Getting Started on Good Dog Food Company Products...

Q. How do I start my dog or cat on Pet Patties?

A. Most dogs and cats have been fed sterile (cooked) foods most of their lives, so we recommend Pet Patties be introduced slowly over the first week or so. Small pinches increased daily allow your animal’s digestive system to adjust to the new food.  Pet Patties can be steadily increased to 1% of body weight if used as a supplement or 2% of body weight for a total fitness diet.  This relates to one 8-ounce patty (per day) for a 25-pound dog or ½ patty (per day) for an average cat

Q. Do Pet Patties cost more to feed than traditional foods?

A. Most Pet Patty customers did experience the health promoting diet as being slightly more costly – initially.  Animals will often consume up to twice the recommended amount of Pet Patties during transitional periods, until nutritional deficiencies are satisfied.  Once nutritionally saturated, usually in the first 30 days, most pets will automatically cut their food intake to normal levels, resulting in costs per day just slightly higher than premium dry or canned foods.  Most customers’ analysis of this cost report health promoting Pet Patties as the least expensive way to raise animals, especially when considering money saved on health care costs and supplementation.

Q. Why have dogs recently been classified as Omnivores?

A. In our dictionaries, Mr. Webster still classifies a dog as carnivorous (flesh-eating), direct descendants of wolf (genus Canis).  Perhaps this myth of defining our domestic genus Canis as omnivores has been promoted by self-serving pet food companies trying to justify turning our canine companions into “corn dogs” (a veterinarian nickname for the well apparent unhealthy dogs fed grain filled kibble). 

As far as we are concerned, our domesticated genus Canis pals are still carnivores, prefer fresh meat, and thrive on the health promoting nutrition that only the raw meat diets can provide, whether eaten in the wild and/or purchased from a total health conscious raw meat manufacturer like us.  Unlike petfood advertisements and packaging, natural science proves that their natural biological make-up has not changed during their evolve into a domesticated lifestyle, only their level of health.

60+ years of misquided trust in the pet food industry has only produced worrisome pet owners with unhealthy pets and large medical bills, but multi billion dollar revenues have been earned by the pet food companies. Why? Because major pet food companies have succeeded in filling their products with rancid waste materials from meat packing plants (the garbage parts we don't want to think about), restaurants, hotels/motels, meat markets, grocery stores, and even the carcasses of dead dogs and cats picked up from humane societies (all used to produce chicken meal, lamb meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal).

No matter how disgusting and shocking that is, it gets worse...the primary ingredients (first 3-5; up to 60%) have been corn, corn flour, rice, rice flour, wheat, wheat flour, soy, and soy flour, and your dog or cat won't ever be found racing into a corn or grain field to eat them..no, it will be focused on chasing after meat, fresh meat! Quite frankly, their digestive systems lack the ability to digest corn and grains; which is why they experience such a wide variety of health problems!

The carnivore's (dogs/cats) digestive system has not evolved, but the pet food industry has. Today, you will find pet food labels/packaing boasting of vegetables and fruit, taking advantage of people's thinking that "if it's good for me, it must also be good for my dog/cat." Not true, however! People ARE ominivores, dogs and cats are NOT! With cleverly manipulative advetising and labeling, the pet food industry wins again--they can continue to manufacture undigestible pet products--by promoting a changing belief system that our household carnivores are really ominivores. Thus, our beloved pets continue to suffer from one health problem after another!

With pet food manufacturers concentrating on minimal cost ingredients, where do the vegetables and fruit come from? Glad you asked! Vegetable and fruit waste materials, of course! The waste materials formerly discarded by canning factories and produce departments are nowed bagged up and sold to pet food companies for use in pet foods (as much as 40% of the ingredients); and all undigestible! Unfortunely, a pet food label can tell a thousand lies.

It is us, the caretakers, the people that love our pets, that ultimately decide what they consume each day, therefore, ultimately deciding what their level of health will be and whether or not they live a short life or a long and virbrantly healthy life! What's in your pet's food dish? Have you read the ingredient list on the back panel? If not, please do so today.

Q.     Is this concept of feeding raw meat to dogs and cats a new philosophy?

A. The concept of feeding dogs and cats on raw meat goes back into history.  Unfortunately, when the domestic pet trade grew so rapidly the past few decades, most pet food manufacturers opted to go with the convenient methods of manufacturing, transportation and storage.  Their emphasis was obviously more on satisfying their own interests and their customers’ convenience and less on the nutritional needs of the animals.  AFS takes the opposite approach and commits to nutritional excellence, and accepts the challenge to manufacture, distribute, and store a raw meat diet. 

Q. Why can’t I make my own meat diet?

Let's Talk Nutrition...

Q. Why a raw meat diet?

A. The answer is very simple – undamaged enzymes and amino acids!  A raw meat diet contains natural digestive enzymes and the most complete amino acid profile (the protein building blocks) totally undamaged in this natural state.  Many of the important amino acids and all digestive enzymes are destroyed by temperatures in excess of 120 degrees F.

Most processed and canned pet foods are cooked at temperatures in excess of 212 degrees F.  Animals consuming these highly processed foods often become nutritionally compromised and manifest dry and itchy skin, dull coats, weight problems, lethargy, and many more not so obvious symptoms. 

Enzymes are essential biological catalysts that enhance the quality and quantity of nutrient assimilation.  This allows your favorite pet to conserve its own enzyme energy for other important life enriching health benefits such as longevity. 

Wouldn’t we all like our four legged companions to live long, healthy and happy lives?  AFS has evidence of this happening!

Q. Why is the diet all meat and why doesn’t it contain grains or vegetables?

A. Good Dog Food Company Meat Eater Diet, though predominately a meat diet, and targeted primarily for dogs, has a small percentage of cereal food fines included. 

Because some dogs are very active, they consume increased quantities of food and extract and burn more calories from their food.  AFS has included this carbohydrate source to satisfy this demand.  Also, the extreme digestibility factor of this food demands the extra fiber for stool formation. 

Good Dog Food Company Carnivore Diet, targeted for cats, does not need the added carbohydrate due to the sedentary life-styles of most cats.  Cats and dogs that consume cooked grains as their predominate pet food, too often manifest very apparent nutritional deficiencies, i.e. weight, skin, and odor problems. 

Vegetables, though not the most preferred or necessary food of carnivores, can be successfully added to meat diets in very small amounts, but should be emulsified and fed raw to protect the antioxidant properties and their natural digestive enzymes. If nothing else, can serve as added roughage.

Q. I am a vegetarian and have a hard time digesting meat -  why would it be best then to feed it raw to my dog or cat?

A. Human beings, being omnivorous (feeding upon animal and vegetable food), do not have the digestive tools our ancient ancestors had, in order to handle raw meat.  Even though we would digest our meat better if eaten raw, we no longer possess the tools to handle the bacteria as well as today's carnivores do when eating or feeding on raw meat.

The natural nutrients derived from fresh raw meat diets (frozen or freeze-dried) are necessary for optimum health. The difference between a grain/vegetable and an AFS product fed dog/cat is incredible. Once the condition is seen and compared, there isn't anyone who wouldn't prefer feeding AFS products to their dogs, cats, and ferrets. (The fresh organ meats, meaty bones and blood are necessary to achieve peak health.)

Q. Why does your diet seem to be lower in protein and fat compared to dry food?

A. When comparing diets, one must always compare on a dry matter basis to get equivalent values.  When compared on a dry weight basis Good Dog Food Company diets are not low at all, 44-50% protein and 29-35% fat. 

The more important aspect of protein is the quality and source of protein, or the biological value (the measurement of how much of the protein is actually turned into body tissue).  AFS diets are at the “top of the food chain” when it comes to digestibility and biological value.

Q. Will mixing dry kibbled food with AFS Meat Diets be harmful?

A. Not recommended for small breeds, but many large breed and/or multiple dog owners reportedly feed this way (when budget restraints are an issue) and quite successfully.  The reason being is that AFS product ingredients are very rich in all the necessary nutrients, plus fortified with natural vitamins and minerals (because we cannot be absolutely certain the soil that the free-range cattle are grazing on is complete and balanced at all times and on all days).

Thus, Good Dog Food Company product ingredients over-compensate for whatever nutrients the other product may be lacking! For example, if I were to feed a 50/50 ratio diet, the kibble would probably not contain all the vitamin B elements necessary for a balanced diet, however the extra B elements would be in the Good Dog Food Company diet. (If there is ever too much of any one nutrient, the body simply discards it as waste material.)

The quality of the kibble should be considered (price is not a consistent indicator of quality). Even on a 50/50 ratio, in as little as 1-2 weeks, very positive changes will be apparent in your dog's appearance, mobility, behavior and stools (fecies are greatly reduced in size and frequency!).

In less than 30 days, it will seem as though you have a different dog--apparent to you AND your neighbors! That's when you will want to make the final decision...stay on the 50/50 ratio, or go all the way and feed Good Dog Food Company products 100%.

Kibble will primarily consist of undigetible grains and other ingredients that you are simply causing volumes of fecal matter in the yard.  In addition, the meat source that goes into most kibble is “meat and bone meal, chicken meal, lamb meal, fish meal, etc.”  These ingredients are NOT fresh or whole meats, but the animal waste materials picked up from meat packing plants, restaurants, hotels/motels, grocery stores, etc. by rendering companies--then, cooked once to extreme temperatures to destroy all the bacterial rancid garbage materials can hold, then only to be added grains and grain flours and cooked again.  How much nutrition can be left after that?  Check labels and use kibbles that are predominately meat based – not grain and/or animal meal predominent ingredients.

Q. Why is there such a difference in the stools on AFS Diets?

A. The high biological value of the protein in Good Dog Food Company Diets will result in a large reduction in the amount and frequency of stool elimination.  Digestion studies done on our diets showed protein absorption in the 90% range. 

Most commercial pet foods are filled with undigestible (however palatable) ingredients that cause dogs and cats to overeat which creates the need to eliminate several times a day. 

Animals on Good Dog Food Company Diets generally eliminate just once a day or even every other day.  In addition, this kind of digestibility greatly reduces stool odor and is a healthy and more natural occurrence, just as in the wild.  Simple test: stools from well-digested foods, when placed in water, “float like a boat.”

Q. Is it harmful for me to cook the diet before feeding it to my dog or cat?

A Meat that is cooked above 120 degrees F loses its natural digestive enzymes as well as some of the important fragile amino acids such as Taurine. 

The preventative health benefits of an uncooked, balanced, raw meat diet can be seen in the testimonials of Good Dog Food Company customers.  Meat eaters, from small pet ferrets, through all sizes of domestic dogs and cats, to the Carnivora Magnificent lions and tigers build strong immune defense mechanisms on Good Dog Food Company  diets, protecting them from infection and affording them the healthiest diet prescribed by Mother Nature - raw meat! 

Q. Aren’t all complete and balanced diets equally nutritious?

A The words “complete and balanced” on packages of dog or cat food do not speak to their nutritional adequacy.  To legally use this phrase, the foods need only meet minimum requirements to keep an average pet alive.  Most of us have more than average pets and wish more than to just keep them alive!

Q. Why were the Meat Eater products discontinued?

A Back in January 2008, a routine inspection of a newly received shipment of the cereal food fines was conducted, which includes opening a number of 50 Lb. bags and sifting through the contents. On that shipment, we found a number of cardboard pieces, half-moon in shape (like the cardboard pieces found on boxes of breakfast cereal, behind the side panel "press to open" location). The shipment was refused and the vendor was called. After waiting several weeks, while the vendor tried to resolve the problem, we were finally contacted. But, rather than receiving good news, we were told that production changes were made at their plant, and would no longer able to provide the high quality cereal food fines at reasonable rates.

Regretfully, we had no choice but to decline and discontinue the entire Meat Eater product line...our signature products. If AFS were to accept the new terms, the entire line of Meat Eater product prices (price per Lb.) would have had to be raised significantly, higher than ALL of our other products; which would not make sense, as all of our other products are 100% fresh beef and/or chicken--higher premium products. (Those customers favoring the Meat Eater products with the 6% cereal food fines in the ingredients, liked the tidy absorbtion of blood and its ability to help cut down the smell of Beef Tripe (the smell dogs LOVE so much!)).

We respectfully suggest all of our loyal Meat Eater brand fans switch to our higher premium brands, "Majestic Raw" or "Nature's Advantage", also 100% complete and balanced in every bite, and fairly priced!

All of us at Good Dog Food Company regret the forced discontinuation of the Meat Eater line, but have every confidence that you will learn to like the other brands even more!

Health & Handling...

Q. Why do some animals apparently do fine on commercial dry and canned food, and yet others do so poorly?

A. Some dogs, especially when they are young, have an amazing ability to digest just about anything that looks like food and do well on it.  However, even they have a tendency to degenerate as they grow older, usually at 4-5 years of age. 

When the organs of the body, especially the all important digestive machine, the pancreas, starts to age, it is much easier on the animal’s system to be eating a diet with the digestive enzymes still intact and undamaged by heat processing.  Raw foods provide this. 

Numerous people from European countries who feed raw meat diets confirm the health benefits and longevity of large breed dogs, i.e. Great Danes, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, etc. to ages of 15 years or longer.  This reality is nearly unheard of in our country, except those companion pets on raw meat diets like those produced by Good Dog Food Company.  Wouldn’t you want the same for your favorite furry companion?

Q. Can dogs and cats get worms or diseases from eating raw meat diets?

A. If fresh table meat (using common in-home processing procedures) is fed without cooking, processing, or freezing, diseases such as toxoplasmosis and intermediate stages of parasites such as tapeworms could be transmitted.

However...Good Dog Food Company quality control methods include the instant freezing of products to a –40 degrees F which deactivates such agents; both freezing and freeze-drying procedures used in product manufacturing eliminate bacterial growth, as well.

Product ingredients are procured from a USDA certified meat processing plant in Northeastern Wisconsin (actually, within the same business complex as Good Dog Food Company, and manufactured using human grade environmental controls for the purpose of maintaining superior pet food product quality and freshness.

Good Dog Food Company Real Meat Diets Do NOT contain cow brain matter, spinal cord, hair, horns, teeth, intestines, hooves, beaks, bowel, etc.; nor does it contain other animal meats such as horse, pig, kangaroo, etc.

Q. Are raw meat diets dangerous to feed because of the possible contaminants of Salmonella and E-coli?

Q. What if my veterinarian says a raw meat diet is unsafe?

A. Unfortunately, most veterinary schools provide grossly inadequate education on basic canine and feline nutrition.  Few veterinarians know that Good Dog Food Company has provided these same raw meat diets to zoos, circuses, wildlife parks, and professional dog and cat breeders for nearly three decades. 

Good Dog Food Company raw meat diets were developed under the scrutiny of, and consultation with the most discriminating veterinarians and animal nutritionists.  Ask any Pet Patty customer, and you will discover health benefits from a raw meat diet that far outweigh any risk factors.

Q. You claim that the diet reduces tartar on teeth – why?

A. Raw meat diets do not produce tartar on teeth for one reason – enzymes.  Raw meat left between teeth or along the gum line will self-digest because of the undestroyed natural digestive enzymes.  On the other hand, cooked food particles can remain on the gum line, setting up the perfect host for bacteria to proliferate, causing tartar and bad breath.  Excessive tartar can cause periodontal disease.

Q. You claim that the diet reduces bloat – why?

Q. How long can the product sit out after the pet finishes eating?

A. First and foremost, the food will more likely be gobbled up in moments! The canine and feline will instinctively recognize the smell and taste of the organ meats and you will witness a finicky eater rapidly convert to a fast eater!

However, pet owners don't always remember in the beginning that a much smaller portion of Good Dog Food Company products is all that is needed (nutrient packed, not full of fillers) and may overfill the food dish. Should this ever occur, any portion of our fresh and safe ingredients that are left uneaten, even if mixed with other foods, should be placed in a covered container in the frigerator and brought out to serve at the next feeding.

When a meat temperature rises to 40 degrees F, or warmer, bacteria can multiply, and can lead to a sick animal if eaten.  (This is also true of all human meat consumables.)  We recommend thawed frozen or any re-hydrated freeze-dried meat products be placed into the refrigerator or freezer within 20 minutes. However, no one needs to panick, as the digestive track of a carnivore is much shorter, which is why carnivores can eat road-kill and not get sick (the consumed materials are digested and waste is out of the body much quicker than people consumed materials).

Our fresh-frozen products do very well for 6 months, or more, in a freezer set to medium temperature. Our freeze-dried products last almost indefinitely when kept in a dry environment (room temperature or a basement) away from a heat source, such as a furnace, heat exhaust unit, direct sunlight, trunk of a car long-term, etc.

Q. What is the proper way to feed the 5-pound rolls?  How do I thaw the rolls before feeding?

A. Defrosting Good Dog Food Company raw meat diets should always be done slowly in the refrigerator.  Remove the plastic wrapper from the frozen roll, place in a covered container and place in refrigerator.  Each day the outer layer of meat will be thawed enough for feeding.  Another technique:  place 5-pound roll in refrigerator overnight, then cut with large or electric knife into desired daily portions for individual defrosting.  Wrap and replace unused cut portions in the freezer immediately.

It's What Is Inside That Counts...

Q. Do you use any chemicals or preservatives in the diet?

A. AFS adds no artificial colors or preservatives to our meat diets.  We preserve our products through freezing (at –40 degrees F) or freeze-drying which are the only methods of protecting the natural nutrition in Mother Nature’s most complete and balanced food – a raw meat diet.

Q. Why does the raw meat product have charcoal in it?

A. The transporting of unprocessed, fresh whole organ/meat items to be used for pet food is regulated by the compliance division of the USDA.  As a means of denaturing these products (i.e. distinguishing from human foods), it is mandatory to mix something harmless, but easy to identify, into the mix. 

Throughout the U.S., the use of charcoal, an inert totally harmless organic substance (often used as a digestive aid for animals), is the most widely used and accepted of the options available. As all of our product formulas include finely ground bone (humans cannot digest, but a necessary dietary and easily digestible ingredient for dogs/cats; and another USDA approved denaturer), the light dusting of charcoal is all that is needed during flash freezing and movement to our manufacturing area.

USDA and FDA regulations are designed to prevent all pet food manufacturers from claiming their products are of "human grade" quality, but these laws are not always adhered to. You will find labels claiming human grade quality on the pet food shelves, even today. U.S. government agencies, and truth in labeling laws, do not ensure compliance.

Contrary to profit driven, irresponsible pet food companies, Good Dog Food Company chooses legal compliance. (Pet food manufacturing and labeling regulations were established to prevent misguided, low income groups from using pet products as a more affordable food source.)

Q. Is organic beef used in the diet?

Q. Meat by-products have a bad connotation, what by-products do you use in the diet?

A. The term “meat by-products” has gained an undeserving negative connotation due to some careless advertising by some pet food companies, not knowing the true definition of the term AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). 

The official AAFCO definition: Meat by-products – the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat (meaning muscle tissue) derived from slaughtered mammals.  It includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.  It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.=

Good Dog Food Company uses some of the products in the definition, all being select organ meats procured from the government inspected meat processing plants.  We do not divulge the exact organs or percentages used, due to the proprietary nature of our formulas.  We DO NOT include hair, brain matter, spinal cords, horns, teeth, intestines and hooves. What we DO include makes a well fortified, balanced, nutritious meat diet.  It also produces the proper calcium and phosphorus ratio, complete amino acid profile, and a rich vitamin and mineral diet undamaged by heat processing.

Q. What does “4-D meats” mean and does AFS use them?

A. The term 4-D meat is used to describe dead, dying, disabled or diseased animals, which means animals that have died other than by slaughter. 

AFS does NOT use any 4-D and/or rendered material in our diets.  AFS uses whole, fresh organ meats and meaty bones sourced only from USDA inspected packing houses that have been passed for human consumption or passed by the inspector as suitable for animal foods.

Q. What is the freeze-drying process and the advantages of processing the diet this way?

A. Freeze-drying is a process that removes the moisture from the meat in a vacuum chamber, while still frozen.  By bringing the temperature to the triple point 32 degrees F (where moisture can exist as an ice crystal, water or gas), the moisture is evacuated from an ice crystal to a gas without entering the liquid stage.  The minimum amount of added heat to accomplish this is insufficient to destroy the amino acids or digestive enzymes. 

Freeze-drying, though considerably higher in cost, is the only way to preserve meat without chemicals, irradiation, or heat damage to nutrition.  It is yet another example of Animal Food Services’ commitment to nutritional excellence. 

Q. How can I travel with my pet and a raw meat diet?

A. Traveling with frozen Pet Patties can be a challenge.  That’s why AFS developed the freeze-dried version.  Freeze-drying is the only way to preserve the nutritional integrity of the health promoting Pet Patties while offering the convenience of a shelf stable product needing no refrigeration.  Simply re-hydrate Pet Patties with water and bingo – fresh raw meat with all its benefits.  Freeze-dried Pet Patties can be broken into small pieces and fed dry.  Pet Patties make wonderful treats!

Q. You claim your diet is more natural than most pet foods.  Why?

A. The word “natural” when applied to some of today’s pet foods, is a real stretch of Mr. Webster’s primary definition, of or arising from nature: in accordance with what is found or expected in nature. How many commercial pet foods have corn, wheat, soy, or barley as prominent ingredients?  These are all natural products for herbivores (feeding chiefly on grass or other plants i.e. cattle, horses, buffalo, goats, deer).

Think about it...how many carnivores (dog, cat, wolf, lion, tiger) have you observed in nature (the wild, or on the "Discover" channel) feasting on these products?  They are not “natural” for dogs and cats.  Fresh raw meat diets are! Simply put, you will never see a dog or cat jumping up and down in a corn But, what you will more likely see is a dog or cat chasing after some prey with a beating heart...real meat!