Three Rules For What To Feed Your Dog When Youre Out Of Dog Food
- Avoid excess sodium and fat, which can cause excessive thirst and tummy trouble
- Aim for a balance of lean protein and complex carbohydrates
- Consider any allergies or special dietary needs your dog may have
One of the quickest, easiest dog meals you can prepare according to the rules is plain, cooked chicken with rice. In fact, vets often recommend chicken and rice meals for dogs with sensitive tummies. But thats just a starting point! If youre vegetarian like me, you may not have any chicken on hand that doesnt mean you cant provide your pooch with a quality pantry meal.
Best For Puppies: Blue Buffalo
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Puppies have specific nutritional needs, since they are constantly growing and developing. Blue Buffalo offers several product lines aimed at puppies: Blue Basics, Baby Blue, Blue Freedom, Blue Life Protection Formula, and more. Food for puppies is also available in both canned and dry options, as well as in options tailored by breed size. This gives pet owners lots of options to choose the best food for their dog.
Blue Buffalo prioritizes the quality of ingredientsall food is made from natural ingredients. There is a thorough explanation for why every ingredient is included in food available on the manufacturer’s website, so you can better understand your dog’s diet.
All food is made in the companys two United States-based factories, and adheres to nutritional standards from the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the Global Nutrition Committee of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Blue Buffalo products can be purchased at major online retailers.
Dry Food Or Canned Food
Both wet and dry food can meet your dogs nutritional needs. But Rollins says picky eaters may prefer wet food. Sometimes canned foods can taste better, she says.
Older dogs with medical or dental issues may do better with wet food, too. You could also add water to their dry food, or just switch to a smaller-size kibble.
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Wegmans Bruiser Kibble Variety Mix
This brand of dry dog food has ingredients that have been considered dangerous for dogs to eat, including BHA, xantham gum, BHT, corn gluten, and food coloring.
Wegmans Bruiser Kibble Variety Mix demonstrates the motto that you typically get what you pay for.
It is affordable dog food, but if youre looking to give your dog stable nourishment, you should look for an alternative option.
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How Is Chicken Meal Made
The source of the chicken meal is the most critical factor. Typically, chicken meal is made from the skin and bone of the chicken but can also include meat and other parts of the animal such as necks, feet and intestine.
Its important to note that the parts used in chicken meal are not fit for human consumption. In some cases, the chicken meal ingredient is sourced from 4D meat , in which case a whole new set of significant concerns come into play including the potential presence of foreign objects or dangerous levels of pharmaceuticals. The manufacturer saves money, but the real cost is the introduction of inferior ingredients to your dogs diet, negatively impacting their overall health.
In the chicken meal process, the parts are dehydrated and cooked at high temperatures for long periods of time. This process is referred to as rendering and separates the fat and removes water to create a concentrated protein powder that resembles corn meal, hence the term meal.
During this high-temperature process, bacteria, viruses, parasites and organisms die. Unfortunately, all nutrients are also lost resulting in nutrients being artificially sprayed onto the food to meet AAFCO nutritional requirements.
Is Dry Or Canned Food Better
In terms of nutrition and digestibility, there are simply no differences between dry and canned dog food. You should make your decision based on your lifestyle, preferences, and budget. For dogs that need to consume more water or have certain special dietary needs, canned foods may be a better choice. Otherwise, most dogs will do fine on dry kibble.
Some dry kibble rations have been specially formulated as dental diets and can help to mechanically remove plaque. For further information, see the handout “Dental Disease in Dogs”.
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Which Dog Food Ingredients Cause Allergies
An allergy happens when the body mounts an immune response to something that it shouldnt need to. In dogs, this can be to the environment, pollen, insects, or food. Although food gets blamed for a lot of allergies, only about 1 in 100 dogs are thought to be allergic to ingredients in their diet.
Dogs are usually allergic to proteins beef is the most common allergen, but pork, fish, and chicken are also known allergens in dogs. Gluten allergies in dogs are not as common as the gluten-free marketing companies would have you believe, with corn allergy affecting around 1 in 1,000 dogs, and the other cereals less. You can read more in our article four common allergies in dogs and what you can do about them.You should also take care, as hypoallergenic doesnt have a legal definition in pet food and manufacturers like to apply it as a marketing ploy. In addition, just because a product lists beef and fish as the proteins in the ingredients list doesnt mean it doesnt have microscopic amounts of other proteins. These tiny amounts are enough to set off your dogs allergy, so its important to only use a well-respected brand if your pet has allergies.
Salmonella And Other Concerns
The FDA released a video focusing on another major threat in commercial pet food: Salmonella bacterial contamination. They also cite other major toxins of concern. The video references the case of a specific commercial pet food plant that was also the subject of a March 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. It details how at least 53 known human illnesses were linked to commercial pet foods made at that plant in 2012. A class action lawsuit linked to this outbreak was settled in 2014.
The video also cites the dangers of over supplementation of nutrients in pet food. A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in February 2013 suggested a correlation between liver disease and the amount of copper supplementation in AAFCO diets.
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Pedigree Complete Nutrition Adult Grilled Steak & Vegetable
This dog food is billed as providing complete nutrition for adult pups and even includes an optimal content of omega fatty acids for shiny hair.
It also proudly boasts that it is made of the finest ingredients. Looking closely at the label, however, we see a different story.
The first ingredient of the meal is ground whole grain corn. The third ingredient is also corn while the fifth is soybean meal.
So in the first five slots, you get three corn and legume ingredients, which means that this is not a meat-based dish at all. Here, the meat acts as support only and not the other way around, and there are too many grains.
The second thing we dont like about this recipe is that it uses unrecognizable animal ingredients. Were talking about the meat and bone meal.
Meat meals are usually okay provided that the animal the meat comes from is named. For example, chicken meal or lamb meal. But meat and bone meal? Which animal meat was used? Is there more than one kind of animal? And then, which parts?
Lastly, while the brand says that the recipe does not contain artificial flavors or sugar, it does contain artificial colors. There are four we could see, and theyre listed midway in the list, having more volume than the added nutrients the food contains.
Problem Ingredients: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2, Yellow 5
Find The Right Solution For Sensitive Stomachs
Changing what and the way you feed your dog can help with their sensitive stomach. But food isn’t the only factor behaviors like eating too fast and emotions like stress and anxiety can also lead to an upset stomach. Before you make the switch to a dog food for sensitive stomachs, try an easier intervention.
Start by cutting out table scraps, try a slow feeder, and support your dog’s digestive system with all-natural supplements like pumpkin, omega-3 oil, and probiotics for dogs. If your dog suffers from stress and anxiety, use an all-natural Calm Chew to help keep them and their stomach settled.
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Complete And Balanced Dog Foods
One of the first things you should look for on a dog food label is the statement is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. This isnt just an advertising slogan. The Association of American Feed Control Officials has strict requirements to make sure that a product is in fact complete and balanced for dogs . Complete and balanced diets must contain the minimum amount of all of the nutrients necessary for dogs, which is also indicated in the guaranteed analysis. This analysis gives the minimum amount of crude protein and fat, along with the maximum amounts of water and crude fiber. The analysis does not, however, give the exact amount of these components, which means there is room for considerable variation. The manufacturers average nutrient profile is often a better tool for evaluating a product.
You can always contact the dog food company directly to get more information about its product. A reputable company that has your dogs interests at heart should be happy to answer your questions and in many cases will give you more information than what is available on the website or product label. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has a helpful sheet with questions you can ask a company representative.
The Problem With Synthetic Nutrition
Have you ever looked at a dog food label? Not the part about chicken and rice. but the bottom half where it starts to look more like an organic chemistry textbook. All of those long, convoluted chemical names are, you guessed it, chemicals! Theyre not food.
Real vitamins are living complexes that contribute to other living complexes like cell repair, circulatory activities and collagen production. They coexist in food with other living complexes like enzymes and essential trace minerals and they all function synergistically.
Synthetic vitamins, the kind found in premixes, were never alive nor part of anything alive. Thats what synthetic means it occurs nowhere in nature. Synthetic vitamins are chemicals and the body recognizes them as chemicals, just like it does any other drug. This is why vitamins and drugs are both measured in milligrams. This is also why we have something called vitamin toxicity.
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When To Feed A Dog With Diarrhea
OK, youve ruled out a medical emergency and youre ready to feed your dog. But is your dogs body ready for food?
Whether your dog has a single bout of diarrhea or has had multiple episodes, the recommendation remains the same: You need to rest your dogs gastrointestinal tract. Resting the GI tract by withholding food for a short period of time allows the intestines to heal because they arent busy digesting food.
So how long should you withhold food after an episode of diarrhea? The answer depends on several factors, including the overall health, age and size of the dog, the underlying cause of diarrhea and any medications that are being administered.
For healthy, adult dogs, try withholding food for around 12 hours. So, if your healthy, adult dog has a single bout of diarrhea in the morning, withhold food for the day and offer a small amount of bland food at dinner time. If your dog has diarrhea in the evening, withhold food for the rest of the evening and offer a small, bland meal in the morning. It is OK to offer water as long as your dog can hold it down and it doesnt trigger more bouts of diarrhea.
Theres one important exception to this rule: Do not withhold food from dogs who need regular feeding to survive. These include:
- Puppies
- Toy breeds like Chihuahuas and Maltese
- Senior dogs
- Dogs with health issues
Youve Heard Of Limited Ingredient Dog Food But What Is It Exactly And Is It Right For Your Canine Companion
Limited ingredient dog foods are made with a minimal number of ingredients to reduce allergic reactions and food intolerances while still providing complete and balanced nutrition. Also called limited antigen dog foods, these diets have one to a few high quality proteins, and one to a few carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits, or starches, though some veterinarians consider limited ingredient foods to be those containing only one protein and one carb.
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What To Feed A Dog With Diarrhea
Its finally time to for your dog to have a small mealbut what do you feed a dog with diarrhea? Look for bland, easily digestible food that is soothing to the GI tract.
No matter which of these foods you choose, you should start with a small amount:
- For small breeds, start with a tablespoon of food
- For large breeds, start with a golf ball-sized portion of food, around 2 tablespoons
Here are a few great foods to try:
What To Know About Dog Food Quality Standards
Wondering how well-known companies can get away with this? The simple answer is that theres a lack of government oversight when it comes to the dog food industry. The Food and Drug Administration only requires that pet food be safe to eat, produced in sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled.
Here at Pet Plate, we believe your dog deserves better than this.
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Sportsmans Pride Professional Formula 30/20
Sportsmans Pride is a dog food line geared towards canine athletes and is billed as supportive of the endurance and energy requirements of working dogs and active pups.
While that sounds good, we need to take a look at the recent recall of one of its products and the ingredients it contains.
On June 3, 2021, the FDA issued an alert regarding one lot of Professional Formula 30/20. Sunshine Mills, Inc., which manufactures Sportsmans Pride and the brands Sprout, Intimidator, and FRM Gold Select , issued a voluntary recall of this recipe for potential salmonella contamination.
But looking past the recall alert, wed have to say that this recipe doesnt meet our standards either. The main ingredient in this food is chicken byproduct meal, a rather dubious ingredient with regards to quality.
Chicken byproduct can mean any leftover part of the chicken, and not just its organs. With quality recipes, manufacturers generally state chicken liver, chicken heart, and so on.
When a manufacturer lists byproduct only, that means its probably a combination of a lot of unsavory things that wont sound as good when listed down and specified.
Lastly, this food uses more carbs than protein to supply the energy needs of dogs because there are three grain and corn ingredients within the first five slots.
The potential for contamination was noted after a sample of 5 lb. Sprout Sporting Dog Food product was collected and tested positive for salmonella during routine surveillance.
Especially Why Is It So Vital To Consume A High
Meat is the best source of protein for dogs, and fat is the best source of energy. All of the proteins, vitamins, minerals and critical nutrients that dogs require to live a long and healthy life are found in high-quality meat.
Despite this, carbohydrates have become the most prevalent nutrient in most dog meals. What is the reason for this? They are plentiful, have a long shelf life, and are less expensive than protein and fat.
What exactly does this imply? Dog foods that are less expensive typically contain less meat and more animal by-products and grain fillers. Is this a good idea? Continue reading to learn more.Carbohydrates are not required for a healthy dog diet, contrary to popular opinion. Fiber is also not a necessary nutrient for dogs. Corn, wheat, barley, oats, brown rice, millet, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are not good for dogs.
Essential Nutrients are another important factor to consider.
Dogs follow a particular balance of fatty acids, which must be delivered by their food. Vitamins A, D, E, and K cannot be absorbed without fats. Fats give foods energy as well as taste and flavor.
Rather than discarding the nutrients and variety, it is better for your dog to benefit from them. Please be advised that a variety of common seasonings, such as onions, garlic, chives, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and avocado, can cause difficulties for your dog and should be avoided.
What to look for when shopping for the best dog food on a budget.
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How To Choose A Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs
Stomachs are sensitive. This is true for our dogs, and it’s true for us. You’ll experience stomach pain many times throughout your life. And while pain in any other organ, like your lungs or kidneys, would send you speeding to the hospital, an occasional upset stomach isn’t usually cause for concern. The same goes for our dogs.
If our dogs experience an upset stomach every couple of months, they likely have a normal, functioning digestive system. If, however, your dog suffers from an upset stomach, flatulence, or loose stool multiple times a week, they may have a sensitive stomach. And if your dog ever experiences diarrhea or vomiting that lasts for more than 48 hours, contact your vet. This could be a sign of a more serious health issue like a bacterial infection or a parasite.
If your dog is suffering from a sensitive stomach, a change in their diet can often improve their gut health. You may need to switch them to a dog food for sensitive stomachs, or you may need to remove or add ingredients into your dog’s diet.
Here’s a look at the best foods for dogs with sensitive stomachs and when you should try each option.