What Ingredients Should Not Be In Dog Food

Glossary Of Cat And Dog Food Ingredients

The list of ingredients in cat food and dog food can be exceptionally long with confusing terminology.

However, its important to understand the established definitions for those terms so that you can make a well-educated decision on which food to feed your pet, rather than a decision led by perception.

Heres a breakdown of some of the most common cat food and dog food ingredients and what they mean.

Jump to a specific term here:

Aafco Approval And Label Requirements

A diet that meets these basic nutritional needs is referred to as complete and balanced, which should be indicated on the label as the Nutritional Adequacy Statement by the Association of American of Feed Control Officials .1

Additional label information required by the Food and Drug Administration includes the following:

• Product identification

• Net quantity

How Can You Get Terrific Deals For High

In order to find the healthiest dog food for your canine friend is to do proper and careful research online before you make a final decision. In case you arent aware of your pets nutritional needs, then you need to talk to your veterinarian and ask for their advice. The next step will be to research online about different brands that matches the nutritional needs of your dog.

You should always remember to double-check all of the ingredients that are in your pets food and make sure that they are nutritious and safe. Taking careful steps with their food will ensure that your dog stays healthy and happy. In order to find out all of the pros and cons of a specific brand of dog food, make sure you do a thorough research online as this is the fastest way to get all of the information that you need.

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How To Pick The Right Dog Food That Is Good For Them

The best way to pick the right brand or food for your dog is to understand the labels that are printed on various dog food brands. The right dog food brand should come with a statement from the AAFCO, which is the Association of Animal Feed Control Officials. The AAFCOs requirement for dog food brands is to provide full canine nutrition. Each of the manufacturers of these dog food brands are asked to mention the amounts of fat and protein that is present in their foods. Plus, the label needs to mention the age group of the dogs that are suppose to eat that specific food.

Food Dyes & Artificial Coloring

Food dyes are not a necessary ingredient in dog food, yet it’s found in a large number of brands sold in stores today. The artificial coloring doesn’t add any nutritional value to what your dog is eating. Its there to catch the eye of the pet owner that’s buying the food. Consider skipping the bright colors to give your pet a chance at having a healthier diet. Avoid the labels that contain Blue 2, Red 40, and Yellow 5 and 6, as well as caramel coloring. Keep a lookout for natural colors if you’d prefer your pet’s food to look good.

• Chemical-based additives
• May have carcinogenic effects

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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.

What Kind Of Food Should Senior Dogs Eat

The senior dogs need to have good, well-balanced nutrition which is low in calories but consists of greater amounts of fiber. It should contain adequate protein and fat. Older canines require the bestsenior dry dog food, as they lose muscle mass as they age. Their nutritional need is to eat food that contains little fat, as they usually have problems with weight as they get older. Food thats low in fat will protect them from obesity. Make sure you avoid the worst dry dog food brands.

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Safe Dog Biscuits To Share With Your Pup

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You love your dog! That is clear and you want to spoil him with treats every day, but not any ol’ treat will do for your pet. You care about the food he puts into his body, and you only want to purchase safe dog biscuits. And if you want to make dog biscuits at home, which ingredients should you omit from the recipe?

Knowing what types of food to avoid is essential for taking care of your animals. Some ingredients may be toxic to dogs, so doing your due diligence will help put you at ease and keep your dog’s belly full.

What Kind Of Snacks Can I Feed My Dog With Kidney Disease

Our dogs walk a bit on the wild side when it comes to snacks as they love thin apple slices, banana chunks, carrots, whole unsalted peanuts in the husks, and dehydrated sweet potatoes! Dogs with kidney disease should avoid meat based chews/treats that are high in phosphorus, so you may find that you need to explore doing friendly fruit and veggies for treats like we have. We still on occasion will offer Hooch bully sticks or a jerky treat, but it is better for him if we limit his intake due to the levels of phosphorous that those treats contain.

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Contacting The Pet Food Manufacturer

If you ever have a question about the ingredients in cat food or dog food, do not hesitate to do a little homework.

Some pet food manufacturers have very descriptive websites with lists of commonly used ingredients and descriptions, but if you cannot find the information there, contact the manufacturer.

A responsible pet food manufacturer should provide you with the ingredient information, including the source and why it is included in their formulation.

Ingredients To Avoid In Pet Food

Nutrition is complicated. Just like in human nutrition, there are different ingredients in dog and cat food that can either help or hurt your pet. These are 5 ingredients that you should avoid in pet food.

Carbohydrates listed as the first ingredient.

While dogs and cats can eat and digest carbohydrates, they should not be the first listed ingredients. To ensure proper growth and metabolism, dogs and cats need more protein in their diet than carbohydrates or fibre. Other than nutritional benefits, animal protein is also just more tasty to pets!

Meat by-product meals

Meat by-product meals are the ground, dried leftovers from the meat rendering plants. These by-product meals include things like bones, cartilage, feathers and viscera. These ingredients arenât nearly as digestible to dogs and cats as as whole meat meals like chicken or fish meal. It is often cheaper to use these meat meals and allows pet food companies to cut corners and save money, while sacrificing a quality product.

This is not to say all meat by-products are bad. Certain ingredients like liver, heart or gizzard are healthy organ meats that provide pets with nutritional benefits like iron and B vitamins. Digestible organ by-products such as these are also great for promoting sustainability, as it promotes the usage of rendered products that would otherwise go to waste!

High starch grains

Artificial colours, sweeteners and flavours

Certain preservatives

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References

Try Kabo

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Research Brands Before You Buy: Reputable Brands Will Have Transparent Information On Their Websites

The best brands of dog food are usually the most transparent: they want you to know what ingredients are in their food, how its made, and why its better than the rest. Because of this, these brands will have every quality ingredient they use listed on their website. If youre in doubt or cant find the information, contact them directly.

Some suggestions:

• Just Food For Dogs: Prepares and delivers human-grade, whole food meals for your dog. They are available in select stores and online.
• Darwins Natural Pet Products: Raw, grain-free, free-range meats and vegetables.
• Merrick: Grain-free, raw, freeze-dried meats and vegetables focused on ancestral canine nutrition.
• Blue Wilderness: Grain-free meat, vegetable and fruit-dried kibble with added antioxidants and minerals.

Check for a nutritional adequacy statement from AAFCO .

AAFCO insures the blend meets minimal nutritional requirements.

People Foods To Avoid Feeding Your Pets

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Phone Number: 426-4435

Our Animal Poison Control Center experts have put together a handy list of the top toxic people foods to avoid feeding your pet. As always, if you suspect your pet has eaten any of the following foods, please note the amount ingested and contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 426-4435.

AlcoholAlcoholic beverages and food products containing alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death. Under no circumstances should your pet be given any alcohol. If you suspect that your pet has ingested alcohol, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately.

AvocadoAvocado is primarily a problem for birds, rabbits, donkeys, horses, and ruminants including sheep and goats. The biggest concern is for cardiovascular damage and death in birds and rabbits. Horses, donkeys and ruminants frequently get swollen, edematous head and neck.

CitrusThe stems, leaves, peels, fruit and seeds of citrus plants contain varying amounts of citric acid, essential oils that can cause irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression if ingested in significant amounts. Small doses, such as eating the fruit, are not likely to present problems beyond minor stomach upset.

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Blackwood 1000 Dog Food

Blackwood 1000 dog food has an ingredients list thats full of items that deliver no health benefits to dogs and can even be harmful to their health.

It also contains a lot of ingredients that are comprised of GMOs. Since many studies suggest that GMOs are not safe for human consumption, its certainly not a good idea to fill your dog with such foods daily.

Dog Food Ingredients To Stay Away From

Every dog food is manufactured to allow your dog to live. However, some dog food brands add things to their food that may not be good for your pet. Whether they are added to enhance the flavor, used as preservatives, or to make the food look more appealing , here is a short list of some dog food ingredients to stay away from.

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Worst Dry Food: Iams Proactive Health Adult Minichunks Dry Dog Food

Source: iams proactive health

IAMS ProActive contains a lot of minerals and vitamins, but they are mixed with synthetic proteins. Chicken by-product meal means that this product contains the leftovers of slaughtered chickens that humans dont use. It is quite affordable, though, so many dog owners turn to this brand out of necessity. If you can, invest a little bit more into higher-quality dog food, or prepare your dogs food at home. Dogs who already have some allergy issues shouldnt go near this product as it can cause or boost dog allergies. Corn offers only modest nutritional value to your pooch, and its controversial regarding dogs nutrition. The same goes for beet pulp, which is fifth in the ingredient list.

Ingredients: Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Caramel Color, Potassium Chloride, Carrots, Choline Chloride, Chicken Fat , Fructooligosaccharides, Calcium Carbonate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, L-Carnitine, Sodium Selenite, Mixed Tocopherols , Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate , Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement , Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride , Vitamin D3 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Rosemary Extract, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid

Top 10 List Of Bad Dog Foods

We structured the following list of dog food brands to avoid this year in a way that will make it easy for you to make a more informed shopping decision.

You will have a better understanding of why it is critical to seek out the better option for your pup by first emphasizing the bad dog food and then reading about healthy dog food brands to choose from.

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Others You Need To Avoid

Aside from the items we have already mentioned above, here is a quick look at other substances you should avoid:

• Gluten causes allergies, digestive disorders, ear infection, and itching
• Farmed salmon known to cause cancer
• Xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol can cause hyperglycemia
• Soy dogs are unable to properly digest this protein source. It can cause bloating and gas.
• Sodium Tripolyphosphate active ingredients in detergents and is known to be a neurotoxin
• Vegetable oil contains a high level of omega-6 fatty acid that causes inflammation
• Cellulose and corn dogs are not able to digest these properly.
• Sodium Hexametaphosphate may cause ingestion when consumed in high doses

When People Find Out We Make Our Own Dog Food At Home They Always Ask Us What About A Raw Diet So Lets 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 pups gut which can lead to some pretty unpleasant situations for you if you get my drift.

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Can Dogs Eat Yeast

Just like yeast rises in bread, it will also expand and rise within your pups tummy. Make sure they dont get any yeast. While mild cases will cause gas, lots of farting, and discomfort, too much yeast could rupture their stomach and intestines. Yeast dough is also dangerous because as it ferments and rises, it releases lots of ethanol into your dogs bloodstream, which causes alcohol poisoning.

Find out whether dogs can eat bread safely our experts examine everything from banana bread to rye.

Food Dyes Or Corn Syrup

Theres no reason to artificially color pet foodit’s done to make it look more appealing to humans! And your pup’s food doesnt need to be sweetened, eitherespecially not with an ingredient like corn syrup that has a high glycemic index with no health benefits. Dogs dont even want sweet in their foods, Richter says. Both should be avoided.

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What Should You Look For

There are a lot of dog foods available, and sorting through them all can take a lot of time. In addition to avoiding foods with the above-mentioned products, keep your eyes peeled for foods that meet this criteria, as they are generally healthier for your pooch.

• The main ingredient is protein: Dogs are carnivores by nature and require sources of meat to fuel their bodies properly. While some carbohydrates are okay, they shouldnt be the bulk of your dogs food. Otherwise, your dog may not be getting the right balance of nutrients and may actually develop health problems over time.
• It has nutrient-rich vegetables and fruit: After protein sources should come fruits and veggies rich with nutrients for your dogs body. Vegetables like corn that are mostly starch are not beneficial. Instead, look for pet foods that contain things like carrots, peas, kelp, blueberries or pumpkin.
• Drier is not better: Some pet owners think that super-dry kibble will keep longer or be better for their dogs teeth, but extra-dry pet food can lead to gastrointestinal problems and constipation. Your dogs food should contain around 10 percent moisture to keep things moving properly.

When you take the time to examine what kinds of ingredients youre giving your dog each day, youll be able to really take charge of its health for the better. Giving your dog food that is loaded with the right blend of nutrients and that does not contain toxic chemicals will help it stay happy and healthy for much longer.