So annoying at the grocery store

[clm]

Thrive as in happy healthy, long lived, regular trips to the vet loved family pets. Dogs and cats. Dogs that were fed dog chow and alpo , gains burgers, do you remember those things, they don't still make them do they?. The lab cross died at 17, the doberman was 15, an irish setter who was 15 with the most beautiful shiny auburn coat, a collie shepherd cross 18 a shepherd hound cross at 14. 2 cats over 18, another 2 over 22 and 1 more almost 30. I have no reason to lie about these animals, they all belonged to friends and family and I knew all of these animals over my lifetime. My parents were'nt well off and they had us and animals too, cared about us and the animals too, the doberman and irish setter belonged to a well off woman who I worked with for 10 years, she loved those dogs, but believed purina dog chow couldn't be beat. The lab cross ate nothing but Alpo and had to be put down at 17 because of congestive heart failure. No one of these animals died of cancer, and to boot they all lived in houses with smokers. Go figure.

I know where you're coming from, I understand why your so passionate about it, but I still think you're being naive if you think it's only the food that people are feeding their pets are causing cancer, water, air, environment all gotta take a hit there too, and a pet with a poor person who cares about it is better off than one with a rich person who doesn't give a damn. Understand, only my opinion.

Again, I'm sure we'll agree to disagree, that's what makes the world go round.

Cindy

[Maya]

Hmmm this is a touchy issue, I didn't mean to offend anyone. I was just looking for suggestions of how to politely bring this up at like a checkout stand. I would never be rude or self-righteous about it, just suggesting that a food isn't very healthy could be enough to get someone on the defensive. I think maybe starting a friendly chat, asking what type of cat or dog they have might be a better place to start. If they start asking you what you feed you could say well this is what I do because etc. Wait for an appropriate opening.

I do like the idea of stickers too because they are less confrontational.

And yes I am one of those people that cannot afford to have pets at this point in my life. I sacrificed my own health for my cats so they could eat expensive vet food and have vet visits.:sad: My choice is to not have them again until I can take care of myself and have enough left over to provide proper care. I guess this is one of the reasons I find the issue so frustating.

[Prin]

Well, there you go then. So I'll quit spending money on good food and just let Jemma and Boo rummage through the trash. Why waste all that money on them? They're just dogs. They can eat their own species. Who cares?

Here Boo, have a bite of Baxter's leg.

[technodoll]

thanks clm i believe those were exceptional pets though, and not the norm... if it were the norm, nobody here would be bashing the crappy foods, we'd be recommending them instead

[Maya]

LOl this is terrible. My cats also "survived" on and lived long lives but they were not healthy.

[jessi76]

I've asked (and continue to do so) my grocery store to start carrying healthier foods, and I've even given them name brands I'd like to see in the store. It would make my life so much easier! To be able to get the dog/cat food while I'm there shopping anyways, and not have to make a seperate trip to a feed store or high end pet supply store.

All of my pestering is paying off though, slowly, I've noticed better choices at the grocery store. I've recently seen treats available that are all natural and organic. I've even seen displays & special offers for the organic dog biscuits. They haven't started stocking the high quality kibble or can food yet, but chances are if there is enough of a demand for it, it will happen.

Instead of pestering other shoppers, pester the grocery store. Continually ask for better products, and encourage your friends and family who shop the same store to do so too.

btw, I choose to feed my pets high quality foods, however, I still believe that grocery store food is better than no food at all. For some it's really the best they can do. at one point my parents couldn't afford steak so we ate crappy hamburg or cheap stuff like tuna casserole. and as mom always said, "there are starving childen elsewhere in the world, be thankfull you at least have this". likewise, there are starving pets and strays in this world, be thankfull at least some are getting the crappy food.

[Prin]

There's always something better than feeding dogs and cats though. Do you really think if people REALLY knew what was in the food (i.e. dogs and cats) that they'd continue to feed it? Cost really isn't the main issue if these people research anything at all. I've done the math already for my two. It cost the same thing for crap food + vet bills as good food + vet bills. The vet bills on the crap food were just high enough to cover the cost difference for a better food.

For some it's really the best they can do.

Maybe. But for MOST, they just don't know better. How many people come here thinking Iams is a good food? They have no idea. If you talk to vets, watch tv, Iams, Purina, etc are the best. And THAT's the problem.

[Maya]

Originally Posted by jessi76

at one point my parents couldn't afford steak so we ate crappy hamburg or cheap stuff like tuna casserole. and as mom always said, "there are starving childen elsewhere in the world, be thankfull you at least have this". likewise, there are starving pets and strays in this world, be thankfull at least some are getting the crappy food.

There are starving adults and children in Candada too. I was one of them and I'm not thankful because we are not living in a third world country. There is no reason for anyone to be going without here or anywhere else. I've never even purchased steak and rarely even ate tuna when I was living on $500 dollars a month. $70 dollars for all expenses after rent and phone but there was no way I was going to purchase a box of meow mix. You'd be better off buying some sardines because it would actually be cheaper.:P

[goldengal]

Earlier I said I refrain from posting on this topic, and now I see the reason why. Some think THEIR way is the only way. I said earlier, while I pay for a holistic food more expensive than most, my earlier dogs (who incidentally, I loved just as dearly) ate Purina Dog Chow and had much less problems than dogs I have had who are fed better foods - no runny eyes, no hot spots and so on.

My next door neighbours at the lake had a Husky who lived to 17, and he was fed nothing but Ole Roy (not sure of spelling as I have never seen it), and he was never sick. Chief was a dog who refused to stay inside (true to his breed).

Myself, I think everyone who has a pet should be able to afford vet bills, but then not everyone is in the same position. I just had Montana at the vet this morning for a Wellness checkup, heart worm test, meds and Lepto booster as we live adjacent to a ravine, and it was $267. I think there should be less expensive rates for those who are not in a position to pay as much as I can.

For people with less money and knowledge than perhaps some of us on these boards, I am sure their love for their fur kids is no less than ours.

[dogcatharmony]

:

Originally Posted by technodoll

um.... if you cannot afford to properly care for a pet (vet bills, innoculations, tags, training, and YES GOOD FOOD) then you shouldn't own one IMO

ummm my dog is spayed, all innoculatons (including 3 rounds when she was a pup), two trips to the vet because of unleashed dog attacks, properly licsened with the city, three rounds of obediance training, gets walked twice daily ( plus other excersice), gets loved daily, properly groomed and looked after.....she is three years old, in excellent physical condition, at her ideal weight, heathtly coat.....no medical problems........and you suggest that I shouldn't own one because of the food I buy???

Well I just I could buy the most expensive food possible, and leave my dog alone all day in a crate, or let her run loose and cause problems, but as long as she is fed properly that would make me a GOOD dog owner.

[phoenix]

You know, I had pretty healthy pets too, growing up, and they ate crappy no name food (I have no idea what, I don't remember) as well as table scraps. Heck, lots of them even ate horse manure on a regular basis lol.

I think that just as with children today, pets today have lots more allergies and things that necessitate a different diet for health. I mean, Prin's dogs and my Maia couldn't thrive off crap food because of their sensitivities... but I think that my Sam could easily do so. He refuses most 'quality' foods anyway.

Years ago, that was the best we had and dogs did just fine... lived long lives, etc (And no, I don't think they were the exception to the rule at all). But now I think we live in a different world, and certainly there are better choices out there... but some dogs are hardy and would do well no matter what they were eating I think, while others you can really see a difference as soon as you switch.

That said, I don't think accosting people in grocery stores is the way to get the word out lol.

[technodoll]

LOL dogcatharmony, not YOU! your case is very special, you have to admit i'm talking about the "$11.99 for 45 lbs of brand X dog food is good enough for my pet, cuz otherwise i wouldn't have any $$ for the chips and soda for my kids"

i remember our cats (when i was a kid...) ate friskies and meow mix and is that why they were always shedding, stinky, had bad breath, fleas and dandruff and ear mites and UTIs and the list goes on? hmmmmmmmmmm.

[Prin]

My dobie lived till 13 on dog chow. But you look at pics now of what I thought was a healthy dog then, and he just wasn't. His fur had no shine to it. The color was dull. His teeth were horrible (I remember him going under a few times for cleanings). And at 6 years old, he had nowhere near the energy and fitness that Jemma and Boo have.

There also probably weren't puppymills pumping out most of the pets back then either. I have no doubt that some of the dogs I meet who I know come from mills aren't healthy because of their breeding.

Do you think Jemma's breeder cared about genetics? Heck no! Do you think they cared period? Heck no! But my dobie came from one of the best breeders in Quebec at the time. Apples and oranges.

[dtbmnec]

I can't afford the vet bills...I'm feeding the crap food...I'm aware of these facts in life.

Would anyone really want me to end up splitting my two boys? Have them go to separate homes and end up with separation issues? That's what would likely happen to them if I gave them up.

No I can't afford much and no I can't afford good food. My parents can't afford the good food either. On top of it all if I were to go with a different food it would have to be an ALLERGY formula which is even worse on one's pocket book. Why? Pawz is allergic to chicken and Leo's allergic to beef. When I signed up for the cats I wasn't counting on either of those things.

But I love them. I care for them as best as I can. They're happy here (though they need sturdier toys....too bad dog toys are too big). They love me and I love them. They get lots of love and cuddles and play time. They get dollar store laser pointers and enough catnip balls to make a fort out of.

When I finally get my feet under me and my finances in some sort of stability (ha ha!) I'll put money aside for the cats. For the vet bills. For the random emergencies. THEN I'll worry about the food. THEN I'll worry about paying $80 a month for food for my cats so they can eat it without a wee bit of mushyness out the other end.

Megan

[technodoll]

megan... it would be cheap for you to feed them a home diet. really. cook up a bunch of cheap leftover meats, sardines from the dollar store, leftover veggies you don't eat, add a bit of rice, mush it up... nowhere near $80 per month and you'd no doubt save on vet bills... just a thought

[Prin]

I spend more on high speed internet and phone bills than I do on the best kibble on the market. Just food for thought (because I know we all have internet).

[Scott_B]

Not to mention the fact that the better food gets feed less and so it lasts longer! There is less waste. There are just so many reasons why a better food is better.

But, no matter what, you'll have people who feed cheap food. Not only because they're uninformed, but many dont care. I mean honestly, we can explain why foods are crappy, what the ingreidents mean, etc, but at the end of the day, how may actually switch? Either they don't believe it, think their pet is fine, or just don't care.

[Maya]

Originally Posted by technodoll

megan... it would be cheap for you to feed them a home diet. really. cook up a bunch of cheap leftover meats, sardines from the dollar store, leftover veggies you don't eat, add a bit of rice, mush it up... nowhere near $80 per month and you'd no doubt save on vet bills... just a thought

Yes this is so true. I wonder if you couldn't do a big mash of stuff and make little freezer bags, heat up in microwave and maybe garnish with a little fresh sardine or tuna juice. I don't think it would be too time consuming either if you did it like that. (no pressure of course) I'm learning that I don't want to cook for my b/f all the time and freezing stuff seems to be the only solution to get him to eat healthier. I just get so excited thinking about all that low cost organ meat going into happy healthy kittys and dogs.

Originally Posted by Scott_B

Either they don't believe it, think their pet is fine, or just don't care.

That about sums it up I guess.

[Prin]

Either they don't believe it, think their pet is fine, or just don't care

I agree. I just have a hard time empathizing with most people about the cost. I mean, everybody around here knows how much I've struggled since I stopped working and went back to school. We were basically living on one income for the summer and next to nothing for the winter and we still managed to keep the dogs on the food they needed. It's all about priorities. We don't drink or buy clothes or shoes or any of that because we choose to care for our dogs instead. If it's a priority, it can be done pretty easily.

[CyberKitten]

I don't think I have ever heard of **** sounds like my cats are not missing anything - but it amazes me even more after this recent scare that people would be buying this junk!! And I so agree!! I want to tell these people what junk they are buying but I tend to stay away from that aisle - tho there is one Price XChopper that sometimes has cat toys on sale!

[clm]

I think the better foods are becoming more popular. Popular enough for some of them to be in some stores like Rens and even some pet values carry some of the better lines, the more exposure they get and the more popular they become then these smaller quality food producers will have the means to afford the listing fees for the larger stores like the wal-marts and the pet chains and food chains. For more people to buy them, they have to be available to the masses in a mass shopping environment, a lot of people want and expect one stop shopping.
Pestering these stores to invite these lines of food is another way to go, the price of these foods would come down over time as well the more popular they get.
Pestering vets to carry some of these quality foods or at least carry literature on the better foods, we all have access to our vets. Hassle them every visit. Take them a sample bag of the food you're feeding. It would be good if the manufacturers of the quality foods provided literature for the vets to carry in their offices about their foods.
It's happening albeit slowly, more and more people are learning about pet food. Not fast enough, but it is happening, just gotta keep whatever learning momentum that happened from the pet food recall from fizzleing out.

Cindy

[Maya]

Ya this is probably the best time to be requesting better foods in the grocery stores. I've also noticed just in the past few years that London Drugs has been stocking more and more "alternative" organic products along side the standard ones and they seem to do well. I suspect there will definitely be some people happy to have another choice if its right in front of them.

[marko]

PLEASE let's keep this and similar threads civil!

It's nice to share our knowledge but let's be polite when educating people.
People can share the world's best knowledge but if it is done rudely or in a way where people feel demeaned...nobody will hear, nobody will listen.

There is no BEST method. It's what is best for me and my pets in my situation. Everbody's 'way' is different. If you want to educate people with your method - please be diplomatic.

Thanks in advance!

[HunterXHunter]

Look...there's NO problem with the **** dog food that I feed Hunter! Nothing!!!!!!








...kidding...kidding...

Although when I first started out, I was one of those people who fed **** for a couple of months and then I did some research, found this forum, got some good advice and began buying the good stuff for Hunter. I think most pet owners start out like myself believing that ******* etc. are the good stuff and the brands such as Solid Gold are crap because they're not advertised. People just need to get educated (like I recently did with cat food). I always try to buy different meats and veggies from grocery stores and make something (different) for Hunter (because who wants to eat the same thing day in and day out?), but regrettably there isn't always enough time.

It was really funny at the grocery store here in Charlottetown a couple of weeks back, I was at the check-out and the lady in front of me bought some crap brand of cat food that was on sale and when the sale price wasn't showing up she started b!tching about it and how expensive it was etc. Sometimes I wonder what they feed their kids everyday...

[Crestedcrazy]

I have to agree with Marko about the diplomacy if you feel the need to say something!

On occasion usually when at Wally World if I see someone grabbing a big ***** I usually will say
" can I give you my opinion on the dog food your about to buy?"
Sometimes they say no or give a sneer and walk away ect but most of the time they do say Yes

I let them know what I have learned short version of course and then say Thanks for listening and then let them make their own minds up.

Some drop the bag and leave, some don't hopefully they go home and think about it and maybe even go online and learn more or take my suggestion and go talk to a person at a smaller holistic pet store and get more info!

IMO if your confrontational then the people will not listen at all and then just defeats the purpose of what you try to do!

[technodoll]

some holistic petstores have brochures or photocopied texts on how to choose a better pet food, maybe ask for some copies and keep those handy for such occasions? some people believe the written word more than anything... just a thought

[Maya]

Yes the written word, thats a good idea. Brochures usually have pretty pictures too.

Everyone is entitled to chose how they feed thier pet, however I think we need to remember that they have no choice in the matter. If we decide to give them something that is poor quality and deny to ourselves and others we are doing it, then I think there will certainly be some debate. There are obviously some exceptions to the rule and situations that are not so black and white. Hopefully we can all be wise enough to identify those situations.

A vet tech at one point was quite rude to me about feeding dry after I said my cat didn't want to eat the Medi-Cal wet. This is what she said, I kid you not "kibble is just like potato chips and given the chance we would all eat potato chips instead of healthy food". I had already been convinced to think Medi-Cal was the best money could buy plus it didn't make sense that if Medi-Cal was so great the dry would somehow be "potato chips". Now this would have been a great opportunity for her to enlighten me about the high carbohydrate content and the fact that cats are carnivores etc...So I think I can relate to both sides of the coin. Once someone understands healthy eating E.g. eating more veggies, whole grains, lean meats then it really shouldn't be any leap to recognize that it is not much different for any other mammal. If someone is offended by a suggestion to feed/eat healthy(in a polite way of cousres) then maybe they need to consider why they are so upset? I think if someone is really comfortable with what they are feeding they won't get defensive but rather join in the discussions about nutrition.

[technodoll]

I think if someone is really comfortable with what they are feeding they won't get defensive but rather join in the discussions about nutrition

good point, maya... a very good point

[momma2aSiamese]

I am glad this subject came up. I have been known to stop people and start conversations with them in the store about food and supplies. I try and see if they look like they are in a mood or not before I talk to them though. If they seem like they are in a bad mood I usually don't try to talk because it never ends well. If I can not convince them that going to a feed store or pet supply store I at least try and help them pick the best thats there at that moment. And hopefully once they think about what was said they may look into better. But our problem in my town is nothing is available in our town for good food. I drive one hour away to get our cat's food. And I do that every 2 weeks or so for the canned and once a month for the dry. Yes its a pain to spend all that time just driving and I tell them that. But the benefits for the pets out weigh the cons.

I am going through this with my own mom. She hears me rave about how much better our cat is on the higher grade foods. But with her new puppy she wants to feed **** because its what she can get locally and not have to drive far to get. I have offered to pick the food up for her (better grade) when I get our food and then drive the next day 30 minutes away in opposite direction to take her the food. And all I ask is the reimburse me 1/2 the cost of the food so she is still not paying so much. We'll see what she says because she has not answered me yet.

Being calm and knowledgeable is better IMO then being defensive that you pay more than someone else.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by clm

Point being regardless of what these animals are being fed, at least they are being fed, and loved and cared for, considering all the unloved self sufficient ferrals or neglected roaming dogs out there, in my opinion that's a good thing. Cindy

Very well said clm I rather see a dog/cat like this than in a shelter about to be put down. And I had A LOT of fosters who been fed "crappy" food all their lifes, never had to go to the vet and were in perfect health.