There are many myths about the ingredients found in dog food. Some of the following information may shock you but it is better that you know the truth. Consumers are really looking for the wrong things in dog food and it is marketing that is to blame. Tricky marketing ploys make some food seem like it is a gift from heaven while others are manufactured in the hands of Satan himself. Sadly the average person does not know how to analyze the information provided on a bag of dog food either so you may think your dog is eating better than he actually is.
- Myth 1: A dog food without byproducts is better for my dog. False. The AAFCO definition of meat byproducts says “ meat byproducts are the non-rendered, clean parts other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood and bone partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines emptied of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth feathers or hooves” What does this mean? If you have ever served your children chicken nuggets then they have been eating meat byproduct patties. Hotdogs? Menudo? More meat byproducts. Dogs and wolves in the wild are known to go for the organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys first as they have the highest abundance of natural vitamins and minerals. In Fact, foods that brag about not containing meat byproducts usually have added synthetic vitamins and minerals that are not easily absorbed by the body. This does not mean that foods without byproducts are unhealthy. It just means that they are missing out on a natural source of vitamins and minerals.
- Myth 2: Corn should never be an ingredient in dog food. This actually depends on its form. Whole corn is difficult to digest and really only serves as a filler. However ground corn meal and corn gluten meal offer many nutritional benefits. Rich in vitamin B and a high quality carbohydrate and protein source. Carbohydrates contribute to heart and muscle health. If you have political reasons for not wanting corn in your dog food then look for a food with brown rice, potatoes or barley. Corn does offer nutrition though so don’t avoid it simply because you thought it had no nutritional value.
- Myth 3: Dogs do better on high protein food. False again. Dogs are omnivores and they need a balanced diet of protein, fats, fiber, and carbohydrates. Anytime you give more than is needed nutritionally you are opening up the opportunity for issues down the road. Excessive nutrients (either excessive protein or synthetic vitamins and minerals) are hard for your dog to metabolize. If you are really worried about the amount of protein your dog is getting then make sure not to exclude byproducts. Foods with byproducts are naturally higher in protein without being excessive.
Myth 4: The ingredients on my dog’s food are listed according to the order and amount used. Also false. The list of ingredients are in order before the moisture was removed to prepare them as dog food. What happens when you throw a steak on a hot grill? It shrinks. All the moisture and fat cooks out of it to produce a steak that is quite a bit smaller than the one you started out with. This means that just because your ingredient list reads Lamb, Lamb byproducts, ground brown rice…that does not mean that the amount of lamb meat was greater than the amount of ground brown rice. Look at the guaranteed analysis on the bag of food your dog is eating right now. If the crude protein is not less than 22.00% divide this by the amount of moisture (usually about 10.00%) The actual amount of protein in your dry dog food is 2.2 percent.
Go check your dog food and see how much protein is in it. The true amount is really surprising. After you do that, go check his or her stool. If your dog has nice firm regular bowel movements then stick to what you are feeding them. If they have sloppy loose stool all the time it is time to change. There are many opinions about pet nutrition and some people will say anything to sell you a bag of dog food. Many companies claim to be all natural but how natural is it to add synthetic vitamins? Keep an open mind the next time you go on a search for pet food and try to find something well balanced. Don’t buy it simply because it claims to be “human quality.” Buy it because if the nutrition it offers your pet.
Information in the article was taken from the Hand, Thatcher, Remillard and Roudebush 4th Edition of Small Animal Nutrition. Copyright 2000, 1987, 1984, 1983 by Mark Morris Institute.
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