Pod mentions the meat source on Burns
I asked several questions one of which was about the meat source. Neither John Burns nor the nutrionists were able to name the meat source (lamb and chicken) except to say that the chickens were not free range.
It actually says where the meat comes from on their website 'free range duck, battery free chicken meat, field raised lamb and venison which apparently comes from New Zealand ' and I guess battery free chicken mean they are not using battery hens which I bet most companies do.
http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.com/dog_food.htm

They're also UK based so I'm not sure that the info from a US site is the same product.
Whatever, it's a good product and I like it!

Chickens in this country are kept in large sheds. They are crammed in wall to wall and because they get stressed and mutilate each other they have their beaks cropped. They are also vaccinated against salmonella. At around 6 months the doors are opened and they have access to the outside world, most don't go out and if they do they don't go far as they are conditioned to being inside. This is classed as free range Apparently all you have to do to make it organic too is change the food. Those chickens that don't have the luxory of open doors are classed as barn.

The info from the US site is the same product

I think that if you are going to feed dry then there are much worse foods to give your dogs. The natural dog food company seem to change their information on their website, it used to say that they only used chicken breast meat, then it said no battery chicken was used. I have no idea what it says now I e-mailed them for more info and they sid I had to ring them so I rang them and was told to e-mail and I never did find out what was actually in their food.

Burns have not lied about what they put in their food. They did not at any time state that they did not add artificial vitamins, if you ask them outright they are happy to tell you that they do use artificial vitamins because natural ones are not stable enough to guarantee the amounts. The amount of menadione in their food is far smaller than that known to cause a problem and they are now going to remove it. If I was still feeding Burns then this would not stop me continuing to do so. Burns took my dog from 16 kg with a serious risk of me losing him to 19.5 kilos still lean but very much alive. I still recommend it to people looking for a good quality dry food and have known several people that I have worked with that have dogs with skin problems that have tried it and would never change back to their old food.

It was about 5 years ago when I asked this of John Burns. There is more information available now on the website than I was given at that time.

My questions on the source of the meat were also about country of origin as I also have an interest in environmental issues. Probably has little influence on the quality of the food or animal welfare but to use meat imported from the opposite side of the world, when the company is situated in a nation of lamb production, must be because of profit margins alone.

HI there


By masquerading as a company which produces 100% natural, holistic food is actually lying - if you are adding anything artificial at all. The product does not then remain 100% natural. Artificial vitamins do not support organs like natural vitamins do. Most artificial vitamins are hard to synthesise for a dog and are passed through as waste.

If your company is a 100% natural food company then that means there is nothing in your food that is artificia - FULL STOP. Anything artificial added stops it being natural. Pet food companies can get around this in various ways but Burns have built up their reputation through their marketing of a product that is holistic and 100% natural.

I agree with Pod about the fact that we live in a country which produces excellent lamb and meat. We probablyhave higher standards that NZ for meat production following the BSE scare etc., It is all down to profits.

Annie

Sorry but I can't seem to find anywhere on the Burns website where they claim to be producing 100% natural food?

HI there

They most certainly claim to be 100% natural dog food; holistic etc., etc.,

There are lots of advertisements that say it if it isn;t on their website. That is what they are all about; that is what they are marketed as. 100% completely natural dog food.

Of course they may have changed that since this has come into the public domain.

Kind regards
Annie

then please point me in the direction of such an advert as I have yet to see one. They claim to be holistic, that does not mean 100% natural. I have some kelties here that I bought before I changed to raw feeding and it does not state on there they are 100% natural. I think this is something that people have assumed because it is marketed as holistic in the same way that some have assumed that because they claim to use no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives then that also applies to vitamins. There are much worse dog foods on the market and much worse things going in to them. The natural dog food company claims to be 100% natural and after trying to get more information from them about their food I can safely say that I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole because they are not very forthcoming about what goes in to it. I spoke to Burns about their food and synthetic vitamins some time ago and they were very helpfull. Natural vitamins apparently cannot be guaranteed which is why companies use synthetic ones.

Have to say that although Methawhatever (which is being removed I understand?) isn't really a good thing to find in something you're feeding to your animals, I could list a heck of a lot more nasty ones in some well known cheap and cheerful dog foods. Burns have always been very honest when answering any queries I had, my little dog has been on Burns for over a year now and at the age of 13 he's the healthiest he's ever been.

I don't think there'll ever be the perfect solution, you've just got to try and find the best one you can.

HI there

I completely agree that Burns is not the worst food on the market and, as things go, it is probably one of the best - compared to the rest. We can only do our best for our dogs but if I find that something is "hidden" from me then I become suspicious and wouldn't use that food again. I feed my dogs a 100% natural home prepared diet. That way I know exactly what they are having for their breakfast and dinner. I also make my own treats too.

We can only do what's best for our beloved dogs and my opinion is (for what its worth ) I would never deal with anybody who is marketing a product because of its health benefits - only to find that an ingredient in it shouldn;t be in it. Holistic means that the food should "support" all the organs. Synthetic vitamins don't do that and that is why they should be stated clearly so that a customer who is less "educated" on the underhand dealings of the pet food industry, can make an informed choice.

I hope this sets my feelings straight. Whatever you decide to feed your dogs is entirely your decision and that is the way it should be.

Kind regards
Annie

I understand where your coming from, but from another perspective although it is worrying to find something in there that perhaps shouldn't be, to take my dog off this food because I found it suspicious would compromise my dogs health and for me it wouldn't be fair on the dog, especially at the age of 13!

I don't think there will be any big companies out there that are completely truthful to be honset.