Understanding dog food labels and using that information wisely can make the difference between choosing a good quality dog food or settling for a dud.
MAIN RULES TO FOLLOW:
1. 1st Ingredient must be a Specific Meat.
2. NO Wheat, Corn or Soy. Preferably No Grain at All.
2. No Mystery Meat (Unidentified “meat”)
4. No Unnatural dye
How to Really Read Dog Food Labels:
Dog food packaging usually includes three sets of information: the front panel, the guaranteed analysis, and the list of ingredients.
A typical guaranteed analysis provides information about crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, and moisture. You will sometimes see guarantees for other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, omega fatty acids, or glucosamine. Knowing these other nutrient guarantees can help you compare foods or find a food that meets your dog’s specific needs. The guaranteed analysis, however, does not address the quality or digestibility of the ingredients. To get a sense of the quality of the food, you need to look at the list of ingredients. In the United States ingredients are listed in order based on weight, so items at the top of the list are the main ingredients. A good-quality dog food will have meat listed as the first ingredient.
Another way that ingredient lists can be deceptive is through the practice of “splitting.” If an ingredient list read “Rice, meat, etc.” you would know immediately that there is more rice than meat in the food. However, if the rice content is split into several ingredients, the company can legitimately list meat as the top ingredient, thus: “Meat, ground rice, rice flour, rice bran, etc.” When added together, these grains may actually be present at levels that are higher than the meat.
Other items to note when reading the ingredient list: food dyes, flavorings, and preservatives.
Both canned and dry dog foods are designed to provide a complete and balanced diet for your dog. One 421mL can (13 oz) of dog food has approximately the same caloric content as 1 cup of kibble. Canned dog food must contain about 80 percent water to allow for proper canning, so you will often find water or broth as the second or third ingredient on a can of food. The process of canning preserves the food, so there is no need to have preservatives in canned dog food. However, the high moisture content in canned food also means you are feeding (and paying for) a lot of water. When choosing a dog food, look for one that has a whole meat listed as its first ingredient (e.g. deboned chicken) to ensure adequate protein levels.
Coloring is there to make the product more marketable to you—the dog owner. Choose foods that do not have a lot of dye in them.
Dog foods, like people foods, will spoil over time. To prevent this, preservatives are added to kibble to allow for a longer shelf life. BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are synthetic preservatives and vitamin E (tocopherol), and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are natural preservatives. Multiple studies have shown that consumption of preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are not associated with cancer. In fact, some studies have indicated that they may, in fact, be protective against cancer. However, there has been concern that some dogs may develop allergies to synthetic preservatives. If you are concerned about your dog consuming synthetic preservatives, choose foods that have been preserved with vitamin E or C.
If you are choosing to feed a commercial dog food, one of the best ways to improve your dog’s health and well-being is to feed an appropriate amount of a good-quality dog food. With a good diet, your dog will live a longer, healthier life.
Here are two dog foods we stand behind. There are other good ones out there, but many more aweful ones so be aware and make smart decisions with what you feed your Fred!
ORIJEN DOG FOODS
BY NATURE, DOGS OF ALL BREEDS AND SIZES ARE EVOLVED AS CARNIVORES — BIOLOGICALLY ADAPTED FOR A DIET RICH AND VARIED IN FRESH MEATS, WITH SMALLER AMOUNTS OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND GRASSES.
Formulated to match your dog’s natural diet, ORIJEN ADULT is loaded with the protein-packed meat ingredients (80%) that Mother Nature intended all dogs to eat — including free-run chicken and turkey, whole eggs and wild-caught fish that are farmed or fished within their region of Canada by people we know and trust.
SOJOS NATURAL DOG FOOD
Simply water to one of their natural pet food mixes and you have a fresh, homemade pet food in minutes. Some mixes require the addition of a protein.
Sojos foods offer the superior nutrition of naturally- occurring vitamins, minerals and enzymes that you cannot get from a cooked, processed food. No preservatives. Nothing artificial. Just natural, human-quality ingredients.
MORE QUESTIONS?
GIVE US A CALL @ DAWGDOM
518.306.6600
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