Kibble Talkback (HSUS Walk-back?)

Yesterday HSUS began a new wave of promotion for its vegetarian “Humane Choice” dog food, starting with a note on its Facebook wall announcing that this "nutritious, delicious, and cruelty-free" kibble is available at some Whole Foods stores. (HSUS gets a cut of the price from each bag sold.)

Back in February we explored a number of reasons why this venture is a bad idea. Dogs aren’t meant to be vegetarians, for one thing. And it looks like most of HSUS’s own Facebook fans understand this.

While there are some supporters, the comments on Facebook are largely against the idea of selling a dog food containing no aninal protein. Here’s what some are saying about "Humane Choice," and about HSUS's decision to force its politics into the doggy dish:

• Very expensive for just vegetables. –Jennifer
• As much as I'd like to think my dogs would eat this…I just don't see them taking more than a sniff. –Alysha
• My dogs wouldn't eat it. They like their meat. I bet it would cause awful gas, too. –Tammy
• I was hoping this was a dog food with ingredients from Humane farms; including meat from Humane farms. Dogs need meat. –Cynthia
• Dogs are omnivores, yes…all that means is that they eat BOTH meat and vegetables…They need meat for protein and muscle development. This is not a healthy stand alone food for dogs. –Harriet
• There are many premium/ultra-premium quality commercial dog foods on the market; why does HSUS have to compete with them? I'd rather see the money HSUS used to create and promote this dog food go to shelters in need or a fund to help people keep their pets with them as they go through rough financial times. –Maria
• No way would I feed this to my dog … I love the HSUS, but I disagree with this one completely. –Johanna
• [B]esides the fact that it's main ingredients are all grains which are NOT ideal for dogs, it is using soy as its main protein base and dogs have consistently been shown to NOT digest soy well at all. –Karyn
• [B]ad bad bad…dogs need to eat meat… –Tami
• This is kind of silly and dangerous for dogs. They're carnivores. Their bodies are made to run off of meat. I don't understand this… –Amber
• I'm absolutely APPALLED that the HSUS refuses to recognize that dogs are C-A-R-N-I-V-O-R-E-S and need ANIMAL protein, not PLANT protein to thrive…. Sorry, but IMO it's INHUMANE to feed your pet this crap. –Sharon

One commenter also referred to an April review of "Humane Choice" which notes that “the claim that a product that is imported from Uruguay, is sold in small bags, and costs almost $3 a pound is 'sustainable' is outrageous. For that price, you could feed your dog healthy local food, including meat from sustainable family farms and ranches, that will truly fulfill your dog’s nutritional needs.”