What’s In Dog Food

The Best Fresh Dog Food: Nom Nom Fresh Food For Dogs

The best way to order fresh dog food is through an online delivery service like Nom Nom. This company offers four different recipes , all formulated to exceed AAFCO standards and made with real, whole-food ingredients.

This fresh food is delivered in perfectly portioned packages according to your dogs calorie requirements, delivered right to your doorstep.

Each bag is one meal, so you dont have to bother with scooping or storing leftovers, and it is fresh and ready for your dog to enjoy. Often for new customers the company will offer deals, such as its current promotion of 20% off your first order .

Foods Dangerous To Dogs

A number of common human foods and household ingestibles are toxic to dogs, including chocolate solids , onion and garlic , grapes and raisins , milk , nutmeg , mushrooms, fatty foods, rhubarb, xylitol,macadamia nuts, as well as various plants and other potentially ingested materials.A full list of poison/toxic substances can be found on the ASPCA’s website.

The 2007 pet food recalls involved the massive recall of many brands of cat and dog foods beginning in March 2007. The recalls came in response to reports of renal failure in pets consuming mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company, beginning in February 2007. After more than three weeks of complaints from consumers, the recall began voluntarily with the Canadian company Menu Foods on March 16, 2007, when a company test showed sickness and death in some of the test animals.

Overall, several major companies recalled more than 100 brands of pet foods, with most of the recalled product coming from Menu Foods. The contaminant was identified as melamine, which had been added as an adulterant to simulate a higher protein content.

Specified Animal Fats And Oils

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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.

Pro Pac Performance Puppy

This recipe is designed for puppies from weaning until the 12th month. Its also billed as an excellent feed for pregnant or nursing canines.

We dont find anything wrong with the ingredients because it starts with chicken meal, an animal protein. Ground yellow corn as the second ingredient may be a little bit off, but still not bad. Whats more concerning is the recent recall of this product.

The maker of this recipe is Midwestern Pet Foods, the same manufacturer of Sportsmix, Nunn Better, and Splash Fat Cat.

The company is currently embroiled in one of the worst pet food recalls to date concerning aflatoxin, a possibly fatal type of toxin that was found in Midwestern Pet Foods Sportsmix products.

Included in the recall are two Pro Pac recipes. This particular formulation and the Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk.

Recall Info: On January 11, 2021, and FDA alert was issued on the Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bags and Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bags manufactured in Midwestern Pet Foodss Oklahoma plant with expiration dates of July 9, 2022 or earlier.

This is an expanded recall that was issued out of caution since the Pro Pac recipes were produced in the same plant as the Sportsmix foods that have caused the deaths of more than 70 dogs and the illness of around 80 at least.

Problem Ingredients: none

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The Most Common Dog Food Ingredients

Dogs are among the most popular domesticated animalsboth in the world, and in history, so its important to know which dog food ingredients are commonly used. Whether they work in the field as shepherds or companions at home, dogs are certainly beloved wherever they can be found.

Like other animals, dogs have their own nutritional needs that must be met in order to ensure a happy and healthy life. Theright kind of dog food is essential for making sure that mans best friend can be his very best self and live a long, healthy life.

Food For Your Dogs Life Stage And Specialised Health Requirements

As humans grow, we need different food formats and nutrients, which is similar for your dog. When a puppy is growing, the right food is essential in their development and health. Similarly, as a dog begins their senior years, they may need an adjustment to their diet. Its important to ensure youre feeding your dog the right types of food at the correct stage of their life, including anything specific to health issues or conditions.

Heres a breakdown of what dogs should eat based on their life stage:

Puppy food

Premium puppy food gives your dog all the essential nutrients required during this important stage of your dogs life, helping them grow and develop into happy adults. It features high calcium and phosphorus for bone health and higher calories.

Protein is needed for growth and because their GI tract is physically smaller than an adult. They need to be able to consume more calories with less quantity. Dr Natalia Li, PETstock VET.

Puppy food is also available in natural, holistic, grain-free and breed-specific diets so you can find the right fit for your puppy.

If you are not sure which food is best for your puppy, chat to your vet or head in-store where our team can help you talk through the options.

Adult food

Mature dog food

Senior or Mature foods contain ingredients that address your pets health needs as they get older, such as glucosamine to support their joints, as well as other vitamins and minerals that help them age with care.

• Metabolic and Mobility

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Kal Kan Complete Adult

This dog food makes the list because of questionable ingredient quality that is not nutritional and is somewhat harmful to dogs.

The primary ingredient is corn, which we just mentioned does not provide the proper nutrition your dog needs.

The second ingredient is meat and bone meal which is a dry product from the mammal tissues, including bones, exclusive of any added hair, blood, hoof, hide trimmings, horn, manure, rumen contents, and stomach.

Meat and bone meal may have a lower digestibility than most of the other meat meals.

Scientists believe that this decreased absorption may be because of the lower essential amino acid and higher ash content in the ingredient.

The meat itself can come from any mixture of cattle, pigs, goats or sheep, making classifying impossible for particular food allergens.

Although meat and bone meals are still considered meat concentrates rich in protein, a generic ingredient like this cannot be considered a quality item.

Kal Kans third ingredient is a soybean meal which a by-product or leftover of soybean oil production more often found in farm animal feed.

Although soybean meal comprises about 48% of protein, this ingredient would be estimated to have a lower biological value than meat.

Inexpensive plant-based ingredients like this can boost the total protein, an element that must be considered while judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

I think you get the point that these types of ingredients are not ideal for your furry friend.

Key Ingredients Of Healthy Dog Foods

Each owner may have his or her own preference when it comes to important ingredients for their dogs food. While some may agree that real meat is best, others will focus on finding food with no fillers.

Overall, there are some key ingredients to look for when choosing healthy dog foods for your pet.

The best brands of dog food offer key ingredients, and do not possess the typical filler options that many popular brands on the market have.

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What Dog Food Ingredients To Avoid:

There are some ingredients which arent as healthy for your pup, so its best to avoid diets with:

• Artificial preservatives such as BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin.
• Diets that just list meat or meat-meal and arent specific about the protein source.
• Artificial colours and flavours, these may be listed as E numbers or colourings/flavourings.

Luckily, commercial dog food has very strict guidelines and legislation on what diets can and cant contain to ensure its safe and that they meet all the nutritional needs of dogs at each life stages. So, when you choose to feed a complete and balanced dog food, you can rest assured that theyre getting all they need to thrive.

If your dog has a health concern or you cant decide what dog food would fit your dog best, speak to your vet. Theyll be able to make an informed recommendation based on your dogs breed, nutritional needs and exercise levels.

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.

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Twin Pet Dry Dog Food

Twin Pet dog food is a plant-based dry dog food utilizing a limited amount of unnamed and unidentified meat as its primary source of animal protein.

Twin Pet contains cheap ingredients of poor quality that do not provide the necessary nutrition to dogs.

Like the dog food brands we already discussed, the first ingredient is corn, so you already know how we feel about that.

The second ingredient is wheat middlings, also known as wheat mill run. It is a cheap by-product that remains after cereal grain processing.

Unfortunately, the disparities in nutrient content in the wheat middlings can be a critical concern in determining their aptness for being used in any dog food or even livestock feeds.

In actuality, wheat middlings is just the milling dust as well as floor sweepings. It is an ingredient that is typically associated with low-quality pet foods.

The third ingredient is the meat and bone meal, a rendered product from the mammal tissues. It has lower digestibility in comparison with the other meat meals.

Other unhealthy, non-nutritional ingredients in this dog food include unspecified animal fat and salt. The quantity of salt is also unknown, making it difficult to determine the nutritional value of this ingredient.

Altogether this product is one of the worst dog food brands.

The Farmers Dog Responds

Responding to the concern that the recipe is grain-free, the 32-year-old co-founder of The Farmers Dog Brett Podolsky said in a follow-up telephone interview:

Theres absolutely no conclusive evidence whatsoever proving that boutique, grain-free, or exotic BEG is what theyre referring to it as has any connection to DCMAll or 99% of the cases were reported to the FDA about dogs getting DCM were dry food. Also, about 40% of dogs in the country are eating grain-free foods, so statistically, its going to work out like that every single time.

Asked about the absence of AAFCO testing, Podolsky said:

What a lot of vets dont realize is that the AAFCO feeding trialsis animal testing. They do it in colonies. And we do not support that. We dont support testing on animals. We are looking into doing something like this.The real reason, though, is that the blood tests that are required will have no indication to prove whether or not the food will cause DCM..AAFCO really needs to change what their requirements are in order to make their feeding trials worthwhile for brands to do. It also is extremely, extremely expensive and boxes out any entering competitors from getting into the business.

Podolsky continued: If you speak to someone like the really reputable people in the formulation world, theyll say that the feeding trials really dont test for enough. Theyll also say that they really believe that this is a protein quality issue.

Podolsky said that fundamentally,

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Nutro Ultra Dry Dog Food

Rating:

Nutro Ultra Adult is one of 10 dry recipes included in our review of the Nutro Ultra product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole brown rice, brewers rice, rice bran
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Other recipes: Beef, duck, lamb, fish, small breed, large breed, puppy, senior and more
• Price: $$

This Nutro formula derives most of its meat protein from chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 28% protein, 16% fat and 49% estimated carbs which creates a fat-to-protein ratio of about 56%.

Available in a wide range of flavor and recipe options. One of our top value picks.

Sample buyer reviewI have 5 dogsranging in different sizes and breeds. This is the ONE food I can get them all to eat without having to buy a bunch of different brands or formulas. Thank you Nutro!

• See all 5 available recipes

This Go! Carnivore formula derives the majority of its animal protein from chicken, turkey and salmon meals, as well both chicken and turkey. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 38% protein, 18% fat and 36% estimated carbs resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

Free of GMO ingredients and loaded with meat. A rare find. Highly recommended.

What Meal Options Does The Farmers Dog Offer

The Farmers Dog offers four meal options, each based on a different meat source: turkey, beef, chicken, and pork. The full ingredient list for each recipe is available on The Farmers Dogs website, but we list the key components below. Note that the number one ingredients are all whole meats and that you dont see any meat meals or fillers youd see at the top of the ingredients list for store-bought kibble.

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Nomnomnow Fresh Dog Food

Our Super Premium Option: If youre looking for a super premium dog food to buy for a dog, you may want to consider a fresh food option like NomNomNow. This service delivers freshly prepared meals to your door on a weekly basis. All meals are prepared using whole, restaurant-quality ingredients to ensure the highest quality nutrition for your dog with no freezing or preservatives. When you sign up for the service, you fill out a profile for your dog which enables the company to create a custom recipe based on your dogs calorie needs then the food is sent to you fresh for storage in your own fridge or freezer. Because the food is prepared fresh with gentle cooking methods, most of the nutritional integrity is retained for a wholesome meal.

• Pros: Fresh food delivered weekly, gentle cooking process retains nutritional integrity, recipes catered to your dogs needs, restaurant-quality ingredients
• Cons: Very expensive, limited options for recipes/ingredients

Pet Food Is An Environmental Disaster Are Vegan Dogs The Answer

A quarter of the impact of meat production comes from the pet-food industry. Has the time come to change what we feed our dogs and cats?

Animal microbiologist Holly Ganz cannot talk about the pet feeding regime known as biologically appropriate raw food without laughing. The increasingly popular diet is known by its unfortunate acronym, Barf. Its bizarrely named, she says, laughing. It certainly runs contrary to the twee language usually reserved for the pet realm such as Kitty Biome, a project Ganz recently raised $23,000 for via Kickstarter, which invited cat owners to pay $100 to have the microorganisms in their cats droppings analysed. The common term for the environmental impact of pet-keeping has a cute name too: pawprint. But, with humans increasingly demanding human-grade meat for their four-legged family members, pet food is estimated to be responsible for a quarter of the environmental impacts of meat production in terms of the use of land, water, fossil fuels, phosphates and pesticides. And this trend for raw food is, environmentally speaking, a step backwards.

He is confident that a nutritional cat food will follow. Cats really need carnitine and taurine in their food, says Ravetz. They are important for vision, the heart and the immune system, among other things. A lack of them can cause all kinds of problems.

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