Why do you need to understand your dog food ingredients label? Because what you don't know about what is in your pet's food could actually be harming your beloved dog! You think you are feeding your dog food for optimal health, when in fact, you might be poisoning him.
Sometimes is seems like you need a degree to figure out all the ingredients in your dog food. What do all these terms mean? The dog food companies basically tell you not to worry about it - they will take care of your beloved pet. But consumers got a terrible wake-call with the massive pet food recalls over the last few years. They may know what is best for our dogs, but that is not what they are giving us. Thankfully, more organic and all-natural pet foods have been springing up, giving us healthier dog food choices.
What you need to do is learn how to compare your dog food to other brands. There are a couple of tips to help in deciphering the dog food ingredients label:
1. The first 5 - 10 ingredients listed are the majority of the food. If they are not quality ingredients, it is not a quality pet food.
2. BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin are BAD preservatives, linked to liver and kidney damage. If your dog food uses them, you could be poisoning your dog. Look for natural preservatives, such as Vitamin E (tocopherols) and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
3. When looking at your ingredients, be aware of multiple ingredients in the same "family", corn for example. You may look and see ingredient #4 is corn bran, #7 is corn flour, and #8 is corn gluten meal. This makes the corn look like it is less of a major ingredient. But if you added the weights of #4, #7, and #8 together and called it corn, it could jump up to the #2, maybe even #1 spot. Is it legal? Totally. Is it sneaky? Definitely.
4. It makes sense that a quality dog food will have a meat listed in the first 2 ingredients. But you really want to see a meat meal. The meat meal is the same as meat, but most of the moisture/liquid has been removed first. Therefore an ounce of meat weighs more than an ounce of meat meal (and is higher in the ingredient list), but there are more nutrients and protein in an ounce of meat meal than an ounce of meat. But when the dog food gets processed, the meat is first dehydrated. So you would be getting less of the actual meat if meat is listed instead of meat meal. Very confusing!
So you really do need to read and understand your dog food ingredients label to figure out your dog food. You might be surprised to find out your current food is garbage, or that it is a fantastic food for your beloved pet. Whatever you do, though, don't look at the dog food packaging. Instead, look at the actual ingredients label. The bag may say it is made with fresh chicken and vegetables, but a look at the ingredients list will tell you the truth.
Sometimes is seems like you need a degree to figure out all the ingredients in your dog food. What do all these terms mean? The dog food companies basically tell you not to worry about it - they will take care of your beloved pet. But consumers got a terrible wake-call with the massive pet food recalls over the last few years. They may know what is best for our dogs, but that is not what they are giving us. Thankfully, more organic and all-natural pet foods have been springing up, giving us healthier dog food choices.
What you need to do is learn how to compare your dog food to other brands. There are a couple of tips to help in deciphering the dog food ingredients label:
1. The first 5 - 10 ingredients listed are the majority of the food. If they are not quality ingredients, it is not a quality pet food.
2. BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin are BAD preservatives, linked to liver and kidney damage. If your dog food uses them, you could be poisoning your dog. Look for natural preservatives, such as Vitamin E (tocopherols) and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
3. When looking at your ingredients, be aware of multiple ingredients in the same "family", corn for example. You may look and see ingredient #4 is corn bran, #7 is corn flour, and #8 is corn gluten meal. This makes the corn look like it is less of a major ingredient. But if you added the weights of #4, #7, and #8 together and called it corn, it could jump up to the #2, maybe even #1 spot. Is it legal? Totally. Is it sneaky? Definitely.
4. It makes sense that a quality dog food will have a meat listed in the first 2 ingredients. But you really want to see a meat meal. The meat meal is the same as meat, but most of the moisture/liquid has been removed first. Therefore an ounce of meat weighs more than an ounce of meat meal (and is higher in the ingredient list), but there are more nutrients and protein in an ounce of meat meal than an ounce of meat. But when the dog food gets processed, the meat is first dehydrated. So you would be getting less of the actual meat if meat is listed instead of meat meal. Very confusing!
So you really do need to read and understand your dog food ingredients label to figure out your dog food. You might be surprised to find out your current food is garbage, or that it is a fantastic food for your beloved pet. Whatever you do, though, don't look at the dog food packaging. Instead, look at the actual ingredients label. The bag may say it is made with fresh chicken and vegetables, but a look at the ingredients list will tell you the truth.
About the Author:
Keep your dog healthy and happy by learning how to decipher your dog food ingredients list. Check out the Healthy Dog Food blog to learn more about the ingredients used and how to find the healthiest dog food for your dog to stay in good health, naturally.
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