Low quality food; stay away.

I am a dog trainer and one of the most important things I teach in my classes is what to look for in a dog food. I often use the Pedigree ingredient list as a an example of exactly what NOT to have in your dog's food. Many of my clients decided to make the switch to better dog foods (including Nutro Ultra, Blue Buffalo, By Nature, Wellness, Nature's Recipe, and Innova) and I just can't begin to explain how much healthier and more well-behaved their dogs were after the switch. Their coats were shinier, eyes clearer, more muscle mass, and many were calmer and more able to concentrate. There is a reason why Pedigree is so cheap compared to something like Blue Buffalo. If you are truly on a budget, try Nutro Max- its not my favorite dog food, but it is far better than anything else in its price range.

I love how everyone is saying something bad about EVERY dog food, but not recommending anything that is actually good. Don't say my dog died of cancer because of this food, instead give us the age of your dog, because if it died of cancer at 17 years old then it's probably just because of old age. If they died at 4 years old then ok maybe it's the food. ANYWAY I have a 17 year old Pit Bull 2 13 yr old Pugs and an 11 yr old pug, all fed pedigree their whole lives. They're old of course but can still all see, hear, eat, bark, breathe and walk very very well. I do agree though that the recommendations on Pedigree's feeding amount is wrong, because my dogs got overweight pretty quick, but have now lost the weight.

PEOPLE COME ON NOW....LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS, HOW CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THIS IS GOOD?
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR DOG.
Pedigree Complete Nutrition (adult dog food)
Insufficient meat content, by-products, low quality grains, fat and meat products of unidentifiable origin, carcinogenic preservative, artificial colourant.
This food receives a 1 star rating simply because there is nothing lower.
The primary ingredients in the food are grains (it should be meat!).
Corn is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems.
Meat and bone meal (What meat? steer, goat, horse?) is a low quality meat product for which it is impossible to determine the source.
Corn appears a second time as corn gluten meal, that which remains after all the nutritious bits have been removed.
The next ingredient is by-products.
It is impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products.
Animal fat is a further low quality ingredient and is impossible to determine the source. (What animal? it should be chicken fat)
This food uses chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT) which is believed to be carcinogenic, and is banned from use in human food.
It also uses artificial colourants.
The 6th and 12th ingredients are fragments of wheat.
Wheat is believed to be the number one cause of allergy problems in dog food.
No good ingredients, and all bad ones.

I've tried many of the more expensive "designer" dog foods in the past, but always wound up going back to using Pedigree for my dogs. My dogs have always loved Pedrigree, and they're fussy eaters. They've turned up their noses at quite a few "premium" dog foods, which is why we always seem to come back to Pedigree. It's less expensive, still a pretty good quality food. Since it has more fillers than a dog needs, I resolve this by feeding my dogs a small quantity of Pedigree dry with some Pedigree canned mixed in. I don't feed the "recommended" amount, as it tends to make my dogs overweight. They are small breed, indoor dogs, so somewhat sedentary. I feed them about 1/2 of the recommended amount of food, divided into two meals per day, morning & evening. Since I give them occasional treats, reducing their food intake is a must. By monitoring their diet, and ensuring that they get daily exercise, I'm able to keep my dogs at a healthy weight. An important note about Pedrigree: When almost every other brand on the market was being recalled due to the fact that they had included sub-par ingredients in their foods, PEDIGREE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY DOG FOODS NOT RECALLED! I was thankful that it was only a couple of months prior to the recall that I had switched from a so-called "high grade" dog food that wound up being recalled. My dogs were safe, and I am VERY grateful to Pedigree for that. I recently learned that Tyson provides ingredients for Pedigree dog foods (among others), and that also gives me peace of mind, as I trust Tyson brand products (all American!).

Bad ingredients, preserved with BHA/BHT., this food is no good at all. Only gave it a 1 star 'cause I had too.

Every Pedigree product gives my dog the squirts. Do not buy. I just change my stars to 1. I thought that was a rating for this topic.

This food doesn't even deserve 1 star its GARBAGE, it has by product "MEAT MEAL" which can be any type of meat, do not automatically think BEEF because it probably only contains a small amount of beef IF ANY. Go with Canidae, Innova, California Natural, Wellness, Wilderness by Blue Buffalo, Evo by Innova and Orijen my favorite. Pedigree should not even be in this review since it is SO SO SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=betterproducts

this is why you shouldn't feed pedigree, we used to and our dogs lived on average a good five years less.

Another TERRIBLE dog food. This is one of the worst brands on the market. Consider how expensive good meat is and consider how cheap pedigree is, doesn't that tell you something?

I used pedigree all natural, found it horrible. dogs droppings were far too soft.

I have had many dogs, I used to rescue dogs and give them up for adoption. I have tried so many brands of food. The cheapest brands are the ones I did stop buying long time ago after I started to see bugs come out from one of the bags. After I stop to rescue animals, I ended up with a puppy who was about 1 month old now she is 7 years old. She has a very sensitive stomach, I have tried about any brand, even Rx food.. I spent so much money on her food just to try to make her feel better. She would vomit all the time and she would get diarrhea. After I started to feed her Pedigree she stop vomiting and having diahrrea almost the day after. I have kept her on Pedigree for over 4 years no and I have had no problem whatsoever with her. She has a beautiful, silky fur that everyone loves to touch and her energy is great. She has gained a little bit of weigh, but I am sincere enough to blame it on myself for not taking her out for a run anymore because of my college hours not because the food itself is making her fat. Anyways, I do recommend Pedigree, nice food and a nice affordable price. Or at least it works for me and my dog.

We've always used Pedigree for all of our dogs and they've been happy and healthy. One is now 14 years old. We recently switched to Blue Buffalo due to it being 'better' and 'natural' and now both dogs are constantly throwing up and having uncontrollable loose stools. It's back to Pedigree for us!

pedigree along with most common wal-mart brads is garbage, dogs are primarily carnivores and its very difficult for them to digest corn, which is the main ingridient in these foods, its also loaded with byproducts(feets, beaks, hair, hoofs) and cheap meal which has very little to no nutritional value, the only reason animals eat it is because its sprayed with tasty restaurant grease which manufacturers come to find out that animals like it. Its also loaded with dyes and carcinogenic preservatives. Dont fall prety to false advertisement, find better food for your pet. Canidae is a reasonably priced higher quality brand, it usually costs $32 for 40 lb bag.

My Dog Larkin Died yesterday, he was a beautiful 10 year old black and white lab/collie. He was the sweetest most laid back dog in the world. He started getting sick last week and throwing up really bad. The vet said it had to be his food, which we were feeding him pedigree. We stopped, but he started having a hard time breathing and it turns out he had threw up so hard that some of the vommit had gotten in his lungs and gave him an ammonia. After taking him to the vets the second time, we thought he'd be okay since the vet said he should be fine. But the next morning we got the phone call saying he had died that night.

If I ever get another dog, the last thing i'd ever feed it is Pedigree.

I'd give the canned food a 2.5 star rating if I could. It's not awful, but it's not that hot either. My dog likes it okay and there are lots of varieties to choose from which is a huge plus. However, the dry is perserved with BHA and in my book that's a HUGE NO NO. Read up on dog food perservatives. Try to find a dog food that uses Vitamin E, it's much better for them.

BHA:

"Banned from human use in many countries but still permitted in the US. Possible human carcinogen, apparently carcinogenic in animal experiments. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity. " -dogfoodproject.com

My 2 dogs love the variety available with the Pedigree brand. As a rule, they only like the "loaf" types of dog food. But with Pedigree brand, they do like the "Country Stew" flavor which does contain veggies and little chunks of beef and lots of gravy.

my dog usually eats cesar and has to go poop once a day, my mom recently got pedigree and he has to go non stop and gets diahhrea sometimes. Last night he threw up in my bathroom. It has to be pedigree because for such a small dog that weighs 10lbs, he had to poop every 2 hrs ever since he ate pedigree. Im going to the store tomorrow to return all the pedigree my mom bought and gettin cesar! DONT EvER GET PEDIGREE

I have had no problems with pedigree om 16 years

I used pedigree and purina dog chow around the same time frame and thought the dog chow was better as he ate less and pooped somewhat less. I moved up to Iams, then to Innova and back to iams where I'm happy at the moment. Lucky liked pedigree (and he is a picky animal), it was inexpensive but I think he needed something better. I do think a food with more meat source for the protein is better for them...you can see a difference in the coat.

For a short time I fed my little dog the Indoor Complete Little Bites. He seemed to like it so I was satisfied. But then one day I decided to read the ingredients label to see exactly what he was eating. And now that I know what it contains I will never feed him this food again. The packaging sure looks appealing, and the "Build, Replenish, Nourish" line sure seems convincing enough that this is a good food. And if the Purina veterinarians and nutritionists developed it, then it must be good. Right? WRONG!!!!

Since dogs are meat eaters, they need high quality, meat-based protein as their primary nutrient, not grains.

The first ingredient in this food is corn, something that dogs should do without. And it being listed first means that corn is the predominent ingredient, instead of a "named" meat which should be listed first. Next is "meat and bone meal". What is the meat source? Beef, chicken, road kill, euthanized animals!?

Corn is listed again as the third ingredient. Corn being listed first and third is a technique many dog food manufacturers use. It's called "ingredient splitting". When the amounts of corn are combined, it apparently is the main ingredient contained in this food. At least 40% but probably more.

The fourth ingredient is "animal" fat (what "animal"?). Next is soybean meal, which dogs have a difficult time digesting. (After wheat, corn and soy can cause allergies in dogs.)

Then comes "animal" digest (the guts of an animal), brewers rice (a non-nutritional filler) and salt. Artificial colors round out the totally unhealthy list of ingredients. The only possible redeeming nutrition this food might contain comes from the added vitamins, minerals and, possibly, the garlic oil.

It goes to show that the Purina vets and nutritionists are not looking out for our pets best interest, only for theirs, which is namely the money they can make off of our ignorance. Let's see these "caring" professionals put themselves on a similar diet for a few weeks. I don't think we'll be hearing any of them say, "mmmmmm, yummy. Can I have somemore?" Though I didn't have my "best friend" on this food for very long, I am sorry that I didn't look into the dog food issue sooner. But with the knowledge I have gained from this experience I am not only making better choices but I am passing on this information to all those who care enough to want to make a difference.

I hope that those of you who love your pet and are using this, or any pet food product, will read the ingredients label and understand what it means. Don't believe the advertising and don't believe the hype. Use common sense when choosing food for your dog, just as you would when choosing food for yourself. Your pet is counting on you to make the right choices for them.

And to help you along this path I have listed several websites below.

outoftheearth.com/petfood.htm

dogfoodanalysis.com

dogaware.com

4dogma.com

dogfoodproject.com

executec.com/nutra.htm

Best wishes to you and your faithful companions.

How any half-decent dog owner can buy and feed this food to their dog is beyond me. This is one of the worst foods on the market, and hardly anyone is well-informed enough to make a proper dog-food decision. Inform yourselves about this terrible cancer-in-a-bag "food", along with all other terrible quality commercialized foods. If you do not want to pay a higher price for better quality food like Orijen, etc, you should not even have a dog. These high-quality foods are pricier but in the long run you save money buying them because the bags last longer because the nutrition is high and concentrated, not 80% fillers like commercial brands. Ergo, you end up spending more money in the long run, feeding 5-6 cups a day of a crappy-quality cheap food, than you would feeding 3 cups a day of high-quality, expensive foods. Do the math and do your homework. If you care about your dog's health, make the switch that may save their life.

I have always used Pedigree too. But, Now, Im very concerned !!! With all these recalls. I don`t know who to trust. I just know that I would be devastated if I done anything to hurt my four fur babies.

Not sure about the rest of you but I find it funny that 4 out 4 people I talked to that have or are feeding their dog pedigree have had ear problems.Our 4 year rottwieler is in the hospital and only eats pedigree and the vet now thinks it might be liver disease or cancer, my other dog is now on meds too and only eats pedigree you do the math.My sisters dog died of cancer and only ate pedigree. She has since switch her two other dogs and neither dogs have any problems. Use too feed my dog Nutro Max but lost my job for the winter so had to switch to something I could afford, not knowing it might be killing my dog I am now switching back just to be safe.

After reading some of the reviews on this rating list, I suddenly feel like an abusive dog owner. I never realized there was such a big difference in the brands of food. I may have to rethink what I feed my dog, or at least investigate it a bit. This is a perfect example of what RIA was intended to do. Lead consumers in the right direction. Good list

Whether BHA/BHT is a proven Carcinogen is insignificant, the fact that they are testing it because it may cause cancer is enough! In additon to pedigree containing BHA/BHT they also have some of the worst ingredients on the market in their food. Corn is the number one ingredient, and is also the number one allergy in dogs. In addition to being an allergen, corn is also a cheap source of protien. The fact that it is the first ingredient means that most of this foods protien is coming from the corn and not meat. Dogs are carnivores, they are not meant, nor will they ever be meant to eat corn/grains. Corn is just one of the many cheap fillers that dog food companies put in their food to boost the protien levels. Not only do they have a main protien source of corn, but they also have unidentified meat in their food. Meat and Bone meal and Animal fat are some of the many horrible ingredients in this food. Since they do not tell you the specific meat in the food, the meat could be coming from anyware. It could be chicken. turkey, rats, road kill, and even euthanized dogs and cats. The thing to remeber about this food is that they are processing this for billions of grocery and pet stores all over the world. They do not have the time, nor resources to actually put healthy ingredients in their food. In addition, Pedigree is also owned by the Mars company (you know, M&M's) Which is a huge corporation that makes hundreds of other products, The Pedigree company is essentially filling their bags with all the leftovers from all of the other Mars ventures. PLEASE do the reaserch on the food before you buy it. Spend the extra buck on the Holistic foods, believe me, you will be saving big bucks in Vet bills in the long run if you start feeding your dog healthy today. If anyone reading this has any questions, or would just like to know of some healthy alternatives for your pet, Please e-mail me at puppyloverkb@cox.net and I'll be happy to help. Cheers Kate

I would never give my dogs pedigree again, it wasnt until after I went through 8 dogs that I realized that maybe it was the food I was feeding them now I have an airdale terrior and he has lived longer than all my other dogs combined, just by switching to Nutra Max, it is worth paying the little extra it is for dog food for your dogs to live a long and strong life

this keeps my dogs full and healthy

My dog likes it and is one of few kibbles she will eat. Growing up we raised alot of dogs on Pedigree and they did very well. Five of them reached 17 years of age or more and they were large dogs with no health problems. BHA/BHT is used in food for human consumption. It is not a proven carcinogen in humans (or dogs) or it would be banned. Read and decide for yourself. http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa082101a.htm

This was a great dog food for my dogs! I had a collie and black lab and they loved it! They were never sick! This is good dog food.

This was a great dog food for my dogs! I had a collie and black lab and they loved it! They were never sick! This is good dog food.

My dog likes this brand. it is good for the price, without buying the really cheap total crap dog food. And so far it is the only brand that hasn't given my puppy diarreah. My puppy is fine, and is healthy, and I trust this brand, I have owned several dogs over the years, all of them got Pedigree, and they lived long happy lives.

http://www.4dogma.com/food_nutrition.html

For anybody who loves their pet! Please read the ingredient before you feed your dog. You wouldn't eat something unhealthy all the time just because it is cheap??!!

Since I know what they use in their products I feel really disgusted about this brand!!

This food is crap. Just look at the ingredients. The soft packaged foods they sell have cancerous nitrates or nitrites in them. Your dog deserves better food like Innova, Solid Gold or Nature's Variety, etc. Grocery store brands are really bad and are mostly corn and rice and the big chain stores aren't much better. You have to go to smaller stores that sell the better foods like I mentioned and you can find them by going to the brands website and use their store locator.

Go ahead and feed this to your dog if you want them to have allergies, cancer, or kidney failure. Full of fillers and is preserved with BHA/BHT, a PROVEN CARCINOGEN...WHY feed this to your best friend?!?! ***For more discussions on dog food, visit my DOG FOOD DEBATE web forum @ http://dogfood.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi ***

My dog loves pedigree, we have given it to her since she was a puppy, moving from puppy chow to dog chow as recommended. She always eats it without a fuss and it gives her the energy she needs to drive me crazy all day!

My dogs love this stuff!

I actually overheard a guy ask his wife do you think we can find something cheaper at the grocery store? C'MON PEOPLE, is this how you want to treat your best friend? Do a little bit more research than just on the price tag, compare ingredients, and FEEDING AMOUNTS! If you have to buy a new bag every 6 days, because the recommended amount is 12 cups, how much money are you really saving? I have a Great Dane, so I have to buy a looooot of food. I would recommend reading the comments on the top 20 on this list, comparing ingredients and prices, and then try and see what works for your dog. Not everybody can afford Holistic Blend or Eagle Pack, but there's so much better quality food out there than Pedigree! I feed Natural Balance, and it costs me around $2 a day. That'll go up some while she's growing, and back down as she reaches adulthood. The breeder uses Chicken Soup for her dogs, and they look and act wonderful. Last tip: pet stores often have a frequent buyer card, and look out for sales. I recently got $6 off per bag, and every 10th bag is free!

My dog loves this stuff, When i get him somthing else to try he rarly eats it. I digs into this everyday. I can't say enough about this stuff. His coat is shiny he is in great shape. He breath is not horribale (still dog breath). We just love it for him and he loves it too. Would recomend it to anyone

Worse than Purina!

The real clue that this is not a good food are the ingredients. The first ingredient is ground corn (which means you're mainly feeding your dog a corn-based diet.) And the 2nd ingredient is meat and bone meal, they don't even specify what kind of meat. Is it chicken, is it beef, is it horse? Your guess is as good as mine...

I think sawdust has more nutritional value.

Gave my dogs the runs... switching to eukanuba and science diet fixed the problem immediately.

Look at the ingredients!! There are tons of by-products and fillers in this food, be careful!