Dog Food

What are we feeding our pet??

In a world of Dog food recalls we all have to wonder,  "What dog food is best for our dogs?" I have included the following information to help everyone make educated decisions on their pets nutrition. 

I fell into the dog food dilemma and after much research found that feeding my dogs a holistic diet was better for my dogs health and saved me money. I want what is best for my dogs but I also want to be reasonable about the expense involved. I don't eat filet mignon every night so obviously my dogs cant either.

I think you will find the following information very helpful

How to read dog food labels

• Locate the first fat source on the label. animal fat, chicken fat, turkey fat, etc ( animal fat is vague. It does not tell you the source. Animal fat can include the 5 D animals. Dead diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter.)

• The ingredients located prior to the first fat source generally make up the majority of the food, the first ingredient 

• All ingredients are required to be listed in order of predominance by weight.

• The ingredients after the fat are important as well:

•  soy flour, sugar, phosphoric acid, sugar, sorbitol, "animal digest" and colorings are all BAD! These ingredients are considered eye candy to make the food look nicer for humans and more palatable for dogs. Just because they like it does not mean it is good for them. My kids love sweets but they do not get them for diner. 

Definition of commercial dog food ingredients?

THE GRAIN
Virtually all artificial diets are heavily based on grains and cereals. But dogs are not cows. A dog has the large stomach and short straight digestive tract required to digest meat. A cow has several small stomachs and the long winding digestive tract required to digest fibrous grain. The two are not interchangeable!

Even worse, many dogs are allergic to corn and soybean and wheat. They develop chronic digestive problems (loose stools, spitting up, gassiness) or itchy skin. You'll see them licking their feet or rubbing their face against the carpet. You might never think to associate these problems with the grain in your dog's diet, but that is often the case

Finally, the quality of this grain is suspect. 

The good grain is reserved  for the human market. 

What goes into the pet food bin is deemed unfit for human 

consumption. Mold, rancidity, contaminants 

The grain included in a lot of commercial pet food is not whole grain, but grains not considered fit for human consumption, the sweepings from farm silos. It can include disinfectants, metals and fungus. Grains that are condemned for human consumption by the USDA due to chemical residue may legally be used, without limitation, in pet food.


THE MEAT
By-product meals:

The "by-products" -- a catch-all term, made up mainly of parts of the animal that are left over after the meat is removed for human consumption. These parts include: intestines, feet, heads, etc., which are ground together and rendered. 

Chicken by-products are cheap and generally less digestible than the muscle meat we eat.

Another source of meat that isn't mentioned on pet food labels is pet byproducts, the bodies of dogs and cats. In 1990 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that euthanized companion animals were found in pet foods. Although pet food company executives and the National Renderers Association vehemently denied the report, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the FDA confirmed the story. The pets serve a viable purpose by providing foodstuff for the animal feed chain, said Lea McGovern, chief of the FDA's animal feed safety branch. Because of the sheer volume of animals rendered and the similarity in protein content between poultry byproducts and processed dogs and cats, rendering plant workers say it would be impossible for purchasers to know the exact contents of what they buy. In fact, Sacramento Rendering cited by inspectors five times in the past two years for product-labeling violations.

Animal Fat:

Processing does not remove heavy chemicals, like sodium pentobarbital that is used to euthanize animals.

THE GREASY FAT
Many dogs gobble up their kibble, because it's sprayed with greasy fat to make it smell yummy. 

           "The relish with which a dog eats doesn't indicate whether

                           something is "good" for him."

The most common pet food preservatives are:

• Ethoxyquin -- which is actually manufactured by the giant chemical corporation Monsanto as a rubber preservative. The containers are marked POISON. The Department of Agriculture lists it as a pesticide. OSHA lists it as a hazardous chemical.
• BHA and BHT -- both of which cause liver and kidney dysfunction, and bladder and stomach cancer.

These chemicals are all banned in Europe.

Most pet foods list these preservatives right on the bag or can, but even when it doesn't say so, it's usually in there, anyway

A legal loophole allows manufacturers to only list what THEY themselves put into the bag. Some buy their ingredients from a supplier who has already added the chemical to those ingredients, the pet food company does not have to disclose that information on the bag.

Every day, pets are taken to the vet by unsuspecting owners for ailments including:

• itching
• hot spots
• dandruff
• excessive shedding
• foot-licking
• face-rubbing
• loose stools
• gassiness

The best dog foods:

• contain pure meat as the TOP ingredients
• contain MINIMAL grain (preferably brown rice) and NO corn or soybeans (difficult to digest and cause allergies in many dogs)
• contain NO "by-products" or "animal digest" whatsoever
• contain NO artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin)
• contain NO "fillers" such as rice flour, or brewer's rice

Some quality dog foods to chose from are:

HOLISTIC DOG FOODS ARE BETTER

• Solid Gold

• Wellness

• Canidae

• Nutro Ultra

• Merrick

Holistic food expense:

Some of you may be saying, "This food is much more expensive."  What the majority of pet owners fail to understand is that by feeding an all natural & holistic food to their dog they will actually be saving money in the long run. You feed much less food (20% to 40%) You feed less because the food is all natural with no fillers and by-products.

Second, there are enormous savings to be made by not having all those vet visits and harmful medications to fix your pets' allergies (the #1 reason why pets are seen in the vet's office) and immune disorders (which can lead to chronic and serious conditions that require careful treatment.)

YOUR PET WILL LIVE A HEALTHIER LONGER LIFE!!!

Home-Prepared diet:

I have had many emails about feeding home prepared diets and have decided to address this here. I believe a home-prepared diet is probably the best way to go as long as your pet is getting all the required vitamins it needs. I strongly caution anyone who is considering this option to do a lot of research and ask a veterinarian. I found a link that might be helpful to anyone considering this path, click below.

Canine owners share their home-cooked dog food recipes

At this time Tian Mi feeds Wellness small breed & Merrick Wilderness blend. After trying several diets these are the ones our dogs seem to respond to the best. Some day when I retire and my homeschooled children leave the nest I will have more time to feed a Home-prepared diet. Until then, these suit our needs.

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