Science Diet

[C.Jean]

Hi all, I just recently joined this site What are your thoughts on the 'Science Diet' dog food brand? I'm not sure if there has been a topic about this particular brand, so I brought it up. I feed both of my dogs(they're not shelties) Science Diet and they are a healthy weight. How is this food for shelties? Anyone use it?

 

[BarbV]

Hi all, I just recently joined this site What are your thoughts on the 'Science Diet' dog food brand? I'm not sure if there has been a topic about this particular brand, so I brought it up. I feed both of my dogs(they're not shelties) Science Diet and they are a healthy weight. How is this food for shelties? Anyone use it?

I cannot understand why vets continue to recommend this food to dogs! the only explanation I have is that vets are not necessarily dog nutritionists. When Bacca was first diagnosed with liver problems, my vet was quick to recommend more tests, but when I suggested that maybe his high protein diet at the time might have exacerberated the issue....it was clear that I knew more than she did!!!

If you look at the ingredient list, in many cases, the first ingredient isn't even meat! And in other cases, the meat is meat by-product. Hill's is very proactive in marketing to vets....and yes, vets do get discounts from them.....maybe even better than I get in my store.....btw - I never recommend this food. I carry it, but I will try to switch them away if possible

That being said....we all grew up with dogs being fed dog chow and table scraps.....so who is really to say which is better?

For sure, we humanize our dogs and as we as humans look to healthier alternatives for our ourselves, its normal that we would do the same for our dogs.

In reality its difficult to say if the better foods make a difference. Because there are so many environmental and genetic issues that are more and more coming to light.

Have I made your eye spins enough yet? Sorry....but the fact is that there is alot of fact and fiction out there.

The only advice I can give you is this: If you are comfortable to feed the ingredient list to yourself, then feed it to your dog. So if you are ok eating chicken by-products and fillers, then ok.

Otherwise, I would step up your food a notch or two.

Sorry if I sound preachy. This is a really tough subject.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Science Diet is expensive sawdust and grain, disguised as "dog food" and sold at incredible markups. Just read the label. Where is the meat?

Unless your dog has an acute medical condition that requires a special diet for stabilization, Science Diet is almost the worst food to feed. It is not designed for long term use, and you can do much better for your money.

Dogs are carnivores (regardless of what you feed them) and should be eating meat based foods.

I highly recommend Lew Olsens book "Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs". She explains, in simple terms, the history of kibble, the nutritional needs of your dogs, and how to feed dog appropriate food.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

Yes, this is the commercial dog food thread so I keep my thoughts on kibble at a minimum, if I can contain myself, lol
I agree with Barb and Clantyre.

Of the foods to feed and for the price you pay there are better alternatives for sure. I fed that for the first year of Toffee's life, I'd never do it again.
He just couldn't digest it and was throwing up undgested kibble about 6 to 7 hours later... Trials and tribulation finally turned me away from kibble altogether and I finally happily feed raw.
But after that first year I did a lot of research what I was comfortable with and I finally I said for what I pay for Science Diet I can get MUCH better commercial food kibble that has real meat and isn't sawdust soaked in lard to make it appealing to a dog's nose...

 

[mbfrench]

I agree with all the posts that have been said. Honestly UNLESS your dog has sensitive issues,dietary needs,or only for short term use,it really is junk.

There are scadaddles of threads on food,raw,kibble,commercial. Do take the time to maybe look there in those threads.

We all are differant here,food is a heavily debated subject.
So with that said,we feed grain free.

Is your head swirling yet?

 

[C.Jean]

Thanks everyone! I DID get it because my vet recommended it, I will definately be switching now. Our dogs were overweight and the vet recommended science diet for iverweight dogs. I wanted input as I was thinking of getting a sheltie, and I want ALL my dogs on a good diet.
I dont think science diet tastes very good either; our dogs refuse to eat it sometimes even when they act hungry.

Let the food-switch-over begin!

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Thanks everyone! I DID get it because my vet recommended it, I will definately be switching now. Our dogs were overweight and the vet recommended science diet for iverweight dogs.
Let the food-switch-over begin!

Yeah!

That's one thing I don't get. Dogs who are overweight don't need "low fat" foods. That's a human thing, not a dog thing. And the "low fat" dog foods are higher in grains and starch, which just packs the pounds on the dog. I saw a dog go from a healthy weight and condition to being kind of round in the middle and flabby in two months from some SD food the vet wanted him on. It was a distinct change in condition, and not for the better.

If your dog is fat, it's because calories in are higher than calories out. So you either simply reduce the food, or increase the exercise, just like in people (says she who is 60 pounds overweight).

 

[Toffee's Mom]

Yeah!

That's one thing I don't get. Dogs who are overweight don't need "low fat" foods. That's a human thing, not a dog thing. And the "low fat" dog foods are higher in grains and starch, which just packs the pounds on the dog. I saw a dog go from a healthy weight and condition to being kind of round in the middle and flabby in two months from some SD food the vet wanted him on. It was a distinct change in condition, and not for the better.

If your dog is fat, it's because calories in are higher than calories out. So you either simply reduce the food, or increase the exercise, just like in people (says she who is 60 pounds overweight).

oh so true.. as if I should give info about weight loss, hahahahaha

One of the eye openers for me was treats... aka I trained with kibble, and couldn't understnd why T was gaining weight! A milkbone here n there, too... but Milkbones are so EVIL caloriewise, lol, I learned that here! Since I stopped feeding any milkbones, grain and kibble altogether Toffee is finally ideal weight especially for agility I wanted him with a little less!

 

[BarbV]

Yeah!

That's one thing I don't get. Dogs who are overweight don't need "low fat" foods. That's a human thing, not a dog thing. And the "low fat" dog foods are higher in grains and starch, which just packs the pounds on the dog. I saw a dog go from a healthy weight and condition to being kind of round in the middle and flabby in two months from some SD food the vet wanted him on. It was a distinct change in condition, and not for the better.

If your dog is fat, it's because calories in are higher than calories out. So you either simply reduce the food, or increase the exercise, just like in people (says she who is 60 pounds overweight).

Not all! I switched my boys to Now! Senior & Weight Management. It's a grain free diet, so its NOT packed with fillers. But it is slightly lower in fat and lower in protein which was necessary for Bacca's liver condition. Both dogs have been on it for a few years now. They love it and while neither has lost weight, neither have they gained.

For us, it was the best of all worlds: Grain Free, nice meat protein mix of Turkey, Salmon and Duck, lower fat, lower protein, chock full of antioxidants, pre/pro biotics, etcs.

Do beware of super high protein diets, unless your dogs are into high activity. That's my opinion, and many would disagree, but I believe that dogs that are only semi-active may actually suffer from too high a protein diet.....ok....ducking now....

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Again with the protein. You are half right.

ANIMAL protein is good. PLANT protein is bad.

You can't OD a dog on animal protein, there is no such thing as too much. They are evolved to handle animal parts, and they do it well and efficiently. There are some cases where you need to manage what TYPE of animal protein they are eating, but normal, healthy dogs do well on animal based diets.

Foods that artificially beef up their protein count with plant-based proteins are BAD. Many do this. Dogs do not digest plant parts as well as animal parts. Any food that says "low fat" or "senior" will have more plant parts than their "all life stages" siblings.

NOW! Senior:
De-boned turkey, potato flour, apple, pea fibre, pea, potato, tomato, sundried alfalfa, canola oil

So, meat (water inclusive, I assume), starch, indigestible fruit, fiber, fiber, starch, starch, starch, plant oil (that is not as well absorbed as animal based oil)

Crude Protein (min) 24%
Crude Fat (min) 10%
Crude Fiber (max) 6.5%

NOW! Adult:
De-boned turkey, potato flour, pea, apple, whole dried egg, pea fibre, tomato, potato, flaxseed, canola oil

Crude Protein (min) 26%
Crude Fat (min) 16%
Crude Fiber (max) 5%

So the only change between the "Senior" and the "Adult" is egg. The protein and fiber levels are equivalent, the fat level is only lower because of the lack of egg (which is 100% digestible, BTW). So the protein you are cutting out is GOOD digestible animal-based protein.

And just because I wanted to compare to a known protein heavy food:

Acana Adult:
Chicken meal, steel-cut oats, deboned chicken, whole potato, peas, chicken fat, whole egg, deboned flounder, sun-cured alfalfa, chicken liver, herring oil

Meat, starch, meat, starch, fiber, meat, meat, meat, grain, meat, animal based oil (good)

Crude protein (min.) 32%
Crude fat (min.) 19%
Crude fiber (max.) 4%

Acana Light and Fit
Chicken meal, steel-cut oats, deboned chicken, whole potato, peas, *pea fiber*, sun-cured alfalfa, chicken liver, whole egg, deboned flounder, chicken fat, herring oil

Crude protein (min.) 35%
Crude fat (min.) 10%
Crude fiber (max.) 8.5%

Same basic ingredient list, way different results. So how much pea fiber did it take to reduce the fat in half and double the fiber? Or what ratios did the change to get those numbers? How much of that protein is now plant protein versus animal protein?

This is why I rotate brands every bag. It's too much thinking for me.