Why we don't stock two of the UK's most well known brands.....

This was initially intended to be a short post for our socials but it escalated!! So here we go ..

Walk into any grocery store, supermarket, discount giant or convenience store and you can be pretty certain to see two brands dominating the shelves. Pedigree and Bakers have been around for years, cost effective, easy to obtain and popular with dog owners.

So why would an independent pet supplies shop with a predominantly “dog” product range and customer base choose NOT to stock their products?

Pedigree and Bakers are owned by confectionery giants, Mars and Nestle Purina, who dominate the global grocery sector. We choose not to stock any of their brands in our business and prefer to stock brands that are manufactured and produced by pet specific companies, dedicated to the industry.

Both brands have questionable ingredients and compositions in all their recipes, which is the main deciding factor for us, so we thought we would take a closer look at two of their best selling treats. 

Pedigree Dentasitix - Manufactured by Mars Petcare

All About Dog Food Rating - 20/100

RRP £2.29

Composition : Cereals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals (including Sodium Tripolyphosphate 2.4%), Meat and Animal Derivatives, Oils and Fats, Natural Ingredients.

Bakers Sizzlers - Manufactured by Nestle Purina Petcare

All About Dog Food Rating - 20/100

RRP £1.45

Composition : Cereals, Glycerol, Meat and Animal derivatives (11 %), Vegetable protein extracts, Various sugars, Oils and fats, Minerals, Milk and milk derivatives, Preservatives.

When we look at both types of treat we can see they mostly consist of cereals and derivatives which are "ingredients" we tend to avoid.

Cereals is a very vague ingredient and if the manufacturer wanted to, they could alter the type or cereals from batch to batch. The term “cereals” can refer to any product of any cereal including wheat, rice, oats, barley, maize which some dogs can find difficult to digest or tolerate often causing digestive issues or skin problems. Dogs on a grain free diet should not be given treats that contain cereals.

Derivatives of Vegetable Origin can refer to an extremely wide range of ingredients, and like the cereals, the manufacturer could change the mix of derivatives from batch to batch. Like cereals the broad spectrum of unidentified ingredients can make it difficult to identify problem ingredients if a dog is suffering from allergies or intolerance's. They are often waste material from the human food industry, and used as a low quality filler.

Meat and Animal Derivatives once again is very non-specific and can include a range of species in the composition of the food or treats and once again could be changed batch by batch by the manufacturer. The official definition is -  "All the fleshy parts of slaughtered warm-blooded land animals, fresh or preserved by appropriate treatment, and all products and derivatives of the processing of the carcass or parts of the carcass of warm-blooded land animals". Common parts include organs (livers, kidneys, hearts), fatty tissue, and by-products like beaks, feet and feathers.

Vegetable Protein Extracts are another grey area, the customer does not know what has been extracted or how or where it originated from. Common sources of vegetable protein include soya, maize and wheat which as we mentioned earlier can be challenging for dogs with allergies or intolerance's. There is also speculation that vegetable protein extracts might also be a pseudonym for MSG (monosodium glutamate), which is a food additive that some believe to be mildly addictive.

The Pedigree Dentastix contain Sodium Tripolyphosphate or E451 which is added to dog foods as a preservative and to help moist foods to retain moisture so that they appear fresher for longer. Although STPP is generally recognised as safe, it has been listed by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as a possible neurotoxin and is widely recognised as a mild skin irritant. Which could be a concern for dog owners and especially dogs with pre-existing skin conditions.

The Bakers Sizzlers contain Various Sugars, another vague ingredient which can come from a wide range of sources ( corn/maize, wheat, sugar cane, sugar beet ). Too much sugar can have the same effects in dogs as it does in people. High sugar diets have been linked to hyperactivity, hypoglycemia, obesity and tooth decay amongst other conditions. Plus Milk and Milk Derivatives, as in humans, many dogs have real difficulties digesting lactose and as a result milk products can bring on stomach pains, flatulence, diarrhoea and even vomiting. This condition is known as lactose intolerance.

All the treats stocked here at Ingleby Pet Supplies are cost effective, made by pet specific manufacturers and have clear labelling and easy to understand ingredients. 

Feel free to pop in and chat about alternate tasty treats for your dogs or have a look through the website for more information www.inglebypets.co.uk or check out All About Dog Food who provide a valuable directory of food, treats and ingredient reviews https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/