All based on speculation.

It is not the fact that it is low cost - there are plenty of low cost foods in the UK which no-one 'bashes'.

But artificial additives, particularly colouring, can make dogs hyper. it doesn't affect all dogs to the same degree, just as E-numbers don't affect all kids in the same way.

But when there are alternatives out there that don't cost any more and don't have all the artificial addiditves, why shouldn't we point this out?

I mean why does dog food need to be so brightly coloured - is it any benefit to the dog? No, its purely for marketing at the owners who think it looks more appealing.

Doe anyone else cringe when they see people buying Bakers in the supermarket?

Oh yes and it's all I can do not to go up to them and tell them not too lol!
Becky

And all the unappetizing descriptions of animal meal aren't meant to draw an emotional reaction from the dog owners? All the marketing of the premium foods seems to me to be directed at the owners' emotions.

You may be right about the premium food; the dogs may not need the better ingredients but at least there is no negative to making that choice.

I'm sure there are dogs who do just fine on Bakers - after all, I've had my fair share of e-numbers and they didn't seem to affect me. But I've seen what artificial colours can do in terms of hyper-activity in both children and dogs and I just don't see the point in feeding them when there are better alternatives which don't cost any more.

I'm not sure whether you have Bakers in the USA and if so, whether it has the same ingredients as it does here ? If not, I'm not sure how you can defend it?

Labman - I dont know what you are defending Bakers so much
I have seen several dogs switched to Bakers with a huge noticible to all of us drop in their performance
I also know people online whos dog developed diabeties from all the sugar in Bakers

I think dry food has the biggest and best PR people in the whole world in that people think that because it was made by people in white coats then it is amazing for your dog and it is impossible for us to give a dog a balanced diet

Some dry foods are OK, dogs do OK on them
Some dry foods are not good at all - full of stuff to make the dogs want to eat them but that dosent mean they are good for them - just so long as the dog survives on them and the companies can make a big profit from them then that is good enough

Dry food is a convenience NOT some kind of great magic bullit that makes your dogs healthy - if it was possible to make a compleat food that was all you ever had to eat then it would be available for the human market where there is far more research and money

Not saying it is bad to feed dry - but look at the ingredients in something like Bakers
as a once in a while treat it is not bad to feed humans or dogs sugars, colours and e numbers - but every meal in such large amounts - cmon - you dont need to be a boffin to figure that that is a really bad thing

I don't think Baker's is available here. All I really know about it is that I see the same people saying the same things about well proven foods. Since they are wrong about Pro Plan, Iams, Science diet, Purina, etc, why should anybody belief what they say about Bakers?

Respectfully your conclusions are therefore not based on practical experience, rather speculation, I feel. I know what you mean when you say there is food bashing on the net, but there is empirical evidence for the additives in Bakers having an effect on breeds, and those of us who have tried it realise there is!

Thank you for putting it so well Mary