Dog Food: What's really in it?

We all see the beautiful pictures on the outside of the bag that show fresh whole meats and whole grains, along with healthy beautiful dogs romping happily on the beach. They advertise that they are complete and balanced foods healthy for your beloved pets. And they are balanced and complete according the basic minimum standards. But do they provide ingredients for optimum health? All dog food manufacturers are required to meet basic AAFCO standards. These are basically what is needed to keep the dog alive. These standards have written definitions of what the food companies are allowed put in the food and list on bag. What they allow would probably shock most people. Unfortunately, you have to practically be a scientist to figure some of it out. But we can all learn to read a label. We can all take the time to read the actual list of ingredients, rather than the clever marketing on the outside of the bag. The bad thing is that if certain preservatives are put in the ingredients before they are bought to make the kibble, they don't have to disclose it to you. For example: most fish meals, contain the human outlawed preservative called Ethoxyquin. Yet that dog food can still be sold as all natural, without disclosing this.  Keeping reading and I will provide some basic information of what to look for and what to avoid.

First of all, the first ingredient should be an identified meat source and if it is a meal, such as chicken meal that is even better. I will explain this a little later. Avoid a food that has a grain as the first ingredient. There are even some vet recommended foods that have corn as the #1 ingredient in the food. Dogs like people need to get their protein from animals. We need all the essential amino acids to be present so our bodies can use the protein. Dogs are the same and animal sources are the very best way to ensure this. Chicken Meal is a concentrated form of chicken. Since most of the water and fat have been removed, it contains much more protein per pound then fresh chicken. Chicken is about 80% water, while chicken meal is only about 10%. When the ingredients for dog foods are calculated, it is before the kibble is cooked. If the number one ingredient is chicken and the second is rice or corn, then when it is cooked, rice or corn actually become the first ingredient. So an identified meat meal (chicken, beef, lamb, etc) source is always the best first ingredient. Avoid any foods that use meat by products or meat by product meal. Meat by products are the parts the dogs would not normally eat alone. If they ate those parts in the wild, it would be along with the good more nutritious parts. Chicken by products can contain, chicken heads, feet and intestines. Some dog food companies will buy this ground up into a meal and that will be the main protein source in the food. Even thought it is a source of protein, it's not the best quality and most digestible for our dogs. If it's an unidentified meat meal or meat by products meal, that food could contain any animal. Avoid any food that has those ingredients.

 I do not like to see corn, wheat or soy in the food I buy. Dogs can develop food sensitivities from these ingredients. I quit giving my Russells food with wheat in it and I have not had an ear infection in years. When I fed a food with it, they had them frequently. I like to see only 1 or 2 whole grain sources in the list.

The fat source should also be identified. Chicken fat is a good source. It has nutrients the dogs need in it and it very digestible for them.

I like to see natural vitamins and chelated (or proteinated) minerals. These are more usable by the dog's system. Whole food sources are the best.

I also like to see probiotics in the foods. Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines. They help regulate digestive upsets. They can help manufacture vitamins and boost the immune system, among the many other things they do. To keep them from being destroyed when kibble is cooked, they should be sprayed on at the end. Prebiotics are a beneficial ingredient also. It is a particular fiber source that feeds the probiotics.

There is so much more to know about dog foods. This is a very basic overview. There are different grades of chicken meal but the dog food companies are not allowed to put on the label what grade they use, so you have to contact them and find out. You have to find a company that you trust really cares about your animals. After doing allot of research, I have been using Life's Abundance Dog food and I am very pleased with the company and the results I am getting from feeding this food. So far, so good!