Wysong Says a Big NO to the Pledge

Ha. Wysong and their superiority complex can kiss my money goodbye.

They think because they say they’re special, we’re supposed to just take their word for it. They think that they should not have to deal with any “second party” approval…well, guess what, Wysong. That second party is the consumer and yes, you NEED their approval. And signing the pledge is just good marketing…unless…there’s something about your oh so awesome food that prevents you from being able to sign the pledge?

Wow. Not very smart on their part. Here’s one customer and some friends of hers who’ll avoid buying Wysong. There are lots of choices these days, or haven’t they noticed? Thanks, Susan.

This does not surprise me. I asked Wysong to tell me if they used “downer” cattle as the source of beef and they responded with a “non-answer” many years ago.

I haven’t used Wysong since.

I am guessing that where she ran into problems, is that she wants origins. I tried getting Blue Buffalo to say that they would not use chinese products, only to find out that they were actively using them, and possibly for most, if not all of the food.
Near as I can tell, many of the dog food companies are making heavy use of Chinese and inferior products.
What is needed is to PUSH any and all products that will pledge to quality and origin, and simply allow the others to fall to the side.

Now I am baffled:
Says it on the box of Wysong food: the thinking person’s pet food. But based on their reaction that can’t mean, what I thought it meant. Obviously critical thinking is not needed or wanted. Thinking among the company party and marketing line seems to be the desired outcome. Blind company loyalty. Bummer.

Reading the Wysong website one could come to the erroneous conclusion that there is a great deal of agreement with what can be found here. So, even if both sides agree – if one side is just nobody, then that opinion is worthless and to be disregarded.

Now, given the credentialed experts at those “other” pet food companies the Wysong website more or less openly criticizes – why should me little Mrs. Dumbbunny think that a Wysong credentialed expert is better than the credentialed experts at other pet food companies. Or why should I believe that they are worse, far worse? Why should I believe that the Wysong food is truly better and not just more expensive? After all, the other credentialed experts are telling me their food is best.

How many veterinarians, even board certified in nutrition, would argue against Wysong, DVM? Which veterinarian is right?

Well, it may be easier to discredit bloggers and consumers simply by harping about credentials.

Easier than transparency anyways.

So what is their “international pet food consumer group” that they mentioned?

From their nonsense blog: “Wysong is also a not-for-profit organization…:

Um, really?

Perhaps Wysong will rethink this rude response after a quarter or two of declining profits.

I am one customer who doesn’t appreciate this dismissive attitude toward our pets’ safety.

Just say “NO” to Wysong!!!

This is a tough one. I’ve read a number of things Dr Wysong has put on his web site and email. There is an arrogance evident at times for sure. And it does at times seem like a bundle of contradictions. I mean, suggesting raw food is optimal and yet selling a lot of processed junk because many of us are not going to go that route for feeding, or as supplemental feeding I think he would probably want to say. I tended to pick and choose based on my own prior research and sense of what seemed right. There are any number of things I found in his writing that I just dismissed, but some of it rings true.

My cat ate a few of the products at times. I think the freeze dried Dream Treats is a pretty good product. But I can’t speak to the ingredient sourcing so there you go.

He’s a piece of work you might say. I think the pride/arrogance gets in the way of the Pledge in this case, as otherwise being transparent with ingredients and policies would presumably fit right in with some of his claims. On the other hand, he seems to place a lot of value on the credentials of the company leadership (surprise, surprise), so maybe the transparency would never be valued there.

At the moment I don’t have a pet at home so this won’t be anything I have to personally struggle with right away. In the future, I will just have to see. I would expect to have cats and if I get them eating the way I’d prefer them to eat I likely wouldn’t feel a need to use any of Wysong’s products anyway.

Although I am big fan of using analogies, and am particularly amused by their “beating the grandmother” logic — if Wysong actually believes the following statement — then they truly think consumers are stupid! “Wysong does not sign “pledges” prepared by people who, by the nature of the criteria usually chosen in such pledges, do not understand the important issues of nutrition and health.” I find this statement hilarious, first because it is so self-serving, and second, because Wysong lacks critical thinking skills!
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TAPF’s Pledge asks 5 ridiculously simple questions that for any manufacturer/owner which has full knowledge AND control over the Company’s ingredient sourcing and production, should be something they are PROUD to vouch for! Namely:
1. List all ingredients ….(duhhh, so that would be a problem?
2. Are Ingredients USDA inspected and approved …. so why would that be a good idea for animal food??
3. List Vitamins and Minerals …. see question No. 1?
4. Provide details about the Protein used …. maybe they just don’t understand this one!
5. Indicate what ingredients are (a) not USDA Inspected, (b) alternative to Inspected (c) Origin US (d) Origin China (e) Origin other Countries …. oh boy, there’s the rub, since we’re unquestioning buddies with China right?
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So (we can determine then) that this Company won’t/can’t answer the five question ONLY because they are asked by someone who doesn’t understand (that) important issues of nutrition and health depend upon the ability of the manufacturer to use, prepare and report (or not) on its product in any manner it sees fit. Lovely!!
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So here’s the real analogy. You walk into a restaurant for a very expensive dinner. As a customer paying top dollar for your meal, you naturally expect the protein (and all ingredients) to be of the highest quality, and that they are clean, safe, and if/when questioned, how they are sourced (for example that they are not 2nds pulled out of the grocers’ trash can). You realize that (under sanitary conditions of course) you are probably going to “survive” nearly anything that’s served to you. But (and especially ascetically speaking, and for the price you’re paying) you assume that you have a right to know more about your meal, if interested, correct? In fact, you may absolutely need to know the details if you are (for example) gluten-sensitive, vegan, calorie/sugar/sodium restricted, allergic, etc.. As a consumer therefore why is it we expect our human food to be what is expected. Yet not our pet food, although we are still the consumer in both cases? So maybe the “Brainiacs” at Wysong can come up with their own voluntary Pledge, that the CEO/Owner is willing to verify? If so, then why don’t they just go ahead and do that?

I have run a raw-pet-food-co-op for the past 4 years. The co-op has mroe than 200 members, os i hear a lot of tales aobut how commercial pet foods make pets sick.. In addition to local grass-fed beef, we carry Wysong’s Epigen, supplements, and dehydrated treats and The Honest Kitchen foods.

I also breed Labrador retrievers and standard Poodles. My kennel currently has 21 dogs, all of whom are fed the-meaty-bones diet. I don’t personally feed either Wysong or The Honest Kitchen foods to my dogs, because, like Dr. Wysong, I am convinced that dogs thrive on raw meats and meaty bones. Anything else is second-best.

I suspect that Dr. Wysong was unwilling to sign the Pledge, because quality is not just where the ingredients come from (all of their ingredients are North American) or whether there are trace elements of this or that, but an overall commitment to feeding carnivorous pets appropriate carnivore diets, not the starchy junk food that parades as pet food. Wysong has recently increased the amount of animal proteins and reduced carbohydrates in all their staple foods. Wysong’s Epigen is starch-free — the only pet food on the market that is 60% protein and suitable for both cats and dogs. I submit that this is high quality pet food, even if Dr. Wysong refused to sign the Pledge.

Was just looking at Wysong for my boys. Glad I dodged a bullet. They don’t sound professional and even having looked at the ingredients myself, they aren’t appealing. Dry always = overcooked crap. Don’t be fooled.