With all the options available, navigating the dog food aisle can be quite time-consuming. And also a waste of money, if the food you do finally purchase is not what is really best for your dog. Thanks to my lab/basset mix, Mudd, I spent HOURS in that food aisle, not to mention wasting money. You see, Mudd - like most labs - has a VERY sensitive stomach. If he didn't vomit it up, it would rip right through him. Because of him, I became a student of dog food labels and feeding styles.
Let's start with the useless, and sometimes allergy-provoking fillers. One of the first things to eliminate, as you read through the ingredient list, is CORN. It is merely an inexpensive filler, and provides no real nutritional value to the dog. Plus, it is a COMMON ALLERGY FOOD, especially for labs. BARLEY is another filler your dog can happily do without, as is RICE (Brewer's rice as well). WHEAT GLUTEN and SOY FLOUR also offer no nutritional benefit.
And on to the nitty-gritty ingredients: the animal sources. These are important, as the meat source is what is providing your pet with the essential protein he/she needs. And there are protein sources out there that are not healthy. Avoid ANIMAL DIGESTS - a broth made of specified OR unspecified parts of specified OR unspecified animals. This includes the use of "4 D" animals - dead, diseased, disabled or dying prior to slaughter. Do not buy food with any type of BY-PRODUCT listed as the meat source. By-products include "clean" parts of the carcass, but these are less digestible, and include head, feet, bones, etc. They are an inexpensive protein boost for the food. The same basically holds true for a meat source labeled as MEAL. Meat "meal" can also be sourced from "4 D" animals, due to lack of quality control standards.
This should provide you with a basic start to the Dog Food Dilemma - I will follow up with blogs about the RAW diet, allergy diets, and high protein/low-carb diets.
~Happy Hounding
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