Your dog's health, like your own, depends on the quality of nutrition he receives. Common ingredients in low cost, low-quality dog foods, grocery store foods and big box store foods can shorten the life of your dog and cause agonizing and expensive illnesses, allergies and digestive problems.
Always read lables. Be aware that corn, corn meal, and corn middlings are all corn - just listed with different names to pull the wool over consumer's eyes. Dogs don't eat corn and wheat in nature, they shouldn't eat corn and wheat in your home. Quality meat - not meat by-products - should ALWAYS be listed as the first ingredient in your dog's food.
In addition, your dog's food should NOT contain the following:
Chemical Preservatives
- BHA, BHT, propyl gallate and Ethoxyquin (EQ) are found in many pet foods. Scientific studies have proven that these chemicals can be harmful. In fact, they have been shown to promote liver disease and other medical problems.
Poor Protein Sources - Corn, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Corn Glutens, Corn Meal, Whole Corn, Crushed Corn and Ground Corn are commonly used for their protein content in many pet foods. These ingredients are generally poor sources of protein vs. meat. They are known allergens and highly indigestible. Dogs lack the enzyme necessary to break down corn into a fuel their bodies can use. You will see the results of this inability to digest corn (and wheat) in the size and odor of your dog's stool.
By-Products - By-products can vary greatly. They can consist of the internal parts of animals such as necks, heads, noses, undeveloped eggs, feet, intestines, lungs, spleen and liver. By-products do not need to contain meat to be labled as "meat by-products" on pet food packages. Although by-products are used by many manufacturers, they are very low quality protein that will eventually harm the health of your best friend. Are these ingredients you would knowingly feed your pet?
Food Coloring - Food colorings are still commonly used in pet foods today despite the fact that they are not necessary and some have been linked to medical problems. Your dog does't care about the color of his food or treats. You should understand that any food coloring additives are aimed at you as a consumer, not at optimizing the health of your dog. Any food that contains false color should be suspect.
Animal Fat or Beef Tallow - Hard indigestible fat source, non-specific fat source. Animal fat used in low quality dog food is most often made up of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease (yes, its true), or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans. These fats are sprayed directly onto extruded kibbles and pellets to make an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. Test the food by running it through your hand and feel for any residual grease.
Poultry Fat - A by-product of meat processing. The origin of the contributing animals is never known; the source can be any fowl (turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, etc.) and the resulting oil is very low in linoleic acid -- an essential fatty acid that is important for skin and coat health.
Animal Digest - a material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. Animal digest is a palatability enhancer, which can contain unpredictable parts from animals of unknown origin.
Sweeteners (corn syrup, sugar, cane mallases, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin) are used to improve unappealing food. Do you know of dogs suffering from obesity, bad teeth and breath, out of control blood sugar, diabetes, mood swings? Sugar affects dogs in the same way if affects human beings and has no place in the diet of a dog you love.
Propylene glycol - a toxic substance when consumed in large amounts; added to some "chewy" foods to keep them moist.
Food fragments - Fragments are lower-cost by-products of another food manufacturing process such as wheat flour, and rice flour. Most foods contain at least one fragment as makers attempt to keep the food affordable. Beware of a product that contains several fragments of a single food. Some food makers do this to disguise an excess of a low-value ingredient. Remember, the law dictates that each ingredient is listed separately by weight. So when you see a list of ingredients that begins "lamb, rice flour, rice bran, brewer's rice. . ." you should be aware that there is far more rice in the product than lamb. Flour is a cheap filler
Pentobarbital - from tainted meat sources. This chemical used in euthanizing animals.
Foods to Consider
- Innova Evo - High quality protein compatible with a raw diet
- Innova Regular - High quality protein with vegetables, fruit and whole grain
- Canidae
- Eagle Pack Holistic Select
- Flint River Ranch
- Hund-N-Flocken
- Natural Balance Ultra Premium
- Wellness
- Wysong Maintenance
- Royal Canin
- Nature's Variety
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