WHOLEHEARTED: General Practice Vet review of Petco Dog and cat food

Рет қаралды 4,291

6 ай бұрын

Taking a look at both dog and cat food from Petco's in store brand "Wholehearted"
My Credentials:
Bachelor of Science, Animal Science: Emphasis in Animal Biology
Honors: Cum Laude 3.85/4.0 GPA
University of Florida, 2005
(relevant coursework includes but not limited to: MAC3472 Honors, CHM2045, CHM2045L, MAC3473 Honors, CHM2046, CHM2046L, ANS3043, ANS3317L, ANS3384, CHM2210, CHM2211, PHY2053, PHY2053L, ANS3006C, ANS3206, PHY2054, PHY2054L, CHM2047, MCB3020, MCB3020L, VME4103, ANS3440)
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
University Of Florida College of Veterinary Med 2009
4 years (10 semesters), 8+ hours a day, 5-7 days a week (too many courses to list )
3.4 GPA/4.0
Small Animal General Practice 2009-present
USDA Certification/Accreditation level 2 (2009-Present)
Certification in Pet Nutrition (2024-Present)
Instagram: @animaldocrea
KZfaq email: animaldocrea@gmail.com (please no medical advise questions)
None of my videos are sponsored. I do not receive any perks, free food, or "kick backs" for the foods I review. The content provided is my own opinions based on my Veterinary Doctoral degree, continuing educations, and personal experiences in practice.
Helpful websites, often sited on this channel:
AAFCO: petfood.aafco.org/labeling-la...
American College of Veterinary Nutritionists: acvn.org/
World Small Veterinary Association Nutrition toolkit: wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/...
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Text: www.markmorrisinstitute.org/s...
Free access to the Merk Manual: www.merckvetmanual.com
Please note that these videos are for educational purposes only. They are not intended for diagnosis or treatment of any animals. If you have questions regarding your pet's health or are having a pet related emergency, please contact your personal veterinarian.

Пікірлер: 60

@kimmytaehyuine5039 6 ай бұрын

I appreciate you Dr rea , you and pet food puzzle guy have saved me and my girls a lot of trouble. And money. I work at a chain pet store so I always get the funny look for sticking to Royal canin and science diet for my pups. But they’re doing great. I never pick up a bag of food anymore without reading the minerals first ♥️

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

You are so welcome. Its sad that just because you work for a chain, you can't show them a different perspective. I'd love to hear more about what training you receive regarding pet foods

@kimmytaehyuine5039 6 ай бұрын

@@AnimalDocRea yeah so we don’t really get training per say but we are encouraged to promote our in house brand which, I had been feeding but was schocked when I saw the protein was 32% and it was grain free too. Which my dogs don’t need. It’s called Performatrin if you would like to go more into detail and maybe review some of the lines. Their performatrin prime is a bit better with their numbers.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

@kimmytaehyuine5039 good using your brain!

@kimmytaehyuine5039 6 ай бұрын

@@AnimalDocRea someone has too at work 😂😂

@USLAX_GUY 6 ай бұрын

Agreed!!!! I was looking for help and direction in choosing a good kibble for my new puppy for three weeks when I came upon @PetFoodPuzzleGuy who then led me to Dr. Rea. I am so thankful for the both of them, they have helped tremendously just by simplifying what I am looking at and what to look for when trying to make the best decision for my baby. Thank you both so much🙏🏼

@jonathanlopez1043 4 ай бұрын

You’re so awesome doing all this research on our behalf. God bless you ❤

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I’ll take all the blessings I can get.

@bluehope4143 Күн бұрын

Pointing out. I bought this exact brand and food for my beagle and pit mix. They first loved it. Fortunately, my dogs never repeatedly eat what makes them sick, but this dog food gave upset stomachs to both dogs. Not sure what it could be; however, it was worth a shot.

@michellesweeting7528 4 ай бұрын

I use to use Purina heathy weight but after all the controversy with Purina, just switched to Wholehearted. I have done so much research on ingredients to avoid, that it hurts my head 😂…Trying to find the best dog kibble. I have two dogs and I wanted an affordable healthy dog food. The high quality kibble can be quite expensive especially for two dogs and my research shows that even the higher quality kibble lacks nutrients the dog needs and we should add some fresh ingredients like bone broth, veggies etc. to improve the kibble. I came to the conclusion that Wholehearted is an ok kibble with no terrible ingredients. Since it’s advisable to top any kibble brand with some fresh ingredients I chose to go with a less expensive option that doesn’t seem to have any known harmful ingredients and I just spend a little extra money topping it with some fresh super foods daily. I think this video as well as some of my other research was very helpful. You love your pets and you want to do the right thing and if you’re not an expert, this can all be very overwhelming and confusing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Great video!

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

Glad it could help, I like your approach. 👍

@user-um4ez1ei4h 4 ай бұрын

I have a 6 month old bichpoo. She's so picky with her food. I've tried everything from expensive puppy food to raw food and she wouldn't eat. She will eat it for a day or two and the next day she wont even look at her food. She's a very active puppy, her poop is normal but I can't get her to eat. Today I saw this brand and decided to try the puppy brand, now I'm worried if I made the right choice for her.

@angelicblessings2807 4 ай бұрын

@m4ez1ei4h To put you @ ease, When we adopted our 1st dog he was on a Pet food that was ALWAYS on the recall list so we switched him off that quickly shortly after adopting him. After endless research & reviews we decided to try out Whole Hearted Salmon Active performance High Protein kibble as he was a little slim for being such a BIG dog; Pitbull / Mastiff mix, plus his coat wasn't at its best & he had chicken allergies. After having him on Whole Hearted mixed w/ fruits & veggies for about 2 weeks (we noticed the difference) His coat was healthy, he was @ a healthy & stocky weight & did well on it w/ no problems for 7 years. We eventually decided to try another brand just because & I regretted it. We did not get same results; fur wasn't as shiny & healthy & he didn't care for it too much & lost weight within the 1st week.I SWITCHED him back quickly to Whole Hearted & he was happy, back to normal within a few days..He has passed since then / had cancer so after some time went by; we just recently got a puppy (not the same breed / quite the opposite in size) she is a 12 week old yorkie pup who weighs 1.3 lbs & we also decided to switch the food her breeder had her on as we felt the quality wasn't the greatest. We mixed some pupkin in her new puppy food to transition her to Whole Hearted puppy Beef & Pea Recipe w/ occasional fruits / veggies & she has been just fine..I also use the Whole Hearted tender training tidbits made w/ real Peanut Butter in addition to help w/ training (of course I break the bits in 4 due to her small size) * she absolutely loves the treats / great for training & rewarding ..potty training has been great! Good luck, I think you'll be please w/ the results of Whole Hearted & the quality is humane grade😊

@michellesweeting7528 4 ай бұрын

@@angelicblessings2807Thank you so much for sharing that!!!

@michellesweeting7528 4 ай бұрын

@@user-um4ez1ei4hHope it works for you. Maybe you should try topping it with some bone broth or something

@edschulhof6303 6 ай бұрын

Happy Purrsday! Aww, I was hoping to see some Algebra and Calculus. You are so entertaining. The phone call was hilarious. I can see why people think these large corporations are better than smaller companies. LOL. Do you use that sewing machine? Hill's Pet Nutrition had a float in the Rose Parade. Which was appropriate. The floats are made of flowers, plants and seeds. Just like Hill's cat food! LOL Happy New Year!

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

I do sew quite a bit, yes.

@jshelton1985 3 ай бұрын

First off, I wish you were my vet, and second off, I wish I could give you 1,000 likes. I was looking for information on the Wholehearted dog food and I'm super lucky your video popped up. I've had my rescue dog a little over 2 years and he's always been on the pro plan complete essentials, he's a mixed breed but MY VET said that my dog is basically a "Toller" dog and he pretty much damn sure looks like one when I looked them up. They are "working dogs" and apparently they like ducks. My vet said pro plan is good for him because of the "working dog" thing. And trust me my vet never broke down ingredients/analyst of food like you have. (I've also watched your break down of the pro plan) Very informative and to the point on everything, I've learned more from watching your videos then anything MY vet has told me. I love your videos and keep up the good work. Subscriber for life right here. I wish the vets would be more like you, direct and to the point, especially when it comes to dog food. Great quality content and I really appreciate the info. THANKS.

@AnimalDocRea 3 ай бұрын

You are welcome and part of the reason I started the channel was to help supplement good information to help open and ease that dialogue with your vet. I think most vets avoid it because the bad information out there outweighs the good and we would rather be doctoring than arguing. So now when your vet asks what you are feeding you can respond with information that will resonate with you both, I hope.

@BeG00dtoG0d 6 ай бұрын

AnimalDocRea, can you review Simply nourish gently cooked dog food?

@SinistralCitizen 6 ай бұрын

Hey Dr Rea, I was looking for your review on the Adult Science Diet but couldn't find it. Have you done one and I'm just missing it? Thank you!

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

I don’t think I have one, but the website is really good and has everything you need to do a PSS assessment. Hillspet.com

@pedromurilloiii6047 6 ай бұрын

I love your videos. They are so informative. I am confused as to why the nutritional parameters you talk about changed. For example, in the 4health video you stated the calcium was supposed to be between .6% and 2.5%. On your more recent videos, you state it should be between .5% and 1%. I have my dog on a food that is 1.3% calcium and that meets one parameter but not the other. Can you explain? I apologize if at some point you have already explained the change.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

For 4health I discuss that the optimal range is up to 1% but to illustrate the difference between AAFCO and optimal, I used the AAFCO range will allow up to 2.5% Wich is a huge range! This was before I developed the PSS and standardized my reviews so now all my videos use the optimal range in small animal nutrition text. Great job paying attention!

@Christine-Youtube-i2e 4 ай бұрын

Please can you do a review of senior kibble. I haven't been able to find any with calcium under .93%

@edschulhof6303 4 ай бұрын

Most of Hill's foods are below the SACN limits. Hills Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice Recipe Dog Food is .68% Happy Caturday!

@TJ-kz1ul 6 ай бұрын

Hello Dr Rea, I would so appreciate if you would review canned foods. My dog will only eat his kibble with a bit of canned food mixed in. I'm so confused about bpa in cans, carageen in canned food etc. Right now I alternate between First Mate chicken or salmon and rice and Science Diet chicken and barley. I'd like to add Purina Pro Plan or Purina One canned , but they have carageen in them and I can't get them to answer emails regarding bpa in their cans.

@SA2302 6 ай бұрын

I would like to know the answer to this also as my dog will only eat kibble if it's moistened with canned wet food. Can you please let us know if Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin Stomach Salmon & Rice SMALL BREED scores well according to your point system? I've called and emailed the company to get exact numbers from them but no response back which is disappointing as all we have to go on is the min/max values on the bag. When you pay out this kind of money you shouldn't have to chase after information that should be openly provided!

@edschulhof6303 6 ай бұрын

@@SA2302 It took Purina about two months to get back me on one of their cat foods. I don't use it, just wanted to know for another post. Good luck

@TJ-kz1ul 6 ай бұрын

@SA2302 wow this is my experience exactly too as well as my thoughts.

@TJ-kz1ul 6 ай бұрын

@@SA2302 I phoned Purina Canada, they said they do use bpa in their Pro Plan cans. They said it's a small amount, approved by the FDA.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

@TJ-kz1ul yes, many of the controversial ingredients people get concerned about are used in levels that are not significant in the pet population. But it boils down to the individuals concern level. With pets having a time horizon much shorter than humans, you needed to be careful when extrapolating data across species and I think this is where the average consumer gets confused.

@George.J 6 ай бұрын

Hi Dr. Rea, so the cat food has an AAFCO statement, if you zoom in on one of the pictures and tilt your head you can find it lol, it says formulated for all life stages, but I'm absolutely sure I'd never use this brand if none of the agents are able to provide me with basic information. Meanwhile, Purina called me to tell me information (When I only sent them an email) I requested and weren't confused at all.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

So no points for that, that what I expected honestly. I’m getting pretty good at guessing which way things are heading at this point

@jaycarneygiants 20 күн бұрын

Searching for the highest quality dog kibble is pretty frustrating. For every video I find that says 1 brand is good there are 2 channels saying its bad. There is no definitive answer.

@37931bm 5 ай бұрын

Do you have a video of some dry dog food brands that you do recommend?

@AnimalDocRea 5 ай бұрын

I don’t make recommendations, I just teach you how to interpret labels, but here are some options that scored well in general. Adult Dog foods scoring 7-10 kzfaq.info/sun/PLpfecaMYsipJpPpEuGV8xoGQfKlLBXXQh

@ChristineClark-ft8tq 6 ай бұрын

Can you review pet supplies brand OptimPlus Large Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Food. Marketed to be same as Purina pro plan.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

That would be fun to see how it maybe differs

@armandocruz5457 6 ай бұрын

Can you review what's happening with Purina🙏

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

I will post information when an official report occurs, most likley in community tab

@megansteele8694 6 ай бұрын

Can u do a review on Sundays air dried food?

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

I can, I haven’t done an air dried one yet.

@megansteele8694 6 ай бұрын

@@AnimalDocRea that would be great! I got the samples from them for my chihuahua to try and I'm curious if it's a good food or not.

@Mundodogematernidade90 4 ай бұрын

Dr. Is this true that BHA and BHT is dangerous to our dogs ?

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

That is considered a myth by most mainstream veterinary internists and nutritionist. The concerns are mostly fueled by marketing firms that like to use fear over facts to influence consumers who probably don’t fully understand the research.

@Mundodogematernidade90 4 ай бұрын

@@AnimalDocRea thank you for your time to explain to me.

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

your welcome@@Mundodogematernidade90

@jfresh2054 6 ай бұрын

Isn't the chat AI?

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

it is google's version called bard, but yes It was AI. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

@406Campr 6 ай бұрын

Video and lighting is next level. Great work! I like mean Dr. Rea. They don't deserve the higher score. Way to hard to get that information. Skip it.

@AnimalDocRea 6 ай бұрын

Thanks, I think I really streamlined my recording so it’s not such an ordeal and the quality is better.

@StephanieStoudt-uv8nv 5 ай бұрын

I love your videos. Yours and pet food puzzle guy. I only have one concern. People watching your videos are going to be content with their 7-10 rated choices. When in reality this is only a tiny piece of the puzzle. First, you got no response from them. Second there’s been no response as to who manufactures for them. It could be any copacker that makes many brands. Not an ideal situation as quality control is usually lacking, third who formulates? Could be anyone. Many brands are not formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionist employed by the company. Those and the other WSAVA questions should have value also. Agsin, love the important things you do cover but without those additional items, these 7-10 rankings are misleading

@AnimalDocRea 5 ай бұрын

All valid points and of course those things have value, even ingredients have value. The ratings are a starting point for evaluating foods and meant to simplify an overly convoluted market where people loose sight on the basics of nutrition….the nutrients! Yes there are many that will stop with just the rating and don’t have the desire to investigate the secondary factors, but that is their choice. Not everyone wishes to go that next step and feel comfortable with making a decision with that baseline information and I respect that. The learning curve is different for everyone. I have been thinking about tweeting scoring system a little and maybe take out feeding trials and change it for boarded nutritionist on staff.

@m0hawkmadness 4 ай бұрын

Not recognized by aafco

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

What isn’t?

@m0hawkmadness 4 ай бұрын

@AnimalDocRea the catfood is not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO

@AnimalDocRea 4 ай бұрын

@m0hawkmadness no, the starred items on the GA are not recognize as essential nutrients by AAFCO. Things like omegas and glucosamine…not the food as a whole. I recommend watching some of my foundational videos on understanding pet food labels and I also go over this more in this video:Vegetarian dog food options: Natural Balance Limited Ingredient kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j62locx6mdDKqHU.html