Pet Food Facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pet Food Facts

Feeding a biologically appropriate diet to your pet will promote overall health.   Benefits can include:

1. Longevity
2. Weight Management
3. Healthy Skin & Coat
4. Disease Prevention
5. Proper Bone and Joint Development

Unfortunately, most brands found in grocery stores and big box stores are truly unfit for a healthy pet.  Foods are filled with processed grain such as corn, wheat, soy, and glutens.  While this might not sound so bad to you,  consider that dogs and cats are carnivores and require meat in their diet. 

What is a Carnivore?  A carnivore, meaning ‘meat eater’ (Latin carne meaning ‘flesh’ and vorare meaning ‘to devour’), is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of vertebrate and/or invertebrate animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore

Read your pet food ingredient labels!  This will give you a clear picture of what your pet is eating.  The first FIVE ingredients are the most important and the first TEN ingredients will tell you everything you need to know.  Ingredients are weighed prior to being cooked and the heaviest ingredients are listed first.

Good Ingredients include:

Chicken, Beef, Salmon, Herring, Duck, Turkey, or any other whole protein source

Chicken Meal, Beef Meal, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal or other high quality meal source

Brown Rice, Barley, Oats, Oatmeal, Quinoa or other whole grain

Fruits, Vegetables, Vitamins and Supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Bad Ingredients include:

Corn

Wheat

Soy

Gluten

Meat (unspecified)

By-products

By-product Meal

Animal Fat (unspecified)

Salt

Sugar

Artificial Colors and Flavors

*Corn, Wheat and Soy are common causes of pet allergies. 

The first two to three ingredients in a pet food should be whole meats or high quality meat meals.  Whole meat followed by a meat meal is the best situation.  Since a whole fresh meat will lose most of its water weight after being cooked, a meat meal will ensure that a good portion of the final weight is derived from meat.

Why are corn and corn derivatives used in commercial foods?  Corn and Corn Gluten Meal have high protein counts.  Many commercial pet foods use corn products to bump up the protein count in pet food to inexpensively meet AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Standards.  As carnivores, dogs and cats do not require corn for protein but high quality MEAT!

So, what do all of these terms mean? 

Click here for AAFCO definitions of pet food ingredients:  http://www.braypets.com/FRR/aafcodef.htm

Interested in knowing how your pet’s food stacks up? 

Visit www.dogfoodanalysis.com and find out!

Can you afford to feed your pet a healthy diet?  Absolutely! 

1.  Since dogs and cats will absorb and digest so much more of a high quality food..less will be fed.  For example, if you are feeding 4 cups of a commercial brand dog food a day you might only need to feed 2 3/4 of a high quality food.

2.  Many holistic/all natural foods have a buy 12 bags and get a 13th bag free program. 

3.  Feeding a high quality food may result in less visits to your vet!!

You can do it!  Canidae is a premium pet food and you can feed a 50lb dog for $.62 a day on Canidae ALS.  Don’t you think your pet is worth it?

Evo Dry Dog Food

California Natural Dry Dog Food

Innova Dry Dog Food

Orijen Dry Food

BIOLOGICALLY APPROPRIATE FOR DOGS OF ALL BREEDS
By nature, all dogs are faculative carnivores–they thrive on a varied diet, rich in meats with smaller amounts of fruits, vegetables and grasses. Sizes (5.5lb, 15.4lb, 29.7lb)

Options (Adult Orijen, Puppy Orijen, Senior Orijen, Adult Large Breed, Large Breed Puppy)

High-protein, low-carbohydrate ORIJEN replicates the same rich and diverse nutrient balance from fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and grasses that your dog would encounter in his natural setting.

Made with the highest inclusions of free-run chicken & turkey, whole eggs and wild-caught freshwater & saltwater fish—all farmed or fished within our region and delivered FRESH each day—ORIJEN is bursting with protein-packed, human-grade meats (min. 70%).

Free of the grains or carbohydrates that are inappropriate for your dog, ORIJEN ADULT DOG delivers a full complement of regional fruits and vegetables—russet potatoes, peas and black currants from prairie farms, red delicious apples and cranberries from the interior orchards, and organic sea vegetables from the cold North Pacific waters.

Caught off North Vancouver Island, our fresh (never frozen, no preservatives) salmon provide a superb, Biologically Appropriate source of Omega-3 (DHA and EPA) that support a vibrant skin and hair coat—your dog’s outer symbol of health and vitality.

Bridging the gap between good nutrition and peak health are ORIJEN’s veterinarian selected botanicals, including dandelion root, sweet fennel and peppermint leaf—all of which mirror the natural instinct to forage for grasses and weeds while serving to nourish and tone the digestive tract.

Made exclusively in our award-winning, family-owned factory, Biologically Appropriate ORIJEN is a natural and delicious way to assure the peak health, vitality and happiness of your dog—no matter what his breed or size.

Natures Variety – Dry Food

• Complete Proteins
• Whole, hearty grains
• No corn, no wheat, no soy
• Exclusive freeze dried raw Bio-Coating®
Specially formulated for rotation feeding
Complete and balanced for all life stages

Natures Variety – Raw Diet

Canidae ALS

RenewLife – Healthy Joints

RenewLife – Skin & Coat

Dry, irritated skin may be caused by many factors, including seasonal weather changes. Symptoms may include hot spots, itchy ears and excessive licking or chewing (of the skin). The natural ingredients in Healthy Skin & Coat™ can help return a natural healthy glow to your dog’s coat.

Key Ingredients:

Flower essence blend with soothing herbs

Includes borage, chamomile and burdock

Promotes healthy skin & a vibrant, healthy coat

Helps with shedding