The Things You NEVER Want to See on Your Dog Food Label...

"Nutrition plays an extremely important role in your dog's overall health and life span, just as it does with humans. What all living, breathing beings eat, matters. The trick is figuring out exactly what you are feeding your dog when you look at a pet food label!"

For many dog and cat owners, the continuing problem of widespread pet food recalls is cause for concern.

And I certainly agree the deadly contaminants turning up in commercial pet food formulas present a significant, immediate danger to your dog's health.

But it is my belief the substandard ingredients found in the majority of affordable pet foods present an important, if longer-term threat to your beloved dog's health as well.

It takes research and practice to make sense of pet food nutrition labels. Whether or not it's deliberate, pet food companies seem to go out of their way to make ingredient labels confusing and even misleading.

a Few Things You DON'T

  • Meat by-products, digest. Meat by-products, especially those not specified as a certain kind of meat (chicken, beef, turkey, etc.), contain unsavory ingredients ground into the mix during processing like beaks, feathers, feet, hooves, hair, entrails – even tumors. The exception would be by-products derived from human grade organ meats like liver and kidney.
  • Poor quality, incomplete proteins. These include corn gluten meal, wheat gluten meal, rice protein concentrate and soy protein.
  • Formulas containing corn or soy. Corn is a cheap filler ingredient with no nutritional value. It is also a known allergenic. Soy is estrogenic and can wreak havoc on your dog's endocrine system.
  • BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, propyl gallate. These are all artificial preservatives. Ethoxyquin is banned from use in human foods, but is used to preserve the fish meal found in many pet food formulas. You won't find it on your pet food label because it is added before the fish meal arrives at the manufacturing facility. When considering dog foods containing fish, look for written manufacturer assurance on the label or web site that the fish meal does not contain ethoxyquin. Otherwise, assume that it does or contact the manufacturer directly to inquire.

Look for foods preserved with vitamins C and E, also called tocopherols.

  • Artificial colors, flavors, sugars, sweeteners or propylene glycol.

How to Avoid Contaminated and Poor Quality Pet Food

The very best nutrition you can feed your dog won't be found in a bag or can of processed food.

As I discussed in 13 Pet Foods – Ranked from Great to Disastrous, your best bet is to feed your dog a balanced, raw, species-appropriate, homemade diet. It's really the only way to exercise complete control over what your pup eats.

If you're tired of worrying about the next pet food recall and sick of trying to understand confusing pet food labels, maybe it's time to consider making your dog's meals from scratch right in your own kitchen. 

(It's easier and healthier than you think. LF)

Read the entire article:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/03...

Visit our Food Group Here:

http://www.doodlerescuecollective.com/group/whatsfordinner


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