According to the New York Times, Ol’Roy, Walmart’s private label dog food is the top selling dog food in the country by as much as 20%. Pedigree Dry Food is presumed to be in second place, shipping 214,000 tons annually.
When reviewing the opinions of many canine nutritional experts this is a bit disturbing based on the ingredients shown on the label:
~Review of Ingredients~
Ground yellow corn, soybean meal, ground whole wheat, corn syrup, poultry fat, Meat and bone meal (Animal Fat Preserved with BHA and Citric Acid), Chicken by-product Meal, Rice, Animal Digest, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin D and E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulafate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Meadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex Source of Vitamin K, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid
Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070331111958AAZ7D2R
Their first question is where is the meat? Ingredient labels must show ingredients from first to last based on their wet weight. Based on a review of the ingredients this dog food is mostly grain. The majority of which is corn a known allergen to many dogs with little actual nutritional value.
The only protien sources are unspecified fat and meal sources which according to my review of much of the literature often proves to be undigestable and could come from any number of sources such as euthanized and diseased animals, including cats and dogs. The one specified animal source in this dog food is shown as a by-product which generally means everything but the meat. The food also contains the toxic preservative BHA, which is a know carcinogen.
Frankly it is a sad state of affairs when the top selling dog food in the country is of this low quality compared to many other brands.
4 Responses
2008 Aug 30
Completely agreed – and I’m frankly appalled that so few people understand the nutritional requirements of their pets.
2009 Apr 14
Its a sad state of affairs when we as a nation don’t care about our pets. Feeding them either Ol Roy OR Pedigree is a prime example of how we place our pocketbooks ahead of the well being of our beloved pets. This goes to the Rich just as it does for the Poor.
2010 Jun 18
I came across your blog, i think your blog is interesting, keep working !
2010 Jun 18
Hello dude, can i post articles to your blog ? Let me know if you are interested