Selecting the right dog food can be a difficult choice.
There is a lot of information out there that talks about how corn and beets are bad for dogs or how lots of pet foods contain sub-par meat sources.
It can also be difficult to remember which protein source is better between chicken, chicken by-product or chicken meal.
Sometimes it's a challenge to discern between real science, the crazy astrologist naturalist hippies and the corporate dog food propaganda machine.
When I adopted my dog, Frutiger, my choice of dog food was always a concern in the back of my mind, but anytime I switched foods I got the same response; Purina is bad for dogs. Iams is bad for dogs. Eukanuba is bad for dogs.
Essentially any dog food with an advertising budget was one to avoid. But with no further information available regarding the independent dog foods, which one was truly the best choice?
That was when I found a site called Dog Food Analysis, which has an extensive catalogue breaking down exactly what is in every brand of dog food and points out exactly where each food goes right or wrong.
Then they answer the question "Would you recommend this product?" If it doesn't pass muster, the brand is marked in red: No.
Fromm Family Foods, family owned and operated in Mequon for more than 100 years, seems to be doing it right. They are dedicated to creating all-natural food for dogs and cats. This Milwaukee family has been at the cutting edge of pet technology, creating the first distemper shot in the early 20th century and developing the process for creating dry dog food that most companies use today.
Fromm's food is made without common allergens like beets and corn. Additionally, the Four-Star Line (which, sometimes actually acheives Five Stars on Dog Food Analysis) is formulated with the same ratios of proteins, fruits and veggies to allow owners to switch between all six recipes; this means you can give your pet variety without having to worry about upset stomachs.
And even with a higher price-per-bag you will likely find yourself actually spending a lot less money on dog food. Since Fromm's food has more nutrients packed into each piece, your daily feeding recommendation may actually be half the amount of typical commercial foods. This means more nutrition, less filler and less poop.
This seems to make sense on paper, but does it actually make a difference? Well, Frutiger has stereotypically been a lazy, curmudgeonly dog. She can frequently be found napping and when I take her to the dog park she often prefers to be by herself in a corner socializing with the grass. But a couple of weeks after I had started feeding her higher grade dog foods she became a lot more active and a lot more social. She is more interested in playing and more curious about other dogs, including the often annoying puppies. She still likes her naps. It wasn't a total personality change, but it's easy to see she is enjoying life a bit more.
If you're interested in giving Fromm Family Foods a try, you're in luck. Over the next few months Fromm is partnering with area Central Bark Doggy Day Cares to host an open house and play day. Bring Fido by, check out the daycare and enjoy a Fromm Four Star Gourmet Doggy Buffet.
Fromm will be in Muskego on Saturday and at the Downtown location on July 17.
Jason McDowell grew up in central Iowa and moved to Milwaukee in 2000 to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
In 2006 he began working with OnMilwaukee as an advertising designer, but has since taken on a variety of rolls as the Creative Director, tackling all kinds of design problems, from digital to print, advertising to branding, icons to programming.
In 2016 he picked up the 414 Digital Star of the Year award.
Most other times he can be found racing bicycles, playing board games, or petting dogs.
