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
Can Dogs Drink Milk & Eat Dairy Products
While small doses of milk and dairy products are okay for your dog, you could get some smelly farts and nasty cases of diarrhea. This is because dogs become lactose intolerant once weaned off of their mothers milk. Milk and dairy products can cause digestive problems and could trigger food allergies. Learn more about how dog allergy tests can help you learn about potential health issues.
Keep Your Dog On A Healthy Diet
Choosing to raise a dog is a big responsibility. Just as with a child, youve welcomed another living being into your household and family. We probably dont have to tell you to take care of your dog, but your dog will have very different needs from your child regarding food.
Ask your veterinarian what kind of food would be best for your dog, given your dogs size, age, and any special health needs. That way, you know what your dog can eat, and youre less likely to have any food-related issues.
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Worst Puppy Food: Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy
Pups are very much like human children in the sense that what you feed them early on can have a significant impact on their growth and development.
Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Original Formula is the worst puppy food even though it may contain the phrase Health Smart on its label.
In one disturbing case, a dog owner on the Consumer Affairs website observed that her pet displayed indications of a parasite soon after eating this food.
However, a vet confirmed the digestive health issues arose due to the food, and no parasites were present in the dog, luckily.
Chives Garlic And Onions
Chives, garlic, and onions are in the allium genus of plants, and another thing they all have in common is that they can irritate your dog’s digestive system. Consumption of mass quantities can also deplete your dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia. Don’t let your dog ingest these foods. It wouldn’t help his doggy breath anyway!
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How To Create A Balanced Dog Diet Out Of Only Human Food
Have you ever wondered, Can I feed my dog human food instead of dog food?
Dog kibble is boring and often over-processed and less nutritious than fresh food. But replacing your dogs dry food with a homemade meal of human-grade food can be tricky.
Dogs require the right balance of certain nutrients like calcium, phosphorous, and taurine. When you replace part or all of their normal diet with human food, its important to keep this balance intact.
You must also keep in mind that dogs are carnivores and require more meat in their diet than humans. In addition to muscle meat like chicken breast, you also need to provide them with less-common meat cuts like organs and tripe.
To provide enough calcium, you can either use ground bone meal or a calcium supplement. As we discussed above, you can even grind up eggshells to make your own calcium supplement.
If youre up for the challenge of making your own human-food meals for your dog, here is a great article to get you started. If that all sounds like too much work but youre serious about providing a quality diet for your dog, you may consider reading this article on the best organic dog foods.
Basic Dog Feeding Guide
The following information is general advice, but as each dog is an individual, seek veterinary advice, particularly if your dog has any special dietary needs or has a reaction to a standard diet.
The basis of your dogs diet should be a high quality balanced premium commercial dog food that is appropriate for their life stage and health status. By reading the label, you can check that it complies with the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food AS5812:2017 .
The amount of food required will depend on your dogs size, breed, age and level of exercise, but take care not to overfeed or underfeed. Your vet will be able to weigh your dog, assess your dogs body condition score and provide advice.
To avoid bloat, which can be fatal, adult dogs should be fed at least twice a day and should not be exercised immediately before or after eating. This applies particularly to deep-chested dogs such as Boxers and German Shepherds.
Fresh drinking water must be available at all times but do not offer your dog milk as this can cause gastrointestinal upsets.
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Worst Wet Dog Food: Cesar Filets
Cesar Filets is considered one of the worst dog foods because of its high salt content .
It has sufficient water for processing, animal liver, chicken, beef and meat by-products, wheat gluten, ground wheat flour, cornstarch, salt, pea fiber, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium carbonate, added color, choline chloride, magnesium.
It helps if you also understand that the quality of ingredients cannot tell the whole story, but the amount of meat in the dog food is critical to consider before determining whether it falls in the best or worst category.
The amount of protein in Cesar filet is about 44%, with 22% fat and 25% carbohydrates.
This analysis shows that this dog food includes an above-average level of protein intake and just near-average fat.
At the same time, the carbs are below average compared to a portion of typical canned dog food.
Another factor making it a low-quality dog food is that it has artificial colorings added to it, which is useless and not preferred.
When People Find Out We Make Our Own Dog Food At Home They Always Ask Us What About A Raw Diet So Let’s Get That Out Of The Way First
There are LOTS of thoughts and theories on feeding your dog a raw diet especially a dog that is living with kidney disease. Our vet however, was personally opposed to feeding a raw diet due to the fact that dogs, just like us, are very susceptible to food poisoning. Besides that, a raw diet can be tricky to get just right! You run the risk of giving your dog a horrible belly ache by mixing a raw diet with cooked treats, so if you decided to go raw it is important to have both raw meals and raw treats planned for your pup at all times. NO MIXING the two! Since raw and cooked foods digest at different rates any combination of the two can wreak serious havoc on your pup’s gut which can lead to some pretty unpleasant situations for you – if you get my drift.
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Grapes Sultanas And Currants
You may think all fruits and vegetables are safe for our fluffy little pals, but many are not. Grapes and their dried variations are actually poisonous for dogs and can cause vomiting, sluggishness and even kidney failure.
Alternative: Cooked sweet potato or pumpkin will provide your pooches with the sweet fix they crave with the added bonuses of beta carotene and good digestion.
Alpo Come & Get It Cookout Classics
ALPO is a known dog food brand that may look to many as a quality pet food. But as turns out, its not. Or at least, this particular recipe isnt.
This formulation does not start with meat. In fact, the first meat ingredient wont be found until the 3rd slot in the list. And the only other meat is in 6th place.
What starts off this food is ground yellow corn, meaning that corn has the most significant volume in the diet. Not only that, there are two more corn ingredients in the recipe and one legume.
Its a formulation that focuses more on carbohydrates rather than protein. It meets the AAFCO standard, yes, but does not really go much above it.
The second thing we dont like is the inclusion of artificial food coloring. Color is not a requirement in dog food, and dogs will be better off without it. The less artificial ingredients in dog food, the better.
The Come & Get It! Cookout Classics is the least of the worst dog foods in our list because it contains real and named meat ingredients.
Recall Info: None for this recipe, and the only recall for the ALPO brand happened way back in 2007 for possible melamine contamination.
Problem Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, corn germ meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6
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What Are The Nutritional Benefits Of Dog Food For Chickens
Dog food usually comes in two major forms dry and moist. Dry dog foods typically contain less than 10% moisture while wet ones mostly consist of just over 70% of moisture.
The thing with dog foods though, is that they come in an incredible amount of flavors. And their specific composition may vary depending on the brand or the manufacturer.
Generally, however, dog foods consist of meats, offals , grains, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Though, rather than meat, some manufacturers may use fish as well as its by-products.
Foods Dogs Cant Eat Symptoms Of Poisoning In Dogs You Should Not Ignore
Dogs can get seriously sick from some of the listed foods and require medical attention.
If your dog ingested one of the foods dogs cant eat above, watch for serious symptoms and take your dog to the vet immediately if you notice:
- Excessive Vomiting
- Obvious Signs of Pain
- And Collapse
If you cannot reach your vet or local emergency clinic, or if you have questions or concerns that need to be dressed immediately, there are centers open and ready to help 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They include:
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
1-888-426-4435
The Pet Poison Helpline
1-855-764-7661
Please note that a consultation fee or emergency fee may apply to the above hotlines and your pets medical history may be needed.
Now, without further ado, lets talk about foods dogs cant eat in more detail. Keep reading.
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Foods Your Pets Should Never Eat
Pets love to get an extra bite of our food whenever they can, so you need to be careful about what they get their paws on as some things can be very dangerous to their health.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , heres a list of common foods and ingredients to look out for in order to protect your furry friends health!
Can Dogs Eat Raw Meat & Fish
Raw meat and fish can become contaminated with bacteria, such as E. coli, which can cause food poisoning. Additionally, some fish can contain a parasite that causes fish disease or salmon poisoning disease .
Symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes. Cooked, unseasoned fish is perfectly fine because the cooking process kills the parasites. Be sure to remove all bones to avoid choking or internal organ risks.
Feeding raw meat is not recommended because there is a risk of food-borne disease for the dog, as well as the person preparing the food. Although raw diets for dogs are increasing in popularity, organizations like the FDA and American Veterinary Medical Association advise against feeding them.
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Raw Or Undercooked Eggs
While cooked eggs can be good for dogs, feeding your dog undercooked or raw eggs is just as dangerous as feeding your dog raw or undercooked meats. For this reason, we have included raw eggs as foods dogs cant eat.
Like raw meats, raw eggs can contain bacteria like salmonella. Furthermore, raw eggs also contain an enzyme that can impede on your dogs ability to absorb biotin, which can lead to other health issues.
Foods That Are Bad For Dogs
You probably want to share all your delicious people food with your pup. After all, who can resist those puppy-dog eyes begging for a morsel? But hold off on spoiling your fur baby. Sometimes being a good doggy parent is knowing when to say, No. Some foods are just downright bad for dogs and can cause all sorts of health problems. Even if your dog has eaten these foods in the past with no problems, they could be causing serious issues that you might not be aware of. Here are a few foods you should never feed dogs, no matter how adorably they beg.
DogTime recommends you try this dog food!
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Milk Cream And Cheese
As dogs grow into adulthood, their ability to digest dairy products decreases as they lack the enzymes to do so. This means they can exhibit signs of lactose intolerance if they eat milk, cream, or cheese, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and an upset stomach. If you think your dog may have eaten something it shouldnt have done, its crucial to get advice from your veterinarian immediately. You should also keep these toxic foods out of reach of your dog to ensure they only eat whats best for them.
How Much And When Should You Feed Your Dog
This will vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 lbs your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food.
For our 80 lb Hooch, that means 2 meals a day each containing 4 cups of food. It is important to note that, dogs with kidney problems often feel better when fed several small meals throughout the dayrather than just one or two large meals, so you may find that you need to adjust your feeding schedule as time goes on accordingly to keep your pup comfy!
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Blood Tests Don’t Lieand Hooch’s Numbers Shifted Drastically In Just The First 6 Weeks We Made These Diet And Lifestyle Changes
He noticeably had more energy, was suffering less from inflammation, was shedding less with a more luxurious coat, and for the first time EVER he had zero bloating! NO GAS for the first time in his entire life! The best news though, was that those stage 4 kidney disease blood levels he had at his yearly checkup had climbed back up to to midrange stage 1 kidney disease blood levels! The extra time and energy invested in making his food and the other small changes we made to his lifestyle have given us more quality time with our beloved Hooch which is more than we could have ever hoped for!
If youve made our Easy Homemade Dog Food for your pup I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours. Want to be a part of our online community outside of the blog? Its easy!! All you have to do is follow @THISMESSISOURS on , , , , or to see cooking demos, and peeks into our day to day life.
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Coffee Tea Or Anything Else With Caffeine
Coffee, tea, and any food with caffeine is certainly dangerous for your dog and an important addition to our list of foods dogs cant eat. Caffeine is dangerous to dogs because it elevates the heart rate. This can lead to deadly problems and even heart attacks.
Though a very small amount of caffeine in dogs should not cause any serious issues, large doses of caffeine can cause death in dogs if not immediately treated.
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Enticing Dog With Kidney Disease To Eat
If your dog is still not eating, then assisted feeding may have to be done at first to encourage them. Never force your dog to eat, as this can stress them out, but through enticement and praise they can be persuaded and helped to regain their appetite.
As mentioned before, moist or wet food is best for dogs with increased thirst, rather than dry foods. Regardless, always make sure you dog has enough water in its bowl to quench itself.
If your dog is unused to a new type of dog food, try hand-feeding your dog small portions of food, warmed to just below body temperature. Over the few days you do this, they will become used to the new taste and be happy to eat out of their bowl. Small treats can also be used to keep them fed during bouts of poor appetite, but large amounts can be unhealthy.
In more extreme cases where an animal either refuses or cannot eat via traditional means, vets can use feeding tubes, which allows for liquid food and medication to be directly passed into the stomach through a syringe. This is best for animals who suffer from extreme stress during mealtimes, making their quality of life easier.