Why should one feed the dog with dry food? Is dry food unhealthy? How can you define good dry food for dogs? Is dry food feeding well for your dog? Can you feed your dog with dry food all the time? What dry dog food is the best?
Let’s answer these questions one by one. Today I would like to help you to figure out how dry food is produced, acceptable or not feeding your dog with dry food all the time. Also we will try to clear up how you can choose the suitable for your dog dry food from all variety shown at stores.
All of us want to be healthy, that’s why we consciously won’t eat anything harmful or causing pain. Human want to know and understand what he and members of his family eat.
It is well known that advertisement is just advertisement. It doesn’t consist any specific information, it is only aimed to motive a man to buy.
The most important information is written in small print, as a rule. Its sense can be often understood only by a specialist, even if it is readable.
Dog Chewing Toy with Healthy Dog Food Inside
How you can choose good dry dog food
Colourful pictures of juicy meat, cereal and vegetables are often shown in ads, they say that this food is the best dry dog food of premium quality.
In the shop window all kinds of dry dog food look same good. But it is only for the first sight!
A dog getting to our home becomes a member of our family. That’s why dry dog food should be selected as consciously, as we select food for ourselves. This article will be useful for that who is critical in choosing dry dog food and wants to get the best dry food for dogs, indeed.
Good dry dog food is:
- Meat (the word “meat” must be written on the label, not “meat and animal origin by-products”); there also must be defined a sort of meat, chicken or ground chicken, for example;
- Little bowels;
- Max 50% (25-30% would be better) of cereals and/or vegetables (carbohydrates and fibers);
- Long list of vitamins and minerals;
- Natural preservatives (antioxidants), these are substances that keep fat in dry food. Fat is such vitamins like E and C, for example, and herb oils, in addition.
Dry dog food mustn’t contain:
- low grade proteins, such ambiguous as by-products or minced beef skin;
- chemical preservatives or antioxidants (Ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT, Propylgallate);
- dyestuff;
- sugar, caramel;
- empty stuff, like nutshell or целлюлоза. This stuff is used by producers to increase food weight for economizing. In fact, these products cause the feeling of satiety, but there is no health for organism in them. But digestion problems can be caused by them easily.
Interactive Large Dog Feeder
The main reasons of dog illness caused by wrong feeding are chemicals and low quality by-products in dog food.
1. Chemicals.
Synthetic antioxidants Е320 and Е321 can cause hepatic injury, maldevelopment, metabolic stress and also cancer. While laboratory tests animals’ allergenic reactions and brain disorders were discovered.
For example:
Ethoxyquin synthetic antioxidants produced by Monsanto company, USA (producer of different chemicals, pesticides, doubtable sugar substitute product Aspartam and soy grown due to gene manipulation) originally created to improve rubber durability is used as a means to avoid brown spots on apples and pears. Ethoxyquin is valued at 3 according to the toxicity class from 1 to 6 (6 is especially toxic). Ethoxyquin causes slow melancholy, convulsions, sometimes coma, death, also dermatic neuroses and hepatic injury. Ethoxyquin using in human food is forbidden in Europe, as this substance is toxic while breathing in, skin contact and if ingested. Ethoxyquina using in dog food is permitted in small quantities. As liposoluble substance Ethoxyquin is settled in fat pads and liver.
2. By-products
Dog food production is not regulated by food production for people law. That’s why a producer is not obliged to put a full list of food components at on packet.
According to The Animal Feed Regulations fur-bearing animals’ carcasses, hooves, feathers, horns and fur can be indicated as by-products. Used in low-qualitative slaughterhouse by-products contain glands’ discharges and hormones (from caul).
Also blood, guts and even urina meet the definition of by-products.
Of course, not all by-products are bad; good for animal feeding bowels are also related to by-products.
Here I would like to point out once more, that company producing high quality dog food will not hide truth under unclear “animal or herb by-products”, but will openly specify, what ingredients are spoken of. For example: “chicken, liver, heart (or bowels), corn etc.”. That’s why you should find a producer “without by-products”.
Some producers answer to questions arose about by-products they use: “We use heart, liver and kidneys”.
One of the dog food producers of the “Premium” class uses cleaned chicken guts according to their own testimonials and indicates them as by-products. In this case guts are the source of protein, not meat. Also urina takes place in animal food producing. Why? Because salt taste leads to better food perception, and salt adding isn’t necessary. A producer doesn’t indicate salt adding at the label that effects positively on a customer.
Dog Treat Dispensing Toy for Supplemental Feeding
Pay your attention at voidings quantity (see when your dog’s gone to the toilet). Quantity of excrements shouldn’t exceed 25% of what it’s eaten. The more the dog leaves in a toilet, the lower quality of eaten food.
Also pay your attention at a dosage recommended by the producer. The more daily portion, the lower quality of the food.
Explanation of some dry dog food label legends:
- Brown or unpolished rice – outer cover removed.
- Brewer’s rice is odds and ends in bear and schnapps producing.
- Soy flour is soya bean oil by-products. It is rich in proteins. But it may cause allergenic reactions of some dogs.
- Gramineous are valueless cereals producing remains.
- Cellulose is indigestible stomach filler without any nutritive value. An animal feels sated quickly getting no nourishment at the same time. As fiber supplier it is also in doubt, as it often leads to stomach problems. Nutshell or velour grasses are also called cellulose.
- Peanut shell is also indigestible filler.
- Yeast is highly-nourishing substance, valuable source of vitamin B complex.
- Dry sea weed is natural source of many minerals and vital micro-elements.
Dog Treat Toy for Puppies
What are preservatives and antioxidants needed for? They preserve oil rancidity. Е320, Е321, Propylgallat and Ethoxyquin are bad. They are liposoluble and harmful in great numbers.
There is a problem with preservatives. Producers make use of that not all of us, customers, see the difference between antioxidant and EWG-additions.
Preservatives are bad. They are poisons according to many countries standards. That’s why, you shouldn’t buy dry dog food containing Е320, Е321, Propylgallat and Ethoxyquin. ATTENTION! Sometimes it is written in large print: without synthetic preservatives. Read further, there can be EWG additions. They are both toxic!
It is good when producer use vitamin E as antioxidant. This product will be more expensive, but as you’ve understood, not harmful for health. Usage vitamin E as antioxidant is a positive fact and many producers use this to advertise their products.
Please, read the label attentively and only then take decision about buying.
You can buy healthy and natural dog dry food at our store.
