The most important thing for us as pet parents is to learn to always read ingredients on pet food labels. You can ignore the front of the package. No matter what it says, flip it over and read the ingredients. Even if the vet recommends it, read the ingredients! Some vets are better than others at proper nutrition.
Last week I was asked
to help a client read her dog food label. As I was walking through the
ingredient list, she was appalled that corn was the first ingredient. Not knowing that
Ingredients must be listed in order of predominance by weight. The ingredient
that makes up the highest percentage of the total weight as it goes into the
product is listed first.
This was an eye opener for her, she had always assumed that those were just the ingredients. Not knowing they were written in a specific order by weight. Let's talk labels!
There are many variables of ingredients you should watch for. The 5 top ingredients you never want to see in your pet's food are:
1) Ethoxyquin
2) Propylene Glycol
3) BHT/BHA
4) Corn Syrup/Corn
5) “By Product” (meaning Meat or Animal by product)
This was an eye opener for her, she had always assumed that those were just the ingredients. Not knowing they were written in a specific order by weight. Let's talk labels!
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| PawTree Turkey & Sweet Pea Recipe Label |
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| PawTree Turkey & Sweet Pea Recipe Label |
There are many variables of ingredients you should watch for. The 5 top ingredients you never want to see in your pet's food are:
1) Ethoxyquin
2) Propylene Glycol
3) BHT/BHA
4) Corn Syrup/Corn
5) “By Product” (meaning Meat or Animal by product)
These ingredients are usually the leading cause of medical issues in pets. Be cautious when finding these ingredients in pet food and treats.
The product should contain the phrase "Complete &
Balanced" it is a Nutritional Adequacy
Statement, by the AAFCO labeling.
Your pets food should also have a
minimum digestibility of at least 80% or more. This information is usually obtained by calling
the pet food company. The digestibility of a pet food measures how much of the diet/ingredients
the pet utilizes vs. poops out.
The higher the digestibility the better. In addition, the dogs are digesting most
of the calories for energy. Pets burn calories while sleeping.. Crazy, but they burn calories from protein and healthy fat in their diet. Adding a probiotic will also help the digestive tract absorb nutrients. On average, our overall digestibility studies show our pawTree recipes have a minimum digestibility of 83%. They also show that both our protein and fat are highly digestible (on average, 87% and 94% respectively).
of the calories for energy. Pets burn calories while sleeping.. Crazy, but they burn calories from protein and healthy fat in their diet. Adding a probiotic will also help the digestive tract absorb nutrients. On average, our overall digestibility studies show our pawTree recipes have a minimum digestibility of 83%. They also show that both our protein and fat are highly digestible (on average, 87% and 94% respectively).
Remember to keep your pets hydrated. While we can’t very effectively make them drink as much water as they should, adding warm or cold water to their morning and evening meals (about 1/4 to a 1/3 of a cup) everyday will really go a long way to helping them stay healthy.
Cost in general- as the quality of the ingredients used to make a
pet food increases, so does the cost to the manufacturer, who passes these
costs on to the client. Therefore, a cheap product does not always mean a
good deal. This is a very true statement! You get what you pay for! If you purchase McDonald's everyday vs home made food you will feel and see the difference. Don't let "cost" be the factor for your pet thriving in life, budget accordingly :)
Animals require nutrients, not ingredients. The quantity and
quality of nutrients in the diet available to the animal is what is important, not the ingredients that provided these nutrients. For example, there is
a perception that certain ingredients are bad and are fillers. The body
breaks down ingredients into amino acid that are absorbed by the intestinal
tract. Unless an animal has a known allergy to a certain ingredient, there is no reason to avoid feeding diets that contain them. It is true that animals
require nutrients, not ingredients, but different ingredients may provide
better nutrients (‘better’ meaning more available). While it may be true that some ingredients
have the same amino acid profiles, not all nutrients have the same bioavailability. For instance, plant
amino acid profiles are very different than animal amino acid profiles. If the animal can’t utilize the nutrient
because it isn’t bio-available, that nutrient does the animal no good.
Most importantly! How is your pet doing while consuming the diet? There is no diet
that 100% of dogs and cats will do well on. They are like people in that
they can show a variation in their preference and response to a particular diet.
Don't forget to read the ingredients on your dog treats too!!
**Pictures in this post are of pawTree recipes. pawTree is an amazing diet for pets young and old. They only utilize the highest quality ingredients. Pets feel and look better throughout their life. pawTree diets are also created by a vet advisory counsel and PH.D in animal science and pet nutrition. It is exactly what they need, when they need it.
Click link: Fill out a pawTree pet profile and read our ingredients!
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We love comments and feedback! Thank you for stopping by my blog!
