Why are dog food ingredients lists so hard to figure out? It’s like some secret language. But you need to learn to translate your ingredients in your dog food. If you don’t, you could be feeding your best friend food that prevents optimal health and even causes some health problems down the road.

How in the world are you supposed to figure out what all these ingredients mean? You’ve heard of corn, but what is corn gluten meal? Is it good for your dog? The dog food companies spend lots of money in advertising telling us they are feeding our dogs exactly what they need. But unfortunately, we found out the hard way, with all the pet food recalls, that the pet food companies care more about their bottom line. The good thing that came out of the pet food recalls was that more organic and natural dog food alternatives are now available to us.

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. Look for the chemical preservatives BHA, BHT, or Ethoxyquin. These preservatives have been banned from use in human food as they are linked to kidney and liver damage. However, they are still used in inferior dog foods. Look instead for natural preservatives, like vitamins C and E (ascorbic acid and tocopherols).

3. Since ingredients are listed by weight, a dog food with a lot of one ingredient (especially one that is not a quality ingredient, for example, corn) is allowed to be broken into different parts and listed separately. For example, you might see corn flour, corn bran, and corn gluten meal all listed somewhere in the dog food ingredients list – yet they are all derived from corn. Why not just say corn? Why break them up? Because the weight of the individual components will weigh less, so they can go further down the ingredient list, making them look like they are not a key component of the dog food. Sneaky? Yes. Underhanded? Yes. Legal? Yes.

4. We all want to see a meat listed as a top 2 ingredient. That way we know our dog will get the good protein he needs. But really, you want to see the meal of that meat listed instead. If a meat is listed by itself, then its weight is measured complete with liquid. That makes it very easy to put as a #1 or #2 ingredient. But when the food is actually processed, the liquid is removed, so weight-wise, it might actually fall down to #3 or #4. A meat meal is weighed after the meat has been dehydrated. So you get more of the animal protein and nutrients in the meat meal than you would just the meat.

As confusing at it seems, it will really pay off in your pet’s health and well-being if you can understand the ingredients and what you are actually feeding him. If you figure out your current dog food is nothing but garbage, don’t despair. Just keep looking at the ingredient labels on various foods until you find one that you think is better. The more educated we become in what we are feeding our dogs, the better quality ingredients and natural preservatives will become available. Knowledge is the key.

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There has been a lot of concern over different kinds of dog food. Various recalls and consumer complaints have shown that not all commercially sold dog food are good for dogs. This has led a lot of people to consider giving their pets natural dog food. There are, however, a couple of things to keep in mind when choosing natural food for your dog.

* Understand Your Dog and His Food Needs

The first thing to keep in mind is that there are different forms of natural dog food. Raw and cooked meat and vegetables are usually understood as being natural, but commercially sold natural food is also in this category. Your job is to find out which type most fits the needs of your dog.

Each dog has his unique nutritional requirements, which is usually a result of his specific breed and health condition. When you feed your dog with a different food or you change the way you feed him, you should watch out for any change in his behavior or health condition. You can always obtain the advice from your veterinarian.

* Prepare Your Dog’s Food

Many dog owners feel that they should be the ones preparing natural dog food for their pets. Again, this is only a good idea if you are fully aware of what exactly your dog needs and in what quantity. Some may serve raw meat while others feel that cooking meat and vegetables is a better idea. Heating and cooking can help destroy harmful bacteria that may have found their way into food.

You should also take note that not all human foods are good for dogs. Chocolates, raisins, mushrooms, onions and raisins, for example, may be dangerous or toxic to dogs. List what foods are toxic to dogs and avoid them. If you are not prepared to cook for your pet, then it is safest to go for commercial brands of natural dog food.

* Check What is On the Labels

Just like what you do with human food, you should always check what is on the lable when you purchase dog food. As a general rule, natural dog food should not have such ingredients as wheat and corn fillers, artificial coloring and flavoring, animal and plant by-products, as well as artificial preservatives. Many of dog’s behavioral changes and health problems, such as gastrointestinal problem and malnutrion, can be attributed to these synthetic ingredients.

* Find Proteins and Nutrients for Your Dog

Dogs were built to be carnivorous so the bulk of their diet should remain protein-rich. The protein sources however should never be low-grade meat by-products. Your dog should be fed high quality lean meat and poultry.

Vitamins and minerals are another set of important nutrients that should not miss from natural dog food. You may either buy food with fortified nutrients, or you may feed your pet with squash, beans and peas, which are rich in both vitamins and minerals.

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Having a dog is real blessing for most people. Its so lovely to have a dog around and we usually wish that our dogs could be with us for much longer than what is the common rule. Most dogs only live a little bit over 10 years. Knowing this it might be a bit shocking to hear that scientists suggest that dogs could become up to 35 years old.

This naturally makes us understand that there must be a lot of things that we could do differently and that would have the ability to prolong the life expectancy of our dogs. Theres not one single thing that does this but more a combination of factors that is good for your dogs health.

One factor that definitely has a great impact on your dogs health is the food youre feeding it. Most of the dog food brands that we find on the market has an extremely low nutritional value and can in many cases even be bad for your dog. It is a good idea to look for other alternatives and they do not even need to cost much more than the regular dog food at the supermarket.

People that does make the switch from the poorest kinds of dog foods to better types of food that is natural and with better nutritional value often notice a remarkable change in the dogs overall health. They tend to have more energy in a balanced way, the coating becomes shinier and the teeth are healthier.

Since our bodies are built from the food were eating this means that good dog food with high nutritional value means a dog that has a stronger health. We know that eating junk food isnt good for us; then why would we want to feed our best friend something that is even worse than that?

If you want to make the switch and know that youre dog is eating good dog food you might want to start cook for your dog yourself. This is a very good option and can be both cheap and easy. What is important to keep in mind though is that there are some ingredients that humans can eat that can be harmful and poisonous for your dog. You also want to make sure that the food youre making contains good proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrates as well as vitamins and minerals.

To give your dog food that that actually is healthy and nutritious youre doing something that will enhance the life of it. This, together with a lot of other aspects that also helps to maintain food health in your dog will make sure that you can live a long and happy time together.

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What you don’t know could be bad for your dog, causing illness and even death. Most of us don’t pay a lot of attention to what we feed our pets, trusting manufacturer labeling to be accurate and regulations to be followed. The truth is that there really aren’t very many rules about what can and can’t go into dog food.

Not Fit To Eat

Dog food can contain a lot of things we wouldn’t be happy about eating, including bones, nervous tissue, organs, skin, ligaments, hair and meat from animals with diseases. The bodies of euthanized pets and zoo animals have been used, too.

Most of even the good meat that ends up in dog and cat food is heavily processed, removing any nutritive value it once had. Ingredients like poultry broth, animal meal, and other nonspecific foods are unappealing and bad for our pets.

Animal meals are what’s left after all the meat and fat have been processed out of a carcass – any carcass at all. The remainder is ground and dried, producing a “meal” that’s similar in texture to ground grains. The broths in dog food are similarly unpleasant, made up of processed carcasses from all kinds of animals, in all kinds of condition.

It’s Not Illegal!

Unfortunately, none of the disgusting or unhealthy ingredients in dog food are illegal. While we have reasonably strict rules about what can be part of human food and those laws are well enforced, pets don’t have that protection. Rules about pet food ingredients are much looser and more poorly enforced.

This means that just about anything might turn up in your dog’s food, with labeling meaning little. Even the words “healthy and balanced” mean only that there’s a particular ratio of protein and fat, as well as some added vitamins and minerals.

Toxic Additives

All of us have probably heard about the recent recalls due to melamine contamination. What you might not know is that this isn’t the only additive in pet food that might cause illness or death. There are a number of preservatives used in pet food that cause real problems in humans who work with them, and could cause liver and kidney failure or cancer in your dog over time.

Not Only Cheap Brands

Unfortunately, it’s not just the cheap brands that are causing the problem. High end and organic foods are also poorly regulated. They might be higher quality, but there’s no good way to tell what ingredients they’re using. That can make it extremely hard to find foods that are appropriate for your dog, since even those recommended by the vet could be dangerous.

Solutions

There are a number of things you can do to protect your dog. First, learn to read the label – ingredients higher on the label are in larger percentages. That means you should look for named meats instead of generic terms, broths or meals.

You should also learn which additives and preservatives are safe and which ones are dangerous. Avoid foods with too many grains, since they tend to be bad for your pet in the long run. You can also find a number of quality recipes out there to help you create nutritious diets for your dog. Just make sure you do something!

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A pet dog can be a lot of fun and rewarding. However, much care and attention must also be put on your pet. There are a lot of grounds to cover when caring for your dog. Much must be considered when thinking on how to best care for your dog.

Like humans, a dog’s diet is very important. It is important to understand what type of nutrients and vitamins are best for your dog. Choosing the right dog food starts with knowing what you are looking for in dog food. Dog food is made specifically for dogs and it is best to know which brands carry the essentials for your specific dog.

Creating your own dog food is starting to become a trend. However, if you plan to chose this route it is important to get the advice of a professional when creating your own dog food. Ask your local vet about making a special dog food diet for your pet.

If you ever visited pet smart or your local pet food store, you’ll know that there are many varieties of dog food to choose from. It can sometimes be overwhelming to the point where you will just choose any from the bunch. However a little research can go a long way on determining which dog food to choose.

The varieties are endless. Dog food may come in dry, wet, mixer, homemade, and fresh food. There are many specific types of dog food as well.

Some specific needs dog food include allergy reducing, weight management, and diabetic dog food.

Dogs are allergic to food just like humans are and it is important for you to know if and what food allergies your dog has. Since you are the one feeding your dog, it is up to you to make sure he doesn’t eat it mistakenly.

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