Dog Food ~ Decoding Fact from Fiction

     The great dog food debate- the good the bad and the ugly. How does one choose? If you follow your television you may believe that the companies that advertise on there have foods full of tasty meat and chock full of great vitamins and minerals, but is it true? Not so much. In the world of dog food it is buyers beware, yet the average person picking up a supermarket brand of dog food is unaware of the hazard. This does not make them bad owners they are simply uninformed owners. Who knew you needed to research dog food more diligently than your own food?

     While it is true many dogs have lived out full life spans on Ol' Roy or a similar low-quality kibble for years, it does not mean it is the best choice. It would be like you going out to eat at your local McDonalds daily. You wouldn't eat junk food on a daily basis and neither should your pet either.

     Better quality foods are highly digestible which means there is less waste to come out! Poor quality pet foods contain fillers, like corn. It makes your dog feel full but is highly indigestible. Feeding a premium food means that your dog will eat less, IAMS suggest that you feed a 25 lbs dog 4 cups of kibble. On a holistic brand like Solid Gold, you are likely to feed 1.5 cups or less! Holistic brands cost more but last longer than any supermarket brand. Since your pet is healthier by feeding a premium brand, it also means fewer visits to the vet.

Veterinarians and the Pet Food Industry~

     Veterinarians and nutrition is a touchy subject for many. I love my vet. She is great, when it comes to the overall well being of my dog. When it comes to nutrition, I respect her, but I do not want her suggestions. When I go to my doctor, and I have a nutrition based problem I see a specialist. The same is true in the animal world. While some vets can specialize in certain areas like nutrition, which require hours of research and practical work the average vet has 3-5 hours of nutrition studies per semester. A drop in the bucket in comparison to the countless hours studied on the medical health of animals. While I will not take the statistics offered from vet schools without a grain of salt, a typical veterinary medical student spends about 4,000 hours in classroom, laboratory, and clinical study. That's a lot of education, and without specializing, very little of it is on food. So why do so many people exclusively trust their vet's opinion? They are professionals and are devoted to the care of our pets but are sorely lacking when it comes to a pet's diet.

     Without doing your own research you honestly would not know what is in the food you feed your precious cat or dog. Also, they get kickbacks in selling food whether it be IAMS, Science Diet or Hill's Veterinary Formula (made by Science Diet). Charles Danten was a veterinarian in Montreal for 20 years. Now he's a journalist who writes about the ethics of his former profession. He told Marketplace that the mark up on premium pet food accounted for as much as 20 per cent of his income. Unless your pet has a serious problem that is untreatable in any other form, there is no reason to use Hill's. For short term problems there are benefits, but it has a large price tag for the daily feeding of mediocre ingredients for the life span of your pet. If you understand the animal's problem, you can often find a better food that will also help your pet. Every vet diet I have looked at contains mediocre to bad ingredients. Some have reasons for working like the K/O kangaroo and Oatmeal from Eukanuba's Vet line (most dogs have never been exposed to kangaroo and can not be allergic to something they have never been in contact with) and others like the gastro formulas are just a load of bad ingredients that do not seem to have any calming properties. There is little reason for a dog to be on any vet formula for life. With some care and research you can find better foods that will also do the same job if not a better one without a prescription. It does not matter which brand a vet pushes, Hill's, Medi-cal or Eukanuba's veterinary diets. They all have a similar jumble of less than desirable ingredients.

Where to Find Better Food Choices~

     Ingredients, ingredients, ingredients. While you may not read the label on the box of chocolate chip cookies you buy for yourself, it is imperative you do read the ingredients on what you feed your pet. Just because the bag is pretty and says on it "formulated by a vet" or "now with extra meat" it does not mean it is actually good. Good food does not come from the supermarket, or big chains like Wal-Mart, and often not from large pet store chains. The big chain stores for pets are wising up, and they realize people are getting better informed. I have found great holistic brands along side poor quality brands that make me want to choke; the selection is often not so great. Feed stores are your friend. Many carry only great foods and have knowledgeable employees that can help you wade through the ever expanding world of dog food and its jargon. This does not mean that every employee working in a feed store is helpful mind you. If you go in armed with knowledge you can figure out either on your own or with some help what it is you need for Fluffy or Fido. Also, please keep in mind that not every food works with every dog. You may not even realize that the food is not perfect until you find the one that is. When you do though, and get less stool, and firmer stool, you will be cheering so loudly the neighbours may be calling Bellevue for you. So just because the first better food you tried is not working perfectly it is no reason to get discouraged and discount all better quality foods because of it. It simply takes a little time. I should also add that no matter what you choose to feed, you should read the label from time to time. Ingredients may change a little or vary the order in which they are listed. For a sensitive dog, you may see some negative effects when you did not purposely change food on your pet. Manufacturers do not have to inform you of a change, although many do when making a significant one. Just something to think about once in a while.

Allergens: Environmental and Food~

     Allergies in dogs are becoming more and more common these days. On your own without allergy testing you will not know if it is environmental or if it is the food. Even if you do allergy test and pinpoint environmental allergies some of them are near impossible to deal with alone like grass. Your dog may end up needing allergy shots to control it if it is that severe. In some cases it is not an allergy it is an intolerance, but that will not make your pet any less uncomfortable.3 The easiest thing to start with is eliminating the most common sources of allergies in food. Wheat, corn, soy, chicken, and beef are fairly common allergy causing foods. There are others, and any dog could be allergic to preservatives in food or something far less common. If you start by looking for a food without the main causes of allergies you may find you cured your problem on your own. A dog can not be allergic to something they have never been exposed to, so if you choose a food with a more obscure meat like bison, or a fish along with a grain like oatmeal you may find that your furry friend eases down on itching and paw nibbling without major intervention. Keep in mind that food based allergies can take up to 6 months to disappear from a dogs system, even after no longer coming in contact with the allergen or intolerance. In part it may be a waiting game, along with the possibility of environmental allergens. You may be able to minimize some of the problems with a better food though which is a great step in the right direction.

What is Really in the Dog Food Bag?~

     What does that dog food label really mean? Your dog is a carnivore. Ideally you want a food that is high in meat and low in filler. Foods like Science diet that start with corn indicate you paid for mainly indigestible filler in a pretty coloured bag. You want a meat source, and even better if it is meal though it is not required. Meal is meat without water weight, so there is more meat being accounted for. Many good foods have more than once source of meat though so do not fret. A couple of meat sources at the top of a label meal or not is an excellent start. You also want to be able to identify them. Poultry is bad, it could be who knows what, versus chicken or turkey is just fine. By-products can be a touchy subject with some people. They are not just the internal organs of the animal in question. I only know of one dog food off hand that clarifies that they are using just the internal organs. While an animal in the wild would eat most everything, by-products in dog food are mighty scary. In the wild the dog would be able to eat the whole animal- organs and the meat. In "say a 40 pound bag of dog food of which the 20% animal protein included consists of only chicken feet, heads, bones and feathers and maybe some livers and hearts. If at all, because chicken livers and other organ meats are used separately as pet food ingredients or also sold for human consumption. Have a look around at the pet store some time and see how many treats and canned foods made with chicken liver."4

     So you end up with a bag of dog food that is mainly the left over garbage that had no where else to go. Your dog is not getting the usable meat they would in the wild along with the extras such as organs.

     The way things are worded for definitions by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) http://www.aafco.org/ can be very sneaky. Read the definitions of what ingredients are and "ask yourself why something is worded in just that specific way. Words and phrases that are present in the definition of one item, but absent in another do tell a lot about what could or could not be in a product."5 If you do not understand what something is, it is often something you wish to avoid. Unspecific ingredients such as animal fat are pretty frightening. It could be derived from the 4 Ds of the slaughter industry- dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter and could be part of a cow or road kill from how the AAFCO definition is written. It truly bothers me to know that "companion animals from clinics, pounds, and shelters can and are being rendered and used as sources of protein in pet food. Poorer quality grains that are being reused from human industry are also common and low in nutritional value. Lastly, just because something is a meal does not make it good. There are many that may be in poor quality foods including meat and bone meal- which is all made from parts that can not be used for human consumption, corn gluten meal which has some protein but not enough to be anywhere near a top ingredient along with as many as 10 other really poor quality meal choices. Just use common sense. If it sounds mysterious, or it is unspecific, walk away. This site tells you the AAFCO definitions and a little people perspective on all the worst ingredients in pet food if you would like more specific education on what pet food can be. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

Written by Laura Presley - Property of www.IHeartPaws.com not to be reproduced without written consent
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