I just moved to the area a few weeks ago. I've only come upon Petsmarts in the area, but I'm looking for some independent pet stores that sell good quality cat food. It seems the best they have is Nutro and that's not good enough. ;P anyone have some ideas?

8/27/2006 2:52:58 AM

ummm
maybe pet pad
corner of kildaire and cary parkway

8/27/2006 3:21:39 AM

Carolina Pet Supply (919) 773-0014 322 Mccormick St, Garner, NC 3.11 mi
Discount Pet Supply (919) 854-7900 6440 Tryon Rd, Cary, NC 7.83 m
Pet Supplies Plus (919) 878-0080 4025 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 4.04 mi
Pawz Pet Supply (919) 845-9332 2909 Andover Gln, Raleigh, NC 5.16 mi
Petco 7811 Alexander Promenade Place Raleigh, NC 27617-7351 919-596-8838
Pet Mania (919) 676-3225 7901 Falls Of Neuse Rd Ste 125, Raleigh, NC 7.40 mi
Pet Supermarket (919) 481-1818 268 Grande Heights Dr, Cary, NC 9.07 mi
Pet Supermarket 919-845-1554 9660 Falls of Neuse Rd 127-130 27615 Falls Point NC

Just to name a few. Call and ask what they have.

8/27/2006 8:28:15 AM

Try pet supermarket, I've heard they have a lot with very competitive prices. (Then come back and tell us if its true!)

8/27/2006 9:50:06 AM

Discount Pet Supply carries alot of the higher quality brands (Innova, California, Wellness, Chicken Soup) but they are pretty expensive.

8/27/2006 9:55:06 AM

great! thanks everyone!

8/27/2006 11:27:54 AM

fishpro

8/27/2006 11:29:13 AM

What kind of food are you looking for? Then I can tell you where they sell it!

8/27/2006 11:49:22 AM

Why is it that most dogs and cats have been surviving off of Purina etc for years and living happy lives, and now all these freaking hippies are coming out and saying that's not good enough? Like people should be eating half the crap they sell in grocery stores.

8/27/2006 9:24:40 PM

start a new thread in soapbox

8/27/2006 10:08:27 PM

^No, I shun that place.

8/27/2006 10:25:07 PM

I'm not a hippie. and for the record, dogs and cats have been living off commercial diets for only the last few decades (and the dog I recently got was definitely not healthy & happy on cheap kibble). actually I believe in raw diets for pets, but I'm asking about this for my friend who is also new to the area. I only made this thread to find some stores, thanks.

8/28/2006 12:05:05 AM

jenbncsu - don't really have a brand in mind yet...I guess? my friend is adopting a kitten and is on the search for something good. but thanks!

8/28/2006 12:12:13 AM

Quote :

"actually I believe in raw diets for pets"

Figures...

8/28/2006 9:50:08 AM

As a student of animal science and animal nutrition, I do not believe in raw diets. But to each his own.

8/28/2006 10:48:02 AM

Eukanuba and Science Diet are both great brands if you have the $$

I recommend Science Diet all day at work and come home and feed my kitties purina. But, our vets say that purina is one of the best brands that you can get outside of a vet.

8/28/2006 10:54:52 AM

I realize that the majority of vets and vet/aniSci students don't learn much about raw diets...or rather the proper information about it (I really wish more did), but it's helped my dog a lot. He was on Purina ONE for most of his life, then Nutro for awhile. He always had problems with allergies - licking and chewing his feet constantly, sore and weeping spots on his skin from itching. My brother gave him meds for the allergies but nothing really worked and the vets never attributed it to the diet. His breath also stank and his teeth were covered in brown crap. This dog had extreme dog odor, despite baths.

Then I took him from my brother this summer and put him on a raw diet. He stopped itching, no more chewing/licking on the feet, no more sore skin spots...and miraculously, his breath doesn't stink, the brown crap has been scraped off his teeth without my help and he doesn't stink up the whole house with doggy odor. These are only a few of the things that have changed (for the better) with him, and this is the same story with other raw feeders. I'm not telling anyone to do it, but at least with my dog, it's worked out really well.

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 11:21 AM. Reason : typo ;p]

8/28/2006 11:19:45 AM

Do you know what the most common allergens for dogs are? I'm guessing no but that you believe #1 is corn because of what BARF/Raw pushers tell you. Beef, wheat, dairy, lamb, chicken, egg, and soy are the 7 most common food allergies in dogs (in decsending order) and make up 93% of all adverse reactions. Corn and rice are actually very, very low on the chart in terms of food allergies for dogs but hollistics and BARFers like to tell you otherwise because it sells their products. Our dog is allergic to poultry and as a matter of fact just got into some leftover rotisserie chicken we had and sure enough had real bad itching and inflammation flare-up for a couple days.

Plaque buildup on your dog's teeth is controlled very easily. Our dog eats Eukanuba FP, gets a nighlty toothbrushing (takes all of 10 seconds) and clean breath. Raw diet does absolutely nothing to clean a dogs mouth more or less.

Understand that Raw Diet might offer decent nutrition but also introduces dangerous risks to your pet and people in your family. Aside from the obvious salmonella and campylobacter contamination in their food and in your house/yard and the chance of intestinal obstruction or puncture from bones, there is the very good chance that your dog/cat is not receiving anywhere near the appropriate levels of nutrition. You are not getting a better source of nutrition for your pet with Raw over prepared kibble and only introducing more potential harm with the BARF/Raw... just not a logical choice.

Basically, read this older thread on the Raw Diet... it doesn't get really good until Page 2. In it I supplied tons of articles (from sources like JAVMA) that go into detail on contamination, nutritional balance, and other dangers of the Raw Diet.
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=386690&page=1

I get into this subject because I see both sides: my wife is a veterinarian (Animal Science/Animal Nutrition for undergrad) and my sister ran a Greyhound rescue group (owns 14 dogs herself) and is was a BARF/Raw Diet pusher... so I've seen both sides of the fence, so to speak.

8/28/2006 4:09:53 PM

My dog eats grass and licks her butt, so THERE!

8/28/2006 5:36:01 PM

I really like Blue Buffalo for my cats. No corn and all human grade ingredients, etc.

http://www.bluebuff.com/

I got it at Petsmart actually.

8/28/2006 5:41:26 PM

msb2ncsu -

Quote :

"Do you know what the most common allergens for dogs are? I'm guessing no but that you believe #1 is corn because of what BARF/Raw pushers tell you."

You guessed wrong. You fail to mention that it's when these allergens are COOKED that many dogs are allergic. In your example, you fed your dog COOKED chicken. My dog is also allergic to cooked chicken, but NOT to raw.

Quote :

"Plaque buildup on your dog's teeth is controlled very easily. Our dog eats Eukanuba FP, gets a nighlty toothbrushing (takes all of 10 seconds) and clean breath. Raw diet does absolutely nothing to clean a dogs mouth more or less."

I know you can brush dogs' teeth. My dog unfortunately was never brought up with that and thus is a big pain when it comes to teeth brushing. I CAN force myself on him, but I've seen for myself the years of tartar scraped off through the raw diet. and I know things aren't building up again because his breath doesn't smell like shit.
-if feeding commercial food, I can see the need for teethbrushing because the canned meat/kibble will get stuck between their teeth and rot.

Quote :

"Understand that Raw Diet might offer decent nutrition but also introduces dangerous risks to your pet and people in your family."

There are also risks in feeding kibble (think back on all the recalled food from Diamond brand). Kibble harbours a lot of bacteria. Whereas human grade foods are much less likely, especially in this day and age. Why would I want to feed my animals cheap dog/cat foods that get their meat from dead, down, dying and/or diseased animals (4D) - not fit for humans to eat, but apparently good enough for our pets? Dogs and cats can handle all sorts of bacteria much more so than humans. I feed my dog on a towel and he eats only on the towel. Which gets washed. There is no more bacteria spread around than there is with me preparing my own food.

Quote :

"Basically, read this older thread on the Raw Diet... it doesn't get really good until Page 2. In it I supplied tons of articles (from sources like JAVMA) that go into detail on contamination, nutritional balance, and other dangers of the Raw Diet. http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=386690&page=1"

I looked at it, but most of it are things I have already read. Don't think that I did this without any research. I'm not your normal run of the mill idiot who goes for fads. I thought long and hard about this (over a year of learning about it). I read as much as I could and talked to many people about it, those for and against it. I've talked to people who have fed raw for decades (and their parents/grandparents did the same). There's just too many benefits that I can see and being a biologist and very science-minded, I've felt guilty to NOT feed what I believe to be a proper diet. Luckily, there is a vet in Raleigh that other raw feeders have recommended to me (he is open to raw diets).

And I agree, many people DON'T do it properly. Many people are just into fads and don't look into really getting what their pets need. I don't just feed cheap drumsticks (actually I don't feed that at all); I feed a variety of meats, organs and bones. Some people feed too much bone, which can cause obstruction. But I feed mostly meat (not ONLY meat though), with the proper proportions of organs and bones. In addition, I feed big hunks of meat that require chewing (so bones can be crushed). Some people have fed their dogs chicken wings alone, which encourages some dogs to just swallow without chewing --THAT is what also can cause obstructions.

Dogs have not evolved so far from wolves that they NEED a commercial diet. It takes a MUCH longer than a few decades for evolution to take place. Any student who has taken an intro course to evolution...even ecology or basic science will know that. In fact, they are not even genetically distinct from wolves. They may look very different, but physiology? The same. Cats and dogs are carnivores. Bullshit on dogs being omnivores, I know what omnivorous teeth look like, and dogs are carnivores. They are opportunistic feeders in that they will eat berries/fruits in the wild, but that is not their main diet. I have even spoken to people who studied animal biology, including physiology and nutrition and they agree that raw diets, when done properly are the most appropriate diets.

In addition, I do not buy pre-made raw diets. So no raw feeder fanatics are pushing their products at me. Which is ironic because that's what commercial pet food companies do. They teach the vets/vet students about nutrition and push their foods as being the best. Vets tell their clients they should feed their pets that food. Thus the vicious cycle continues. Were it not for all the problems commercial diets cause, vets would lose a lot of visits from their clientele.

These are differences of opinion and come from what you've been taught and seen. I've learned and seen the benefits of raw, so I'm doing what I feel is best for these animals that must eat whatever I feed them.

8/28/2006 9:06:07 PM

Quote :

"I really like Blue Buffalo for my cats. No corn and all human grade ingredients, etc. http://www.bluebuff.com/ I got it at Petsmart actually."

hmm we did see that actually. I'm not sure why he didn't get that one. Anyway I picked up the kitten for him today (Wake County animal control)... awww so cute!

8/28/2006 9:15:05 PM

^^why the hell do you feed your dog on a towel?!

you eat on a clean plate each meal, why not just wash the dog's bowl?

8/28/2006 9:17:30 PM

because he pulls it out of the bowl anyway, but he'll keep his food on the towel. I don't feed pre-made raw food, I feed whole pieces of meat that he chews on. Though when I'm feeding him eggs & organ meat he gets them out of the bowl.

8/28/2006 9:28:11 PM

First off, you didn't read the other material so don't lie.

Quote :

"You guessed wrong. You fail to mention that it's when these allergens are COOKED that many dogs are allergic. In your example, you fed your dog COOKED chicken. My dog is also allergic to cooked chicken, but NOT to raw. "

Holy crap... where do you get this stuff. You aren't going to be allergic to a cooked protein but not the raw. If anything the cooked form of the protein is going to be LESS of an allergen.

Quote :

"I know you can brush dogs' teeth. My dog unfortunately was never brought up with that and thus is a big pain when it comes to teeth brushing. I CAN force myself on him, but I've seen for myself the years of tartar scraped off through the raw diet. and I know things aren't building up again because his breath doesn't smell like shit. -if feeding commercial food, I can see the need for teethbrushing because the canned meat/kibble will get stuck between their teeth and rot."

I think you misunderstand how plaque develops. Food getting stuck between the teeth is not the source... its trace amounts of food particles (either raw or cooked) in the mouth combining with bacteria that naturally exists in the mouth. Feeding a Raw Diet does not eliminate the bacteria and it doesn;'t eliminate the presence of food particles. No matter how many bones your dog chews you cannot keep the entire surface clean (you will only get the leading edges like what you see from feeding dental chews). Your dog will still need the occasional dental. OH and the brushing is not necessary, you basically are just applying an enzyme paste in the mouth and don't have to scrub you like you do yourself.

Quote :

"There are also risks in feeding kibble (think back on all the recalled food from Diamond brand). Kibble harbours a lot of bacteria. Whereas human grade foods are much less likely, especially in this day and age. Why would I want to feed my animals cheap dog/cat foods that get their meat from dead, down, dying and/or diseased animals (4D) - not fit for humans to eat, but apparently good enough for our pets? Dogs and cats can handle all sorts of bacteria much more so than humans. I feed my dog on a towel and he eats only on the towel. Which gets washed. There is no more bacteria spread around than there is with me preparing my own food."

The Diamond fiasco has nothing to do with prepared diet... its like saying you won't offer your dog tap water because of rare water contamination incidents. Kibble does NOT harbor a lot of bacteria... the regulation on pet food is actually more stringent than human food, believe it or not, because more than just the FDA regulates it. Pet food is NOT sourced from "dead, down, dying, or diseased animals" this is just another myth perpetuated in the BARF/Raw community to strike fear but it is patently false. Dogs eat no more diseased meat sources than humans do. With a raw/Barf you have salmonella, E. coli, clostridium, campylobacter, obstruction, and aspiration issues.

Quote :

"I looked at it, but most of it are things I have already read. Don't think that I did this without any research. I'm not your normal run of the mill idiot who goes for fads."

Don't be so sure of yourself...

Quote :

"I thought long and hard about this (over a year of learning about it). I read as much as I could and talked to many people about it, those for and against it. I've talked to people who have fed raw for decades (and their parents/grandparents did the same). There's just too many benefits that I can see and being a biologist and very science-minded, I've felt guilty to NOT feed what I believe to be a proper diet. Luckily, there is a vet in Raleigh that other raw feeders have recommended to me (he is open to raw diets)."

Apparently you don't read in veterinary or food science journals because there is no way you would pick a Raw diet over prepared food if you read authentic research and not fluff pieces done by the hollistic community and a handful of quack vets.

Quote :

"Dogs have not evolved so far from wolves that they NEED a commercial diet. It takes a MUCH longer than a few decades for evolution to take place. Any student who has taken an intro course to evolution...even ecology or basic science will know that. In fact, they are not even genetically distinct from wolves. They may look very different, but physiology? The same. Cats and dogs are carnivores. Bullshit on dogs being omnivores, I know what omnivorous teeth look like, and dogs are carnivores. They are opportunistic feeders in that they will eat berries/fruits in the wild, but that is not their main diet. I have even spoken to people who studied animal biology, including physiology and nutrition and they agree that raw diets, when done properly are the most appropriate diets."

See, now this is where I start to see that you really did only read the fluff pieces. Dogs were not domesticated "a few decades" ago. Dogs were separate from wolves as much as 100,000 years ago. The differences you see between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane occured some time in the last 14,000 years so think of what happens from wolf to dog in 100,000 years. The differences can be seen in both DNA and in anatomy. Its also worth noting that the American Zoo and Aquarium, Nutritional Advisory Group recommends commercial dog food for wild canids held in captivity. Dogs have been on commercially prepared food since the early 20th century and in that time period their lifespan has also increased. The commercially prepared food only continues the diet that has sustained the domesticated dog for thousands of years at the side of humans. Dogs are not carnivores, they are omnivores. So you think simply by looking at teeth you know an animal is a carnivore? Well, this isn't a carnivore:

Quote :

"In addition, I do not buy pre-made raw diets. So no raw feeder fanatics are pushing their products at me. Which is ironic because that's what commercial pet food companies do. They teach the vets/vet students about nutrition and push their foods as being the best. Vets tell their clients they should feed their pets that food. Thus the vicious cycle continues. Were it not for all the problems commercial diets cause, vets would lose a lot of visits from their clientele."

Wow, you have fallen for it all hook, line, and sinker. The only campaigning commercial pet food companies do is to choose their food over another brand.. its more of a Coke Vs. Pepsi issue not one of diet quality. The bottom line is that all major food companies have to abide by the same nutritional guidelines. Do any search for a raw or BARF diet and I almost guarantee that sight is pushing a book or products for income... the advertise and recruit no differently than companies. If you think a veterinarian willingly abandons a decade of education and training simply for a few free bags of foods then you truely don't get it. Vets are what they are because of an intense love for animals. Odds are they own at least 3 cats or dogs (all shleter rescuses). They put themselves a good $100,000-$200,000 in debt and put aside 8 to 10 years of their life in rigorous education to average about $40,000 a year in salary at a thankless job where people think they aren't "real doctors" and they are second guessed by every owner. To say that these people don't care to know the truth is asinine. They aren't just the animal lover that you claim to be, they actually made the sacrifice to prove it and have the credentials to show for it. Honestly, I don't think you'll ever "get it" until you sift through the countelss medical journals or you work the 12 hour shifts in the emergency room at the vet hospital. They are NOT the sort of people that sacrfice the health of an animal for a meager turn of profit on food. And the bit about commercial diets being responsible for all of their business is horseshit and you know it.

Seriously, read the other thread and use a tad more common sense.

8/28/2006 11:36:44 PM

Quote :

"His breath also stank and his teeth were covered in brown crap"

kinda like yo mama....BEEYATCH!

8/29/2006 12:18:06 AM

ehh...I'm not going to keep arguing because you and I both know neither of us will change our minds. P.S. I know the bear is an omnivore, because when you look at their teeth, they have molars in the back for chewing plant materials (called bunodonts). Cats and dogs do not have bunodonts, they have carnassials for tearing and shearing meat. Canines do not signify carnivory, if that's what you're suggesting. and YES, you can identify what animals eat (or have evolved to eat) by looking at their teeth. and if you're going to nitpick, no not the exact foods, but in general the type of food they'll eat.
seriously, I don't preach about it and force people to do what they don't feel comfortable with. So stop being an ass about it to me. All I asked was for some pet supply locations because I'm new here. I didn't mean to crack on people about commercial pet foods and I respect how people take care of their animals as they see best. I take my animals to the vet, feed them properly and they've been healthy and happy. I hardly buy anything for myself, most of my money goes towards feeding my animals... i have a cat, a dog, 2 rats and a tarantula. And at other times in the past, more animals. My animals aren't getting sick or dying - why can't the anti-raw foodists be happy with that?

8/29/2006 12:18:13 AM

I always had to go to petsmart, there never seemed to be anywhere else nearly as close that had both the food and litter that my cat uses. Now that I live in chapel hill, with the pet store in the mall, the petsmart, the wal mart, the pet supermarket, and the super target all near by, I've found it easier with more options (theres even some specialty dog shop down the street & a cat only vet nearby that ive not even checked out yet). Good luck finding a place that works for you!

8/29/2006 2:32:10 PM

This thread needs a fish tank. How bout mine, 2.5 gallons woot, try to get a cat in that!

8/29/2006 3:46:21 PM

Quote :

"I always had to go to petsmart, there never seemed to be anywhere else nearly as close that had both the food and litter that my cat uses. Now that I live in chapel hill, with the pet store in the mall, the petsmart, the wal mart, the pet supermarket, and the super target all near by, I've found it easier with more options (theres even some specialty dog shop down the street & a cat only vet nearby that ive not even checked out yet). Good luck finding a place that works for you!"

Yeah, I usually go to petco/smart for supplies (that's all there was in some places I've been) and there was a decent pet store near my school up in MA. It's so weird how there's strip malls all over the place here with most of the same stores. I've been trying to find stores at the Crossroads plaza and I have no idea how the stores are laid out so I drive around in circles looking for the target or bestbuy.

8/29/2006 6:49:49 PM

[qoute]This thread needs a fish tank. How bout mine, 2.5 gallons woot, try to get a cat in that![/quote]
wow is that really 2.5 gals? that's crazy. what kind of fish is that in there?

8/29/2006 6:55:06 PM

purple firefish

8/29/2006 7:33:23 PM