Looking past the recent vegan drama, have you ever wondered why your pet might not like particular foods? Have you ever actually tasted the food yourself?
I have, and some taste more like a chemistry lab than actual nutrition.
I mean, animals don't necessarily experience taste in the same ways humans do. What tastes terrible to me may still be very appealing to a dog or cat etc., regardless of taste.
Exactly.
We like sweet things as this is our way to detect glucose for our brain; salty things for minerals, etc.
Our pets diets are different, so are their taste preferences.
Iirc, a totally blunt piece of dried food tastes great for a cat, since they seek protein more than anything.
Yup, cats can't taste sweetness for that reason, while birds don't have receptors for spice and can eat chillies easily.
That's just the taste buds themselves, additionally:
A large part of our taste response is tied to smell. This is why food tastes different when sick. It's also hard to try yourself because you can "smell" through the back of your throat too
the air around us will affect taste perception, which is why some foods taste better or worse on a plane
genetic factors exist, such as how some people taste cilantro/parsley as soapy
Have you ever mixed hard kibble with soft food, only to watch your dog literally pick out all the hard kibble and only eat the soft food? And yes, before anyone asks, his teeth are fine.
The hard food (at least that particular brand) tastes fucking awful.
What constitues chemicals for you? I agree with your point- if your dog doesn't like the treat and you find it tastes unnatural, I agree it's maybe a bad treat/crappy quality treat.
But "chemical" is not really a descriptor for taste- everything is chemicals. Sugar is a chemical. There are chemicals in natural foods such as meats, veggies, fruits, it's all chemicals. I think you're trying to say that the treats taste unnatural or overly processed?