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Something to ponder. How do pet food companies know what flavors pets will eat and not eat? Does a human test the pet (Original Post) debm55 Oct 19 OP
I always laugh when the cat food label says such and such in a delicate broth. And I'm like good my cat hates Walleye Oct 19 #1
LOL SheltieLover Oct 19 #3
Testing ... with the pets? sinkingfeeling Oct 19 #2
Taste testing with humans or observing with the pets. debm55 Oct 19 #5
By observing Nature, of course. The same way engineers design airplanes. SheltieLover Oct 19 #4
SheltieLover, Most cat food doesn't have mice, in in the cans. But do have poultry and fish. And I agree, dogs will eat debm55 Oct 19 #8
Not our Standard Poodles. pandr32 Oct 19 #11
thank you pandr32, Dolly isn't to fancy. I pay for all this expensive Special Diet from Chewy. and when we go on a walk. debm55 Oct 19 #14
I once had a dog that ate poop. It sure grossed me out. pandr32 Oct 19 #22
I hate when people don't clean up after their dogs. Mostly I am a very easy going person.Put don;t leave the poop there debm55 Oct 19 #23
After the hit movie... MiHale Oct 19 #6
LOL SheltieLover Oct 19 #7
Is this for real? debm55 Oct 19 #9
Oh yeah...my one of grandsons is in love with the books... MiHale Oct 19 #10
That's a cartoon. You were trying to trick me. debm55 Oct 19 #15
Years ago I had one of my dogs need to go on a special diet after major surgery MichMan Oct 19 #12
Dolly Dog is on a special diet also. I never knew that . thank you MichMan. So they have human taste test pet food; debm55 Oct 19 #13
Brings to mind all sorts of scenarios MichMan Oct 19 #16
That's what Dolly eats. I'll take you word that it is bland. Not going to taste it. debm55 Oct 19 #17
Considering a lot of pet food isnt considered fit for human consumption by the fda.... getagrip_already Oct 19 #27
Agree. debm55 Oct 20 #31
They test their food with actual cats and dogs, like this: Ocelot II Oct 19 #18
OH. thank you Ocelot ll. However , have you cat really likes a certain food and has eaten it for a while. Then they turn debm55 Oct 19 #19
My cat is a total PITA when it comes to her food preferences. Ocelot II Oct 19 #20
Sorry, been there done that. debm55 Oct 19 #21
They Panel Test With Pets Volunteered By Owners ProfessorGAC Oct 19 #24
That's interesting. thank you ProfessorGAC debm55 Oct 19 #25
I hope they don't use Labs for taste testers. Diamond_Dog Oct 19 #26
Thank you Diamond_Dog debm55 Oct 20 #32
In all seriousness - - WVGal1963 Oct 19 #28
I was just talking with a friend about what I perceive there being a higher incidence of cancers in2herbs Oct 19 #29
Exactly! WVGal1963 Oct 20 #30
Alternative medicine: THC. I used it on two of my dogs with cancer. Both were cured but in2herbs Oct 20 #34
My heart goes out to you WVGal1963. I am so sorry about Jack . He will always be in your hearts. thank you very much debm55 Oct 20 #33
Aww thanks so much!! WVGal1963 Oct 20 #36
Thank you WVGal from a Pittsburgh Gal. debm55 Oct 20 #38
I'm surprised they don't make "other animal poop" flavor Kali Oct 20 #35
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, That is true. debm55 Oct 20 #37

Walleye

(35,663 posts)
1. I always laugh when the cat food label says such and such in a delicate broth. And I'm like good my cat hates
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:03 PM
Oct 19

Nothing worse than a heavy broth.

SheltieLover

(59,605 posts)
4. By observing Nature, of course. The same way engineers design airplanes.
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:06 PM
Oct 19

Cats eat mice, birds, and fish generally.

Doggos eat anything they can get their mouth around. LOL

debm55

(35,978 posts)
8. SheltieLover, Most cat food doesn't have mice, in in the cans. But do have poultry and fish. And I agree, dogs will eat
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:10 PM
Oct 19

do eat anything.

pandr32

(12,168 posts)
11. Not our Standard Poodles.
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:23 PM
Oct 19

They have discriminating palates. Their food has to be prepared a certain way.
They turn their streamlined noses up with most treats, too. Only certain ones are permissible. Also, they are almost impossible to fool.

debm55

(35,978 posts)
14. thank you pandr32, Dolly isn't to fancy. I pay for all this expensive Special Diet from Chewy. and when we go on a walk.
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:36 PM
Oct 19

She will try to eat other dog's poop. I have put signs up to bag your dog's poop. I am the only one that cleans up after their dog.

pandr32

(12,168 posts)
22. I once had a dog that ate poop. It sure grossed me out.
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 01:55 PM
Oct 19

He couldn't understand what he had done wrong as I recoiled in horror. He would do it before I even noticed the poop was there as we walked along the path. Needless to say he was treated for worms a few times.

debm55

(35,978 posts)
23. I hate when people don't clean up after their dogs. Mostly I am a very easy going person.Put don;t leave the poop there
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 02:10 PM
Oct 19

for me to step in or my dog to eat. That makes me mad,

MiHale

(10,779 posts)
6. After the hit movie...
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:08 PM
Oct 19

and many books…DOGMAN needed something to give back to the canine society…he offered his services to the industry.

So Dogman

MiHale

(10,779 posts)
10. Oh yeah...my one of grandsons is in love with the books...
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:15 PM
Oct 19

Wait I gotta edit…grabbed the wrong link…that first one is very wrong… here ya go…sorry bout the mistake

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954718/

Movie started it all.

MichMan

(13,160 posts)
12. Years ago I had one of my dogs need to go on a special diet after major surgery
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:23 PM
Oct 19

The Veterinary teaching hospital at a major college was where I took her. They explained to me that it was bland tasting and she might not like it. I replied "How do you know ?"

They said, "Our Head Nutritionist personally samples all the food" I thought that sounded ridiculous, so I later mentioned it to my local Veterinarian, who graduated from a Veterinary college in an adjacent state. She told me that theirs did the same thing. Wow!



debm55

(35,978 posts)
13. Dolly Dog is on a special diet also. I never knew that . thank you MichMan. So they have human taste test pet food;
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:27 PM
Oct 19

MichMan

(13,160 posts)
16. Brings to mind all sorts of scenarios
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:47 PM
Oct 19

"Hi Honey, how was your day? What did you have for lunch?"

"Tried Hill's Science Diet Digestive Care today" A little bland, but not too bad"

getagrip_already

(17,434 posts)
27. Considering a lot of pet food isnt considered fit for human consumption by the fda....
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 05:22 PM
Oct 19

Thats gotta come with hazard pay.

Ocelot II

(120,826 posts)
18. They test their food with actual cats and dogs, like this:
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 12:58 PM
Oct 19
For decades, pet food manufacturers have used two-bowl palatability tests to determine which foods dogs or cats would prefer. During these tests, pets would be offered two bowls of food, each containing a different one. Researchers would note which bowl the dog or cat ate from first and how much of each food was eaten.

Now, however, more pet food companies are moving away from palatability testing and toward consumption studies. In a consumption study, the pet is fed one food for two days, followed by a palate-cleansing diet for a day, then fed a second food for two days. The amount of each food consumed is measured and compared.

“A consumption study is a more reliable way to measure animal acceptance of a food, more so than animal preference,” Brinkmann explained. “The palatability study was a grocery store concept used to generate marketing claims. As people have moved towards natural foods for themselves — most of which don’t taste as good as junk food — they are not as easily swayed by a marketing claim touting ‘better taste.’”

Pet food palatability has always been an intricate science. The shift in how Americans view their pets as family members, along with the increasing complexity of what pet parents want for their four-footed family members, has made pet food manufacturing and marketing even more complicated. That’s why, ultimately, pet food manufacturers make products that not only appeal to your dog and/or cat but also to you.
https://www.diamondpet.com/blog/nutrition/flavor/pet-food-companies-flavors/

I've tasted dry cat food. It's bland and greasy and needs salt.

debm55

(35,978 posts)
19. OH. thank you Ocelot ll. However , have you cat really likes a certain food and has eaten it for a while. Then they turn
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 01:07 PM
Oct 19

their nose up , won't eat it and walk away? I have had that with my cats.

Ocelot II

(120,826 posts)
20. My cat is a total PITA when it comes to her food preferences.
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 01:16 PM
Oct 19

I'll discover some food she seems to like, then buy more of it, and she's like, "Oh, you bought a whole case of Fancy Feast? Damn, that means I can't like it any more." Recently she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, a common ailment of older cats, so I got a bag of prescription cat food samples at the vet's office to take home and feed her to see which ones she liked. She gobbled up one of them really enthusiastically, so I ordered that kind from Chewy. When the case arrived I put some of the special food she had liked in her bowl, and guess what....



Cats...

ProfessorGAC

(69,864 posts)
24. They Panel Test With Pets Volunteered By Owners
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 04:50 PM
Oct 19

There was a Purina manufacturing site in the area where I grew up.
We knew people that would take them up on the panel test offers.
A free big bag of food & the pets were treated like royalty.
As I recall it, they'd give small amount of the food to a pet, then another, then another.
Then, they'd put all 3 letting the pet smell it, before they lifted the lids to the bowls.
They would do it with dozens of pets & use the tendencies to decide on the "tastiest" formula.
BTW: that same site made the food for laboratory animals. They called it "Rodent Chow" but, the workers referred to is as Rat Chow!
Boy, do I have stories to tell on taste panels for toothpaste & vitamins! Let's just say I find it hard to understand why anyone volunteers to do that

WVGal1963

(188 posts)
28. In all seriousness - -
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 05:41 PM
Oct 19

We lost our little dog Jack to cancer when he was just 3 years old. The cancer was Osteosarcoma and it was in his muzzle. We ended up at MedVet in Columbus OH with him and there were literally NO options for our sweet little guy. He was our heart dog, and my husband and I mourn him to this day.

Most dogs diagnosed with Osteosarcoma have it in a leg, or a joint, so they can live on with “amputations”…… NOT SO with our sweet Jack. I, mean, it’s not like they could “remove” his face. Even the MOST amazing docs at MedVet were astonished that he had this incurable cancer at such a young age, in such an unusual place. It was untreatable. Sniff.

All that said, I then started learning about anti-cancer diets for dogs. And I DID get very obsessed with it, admittedly. But I was able to keep Jack alive for 6 months longer than the team at MedVet predicted - - with diet. Diet alone wasn’t enough, and in the end, we had to say our sad farewells to him. Kudos, kudos, kudos ALWAYS to the amazing veterinary team(s) at MedVet in Columbus OH.

Near the end, Jack’s cancer got really gruesome. And messy for him. All he wanted to do was wipe his face on everything and there was blood and puss and more. We had been able to manage his pain with a medicinal Hemp. But once we couldn’t, of course we started dosing him with Tramadol to alleviate his pain. And then we, of course, made sure that our beloved little fellow never had to feel a moments pain ever, ever again. The day we said good-bye to him still haunts us.

To this day, our doggos get all kinds of food that mimics their ancestral diet. We have a 14 year old (….rescue of course….) named Alli who still ZOOMS around our yard like a puppy. Our Mack is now 8 years old and he is such the COURT JESTER with his antics. He’s so active and NEITHER of them have any kind of “glaze” in/on their eyes nor do they have “grey” on their faces!!

Plus. Bonus. NO huge VET BILLS because they are SOOOO much more healthy!!!

Thanks for reading. Didn’t mean to go on a reminiscent rant about our Jack. But thanks DU. Ya’ll are always THE BEST!!

in2herbs

(3,127 posts)
29. I was just talking with a friend about what I perceive there being a higher incidence of cancers
Sat Oct 19, 2024, 06:46 PM
Oct 19

in our pets than in decades past. I am going to do some research, but wonder if these companies that are producing so called healthy foods for animals are using ingredients that have been sprayed with pesticides and hence the increased cancer rates in our pets. The vitamin ratios for these foods may be in line with science, but if the ingredients are sprayed with pesticides, cancer will develop eventually. You gotta wonder if their food is so healthy, why it must be labeled not fit for human consumption.

WVGal1963

(188 posts)
30. Exactly!
Sun Oct 20, 2024, 06:55 AM
Oct 20

I learned SOOO much about topics like this when I was trying so desperately to help Jack. And I still learn more all the time.

in2herbs

(3,127 posts)
34. Alternative medicine: THC. I used it on two of my dogs with cancer. Both were cured but
Sun Oct 20, 2024, 12:39 PM
Oct 20

at the time I did not know that THC (in smaller, maintenance dose) had to be continued -- forever.

debm55

(35,978 posts)
33. My heart goes out to you WVGal1963. I am so sorry about Jack . He will always be in your hearts. thank you very much
Sun Oct 20, 2024, 10:00 AM
Oct 20

for you information. on pet food.

WVGal1963

(188 posts)
36. Aww thanks so much!!
Sun Oct 20, 2024, 05:54 PM
Oct 20

ALL our dogs (and in our case cats and all creatures great and small) have totally filled our hearts but sometimes there’s just a certain one that fills it a little more, or at least differently. Jack was a very needy dog and he was intimidated by most people. As my Mom said “Jack doesn’t love too many people, but those he loves, he loves fiercely.” It was a perfect description of him. So we were hyper protective of him, I think, because he leaned on us for everything!!!

And as for the pup food, my husband and I have really enjoyed watching our doggos thrive so much with real food. Their coats, their eyes, their spunk, their energy, etc. are all great. So it’s totally worth it to us. We learn all the time, too!! It’s been a great adventure and journey for us all.

Thank you again for your kind sentiments! Take care and BY THE WAY!! LET’S ALL GO ROCK THE VOTE THIS ROEVEMBER!!!

Kali

(55,736 posts)
35. I'm surprised they don't make "other animal poop" flavor
Sun Oct 20, 2024, 03:00 PM
Oct 20


although to be fair a lot of cat and dog food does smell like poop.
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