Faqs Regarding General Dog Nutrition
- What is the best vet recommended dog food? The truth is, there is no real consensus among vets on which food is the best. This is because all dogs are different and unique. There is no one catch-all formula that would be perfect for any dog. We would, therefore, recommend searching for a well-regarded food that is high in protein and fat, and that your dog likes the taste of!
- What foods should dogs avoid? There are more foods that dogs should avoid than could ever be listed here. Some common human foods that are poisonous to dogs are chocolate, caffeine, onions, garlic, and sweetcorn. Check with a veterinary website before you feed your dog anything that isn’t marketed as canine food.
- Is Grain Free Dog Food Really Better? Dogs have been found to have trouble digesting grains and therefore grain-free foods can help aid digestion. A grain-free diet for your dog will also mean that you are likely buying formulas with higher levels of vegetables, fiber, and proteins. This will help the development of your dog’s coat and skin, as well as provide your dog with more energy. A grain-free diet has however recently been linked to a small increase in canine heart disease.
- What dog foods are causing heart problems? The FDA has recently begun to investigate how grain-free canine formulas might increase the risk of canine heart disease. It’s still too early to come to any major conclusions, but we will keep an eye out on this story as it develops.
How To Store Wet Dog Food
Unlike dry food, wet dog food is readily available in smaller containers. When purchased form the store, these containers are sealed tightly and have a best by date. With a proper seal, these dates can be months or years later. If you notice any notable dents, swelling, or air bubbles, that containers seal may be compromised and should be avoided.
While wet dog food is sealed away from outside air and moisture, proper storage is still recommended. Each container is still vulnerable to heat and should be stored in the same cool, dry conditions as dry food.
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.
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Dont Forget To Clean Food Bowls Regularly
How often do you wash your pet food bowl – Every week? Thats not bad, but the Food and Drug Adminstration actually recommends washing pet food bowls, dishes, and scooping utensils with soap and hot water after each use. This is to prevent infectious agents such as Salmonella or Listeria from accumulating on the items. If you use a plastic container to store your pet food, wash the container when empty, and make sure it is completely dry before adding new food.
Mistake #: Not Taking The Expiration Date Seriously
Like our own food products at the grocery store, it is hard to pinpoint when any pet food will truly expire, says Dr. Domaracki. That said, since the nutritional value of food cant be guaranteed after that printed expiration date, its best not to feed your dog expired food, he sayseven if it passes the sniff test.
What to do instead: Buy a bag of dog food that your pup can eat within a few months of opening, says Dr. Flynn. If the expiration date is looming, consider marking it on your calendar or setting a reminder on your phone.
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Does Wet Dog Food Need To Be Refrigerated
Food should be kept in a dry and cool place. Unopened cans don’t need to be refrigerated. The air-tight can and included preservatives will keep air and bacteria out, making it safe at room temperature like any other canned food. … With proper storage, owners can keep a stock of food for their pup.
Dont Leave Pet Food Sitting Out Too Long
How long dry food can be left out will vary depending on the food and manufacturer. Some companies use natural and artificial preservatives that generally are good until expiration, even when open. The best recommendation is to contact the manufacturer to find out the recommendation for your pets specific food.
Canned food, once opened, can be left out from 2 to no more than 4 hours. Any unused canned food should be immediately put in the refrigerator. Contact the pet food manufacturer to find out their recommendations for how long the food can still be fed once opened and placed in the refrigerator.
Ideally, unopened dry and canned foods should be kept at room temperature and away from heat, humidity and infestation.
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Choose The Right Dry Dog Food Storage Container
Sealing food away in a resealable container allows you to keep your dogs dry food as fresh as possible once you open a new bag. There are different lengths that you can go in terms of food storage. The simplest is to try and reseal the original bag.
Resealing the original bag.
A few bag clips are the quickest solution to dog food storage. Rolling or folding down the sides and closing them up is a relatively easy solution if you dont have other storage methods. However, this method isnt nearly as airtight as the following storage solutions.
Airtight tubs.
Arguably the best storage option is to invest in some plastic or stainless steel containers with resealable lids. Youll want to buy a tub that will accommodate the size of dog food bags that you regularly buy. Some people opt to place the whole bag in these containers and just have an opening to scoop out the food. If you decide to pour your dogs food in the container, make sure to keep part of that empty bag on hand to keep track of the feeding recommendations and any best used by/manufacturing dates for the product. Those date codes can be very helpful if you have any questions about the food.
Resealable bags.
Serving Canned Wet Dog Food To Make It Last
So, you want to serve your pooch wet food but wont be around to pick it up because youre running late in the morning. Or maybe your furry buddy simply loves canned food and nothing else. What do you do?
- If you wont be available to pick up leftovers from your furry friend, give him just enough so that you know hell eat the entire portion and there wont be any leftovers to sit and spoil.
- A great way to do this is to purchase single-serving cups of dog food or small cans of dog food. This way, you wont have any leftovers.
- Another option is to serve wet food to your dog in a timed feeder that has a chilled compartment. These types of feeders have a compartment that you fill with ice or fill with an ice pack. The compartment is directly beneath the dish for the wet food, so it keeps it cold during the day. When the timer goes off, the compartment opens with some fresh wet food for your pup.
- Have your dog walker stop in and give your pup a fresh bowl of canned food when she stops in to take care of Fido.
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Diamond Naturals Beef Meal & Rice Formula
Diamond Naturals Beef Meal & Rice Formula is a mid-priced canine formula that does little to impress, but also does little wrong.
It only comes in one size, but at $36 for a 40-lb bag, this food fits comfortably between a budget and mid-range price point.
Diamond Naturals take a holistic approach to crafting dog food, aiming to meet every pet’s needs with the use of proprietary probiotics and the inclusion of superfoods.
They believe that by making their dry dog foods contain 10-20% superfoods , your dog will be able to properly absorb all of its required vitamins and minerals.
These superfoods replace common fillers such as corn, wheat, and soy . It contains 25% protein and 15% fat which is pretty average in this price range.
The Top 10 Worst Dog Food Brands Of 2021
All pet foods are not created equal but most of the low-quality dog food brands have a few things in common. Some of the worst brands on the market load up their products with inexpensive fillers like corn and wheat products their products also tend to be carb-heavy instead of meat-based.
Low-quality pet formulas make heavy use of by-products and plant proteins, plus they often use artificial colors and flavors to make their products more palatable for pets and the people who care for them.
Something else many of these foods have in common is a history of product recalls by their manufacturing company.
Below is an overview of the Top 10 worst dog foods of 2021. We started our list with recipes that contain dubious and low-quality ingredients and worked our way down to the worst offenders with recent recalls under their belt.
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Is Cesar Dog Food Ok
- Cesar dog food is fine for your dog if that is the food that he loves and thrives on. If not, you might want to investigate other options, such as more natural foods which may be more expensive. With that said, you and your vet can discuss the health of your little dog to be sure that he is doing well,…
Your pet’s bowl should be emptied of moist or canned food not eaten by your cat or dog within 4 hours if the ambient temperature is above 50°F.
Opened cans should be stored in the fridge, at temperatures between 40-45°F, for a maximum of 5-7 days.
Any cat or dog food remaining after that time should be thrown out.
What Kind Of Dog Food Does Cesar Millan Use
Dog Whisperer is an organic dog food brand that was created by Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. With organic meat as the first ingredient in all formulas, this food focuses mainly on meat-based proteins but is not grain-free. Dog Whisperer dog food is available in formulas for adult dogs and puppies alike.
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Purina Dog Chow Complete With Real Chicken
Its proudly tagged as having 23 vitamins and minerals as well as containing real chicken, so youd expect it to be a healthy chicken-based dish for your pup. But that would be wrong.
There is no chicken to be found within the first five ingredients. But wheres the chicken? Its in the 7th slot, after the corns and legume.
Well list down the first five ingredients here: Whole Grain Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Meal. Thats a significant amount of corn and soybean when put together.
We dont have a problem with corn. We recognize that corn contains nutrients and is not a filler. In most cases. However, for a recipe thats not formulated to target specific canine medical conditions, wed expect the corn to be merely a supporting ingredient and not the main one. Quality dog food should always contain more meat than carbohydrates.
The second thing weve noticed is that most of the meats are unnamed. Thats a red flag in dog food. While an unspecified meat ingredient will not harm your pup, its kind of worrying that you dont know whats going in your pets food. Itll even be more worrying if your pet turns out to be sensitive to the ingredient included.
Theres Meat And Bone Meal and Poultry By-Product Meal. What meat do these refer to? Pork, beef, chicken? What kind of poultry? Turkey or chicken?
What Is A Good Wet Dog Food
The Best Wet Dog Foods March 2021 Canidae All Life Stages Canned Dog Food. Merrick Classic Canned Dog Food. Ollie Fresh Dog Food. Halo Wet Dog Food. Weruva Wet Dog Food. Wellness Stews Canned Dog Food. The Farmers Dog Fresh Dog Food. Instinct Original Wet Dog Food.
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Is Cesar Dog Food On Recall
Mars Petcare US is recalling its Cesar Classics Filet Mignon Flavor products due to a potential choking hazard from hard, white pieces of plastic that entered the wet dog food during production. The recall extends to products with “best before” dates of Aug. 4, 2018 and Aug. 5, 2018, the company announced.
Best Dog Food Storage Containers And Tools
Cleaning up your dog food storage routine only takes a few simple tweaks. For proper dog food storage, start with the right storage containers and tools.
Here are all of the must-haves to include on your next shopping list:
Airtight dog food containers. For dry dog food storage, opt for airtight containers that are large enough to fit a whole bag of food inside, says Woodnutt. Remember to clean them with soap and warm water after each batch of food.
Dog food scoops. Measuring scoops are a great way to ensure your dog is gobbling up the appropriate amount of food at each meal. Since recommended amounts on the bag are often too large or dont take into account your dogs breed, lifestyle, or body type, check in with your veterinarian for a suggested serving size, says Domaracki. Like dog food bowls, measuring scoops should be cleaned after every use.
Can lids for wet dog food. Silicone or plastic can lids can help keep a can of wet dog food fresh inside your fridge, says Woodnutt. However, anything you use to cover up your own foodlike plastic wrap or food storage containersshould do the trick too, adds Dr. Domaracki.
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What Should I Do With Leftover Wet Dog Food
If there is still some wet dog food left in the container, it should last for a few days with proper storage. Youll want to promptly refrigerate any unused portions of wet food or toppers to keep them safe for future use. Covering the food with a plastic lid, or putting it in an airtight container and squeezing out excess air will help protect the food and limit any aroma in your fridge. Check to see that your refrigerator is set to 40 degrees F or below.
In general, a properly refrigerated wet food should last for three to five days. If the food becomes watery, the aroma changes, or the texture is different, you may want to err on the side of caution and throw out that food.
How Long Does Canned Dog Food Last
Home»Feeding Dogs»How Long Does Canned Dog Food Last?
Ask most dogs and they will tell you, Woof, woof, woof. Seriously, most dogs will indicate that they prefer canned dog food to kibble. Canned dog food often has a higher percentage of protein and fat than kibble and dogs are very fond of both of these nutrients. When it comes to how long dog food will last, the results are not nearly as clear.
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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