'industrie des aliments pour animaux familiers/European Pet Food Industry Federation so you might be able to refer back to that if you decide to review European dog foods. I don't think you're required to have an FEDIAF statement like you do with AAFCO, though
But those words have no meaning legally so how can you be sure what you think they mean is what your getting. www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/human-grade/
@@AnimalDocRea feed grade means you can be getting animals in there that are not fit for human consumption.. animals that died of unnatural causes even cases of euthanized dogs
Actually your videos discourage me to buy most of the brands that are “good quality “ . Please be more specific we do need help at deciding brands, because you speak poor about a brand nutrition or ingredients I will say we need to hear about the good brands specifically as well. Thank you
There is an entire playlist of brands that score 7-10. These videos aren’t about good brands or bad, they are about learning how to properly read a pet food label and not get tricked by marketing. Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10 th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
@@AnimalDocRea I guess my standards for “mainstream” dog food is quite low so just seeing grains on the package makes me happier than it should 😂. They also have a raw mix blend so compared to that one this one is a little better
@kimmytaehyuine5039 your standard are your standard and I hope after watching my videos you understand that there is a spectrum that everyone should be able to happily live on….by reading through the comments though you might find that not everyone wants to live happily and respectfully with others
Do you have an honest kitchen review? I’ve been feeding my dog HK dehydrated for a few years. I’ve seen reviews that say it doesn’t have enough protein and was thinking about open farm but a vet mentioned the protein/kidney problem years ago when I was feeding taste of the wild which is why I went with HK. But I’ve also heard nutritionists say that more protein/meat and less other stuff is best. I’m just trying to find a good food that’s not going to give my dog health problems and I want to make sure she’s getting the right nutrients. 🥲
I know this is an older video but as a farmer I just wanted to clarify a few things. When a farm markets antibiotic free meat doesn't mean treatment free. If an animal is sick and needs antibiotics they are given it and vet care. That individual animal is moved to a different part of the farm or to a different fram all together that is not antibiotics free and is sold in a traditional market. Certified humane is a third party that comes in and looks at the animals living conditions. Everything from how many square feet of space per animal, cleanliness, noise, lightning and risk for potential injuries. If there is a nail sticking through a board, they will make you fix it.
Thanks for sharing your first hand experiences.
WE REALLY NEED A VIDEO GOING THROUGH THE BEST KIBBLE BRANDS AND RECIPES FOR LARGE BREED ADULTS!! PLEASEEEE!
I find it really helpful how you analyse these products like how I would shop for it, and point out the baseless marketing and highlight what we should be checking
Thank you, I’m trying to make it simple for you
I’m so glad I found you! Thank you I’m definitely switching my dog off of open farm. Thank you explaining everything in depth, often vets would just tell me to feed a food with no background or explanation! This channel is awesome
I’m sorry your vet has not been helpful, I’m happy to fill in the gap. Lots of vets have nutrition fatigue these days.
What are you switching to? Open farms is not bad at all is actually better that a lot of other brands right now?
@@cristinitaandco I’ve switched to Hills
Thank you so much for such a helpful video, Dr Rea! Your video solved all of my concerns when feeding Openfarm to my dogs.
I started feeding Openfarm to my two dogs a year and a half ago. During this time, I noticed overweight on them despite the guaranteed daily exercise I provided, especially my large breed dog (I wondered if its her breed’s problem at that time, bc she is a Labrador mix…) And my other dog, a 6 yo French bulldog’s weight was okay, but she was struggling with the allergy sometimes and I thought that was due to the seasonal reason. A few months ago, I switched my French bulldog’s kibbles from Openfarm to Carna4 due to the allergy problem. Since then, my French bulldog has barely scratched herself, the allergy seems to have gone away.. and I surprisingly found that her weight become healthier, and so as her poop!!! I started questioning Openfarm’s quality in terms of its high price. So this question brought me here, and your scoring results give me a much clearer idea of Openfarm’s quality instead of what they state for marketing purposes.
Thank you sooooo much! Ive been so confused and worried about my little Cockapoo!! Im hearing so many horrible things about kibble 😢 you are the first person that has been clear and factual! Ugh!! So much deception out there. Im so upset. You're saving pets with your intelligence. I can not express my appreciation. ❤
You are so welcome!
@@AnimalDocRea time to binge watch your content lol
Thank you so much Dr Rea for this video! I am so disappointed in Open Farm! I thought they were the best here in Canada and, of course, I bought it for my dog! Since I found your channel a few weeks ago, I realized how gullible I was, along with so many other pet parents I am sure, and I fell into that marketing trap!!! I since then have switched my dog and cat to Science Diet, and so far so good... I really appreciate you taking the time to do this video in the middle of a hurricane... I hope you and your family keep safe! 😻🐶
I’m glad you feel more confident and informed on your food choice
Yes, I certainly do now since I have found you!🤩@@AnimalDocRea
Wow, this was so incredibly helpful! My Iggy was recently put on a new medication for his seizures, which has resulted in some weight gain. I’ve been on the hunt for a better food for him to eat. He does have kidney issues so I’m extremely grateful I ran a cross this video, before I bought this brand of food. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Yes it is tricky with seizure medicine and weight gain, just remember the hunger is artificial and try to stay at the correct calorie offering.
Extremely informative. Things I was never aware of. Many thanks
I’m happy to open a new perspective
Thank you Dr. Rea! Carmen is adorable! What a cute bark!
Thank you
The perfect song for Thursday's events. And all you're ever gonna be is mean. Why you gotta be so mean? LOL
Hurricanes are scary I’m pleased your okay keep fighting every day I myself own a1 year old pug who was diagnosed with dermitos last year he is on a prescription diet and he is on medication to control this thank you for helping us pet parents
I wish I had found your channel sooner.
I've been feeding my dog (now 8) Open Farm (Lamb & Ancient Grains) for a few years now. Previously she was eating something else, but the company went hard core on the "grain-free" train, as well as kept changing the formula. The OF has maintained her weight, as well as stopped her chronic diarrhea, but I didn't know about the issue with the high minerals in the food. I also didn't realize the AAFCO standards on the food were for dogs under 70lbs.
I've decided to do a senior bloodwork panel this year to get a better picture on her overall health, and I'm hoping that no damage has been done. It's been challenging finding something to feed my dog, as she has a combination of allergies and a very sensitive digestive system. I tried multiple vet foods, as well as regular foods available through regular retail, with little success in terms of controlling her symptoms. Trying to find a poultry-free, potato-free, grain-inclusive food, that's not excessively high in protein, and is a good choice for an aging large breed dog is like trying to find a unicorn.
Don’t stress, just because it’s out of ideal range doesn’t mean it’s deadly. Bloodwork is the way to go and maybe no change will warranted at all. Just when you feed a food outside of ideal you have to stay on top of labs. Don’t stress. I do however recommend avoiding grain free. Maybe check out my farmina playlist. Similar to OF but better nutrition profile.
I get her point about nutrients versus ingredients, however, both are important, in my opinion. I just went through an episode with Spinone. He got very sick, vomiting, blood, excess, diarrhea, lethargy, and was not even drinking water. This was an issue with Purina pro plan. We had an emergency vet visit, and follow ups. He went on a planned diet, and prescription dog food. I mix back in some of the Purina symptoms returned with a vengeance. I took him right back off, and will never feed an animal Purina again. He's doing fine now, finishing up his prescription, dog food, and Transitioning to Open Farm. I've also looked at Nutri source. Maybe try both of them.
Both are important, the point is not to feed a food that is nutritionally inadequate, just to satisfy a desire that may be artificially stimulated by marketing to have certain ingredients. Ideally yes, find a food with both, but if that’s not possible, find one that is at least nutritionally sound or you aren t doing any better and potentially doing worse.
Open Farm I’ve been feeding our doggies for awhile. I also add freeze dried with bone broth to my Open Farm our doggies thrive and I must add I haven’t had to take our doggies to Vet over 6-7 yrs our dogs are healthy happy and not sick I thank God always! 🙏🏽 I would like to know which one you rate a 8/10
I’d highly recommend yearly bloodwork especially I dogs over 7. It’s takes 75% of organ dysfunction until you know there is a problem just by physical exam, so often I see owners tell me a pet I diagnose with chronic kidney or renal disease has been “healthy their whole life” I guess sometimes not knowing is bliss.
Thanks
Great video. What brand of kibble would be closer to an 10 out of 10 instead of Open Farm? Looking so switch my pup to a better quality kibble.
Puppy or adult
Adult, I also just watched your video on Farmina. It seems pretty good according to your nutrition calculator.
Puppy???
Puppy foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIV_f-gpYKQPVDszowFCbLU.html
Do you have a dog food review video that has good nutrition values matching the ingredients?
I’m not sure what you mean. Please elaborate your question.
@@AnimalDocRea yes. Basically what is a good dry dog food. I assumed products such as orijen(currently feeding dogs), carna4, open farm, were good dog foods best ingredients. But I watched a few videos, including your own, on reviews of these companies and have stated the nutrition values are too high for dogs. So I was curious what is a good dog food. I am looking to change dog foods from orijen but I don’t want to choose incorrectly
@supertez7 check out this playlist:Cat foods Scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIgGi_Urvw-xeLrFWE7stAc.html
other reviewers have given this food a very positive review so now I am more confused than ever trying to find a good food -what are your food recommendations??
I'm sorry to have contributed to your confusion. I actually am trying to make it simpler by doing a point system to avoid some of the marketing manipulation that often clouds consumer judgement. I honestly don't recommend foods, I promote constructive evaluation of foods by removing some of the effects of some of the marketing haze. I encourage you take my point scoring system (if it makes sense to you, and I hope it does) and apply it to foods you are interested in, and ABOVE ALL, nutrients first!
@animaldocrea-I have been reading reviews and opinions for 3 years since I brought my rescue home and getting more frustrated all the time between raw grain free gently cooked kibbles-getting very confused -I am not a nutritionist
Ingredients do matter.
For instance, getting protein from meat and protein from grains is way different. You should be getting your nutrients form the best Ingredients you can afford.
Just saying
I’m so glad you understand what I’m trying to say. Get the proper nutrients from the best ingredients you can afford. Thank you! You are saying it just right.
I’ve been hearing vets encourage rotating proteins for dogs every 3-6 months to provide coverage on all amino acids and that it decreases likelihood of developing allergies to one type of protein. This tracks for me as it’s similar for humans (ex. The chance of developing a corn allergy is higher for someone who eats a lot of corn). Can you speak to why there vets seem to be split on this? Genuinely curious what data & research is causing vets to not be aligned on their recommendation. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and yes I can certainly explain. The explanation however does require a pretty good knowledge base of veterinary immunology and not so much papers or research although there are some papers I could likely refer you to. Basically, Food allergy likely involves both immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated (Type I hypersensitivity) and/or non-IgE mediated (Type III and IV hypersensitivity) responses. In order to have these responses a pet must be exposed to the allergen first. Therefore by exposing your pet to multiple ingredients not only are you increasing the likelihood IgE and Type III and IV hypersensitivity responses, you have also made it impossible to treat the allergy by feeding a novel protein ( since you already fed them all). This is in animals of course and I cannot speak to the mediation of food allergies in humans. I’ve never heard of this “rotation” recommendation in any of my training or continued education so I’m not sure where that theory stemming from. The only reason I can think other vets may be recommending changing foods often is they either are extrapolating from human medicine incorrectly, or they are referring to desensitization Wich we do for atopy (environmental allergens) but is not done for food (that is another conversation that is even more convoluted). Also changing the diet regularly leads to the bonus of GI upset.
@@AnimalDocRea thank you so much for the thorough answer!
You are welcome.🙏
I forgot to add that beef, fish, poultry and pork all provide the complete profile of essential amino acids so switching between proteins is not needed to get all the essential amino acids.
I really appreciate your knowledge and ability to cut through the hype of the pet food industry. I know it's a bit strange, but I actually like the Open Farm Insect recipe, which according to your scoring system seems to be a pretty decent food. I am surprised to see how bad their traditional recipes are though!
I’ve been really surprised with all the insect recipes I’ve reviewed!
@@AnimalDocRea I just saw your Harvesting Black Soldier Flies video! So cool! You are definitely my favorite pet food TH-camr now. Future of pet food, here we come.
@mahrime wow, thanks so much!
Please do a video of food allergies
Loving your videos ❤ .... can you please make a review on Essence Limited ingredients dog kibble please 🙏🏻
I’ve had a couple people request that, I’ll have to look into it
Are you able to do the nutrience infusion and subzero food next please! I’ve had my dog on the infusion for a very long time but he started to not want it anymore so I switched to subzero but I don’t like that it doesn’t have grain! Would love to know how else it scores!!
Thank you for all you do. I’ve tried to solve my German Shepherd’s gut health due to runny stool and fed him Orijen and Open Farm currently but nothing works. He just had his spleen removed in a major surgery and is able to begin eating kibble once again on Sunday and have been looking for the best kibble for him. I’d appreciate help and recommendations.
Thank you
That is a medical issue and best discussed with your vet considering his recent major surgery.
Darn! I thought I got a good food for my dog I use the exact food in this video for my dog. Looking to se what food you recommend for my 1 yr old Aussie
Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
You hit the nail on the head 08:27 : people have different "definitions"of humane! (While it only has a limited meaning in the dictionary). These packaging labels feel like 'humane-washing'....animals deserve positive health and wellness treatment when in the care of humans - THAT is humane. "G.A.P" especially feels deceiving with the "6 steps" of standards of care. It could simply be said that animals raised in the meat and dairy industry, as well as the pet industry, are inherently subject to mistreatment - period. This is just my opinion as having gone down the food label marketing rabbit hole over the years, and consider all animals sentient.
Just a comment ( before finishing the video) I was taught that feeding a wide variety of foods , starting at puppy age, prevents food allergies. What to believe? I feed lots of variety and have never had a dog with allergies. Thank you, I’m enjoying this video.
That is a theory that is extrapolated from human medicine but not applicable to pets. Pets food allergy are IGe and type 3,4 hypersensitivity and that means that a previous exposure is needed there forever by exposing your pet multiple allergens you have primed the system for the reaction. Common issue with people assuming pets are like humans and they are not, different species
@@AnimalDocRea I live under no belief that dogs are human and don’t treat my pets as such, I’m not their momma. I’ve been showing, raising dogs for 55 years and have never had a single dog with allergies. None of my buyers have ever reported back to me either that their dogs had developed an allergy. Just like to keep learning. Thank you for your reply.
Sounds like you have a good line
@@AnimalDocRea I think experience and common sense often out weighs book knowledge. Thanks again 😁
@stellaunger8568 I think that taking the book knowledge and then applying it with experience and common sense results in the best outcome.
Hi Dr. Rea. I have a 17 year old female cat named Joey. She has hyperthyroidism and IBD and weighs 7 pounds. She's at the vet every month getting injections of Depakote and B-12 and also gets medication for hyperthyroidism. Is there a healthy but not overly expensive canned cat food you recommend? (I do not give her any fish/seafood). She seems to like beef, chicken and lamb. She also has very few teeth. I don't feel my vet gives me proper nutritional guidance. Right now, I alternate between ACANA canned cat food (Lamb) and Weruva or Merrick. I do not ever want to give her anything like Purina or Science Diet. I prefer no grains and carrageenen free. Thanks so much for your help.
I would find a good senior diet that meets the parameters for senior cats and I would avoid grain free as cats with hyperthyroidism are prone to heart disease. But as I am not personally familiar with your pet, I cannot speak to anything other than generalizing for age and medical condition. I would tell your vet specifically you are interested in nutrition and request a recommendation, they are best suited to know what may be best for your particular situation.
Could you do a video on the quality and nutrition profile of Fromm wet and dry food, please?
I can tell you're very young vet because the more I watch your videos because I'm actually interested in learning about very particular food brands the more I realize you're very contradictory to vets who have been veterinarians way longer than you I mean food rotation protein rotation is the best thing you can do for your animals when they eat one protein their entire life is actually when they develop allergies
I’m glad you think I’m young, my credentials are listed in the description box. It’s actually basic veterinary immunology. I’ve gone over this several times in my videos and comments section. Food Allergies are IGE type 3 and 4 hypersensitivity reactions Wich means a food must be presented to the immune system in order to prime it for reaction. By rotating the diets you increase the chances of reaction. I’m sorry I’m contradictory to vet that have practiced longer than me, but this information has been around a long time and is also in the current literature. You may be falsely extrapolating from human medicine Wich is a common mistake j see even my peers make from time to time.
@@AnimalDocRea 🎶 "For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind; If you're young at heart" 🎶 Frank Sinatra
Thank you for the valuable information. Is there a way to know the quality of the meat? I am not sure I can trust a brand by just reading the ingredients or the reported nutritional value in their labels.
Some feel the quality of the meat is related to the ability to properly keep the minerals in the proper level because sloppy processing of meats leads to excess bone ect therefore driving ca/phos up
This was a very informative video. Ive been feeding my chihuahuas orijen fit and trim and thought i was doing right by them but now that ive been made aware of the link between too high of protein & kidney problems im worried. So i was looking at open farm but now after the video im leary of that also. What are some kibble brands that you would suggest that are all around very nutritional for a dogs needs?
Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
@AnimalDocRea Thank you very much for the link I will have to watch that. Just finished watching the one where you gave the Royal Canin Small breed a 9 score. I think I may try that food. Ps I always thought corn was a no no so I'll have to watch your video on corn as well. Thanks for all your insight and videos!
Informational and deep, wrap up could use some work. Including alternatives would be nice or if we're already feeding our cats or dogs this, what may be included for a more nutritionally complete diet. Sorry if I missed any information that may have been included in the video or description.
If got several playlists of various options for you to check out. Thanks for watching
i decided to switch to Open Farm salmon w/ ancient grains formula dog food after another reviewer posted a video highly recommending it..both my dogs started having constant soft mushy poops, sometimes pure liquid..both started scratching, itching and licking their paws and had terrible smelling gas..neither one of my dogs had these issues prior to switching to Open Farm? after doing more research, this seems to be a fairly common issue with this dog food? going to have to switch back to what i was feeding them or try another brand all together, not sure yet?
Great video … could you please do the review for Nutrience Infusion Dog Food it’s a Canadian brand
I have a question, if I may. If you are researching new foods because you’re trying to do better for your animals and you just realized you weren’t feeding great kibble, how do you try a few of them to see if it works best for your pets? I know changing their diet isn’t healthy-is there a way to do this without harming them? Thank you!
Yes I’d say, if you find one you feel confident in, make a change over several weeks and give it at least 12 weeks to totally see the effects. But yes, changing foods more frequently than that ( outside of a completely disastrous result) may be counterproductive.
Good channel you talk a lot of sense ☺️ Are you a qualified animal nutritionist?
Kibble is highly processed dog food so is not a healthy food for your animal do you agree?
I am not a boarded veterinary nutritionist, I’m a general practitioner of small animal veterinary medicine and also hold a degree in animal science biology. I have extensive training in nutrition as it relates to the medical aspects of small animals so I consider myself qualified to comment on how nutrition affects a pet in vivo. I think when properly formulated to contain the optimal nutrients ( as measured after processing) can be a completely nutritious and healthy option. There may be other options that perhaps could be arguably more nutritious but that’s not what this video is about. This video is about this specific diet only
Could you please provide a similar review for the Rawz brand? I'm curious to know if it meets the minimum nutritional standards required for an adult cat. I've been purchasing Open Farm's chicken/turkey recipe for my two cats, but after watching your video, I'm in search of a better option, something superior to a 5/10 rating. Otherwise, very informative video. Thank you for your work!
Yes I’ve already started collecting information for that review
Thank you so much for all that information! I didn’t know about the rotating food. I understand the « do not rotate dry food » part. What about raw and dry food and rotating raw food? I’m presently giving my dog raw in the morning and dry in the evening. Is that ok? And can I give her different raw food meat ?
I don’t recommend raw due to the public health issues and lack of data to support any significant health benefits. Adding anything to a commercially balanced diet will likely by definition unbalance it and thus be more deleterious in the end. But in general, there is no reason to rotate properly balanced diets of any variety.
New 4mo old border collie pup owner . What is your pick for kibble for her. The more I watch the more conflicting things I hear on foods. Currently feeding open farm puppy but only been on it a week. Want health food that isn’t going to have a ton of recalls and cause my animal to be sick
I think the easiest way to not be confused is stick to the data and facts. When you start entertaining philosophical views of what “sounds good and right” that’s when it starts getting muddy.
Puppy foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIV_f-gpYKQPVDszowFCbLU.html
I think many of the nutrition channels try to over simplify a complex and science based topic and in doing so skew the information so much it becomes foreign to most of us trained in the science.
thank you so much for this video, what do you recommend for small breeds (yorkies) ? we have (1) 6yr old and (2) 10yr olds
I don’t make recommendations per se, I do have a playlist though of foods that score higher on the PSS parameters you may want to look at as a starting point. Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
@@AnimalDocRea thank you!
Thank you so much for your time, very helpful. Can you do a review on Primal?
Sure thing!
Id be more interested in you comparing these foods to the food that you prefer or recommend which you have yet to mention to anyone looking for a good food.
I have a playlists of foods that scored 7-10.Puppy foods scoring 7-10. Also keep in mind that the scoring system allows you to compare any food to any other food. I don’t have a food I prefer because everyone’s needs are individual. I simply teach you how to evaluate the foods using a system that avoids marketing traps.
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipIV_f-gpYKQPVDszowFCbLU.html or Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
Hello Dr Rea, following up on my previous message, I would like to know when it will be time to switch my Cocker Spaniel from regular Science Diet adult dry food to the SD Senior 7+ food. He will turn 7 at the end of October. So can I wait a couple more years in order to switch him or should I switch him when he turns 7 years old? As you mentioned in one of your videos, some dogs should switch at 7 while other dogs can go to 10 before going on senior diet. What should I do with my boy?
If you’ve had recent labs that indicate a need I’d do it sooner rather than later, otherwise anytime after 7 is fine
@@AnimalDocRea Thank you very much for your advice Dr Rea. I will make an appointment to see my vet soon! 😻🐶
Can you please make a review on hydrolyzed dog food. My dog has IBD and food allergy. Thanks
Purina One Sensitive skin and stomach Dog food Review vs Hills Prescription Z/D
th-cam.com/video/4VEL6ILFofY/w-d-xo.html
My cat had diarrhea for months nearly a year and even the medications didn’t help and for some reason hydrolyzed protein by royal canine stopped helping but Rayne nutrition was prescribed by her vet and it totally cleared up. They have kangaroo and alligator or crocodile. It’s so expensive but I’m so happy my cat is feeling better.
Super interesting!😮 What about the brand North Paw?
Not sure, never heard of it
This video was super informative, and after checking my own kibble for my dog it meets the standards that you marked for proper kibble, which makes me glad to know I've been giving him a good product all along. That being said I do like going above and beyond for my dog, and I've been getting non stop ads for something called Farmer's dog. It's essentially frozen "real food" made by board certified vets and all that fancy stuff. It's incredibly expensive though. I'd like to know if you had any experience with these types of products and how big the difference between fresh and processed foods in this case can be. In the packaging they even addressed what you said about using words such as "wholistic" and "premium food" which ultimately means nothing, so I'm leaning towards trusting them. A month's worth of food is $182 though which is... exponentially more than what I'm spending now on dog food.
I’ve videos on. Both farmers dog and olllie
Why the farmers dog food service left me unimpressed
th-cam.com/video/irXCZzv7cis/w-d-xo.html
Wow! Ollie may be the winner of the fresh dog food
th-cam.com/video/5RA1aYAneUQ/w-d-xo.html
feels great finding out im paying a premium price to shorten my dogs life!
Marketing can do that to you, but now you know what’s important to look out for.
Have you reviewed the Fromm dry kibble? If so what are ur thoughts on it
Fromm Puppy (Dog food review)
th-cam.com/video/3eBUcUkj2qA/w-d-xo.html
Do you receive any compensation from any pet food manufacturer?
Nope, I even have to pay full cost for my own pets’ food
@AnimalDocRea good to know, best of luck!
Can you do a review on there new line please?
Didn’t k they had a new line, what is it called and I’ll do it
Goodbowl
This is so helpful, thank you! My dog is on Royal Canin’s Vet prescribed HP diet because of terrible allergies and it’s been working well for her for about a year now. But I’m trying to find information if it’s safe for her to be on long term, and if not what I should try next. Wondering if you have any recommendations/could make a video about hydrolyzed protein diets? Thank you again!!
If your pet is being prescribed a food to medically manage a disease, this question is best directed at the vet managing the patient. It can be a very delicate situation, but most prescription allergy diets are meant for long term use.
Try Dr. Harvey’s Raw Vibrance food they are fantastic. I add the protein ( cooked chicken and I freeze it in portions)
When you add the protein, how do you know how much minerals or actual protein you are adding on a dry matter basis? How can you be sure you aren’t deficient or oversupplementing or what interactions that may occur altering bioavailability.
@@AnimalDocRea it comes with specific instructions based on dog weight (lbs)
Also it has recommended amounts for puppies adults and seniors even kidney disease amounts.
I tried it with my small dogs ( 10 lbs)and it was amazing the effects on their health. The customer service is amazing.
Just make sure to tweak the amount of water if needed. I used a little extra water that recommended sometimes.
I understand that, but how do you know the nutrient break down of what you are adding, you cannot therefore you really need to be doing yearly lab work to ensure you aren’t causing issues due to the uncertainties. They can’t know how much protein fat or minerals are in whatever cut of meat you choose, let alone on a dry matter basis as a percent of the total diet. This method is inherent with inaccuracies and unfortunately is more fad than science or actual nutrition. If you are serious about home cooked diets, I highly suggest consulting a boarded vet nutritionist to formulate a proper homemade diet and not cut corners. You can find one at ACVIM.org.
Thoughts on Open Farm Ancient Grains Puppy food?
you would have to compare to the standards depending if it is a large breed puppy or not
Ah ok. I’m starting to use the standard to compare now. And then looking at price and actual ingredients. Thank you
Sounds like a solid plan.
So im wondering what kibble so you recommend that meet all of the stabdards you speak of. Anyone know please let me know.
I don’t make recommendations so…
Can you review Dr garys Best breed and Dr tims?
I emailed dr. Gary’s a few weeks back and haven’t heard anything, I’ll try dr. Tims.
I’m confused by how eating more things would cause allergies in pets, since from what I knew it’s basically the opposite with people. I would be interested in a video on that.
At the risk of over simplifying, in dogs allergies are a manifestation of the immune system and the immune system doesn’t usually attack a protein it’s not recognized and marked as suspicious. So by offering many proteins you not only allow the immune system the chance to get aggravated, you also limit the ability to feed a novel protein should the need arise.
@@AnimalDocRea i fed only chicken to my puppy he developed an allergy before 6 months of age. Tried every novel protein and he reacted to everything other then vegan 🤷 each protein i tried for a month... His littermate (have contact with his siblings owner) got allergy test and came back reacting to pretty much every protein.
Had dogs that I rotated proteins and never got an allergy. It really depends on genetics too
@viperblackjewel3915 yes, genetics absolutely plays a role
What do you think about Lotus?
I’ve got a review on that scheduled to post in the next few weeks and members already have access to it. I’ll have to leave you in suspense until it goes live to the public 😉
Is it safe to come out now? LOL I see Carmen isn't the only mess to clean up.
I agree with your comments about all of the marketing. As someone who feeds homemade/raw most of the time, the source and freshness of the chicken or beef is important. I understand that nutrients are more important. A new viewer may get the idea that ingredients don't matter, but they do. Four ounces of ground beef contain 20 mg of calcium and 180 mg of phosphorus. I haven't figured out how to convert that to the AAFCO guidelines. I also feed a wet cat food, that is low in calcium, phosphorus and sodium, every two or three days. We all just want what is best for our pets.
Now that I think we can all agree on. I’m glad you understand that pointing out manipulative marketing is the main goal of this Chanel because others seem to miss that.
@@AnimalDocRea I taught reading comprehension as part of my business classes. Definitely an issue these days. LOL
@@Unknown-hu4gf Cooking reduces the amount of taurine in chicken thighs from about 200 mg to about 45 mg. I cook the chicken about six minutes. Cats need 100 mg a day.
@@Unknown-hu4gf You should watch the videos of Pet Food Puzzle Guy.
What is your opinion on Carmel color in food? My senior dog has taken a liking to Purina One and I read Carmel color is cancer causing
I’ve not seen any reasonably convincing arguments it causes cancer, but at the same time I don’t like it because it’s completely unnecessary and so why?
@@AnimalDocRea thanks the Purina website says it adds “add variety and richness to the appearance of your pet’s food. It is not an FD&C color.” Not sure my dog cares about that but at 15 he has become very picky. I’m just happy to find something he will eats and he cleans the bowl with this Purina one lol
At 15yrs old I think you probably don’t need to be overly concerned with colorants. But good paying attention.
Very true! I was mostly looking into it thinking of changing my 18 month old to the food switching him to an adult food (they are large breeds). It’s not a specific senior formula :) I’m intrigued by this dog food world and all the many options lol
Can you go over Inukshuk? (I’m looking at the 26/16 lines)
I think your the second person to ask me about that, I’ll have to do that
www.inukshukpro.com/inukshuk-2616 is this the one?
I’ll try and research the performance angle but from a functional angle, and a reduced weight for hiking angle, maybe there is a freeze dried brand that is not unbalanced and not raw. Freeze drying makes food so light, I have a freeze dryer and I love it for making stuff for primitive camping. Or….maybe you can find the food you like and then just freeze dry the kibble with an at home freeze dryer like I have. Again I’m not talking raw or other bs reasons companies freeze dry. I’m talking commercial kibble you could freeze dry at home. I just ran that by my husband and he’s going to get my freeze dryer running and we are going to do an experiment!
Yes! This is the formula I’m curious about
You don’t have to send the bag, it’s easier to just look it up and I often have to call anyway to get the correct information
Katie Holmes, is that you?
I have not heard that for a long time but when I was In high school I used to get it all the time.
I don’t agree that ingredients should be secondary or good ingredients should be considered “fancy”. You could be eating actual poop and get calories/ nutrients from that. Human nutritionist put a lot of emphasis on consuming whole foods, not solely look at the nutrient panel, same thing should be for dogs and cats.
I’ll have to disagree, I don’t see the point to feed a food that doesn’t meet the nutritional requirements your pet needs, then you are doing no better. But you are certainly entitled to your opinion.
@@AnimalDocRea a lot of whole food ingredients that you could be feeding your pets DO provide nutrients, why are you saying they don’t? so why not feed better quality food instead of big name brands that have had multiple recalls? It can be a win/ win.
@purrr8182 Because the food I’m reviewing in this specific video did not meet the nutrients outlined in the text ( reference the chart displayed in video). As explained in the video, I’m not saying that you can’t have “good” ingredients and a proper nutrient profile. I’m saying this food did not. Each videos specific to the food highlighted. If you have a food you feel meets the nutrient parameters and has the ingredients you find acceptable, I’ll be happy to do a video as I entertain requests.
Can a large breed eat their puppy food?
Large breed adult or large breed puppy
Hi Dr.Rae, Thanks for the great content!
If a dog food is considered all life stages but satisfies all the small animal nutrition guidelines for an adult would that be good, or would you still look for an adults specific food?
Also, my dog is picky and seems to get tired of her food (after a few months), so I was thinking about rotating between proteins in the same line of food such as Pro Plan Shredded foods, but in this video you warned against it due to GI and allergies. Do you have any recommendations on how to keep a picky, non-food motivated dog interested in her food?
Thanks again!
I’d be less concerned if it meets all the parameters, just watch calories. As far as picky, that’s either a learned behavior, or maybe a gastric motility or reflux issue I’d try and get worked up. Could also be a hormone imbalance or other systemic issue.
@@AnimalDocRea thanks for your reply!My dog is a 1 year old female mini Goldendoodle. From 8 weeks old when we got her she wasn’t really excited about eating. We slowly transitioned her to a new food (from Royal Canin to Farmina N&D) initially she was interested but overtime she seemed to get bored after ~6 months we did another slow transition (Farmina N&D to Purina Pro Plan). The only way we seem to be able to entice her to eat is stimulate her through play (Fetch/tug then handful of food and repeat).
All food has been Grain Inclusive.
Pretty much once a week he won’t want to eat or drink in the morning and eventually throws up yellow bile, speculation on that has been empty stomach syndrome. On one more concerning occurrences we took her to the vet and was given antacids (~3 week course) as a possible approach incase of acid reflux and long with probiotics (ProPlan FortiFlora), she was still sick about once a week during that course of antacid meds. I think they also took a stool sample for testing.
When visiting others she’ll gladly eat their food from their bowls, but I assume that’s just like a bowl of treats to her.
What sort of work up should we be asking for?
Thank you so much, your time and help is greatly appreciated!
@bradlane3371 you may need to see an internist if your regular GP doesn’t offer these services but with these symptoms I’d recommend a metabolic work up looking for endocrinopathies, minimum database of blood work, stool check, and maybe imaging and then if not finding results motility and IBD work up with upper GI endoscopy. Obviously I’ve never seen your pet so I can’t give you medical advise but this is the usual order I normally do a work up with a chronic “sour stomach” case.
I am not sure that AAFO stabdard woukd apply to this brand as it is a Canadian brand. Also Canada's standards are more stringent so i am not sure they are able to just slap hollistic on their food like you can here in the US. Edit: she addressed aafco and it met the standards but she still took off points for not having feeding trials. Can't win for losing.
They post an AAFCO statement on The package and to be sold in the states it must comply with labeling laws.
OF is produced in Minnesota
Not following how we're claiming that changing food CAUSES an allergy. My understanding of allergies is that it's largely the opposite (in humans anyway).
It’s not a claim, but how allergies work in the canine and feline species. This is discussed in preceding videos but the reason is two fold. 1. by exposing animals to multiple proteins you allow the immune system to develop an allergy ( you can’t have an allergy to something you haven’t seen) 2. It makes it impossible to find a novel protein to then treat the allergy with. Different species so Totally different than humans
@@AnimalDocRea but the definition of an allergy is basically an immune response DUE to not being exposed to it. Your immune system doesn't recognize it and "paints" it as an enemy erroneously. This is how they finally have started treating allergies in humans, small amounts of exposure over time so the body quits over reacting.
Not claiming this is the only method of allergy development but this how they've explained kids getting so many allergies nowadays, that being theyre never allowed outside to play in the dirt etc, and don't eat things like peanuts at all.
Btw I'd be very curious about your opinions about Diamond Naturals, Nutrisource, and the Horizon dog foods. Having to switch from Victor bc of the recall.
I'm not familiar with the complete pathophysiology of human food allergies or how it specifically differs from what we understand in animals. I can pass along this link to a good text explaining the process in animals that may interest you.
Chapter 31: s3.amazonaws.com/mmi_sacn5/2019/SACN5_31.pdf
I will also look into the foods you suggested. Thanks!
Ingredients and company reputation are my top priority. High carb diets are a no go for me. Less marketing is preferred
Fair enough, thanks for sharing
The term holistic or holistic vets, who are these people. I know all they care for is a grain-free and raw diet. My friend is on open farm ancient grain line (I think is the beef raw mix). I am worry about my friend's dog health
I tried to get my picky shih tzus to eat this but they prefer the Purina moist and meaty they have been eating for years
This is coming from the vet, which thinks Parina or any food made by Mars. Chocolate bars is good.
I’m not sure what you are referring to, this video is about open farm, it only compares open farm to the standards, not to any other brand. Also Purina is a company that makes a wide range of foods, from many price points and quality ranges. I don’t recommend or endorse any food, I score it based on the nutritional value. Some may score better than open farm, and others worse. I have no control over what the final
Score is. It either meets the nutritional requirements set forth in the literature, or not. Also chocolate is toxic to dogs so I recommend avoiding it in dogs as a general rule.
I really enjoyed this video - I want to learn as much as I can about dog nutrition but *so* many people just talk about the ingredients, hardly anyone talks about the nutrients. They're just as important as each other - you can have an a god awful ingredient panel but really good nutrients, just like you can have a great ingredient panel with awful nutrients. Both of these diets would be awful for dogs.
Do you think you could do a review on DARF cold pressed? I feed my dogs their regular recipe, and just going off of this video, it's a little high in protein and calcium. I love this food personally and these excess nutrients haven't been causing any issues for us, but it'd be brilliant if you could review all of their foods and determine which you think is best nutrient wise :). Just for some extra information, too - it's manufactured in the Netherlands so there won't be an AAFCO statement. However, all the meat they use is from their own butcher's shop (De Greone Weg) and you can find every single one of their farmers on their website which is awesome.
Wow that’s awesome, thank so much for watching from the Netherlands. I’m glad you still find my content relevant and helpful. I think I might need to branch out and do a point system for non AAFCO countries
@@AnimalDocReaI'm not from the Netherlands but I am from the UK! There's a retailer in Ireland that ships DARF to the UK which is where I get it from - it's called Fetch Your Pet Needs :).
I did a little bit of research and found some information on De Groene Weg's website. They work closely with local authorities such as the NVWA, which to my understanding, is the Netherland's version of AAFCO
@@AnimalDocReaI just wanted to share something I learned - it appears as though Europe has different nutritional guidelines to the US. Our pet food follows the FEDIAF - my only real qualm with this is that there's no maximum recommended amounts for the majority of the nutrients, only minimums. For example - the lowest recommended protein is 18% for an adult dog but there's no recommended amount for maximum protein.
@@Aimee0206 so the guidelines I’m using are not AAFCO because of similar issues, my guidelines are for optimal nutrition from the stated text
@@amberrea8152My mistake, I thought they were AAFCO standards :'). At least we know now that Europe does have a version of AAFCO though, I only heard about the FEDIAF today. It stands for Fédération européenne de l'industrie des aliments pour animaux familiers/European Pet Food Industry Federation so you might be able to refer back to that if you decide to review European dog foods. I don't think you're required to have an FEDIAF statement like you do with AAFCO, though
Great video as usual. It's really scary how excessive the nutrients for the cat food are!
Eh, it only gets worse next week. Can sone one please request a review on a good food…
@@AnimalDocRea A chicken thigh, about 4 ounces, contains 12 mg of calcium and . . . LOL Seriously, Weruva Truluxe Steak Frites Dinner.
I’ve got that on the editing table already Ed, patience please.
@@AnimalDocRea You are the one who asked for a review. LOL
Purina One Large Breed maybe.
The fact that ots food grade and not feed grade is huge
But those words have no meaning legally so how can you be sure what you think they mean is what your getting.
www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/human-grade/
@@AnimalDocRea feed grade means you can be getting animals in there that are not fit for human consumption.. animals that died of unnatural causes even cases of euthanized dogs
@@AnimalDocRea the FDA approves food grade for human consumption. Now feed grade on the other hand is food that's not fit for human consumption
It absolutely has legal connotations, you are being disingenuous, ask the usda...
they seem to humanize the dog with all these ingrediencies. I typically do raw food for my dogs but always looking for solutions to that.
Actually your videos discourage me to buy most of the brands that are “good quality “ . Please be more specific we do need help at deciding brands, because you speak poor about a brand nutrition or ingredients I will say we need to hear about the good brands specifically as well. Thank you
There is an entire playlist of brands that score 7-10. These videos aren’t about good brands or bad, they are about learning how to properly read a pet food label and not get tricked by marketing. Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10
th-cam.com/play/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh.html
@@AnimalDocRea ok. I will check them.
Wild caught fish waste being high in K and P what a surprise.
In really like their grain inclusive lines but way out of budget so I’ll stick with my purine dog chow quarter of the price and feeding trialed 🥰
Interesting take, thanks for sharing. What makes you like the grain inclusive lines so much might I ask?
@@AnimalDocRea I guess my standards for “mainstream” dog food is quite low so just seeing grains on the package makes me happier than it should 😂. They also have a raw mix blend so compared to that one this one is a little better
@kimmytaehyuine5039 your standard are your standard and I hope after watching my videos you understand that there is a spectrum that everyone should be able to happily live on….by reading through the comments though you might find that not everyone wants to live happily and respectfully with others
@@AnimalDocRea agreed doc 😂
@@AnimalDocRea As Emeril would say, "BAM!" LOL
Not a easy video to watch 😕 had to turn it off.
😓
I fed this 😭🤦♂️
You can’t help what you didn’t know
So how's Carmen? LOL
Eh…a potty training mess
@@AnimalDocRea Well, you did name her after a "loose" woman! LOL
Do you have an honest kitchen review? I’ve been feeding my dog HK dehydrated for a few years. I’ve seen reviews that say it doesn’t have enough protein and was thinking about open farm but a vet mentioned the protein/kidney problem years ago when I was feeding taste of the wild which is why I went with HK. But I’ve also heard nutritionists say that more protein/meat and less other stuff is best. I’m just trying to find a good food that’s not going to give my dog health problems and I want to make sure she’s getting the right nutrients. 🥲
Im not familiar with honest kitchen but if you shoot for that range of parameters I’ve got listed, that’s the optimal nutritional range
Try . Dr. Harvey’s Raw Vibrance and hustle add the cooked protein. They are fanatics