Best Wet Dog Food For Small Senior Dogs
This recipe has been specifically designed for senior dogs with added joint supporting supplements. We highly recommend this product for senior dogs, maintaining that their aged pooches got a new lease of life after switching to this formula.
Protein
Chicken is the principle source of protein in this recipe from Blue Buffalo. Chicken, chicken broth and chicken liver ensure that there are enough muscle building amino acids in this formula. Some dogs do develop intolerance to chicken, but luckily this manufacturer has many different flavours on offer, so you can switch recipes until you find one that your dog likes.
Carbs
Brown rice, barley, oatmeal and sweet potatoes provide complex, slow burning and gluten free carbs for your dogs energy requirements.
Fats
The only source of fat in this recipe is flaxseed. Flaxseed is a reliable source of essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. As long as the flaxseed has been ground, it is easily digestible by older dogs.
Is It Okay To Feed My Pet Table Scraps Or People Food
We agree with veterinarians who strongly believe that feeding pets table scraps or “people” food can lead to excesses or deficiencies of nutrients in your pet’s diet which over time may result in health problems. Therefore, we do not recommend feeding any food other than Science Diet® or Prescription Diet® food, unless your veterinarian recommends otherwise. If you are interested in treating your pet, try feeding a few kibbles, a small spoon of canned food or use your pet’s food to make a homemade treat.
Here are some approved, low-calorie treats for healthy pets or pets that are on a weight-loss formula:
Pets fed Science Diet® foods:
1/4 cup of carrots – 17 calories 1/4 cup of green beans – 9 calories 1/4 apple – 12 calories
What Do Veterinarians Need To Do
First, dont sell the recalled foods to your clients and contact the manufacturer for further instructions. The FDA also encourages veterinarians to contact clients who have purchased recalled products, if they have the means to do so .
The FDA urges veterinarians treating vitamin D toxicity to ask their clients for a diet history. We also welcome case reports, especially those confirmed through diagnostics. You can submit these reports electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your states FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
Veterinarians should also be aware that vitamin D toxicity may present as hypercalcemia, similar to dogs that have consumed rodenticide. In these cases, we suggest that you confirm diet history to verify whether the dog has been eating any of the recalled products.
The information in this release reflects the FDAs best efforts to communicate what it has learned from the manufacturer and parties involved in the investigation. The agency will update this page as more information becomes available.
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Healthier For Growing Dogs
Some puppies do not have the best start to life. With inadequate nutrition, they might not grow properly or get to the proper size. For shelter puppies especially, wet food offers the ability to regain any lost calories as well as boosting the nutritional gain.
It is also easier to digest because of the water quantity, so puppies will process it easier. Puppies, just like human children, need the right vitamins and minerals to promote bone growth, keeping them active and healthy their entire lives.
Is Hills A Good Dog Food
Does Hills makes a good dog food? Thats a question I often ask myself when Im shopping for dog food.
Its not only the cost but the whole grain and nutrients. I look at the two very different forms of this particular brand of food, No Fat, and Classic.
The difference between these two, with respect to the amount of fats they contain, is important. The No Fat version is much lower in fat than the Classic version.
However, it also has the same quality levels as the latter, with regard to grains and quality protein levels.
Products that have carbs and sugar in them are not good for dogs, as their bodies dont really need them.
What dogs need is lean meats and vegetables. Hills offers Classic, which includes lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, and skinless chicken breast.
The difference between No FatClassic is that it uses more natural ingredients. Instead of using partially hydrogenated oils, this food has beef tallow, lamb, and chicken fat, and some other types of fats.
The latter are from the full-fat sources that are used in making the pet food we already have.
For this reason, this product contains no less protein than the Classic product. It also has no less calories.
Both have the same level of vitamins and minerals, as well as all the essential fats that we need.
One important thing to know about food products is that our dogs dont really digest them.
If you give your dog low quality meals and then feed them No Fat youll have two sick dogs.
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Hills Science Diet Dog Food: Is It Right For Your Dog
If your doctor has recommended that you feed your dog Hills Science Diet due to some medical condition, then, by all means, follow their instructions. This brand is one of the best for nourishing dogs struggling with infirmities.
Its still a good food for healthy pups, and its moderately priced, but you can likely find better kibble if youre willing to pay a bit more. The protein levels are especially low and theyre full of grains, and we generally recommend packing in the meat at the expense of corn and wheat.
Still, this is a fine food, and one your dog shouldnt have any qualms about gulping down.
Contents
Benefits And Drawbacks Of Wet Dog Food
- Dry dog food or kibble is much more convenient than wet dog food. Wet dog food has greater weight than Canned Dog Foodkibble. Kibble also comes in bigger packets and doesnt need any refrigeration.
- Dry dog food is normally much cheaper, per volume, than wet dog food.
- Wet dog food is normally higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than dry dog food. Canned dog food has no need for fillers and extra carbohydrates to add volume.
- Lets face it, wet dog food smells and tastes far better than kibble. Most dogs cant get enough of it! If you have a finicky eater or an older dog whose sense of smell is not what it used to be one whiff of wet dog food usually does the trick.
- Wet dog food generally has fewer chemical additives.
- Wet dog food has a longer shelf life. However, once opened, the portion dished out must be consumed within a few hours. Because of the lack of preservatives and moisture, wet dog food can become contaminated very quickly. Once opened, the can must be refrigerated and should not stand in your fridge for longer than a few days.
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Is Science Diet Good For Dogs Nutritionally
Below you can see a pie chart breakdown of the fat, protein and carbohydrates present in this Science Diet recipe. While there will be slight variances between different formulas, most manufacturers follow their base ratios pretty closely for each flavor.
That makes this a pretty good indicator of what you can expect to get from the brand as whole. So, lets take a look at this recipes nutritional profile to see how balanced it is and if its healthy for your dog.
As you can see, the carbohydrate percentage for this food is near 50%. This is not good, and we avoid foods like this at all costs. Pet obesity is on the rise, and pet foods that are full of fillers are likely to blame.
Theres also a good deal of fat in here, and a diet thats too rich in fat and carbohydrates equals an obese dog, unless they are insanely active, which most pets are not. Obesity leads to a host of health issues that shorten your dogs life.
While exercise is an option, health starts with what you put in your body, and if youre feeding your dog a high calorie food with low nutritional value, then youre fighting a losing battle.
The protein percentage is also pretty paltry. While Science Diet is often marketed as a premium brand, they dont really have premium nutrition or ingredients to back that up. In fact, this nutritional profile and ingredients list is similar to what youd see in the worst dog foods at any discount store.
What Is The Problem
The FDA has become aware of reports of vitamin D toxicity in dogs that ate certain canned dog foods manufactured by Hills Pet Nutrition and marketed under the Hills Science Diet and Hills Prescription Diet brands. This is a developing situation, and the FDA will update this page with additional information as it becomes available.
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Has Science Diet Ever Been Recalled
Yes, Science Diet has faced numerous recalls over the years. Some of the reasons for the recalls include nutrient deficiencies, salmonella contamination and melamime contamination during the 2007 dog food recall.
While past recalls are not really an indicator of a companys potential to be recalled in the future, sometimes this can reveal potential quality control issues. In Science Diets case, there may be cause for concern though, check the consumer complaints section below for more on this.
What Are The Primary Ingredients
The first ingredient is chicken, so you know your dog is mostly getting lean protein with every bite. This gives him a solid nutritional foundation to build upon.
After that, things get a little dicey. The next ingredients are cracked pearled barley, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn, whole grain sorghum, and corn gluten meal. While youll find some fiber in there, its mostly empty calories. Thats not a good thing if your dog is overweight.
If you continue down the ingredients list, youll find things like chicken fat, chicken meal, and dried beet pulp, all of which are excellent for your dog. However, we question how much of those ingredients is actually in the food.
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Hills Science Diet History
This pet food brands history is intertwined with the career of the first Seeing Eye dog, Buddy.
Buddy, guide dog to Morris Frank, a young blind man, developed kidney failure in the 1930s. Frank suspected that the dogs health condition was the result of poor nutrition. So, he corresponded with lauded veterinarian .
Dr. Morris and his wife set to work on a kidney diet recipe for dogs. They worked up the formula in their own kitchen.
The first consignment of renal dog food was shipped to Frank in glass jars. However, glass tends to break during transit, so Frank sent the Morrises a canning machine as well as a commission for thousands of orders. After a while, Buddys health improved.
And thats how the worlds first veterinary diet for dogs was born.
It was called Raritan Ration B, and it was the dog food that would become the basis for Hills Prescription Diet k/d Canine.
The Hill Name Is Added
With demand for his dog food growing, Dr. Morris was finding this to be a much bigger operation than a single canning machine and a husband-and-wife team could handle.
So in 1948, Dr. Morris took his Raritan Ration B dog food to the Hill Packing Company in Kansas for a dog food canning collaboration.
Founded in 1907 by a man named Burton Hill, Hill Packing Company had begun manufacturing dog food, as well as horse meat for human consumption, in 1930. Before that, the packing company was known as Hill Rendering Works.
Corporate Changes And the Launch of Science Diet
Why Is Fiber Added To Some Pet Foods
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate. The primary function and benefit of adequate dietary fiber are to increase bulk and water in the intestinal contents to help promote and regulate normal bowel functions.
There are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is seen in ingredients like wheat, rice and corn. Insoluble fiber is seen in cellulose and may be used to replace fat in a pet food and thus decrease the calorie content of the food. Foods high in insoluble fiber are also appropriate for weight control or reduction by promoting a sense of fullness without adding calories. Fiber is not a filler. Fillers offer no nutritional value whatsoever.
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What Is Meant By A Natural Organic Holistic Or Human Grade Pet Food
According to the American Association of Feed Control Officials , the term “natural” requires a pet food to consist of only natural ingredients without chemical alterations except for added vitamins and minerals.
The term “organic” was legally defined for human foods by the USDA. While final rules have not yet been made, pet food companies can currently use the term “organic” if they follow the same rules as applied to human foods. Foods that are “100% organic” or “organic” will carry the USDA Organic Seal on the package. Currently Hills® does not offer an “organic” pet food product.
Natural and organic are not interchangeable terms.
“Holistic” has no legal definition. There is no regulation defining what the word holistic means with regard to pet foods.
The term “human grade” was determined to be misleading by AAFCO. The use of “human grade” or “human quality” is not allowed in pet food marketing unless the food is made in a human food approved plant.
How To Choose Canned Dog Foods
Whenever you choose food for your dog, your first thought should be your dogs preference and individual nature. If your dog doesnt like the food, all the other benefits of the food would not matter because the dog will not eat it. As you consider your dogs taste buds, some other essential factors to consider when making choices include but are not limited to the following:
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Is Science Diet Good Dog Food
We cant recommend Science Diet as a good dog food. Weve come to this conclusion based on the fact that this food is absolutely packed full of carbohydrates. The meat offering here is honestly sub-par at best, and they feature a glut of wheat and corn products which often leads to obesity in pets.
At Beanietoes, we dont like to see any corn or wheat products in the foods we recommend, and especially not so far up in the ingredient list! This is essentially meat flavored cereal for dogs, which as youve likely guessed, is not a great approach to canine health.
However, Science Diet doesnt stop at one empty carbohydrate, out of the top 7 ingredients in this food, five of them are wheat or corn based! While some of them have fancier names, the truth is that youre paying for a lot of junk instead of for meat and healthy veggies.
You might expect this abysmal level of quality from a generic dog food from a big box store, but considering that Science Diet is marketed as a premium brand, we cant feel but help that pet parents are being tricked into thinking that they are buying healthy food for their dogs when they arent.
Science Diet adult large breed ingredients
Science Diet also seems to have changed their formula, and the new ingredients for this food are somehow even worse. The more nutritious whole meat chicken has been removed and replaced with only chicken meat meal, which often carries a higher protein count but is not as good as whole meat ingredients.
Health Problems & Nutrition
The food was originally crafted to address certain nutritional deficiencies, specifically those often found in dogs suffering from renal failure. Many of their recipes are targeted at specific ailments or conditions and are usually excellent foods for dogs with that condition.
However, that doesnt always mean that its a great food overall. If your dog is healthy, he may benefit more from eating other food.
Thus, its hard to judge Hills Science Diet lines fairly, as theyre generally excellent for the purpose they were created for, but that doesnt necessarily make them good all-around foods.
The inclusion of ingredients like flaxseed, chicken fat, and dried beet pulp give your dog vitamins and minerals that are hard to find in other meats or veggies. This gives him the broad nutritional support he needs to grow and stay healthy.
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What Dog Food Is Comparable To Science Diet
In this article, youll discover the best dog food thats comparable to Science Diet.
It is important to know the differences between dog food and human diet. For one thing, dogs need more raw food and less cooked food than do we. They also need to be healthier.
I do not recommend giving raw food to dogs as it can be harmful to them.
The best form of dog food is the same as the best form of human diet, namely, the human diet. So, what kind of dog food is comparable to science diet?
There are a lot of brands that claim to have foods that are more natural and safer for dogs to eat, but those are not science-based foods.
Just because something sounds like a good idea does not mean it is a good idea. Those types of claims are bogus and dishonest.
The best food for dogs is the same as the best food for humans the only difference is that it is a dietary formulation.
That is a fancy word for its just plain good food. There is nothing better than plain old science diet to keep your dog healthy.
To get the right nutrients, proper dietary formulation requires feeding your dog the right foods.
You need to feed him raw food. Raw meaty bones are very healthy for dogs and provide a great source of nutrients.
Not only are they very good for your dog, but they also provide a much higher percentage of the bones compared to cooked raw bones.
Feeding your dog raw meats is not the same as eating raw vegetables, although there are some vegetables that are much better for them than others.