Dog Food Review: Instinct Chicken Meal Formula

After months of frustration with our poor Boston Terrier's hair loss and our Bulldog's incessant licking of his paws, I figured it was time to try a new food. Normally, we've fed Nutro products to our guys, but after a phone call with a groomer, I began to wonder if my dog, like me, was allergic to wheat products as well.

Most responsible pet owners know that corn products in pet food is nothing more than filler and increases the one thing we hate the most - poop. Our guys were pooping three times a day, and in a townhome's backyard, that makes for a lot of poop picking up. No fun for Mr. and Mrs. Judgemental. I adore my dogs and love the joy they bring into my life, but the poop thing..aside from helping me be ready for a human baby, not so much.

So I hit the groomer's shop and picked up a bag of this food:

Intro Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Meal Formula dry dog food. We gasped a bit at the price (about $50) but the groomer explained that we'd be feeding the boys about 25% less, making the cost even out as the same as our beloved Nutro.

The kibble pieces are small, and for a Bulldog that doesn't chew his food to begin with, made it easier for inhaling. Duke (our Boston) wasn't impressed, but when he learned nothing else was available, he sighed and ate, albeit slowly. I liked the ingredients as well, and since it's difficult to determine whether the dogs would benefit from the food right away, we waited for four weeks to see the results.

Within two weeks, Duke's coat had improved, and Cyrus had stopped shedding as much. However, the poop had nearly doubled (something I was told would actually decrease) and both dogs were listless, depressed, and tired. I chalked it up to the heat, then to the fact we'd hardly been home. We gave it another two weeks. Both dogs' stomachs were miserable, both were depressed, and their coats had returned to their original state. I was discouraged.

After the 5th week, we had to take them off the food. I came home to a poop explosion from one dog and the other dog had a swollen face. The lack of grain in the kibble had simply done their digestion systems in. We later discovered Nutro created a holistic kibble with brown rice.

Bottom line - for the price we paid, I didn't notice enough of a difference in my dogs to continue buying the food. You can check out the website at naturesvariety.com . I did sign up for coupons and newsletters, and to this day I have received not even an email, other than thanking me for signing up. The kibble may work for your dogs, but my two were completely different boys the day after we took them off of this stuff. Definitely not worth the money for us.

Product Review - Adams Flea Mist

Dear readers,

I know I'm lagging on reviews. I actually have several products in the hopper, but these past few weeks have gone from strange to bad for me. My health has been deteriorating and slowly continues to decline. I am 24 years old. My symptoms are almost controlling my life, and I have paced the floors constantly, waiting for lab results to come back to tell me what my problem is.

However, I do have some time and energy on my hands and therefore, you guys get a review.

In Texas, flea season is in full swing. This year has been one of the worst years I've ever experienced in my 15 years of animal-ownership. Last week, I walked Cyrus out for a quick potty before bed. Normally, I take him out, bring him in, flip him over, and attack the fleas with a vengance. This time, I had fleas covering my feat and calves. I immediately threw us both into the shower to save us from any diseases caused by the biting fleas. With my health in its current state, the fewer bites, sinus infections, and headaches I have, the better off I am.

A few days later, I was given a bottle of Adams Flea Control Mist. The directions are simple: spray on clean dog. You can also spray the product on the carpet, pet bedding, and in corners. I've tried flea sprays before with no avail, aside from wasting my money. I faced this product with apprehension and cynicism.

I washed the victim (Cyrus the Bulldog), treated his back to flea drops, then rolled him over and sprayed his belly and legs. I vacuumed my floors, scrubbed sheets, and hoped for the best.

Overall review: One treatment of this product lasts a solid two days before I douse my dog in it again. The fleas make it to the outside of his legs, but I have yet to see any more on his belly.

The odor is a little strong when first sprayed, otherwise it is odorless and has caused no irritation to my dog's skin. I've noticed less scratching, no dry, itchy skin, and a happier Bully. You can check out additional flea mists made by the Adams company here.

Editor's note: Please discuss all flea treatments/products with your vet before using them on your pet. This is merely my opinion and experience from the product.

Product Review - Rinse Ace Brand Pet Shampoo Mitt

In my continuous efforts to stop my poor dog's itching and shedding all over the house, I finally broke down and went to Petco in search of new products to help him. Hearing him chew at himself, roll around on my carpet grunting obnoxiously, and rubbing against the corners of my walls like a housecat was enough to get my lazy rear off my couch and hit the pavement.

After locating a new shampoo similar to the one sash recommended in my previous post, I came across this handy little scrubby mitt pictured to the right. Made by Rinse Ace Products , the mitt resembles that of a typical yellow dishwashing glove, but with a rubber palm pasted to it. The product is priced at a reasonable $4.95, and Petco's return policy is very lenient. I grabbed it and thought, "Well, why not?" They claim that it feels good to the pet and helps clear dead, dry skin.

I get home and unloaded my purchases in the bathroom. Now, to locate the test subject.

After chasing a crabby Bulldog around the apartment, then discovering I no longer fit under my bed (must be all the beer I drank while in Australia, ermf), then coaxing him out, then finally threatening him, I heaved the 50 pound test subject into the tub and tried out my new find.

The results were amazing. For under $5.00, I removed almost a pound of dead hair, skin, and dander from my poor Bulldog. I've never seen him remain so still for a bath. I was able to use less shampoo (an oatmeal and aloe based Petco product, to be later reviewed) and scrub his wrinkles twice as well. He adored having his neck scrubbed and massaged. Despite my concerns over the hard rubber 'nubs' on the mitt, Cyrus sighed in complete bliss while I tore away most of his winter coat and relieved the itching. The amount of fur that came off covered the entire palm of the wash mitt - all three times. I used half of the amount of shampoo as I normally did. I gave him a towel dry with a new microfiber towel (similar to Shamwow but half the price) and he bolted around the apartment, frisky, clean, and 2 pounds lighter.

It's been about three days since the bath, and the results are still astounding. Note: I did wash all of his sheets after his bath, so he had nothing but clean sheets on his beds.

The shedding has decreased, and the itching, moaning and grunting has decreased by about 80%. Due to allergy season here in my neck of the woods, he is going to be put on a medicine (Bulldogs are prone to high allergies), but his coat lacks the white dander and dry skin. He still loves a good scratch, but he even smells better. There is no 'dog' scent in my place, less hair on my floor, and his coat is sleek and shiny.

I give this product an A plus for price, quality, and everything in between!

Product Review - Pure Solutions Moisturizing Pet Shampoo

I've been trying to review this product for over a week, but the site to link the picture to was down, so I had to come up with something else whilst I waited. Alas! The site is up and running, and ready for MsJudgemental's wrath.

You guys all know that I have a dog. Cyrus, aka Mr. Wonderful, peanutbutter pie, sugar bear, snooky wooky, etc, is a 4 year old English Bulldog that occasionally stinks up to high heavens. I've been on a shampoo run for the past few months in attempt to keep him smelling springtime fresh for at least more than 3 days at a time. Oh, to be so lucky.

At one of my weekly ventures to "Big Box Store", I found myself wandering the pet product aisles in search of yet another solution to my poor dog's itchy coat. Between the stinkiness from playing hard at the park and rolling in mud, and the time of year that causes all dog's coats to explode from their bodies, I was at my wit's end. I am known for being a bit of a clean freak, and a smelly dog is not at the top of my 'ignore' list.

After meandering through the filthy Hartz products (all readers, please click the link for valuable information!) I found myself staring at the grooming products. The majority of the shampoos didn't work for my dog, so I was looking for something new. Here's what I found:



Yikes, pardon the bad image upload, kids. The puresolutionbrands.com website doesn't appear to have been created by a web expert, what with its explosion of blue happiness and basic html usage. But I'm not here to review the website, am I...?

Pictured to the right are two products that made it into my cart, rushed home, and used on my poor dog. Pure Solutions advocates that this shampoo is all natural, with lavender scents and low foaming, since bubblage is caused from those pesky chemical products. I rolled my eyes and threw my dog into the tub, ignoring his silent protests and vows of eating my shoes while I slept that night. I followed the directions - rinse, suds, and rinse. Towel dry. I did note the low foam/sudsiness of him, which concerned me enough to use even more of the shampoo. Afterwards, he was dry and smelled relatively good.

A few short days later, my dog smelled like....dog. Dog owners know this smell is disgusting and will seep into your fabrics if you aren't careful and dedicated to vacuuming and have stock in Febreeze. I sprayed him with the Pure between bath freshener.

FAIL. I've gotten better results from using Pantene on him. His coat became oily and he scratched himself raw from the 'natural' products in the shampoo. Cyrus was constantly on his back, rolling on the carpet in attempts to relieve his poor, itchy back. Eventually I noticed patches of hair missing around his neck and legs.

I gave the shampoo a second try, hoping that it was just allergy season, only with the same results. I later found an oatmeal and Aloe shampoo by another maker that does suds and foam up, with a clean, happy dog who itches much less and gets more dirt out of his coat. His hair is also growing back.

Overall, these two products are mediocre. I understand about 'going green' and saving the environment. I am an advocate for growing one's own produce, turning off lights and unplugging appliances. Heck, my electric bill is rarely over $60. However, I would rather have a clean, happy dog than be concerned about what the shampoo is going to do at the local water treatment plant once it makes its way down the sewer.

I have some left, if anyone wants to test it on their dog. (said tongue in cheek, of course.)

Product Review - Nutro Brand Dog food

I own a dog.

Correction, I am owned by a dog. That seems more truthful.

My family has been in the "Owned by a Bulldog" club for several generations, all the way back to the 60s, in which my grandmother raised a champion Bully. Today my brother and I each are graced daily by our Bulldogs, Zeus and Cyrus.

Nutrition is a key factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially for the Bulldog breed. With my first Bulldog (Betsy, owned by my father), it was all a learning experience, and I believed that I had all the answers when I purchased Cyrus almost 4 years ago. For the past year, I have been feeding my dog this food:

For your history lesson today, Nutro has been around for approximately 80 years, specializing only in dog and cat nutrition. They take pride in ensuring your pet is fed only the best quality kibble available. They are even proud enough to display the ingredients in each bag of kibble that they display it right on the back of the bag.

Why is that such a big deal? Well, fellow pet lovers/owners, I have a great little secret for you. Pet food manufacturers are required by the FDA to post the ingredients of the food somewhere on the product's packaging. They do not specify the exact location, but what has become a growing trend is the following:

Ol' Roy, Kibbles n' Bits, Alpo, etc: post their ingredients on the bottom of the bag.

Grocery store brands, such as Purina, Pedigree, Science Diet: post their ingredients on the side panel of the bag. They aren't thrilled with the ingredients and know that any intelligent pet owner will realize the garbage in the food is not healthy for their pet, but it's better than Ol' Roy, who ground up chicken feed and horse hooves in theirs!

Don't believe me? Check out this little morsel of information:

"....there is no mandatory federal inspection of ingredients used in pet food manufacturing. In all but two or three states, the law allows pet food makers to use “4-D sources,” that is tissues from animals that are dead, dying, disabled or diseased when they arrive at the slaughterhouse. Another shocking fact is that before meat even arrives at the rendering plant it has already been saturated with chemicals. To comply with government regulations all meat rejected by slaughterhouses must be “denatured”-- a procedure designed to make it unpalatable to humans, thus ensuring it cannot be resold as human grade meat. "

Special thanks to this website: http://www.newconnexion.net/

Sounds tasty, eh?

Here is a sample of what is in something that most people feed their own dogs: Purina One:

Lamb (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), oat meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), lamb meal, animal digest, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, salt, caramel color, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. (Special thanks to http://www.petfoodratings.net/)

Looks good, right? Meat, rice, etc.

Ok, time for your daily TMI moment:

Did you know humans cannot digest corn? Ever eaten some tasty corn on the cob one night at a barbeque, then the next day (or next bowel movement, depending on how regular you are) you notice the corn chunks in your stool? Well, there's your proof in the proverbial 'pudding', my friend. So if humans cannot digest corn, why feed it to your dog? While corn is a 'vegetable', stuffing it down your dog's throat isn't going to keep him full for long, and will create more 'land mines' in your lawn. And who doesn't want additional animal fat to pick up? There is a list of other delicious sounding products that I cannot pronounce, but I guarantee you aren't good for your precious FiFi.

Back to my original topic, as I could moan, groan, and gnash my teeth for hours on the ridiculousness of grocery store and Wal Mart brand dog foods....

With a Bulldog, who has a highly sensitive tummy, this stuff is sure to keep their life spans in the 6 to 8 year range. However, Betsy, rest her little soul, lived to be 11.

ELEVEN years old. The dog had hip dysplesia and regular $300 vet bills. But how did she live to be so old and still kicking right up to her last day on Earth?

We discovered premium dog food. Nutro.

I have fed my little bulldozer Nutro dog food products since I can remember. When we first adopted Zeus, my brother's rescued Bulldog, he was being fed grocery store brand dog food, and a bit of the BARF diet , a new age way of feeding, that really isn't necessary. When comparing the two bullies, Cyrus was visibly in better shape. Cosmetically speaking, he had a light layer of fat on his body (ribs still able to be felt, of course) well defined muscle, a shiny, glossy coat, white teeth, clear eyes, and little mucus on his nose. Energy-wise, he outlasted Zeus easily.

The first thing we did was rip any raw meet and bones away from Zeus, who seemed eager to do the same - by ruining several sheets, a blanket, and almost a rug with his bouts of diarhea for about a week - before he went home to his new family. We switched him over to a Nutro product, and the change was nearly immediate. Today, he has more muscle, clear eyes, energy, and is a happier dog.

Ingredients in Nutro: Chicken meal, whole brown rice, ground rice, lamb meal, rice bran, soybean oil, sunflower oil, poultry fat, salmon meal, flaxseed. (More thanks to http://www.petfoodratings.net/) While soybean oil isn't the best (I vote for sunflower and olive oil,) it still aids in a healthy bully. Also note the missing filler ingredient: CORN.

Some more facts about this particular brand of dog food: While I have used it for about a year (this type, not the brand...I love Nutro), it is considered the second-rate version of the original Nutro food. I think this product was created for a dog owner that doesn't want to feed grocery store garbage, but just doesn't feel comfortable paying a little extra cash for premium dog food. The large bag that I feed costs about $25.00 and lasts me a little over 2 months. Cyrus is fed two cups of it a day.

Raves: It is low odor, keeps his teeth pure white, and has the best ingredients for the price, plus it lasts longer, is filling for my extreme eater, and comes in different sizes/flavors.

Rants: I think it also has food coloring, because Cyrus's stool is a little more orange compared to other dogs. And it stains if they decide to puke on your white carpet. (Mix a little bleach in your steam cleaner detergent, and go after the stain a few times!) Also, while this may not be related to the product, I have noticed that Cyrus has been shedding a little more often than usual. This could be the amazing changes in weather we continue to have.

Overall, if you want to have your dog around for a few extra years, I vote you try Nutro brand dog food. One bag makes a huge difference. Spend an hour on a Saturday at your local Petco or Petsmart, where Nutro experts are available to chat with. And enjoy the lowered stress - avoid less 'presents' around the yard. Less 'filler', more 'food', means more energy, and less poopie. And, if you are a Wal Mart shopper like myself and have some extra time, check out the ingredients in some of the dog foods, like what we found in Purina's Beneful (gee, yummy...)

Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

Sounds so....tasty, doesn't it? Just because the bag has pretty packaging doesn't mean it is going to make pretty poop piles for your dog.