News From Sit Means Sit of Palm Beach County

Many of us have our dog's best interest at heart and sometimes even put more thought into what we serve our dog as opposed to what we put into our own bodies. The problem arises in trying to find the right food for our dog. How do we read the ingredients? What items should we look for to have or avoid? What do we know about this company other than it has a cute commericial or colorful bag?. These are all good questions, but we need to understand them so that we can do right by our dog.

The Whole Dog Journal has had some very interesting articles regarding these questions and I encourage people to subscribe to their service (www.whole-dog-journal.com). Below is some of the information that they are passing along to aid us in selecting dog food.
Look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal protiens.
Ingredients are listed by weight, so ideally a food will have one or two animal proteins (meat, poultry, fish) in the first few ingredients. Understand that whole meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc) contains a lot of water weight. If a food list starts out with chicken (rather than chicken meal), and there is no other animal protein listed until 5th or 6th on the list, the food does not actually contain a lot of animal protein. Look for chicken or another meat with a meal in the second or third spot.

Reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products.
There is a much wider range of quality in the by-products available for pet food manufacturing than there is for whole meats.
Reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species.
"Animal fat" is a euphemism for low quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin. "Meat meal" could be practically be anything.
Look for whole grains and vegetables.
Too many grains or vegetables on the upper side of the ingredient list lessens the quality of the food.
Eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
A healthy product full of top-quality ingredients shouldn't need non-nutritive additives to make it look or taste better.
Eliminate all foods with added sweetners.
Dogs like people, enjoy sweet foods. Like people they can develop a taste for these nutritionally empty calories.
"The proof is in the pudding. If your dog does not thrive on the food, with a glossy coat, itch-free skin, bright eyes, clear ears, and a happy, alert demeanor, it doesn't matter if we like it or not-switch!" Always make your vet a partner in your choices, but read that label and ask questions about the food your vet recommends. Some dogs need to be on a specific diet.

Try calling Holistc Pet Cuisine for your dogs dietary needs