We have treated thousands of pets at The Cheerful Vet. Many of the illnesses we treat can be attributed to poor nutrition. Sadly, AAFCO ratings on your pet food are not a guarantee that the food is healthy.
We feel that a healthy diet and ample fresh water is all that is needed to dramatically reduce health problems, including allergies, arthritis, urinary issues, mental degradation and even cancer.
At The Cheerful Vet, we offer healthy alternatives such as Orijen, Acana, and Koha brand pet foods.
It is highly encouraged that some fresh foods get added to your pet’s diet.
Fresh beef or chicken, green beans, broccoli, and carrot are wonderful options.
(No Chocolate · No Raisins · No Grapes · No Onions · No Moldy foods · No Macadamia nuts – They’re toxic!)
| 10 Worst | Their Slogan | Our Rating | First 5 + Ingredients | Other Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atta Cat/Atta Boy | “We do it Better!” | 0 | Corn, Meat and bone meal, Wheat mill run, Wheat, corn gluten meal (cat only – chicken by-product meal) | Most ingredients are low quality fillers. Also contains menadione, linked to liver toxicity and allergies. |
| 2 | Beneful | “Here’s to Being Healthy and Happy!” | 0 | Corn, Chicken-by-product meal, corn gluten meal, flour, animal fat, soy flour | Deceptive packaging. Low quality filler ingredients. Also contains menadione and artificial dyes. Numerous internet complaints. |
| 3 | Gravy Train | “The Gravy Taste Dogs Can’t Wait to Finish” | 0 | Corn, Soybean Meal, Beef and Bone Meal, Animal Fat, Animal Digest, Salt, Cellulose Gum… | Has BHA, a known carcinogen, low quality filler ingredients. Incredibly low internet reviews. |
| 4 | Priority (Safeway) | “The Gravy Taste Dogs Can’t Wait to Finish” | 0 | Corn, Soybean Meal, Beef and Bone Meal, Animal Fat, Animal Digest, Salt, Cellulose Gum… | Has BHA, a known carcinogen, low quality filler ingredients. Incredibly low internet reviews. |
| 5 | Pedigree | “Really Good Food” | 0 | Corn, meat and bone meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat with BHA, Soybean meal. | Contains BHA preservatives linked to cancer, meat meal can be any animal including dead, diseased or dying. Numerous internet complaints. |
| 6 | ALPO (Purina) | “Happy Starts Here” | 0 | Corn, Corn germ meal, beef and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat… | Mostly cheap filler ingredients, also contains menadione and animal digest. |
| 7 | Safeway Tasty Nuggets | 0 | Corn, soybean meal, bone meal, wheat, wheat millrun, animal fat, corn gluten meal…. | One of the worst. Cheap filler ingredients, Also contains menadione. | |
| 8 | Western Family Chunk Style | 0 | Corn, poultry by-product meal, animal fat, corn gluten, meat and bone meal, soybean meal… | Cheap fillers, “meat meal” | |
| 9 | Alley Cat (Del Monte) | “Just good food” | 0 | Corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, chicken by product meal, animal fat | Cheap filler ingredients. Also contains menadione. |
| 10 | Meow Mix (Del Monte) | “Tastes so Good, Cats Ask for it by Name” | 0 | Corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, beef tallow, animal digest | Cheap fillers, also contains menadione. |
| 10.5 | Kit & Kaboodle (Purina again) | “Every Bowl Really is the Whole Kit & Kaboodle” | 0 | Corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, Meat and bone meal, beef tallow | Low quality filler ingredients. Also contains animal digest and menadione. |
| Special Mention | Iams | “Keep Love Strong” | Iams has been accused of animal cruelty in their testing labs. There is a movement to boycott Iams for this reason. More at peta.org | The cold world of animal testing is veiled in secrecy. We support efforts to pressure this industry into reducing testing, improving living conditions and respect animals as the live sentient beings that they are. |
A few ingredients to try to AVOID!
Corn:
A cheap filler. Not a good ‘healthy diet’ ingredient.
Meat and Bone Meal:
Never trust this ingredient. This generic name can be from any animal, including road kill, DOA poultry, zoo animals and even euthanized pets.*
This undesirable ingredient is used because it is very high in protein, which allows the manufacturer to add cheap, low-quality fillers such as corn.
Chicken or Poultry By-Product Meal:
A meal made out of ground up poultry by-products including feet, lungs, heads, stomachs. Also permissible to have diseased or dead birds that are unfit for human consumption and even some feathers.
Animal Fat:
A generic product of rendering – same high-temperature process to make meat meals. This can come from anywhere and any type of animal, including slaughterhouses, road kill, diseased, dead and dying animals of any kind.
Animal Digest:
A chemically hydrolyzed mixture of animal by-products that have not yet decomposed and is typically sprayed on dry kibble to improve its taste.
BHA, BHT:
Preservatives linked to cancer. Banned in many countries for human consumption.
Menadione:
Synthetic vitamin K (vitamin K3), Banned by the FDA in over the counter supplements. Linked in larger amounts to organ damage and interference with the body’s natural antioxidants (glutathione) which can lead to liver toxicity. Also linked to allergies. Prolonged accumulative exposure is a concern.
*One survey done in 1998 found Pentobarbital residue in several brands of dog and cat food, including Ol Roy, Ken L Ration, Pet Essentials, Kibbles and Bits and Nutro Premium. Pentobarbital is what’s used to euthanize pets in shelters and veterinary clinics.
There are numerous healthier alternatives, including those carried at The Cheerful Vet. In addition to healthier pet food, we also recommend adding a little fresh food to your pet’s diet.