How does your dog food brand compare?
Are you concerned about the dry food your Golden Retriever or canine companion is eating? Looking for detailed information about certain food ingredients? Confused about inconsistent information about dog food from pet food manufacturers? Need help comparing dog food brands and finding a better one? Then you are exactly where I was when I first heard about the disgusting materials some pet food manufacturers put into their products. I picked up a bag of Science Diet and consciously looked at the ingredient list for the first time. Even without any previous knowledge I could see that it did not include any real meat and was preserved with the same chemicals I avoid in human food products. I never bought another bag of Science Diet and started researching and comparing products. One of the things I learned was that commercial sources are best avoided if you want hard facts, not biased ‘infomercial’ style sales pitches trying to sell you one product or another. Hopefully you will find this site helpful, make up your own mind about different food brands and their quality, choose a better food and who knows maybe you can even save some money.
Commercial Dry Dog Food Introduction
If you have read about dog food on other websites, you might ask, "Why do you recommend any dry dog food at all? Shouldn't I avoid all commercial products and just feed a home cooked or raw diet?" The answer is simple – not everyone has the time, money, resources or dedication to feed a properly balanced homemade diet and not all commercial dog foods are made from low quality ingredients and inexpensive byproducts, only meeting the bare minimum of nutritional requirements. The philosophies and ethics of manufacturers vary widely and it is my goal to make as much information available as possible so you can form your own opinion about what is a good food and what isn't. If enough pet owners make a conscious choice, avoid the ‘junk food’ and support trustworthy manufacturers by buying their quality products, maybe it will send a message to the companies who are happy to sell you bags of beef-flavored corn or rice by products. Fortunately, changes are already happening. More and smaller, privately owned businesses are entering the market with quality products. Almost every pet food manufacturer that is owned by a corporate giant is following the example of the successful smaller companies, trying to secure themselves a piece of the natural or holistic segment of the market. Royal Canin offers Natural Blend and Sensible Choice, Heinz Pet Products offers Nature's Recipe and Colgate-Palmolive offers Science Diet Nature's Best and Advanced Protection. Even the low-end range on the grocery store shelf has candidates like Purina Beneful®. In some cases a quick look at the ingredient list reveals whether the product is made of quality components or not, in others it takes more knowledge about individual ingredients to determine which food is the better one. Of course every company is going to tell you that they are using only the best quality ingredients, but the constitutional right to freedom of speech does not require such statements to be truthful. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s your responsibility as a pet owner to look past the pretty pictures of fresh cuts of meat and juicy vegetables, the cute commercials and the misleading, biased information about ‘proper nutrition’ and question the statements the manufacturer makes. If you can't locate enough information on my website, or doubt any of its content, make use of your email and discuss things with the manufacturers directly. If you are concerned about a particular ingredient, get several different opinions and compare the statements.
Myths About Feeding And Nutrition
1. “Dogs should not be fed table scraps”
This is one of the most widespread myths the manufacturers of some (mostly poorer quality) products perpetuate. They claim that table scraps will upset the balance of the commercial dog food, but just like humans, dogs do not require a diet that provides uniform meals every single day of their life. Dietary deficiencies do not appear overnight but need a long period of consistently poor nutrition to develop. Dogs will also not automatically get fat, learn to beg at the table, or refuse to eat their own food just because they are fed table scraps. They will, however, do those things for various other reasons, like being overfed, not trained properly or just plain spoiled. It is important that you do not feed junk food, candy, items that contain a lot of artificial ingredients, high amounts of fat, salt or sweeteners. Leftover meats (or meat trimmings), pasta, rice, oatmeal, baked or steamed potatoes and especially fresh, raw or lightly steamed vegetables and fresh fruits are healthy additions to a dog’s commercial diet. Moderation is the key and of course you need to subtract the amount of foods you supplement from the total daily ration of dog food. Carbohydrates must be processed in order to be digested by the dog. This is either achieved by finely grinding, pureeing or mincing, or gentle cooking or steaming – but not at excessively high temperatures or for long time periods.”
2. “Mixing different dog food brands will improve my dog’s diet”
This misconception seems to originate from dog owners unconsciously feeling guilty about the type of food they feed, or those following their own ideas for “improving” their dog’s diet without doing any research. Every brand of dog food follows a specific formulation and nutritional philosophy, developed by the manufacturer. All products are formulated to supply a balanced amount of nutrients in a ration of a certain size (remember kibble size and density vary from brand to brand), based on the body weight of the dog. When mixing different kibbles, instead of getting “the best of both”, your dog isn’t going to eat enough of either one to get the full benefit of a particular nutritional system designed and researched by a manufacturer. Last but not least, if digestive upset occurs, it’s going to take so much longer to figure out what exactly caused it, compared to just eliminating either the commercial food or whatever extras were fed recently. If you want to offer more variety, stick to one line of food of the same brand at a time and rotate between brands every few months. Supplementing the dry food with fresh, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruit, yogurt, meat or a bit of canned food is also safe and healthy.”
“Dogs should not be fed (raw) eggs”
The main argument is that the Enzyme Avidin contained in the egg white, destroys biotin within the body. The fact is that the egg yolk supplies more than enough biotin to make up for this loss. Salmonella are another concern, but dogs with their significantly shorter digestive tract are much more resistant to these bacteria than for example humans.”
“Dogs should not be fed cottage cheese and yogurt”
This incorrect information originates from sources that do not take into consideration that not all dairy products contain high amounts of lactose and that not all animals have trouble digesting them. Just like some humans, some dogs do not produce any, or not enough of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to break down lactose. This is a condition commonly referred to as lactose intolerance. Cottage cheese only contains minute amounts of lactose and yogurt is generally tolerated well and rarely ever triggers symptoms. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, protein and vitamins; yogurt is a good source of calcium, protein, potassium and magnesium and (if products with live cultures are fed) can supply beneficial bacteria like for example Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus. It also helps to soothe upset stomachs in sick animals. Only the plain versions of these products should be fed to avoid unnecessary sugar intake. If you want to feed cottage cheese, low fat and low sodium varieties are preferable.”
“Dogs need a food product appropriate for their life stage”
www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main
This is what pet food manufacturers want you to believe, but it is just a way to secure their customer base early on and increase sales. The more items in a particular line of food, the higher the visibility of their product on a store shelf – and of course the more likely people are to buy and stick with the brand through the whole life of the animal. Fact is that a food declared as suitable “for all life stages” will feed a growing puppy just as well as a lactating bitch, an adult or a senior dog – just the amounts you have to feed will change. Puppy and senior food is often more expensive than the regular type of food of the same brand, yet does not differ much in nutritional value. Compare the guaranteed analysis and ingredient list. Further, puppy food can cause large and giant breed puppies to grow at maximum rate, which is not healthy for them. A slower, more even growth results in far less risk of orthopedic problems and a healthier adult dog.”
This is one of the most widespread myths the manufacturers of some (mostly poorer quality) products perpetuate. They claim that table scraps will upset the balance of the commercial dog food, but just like humans, dogs do not require a diet that provides uniform meals every single day of their life. Dietary deficiencies do not appear overnight but need a long period of consistently poor nutrition to develop. Dogs will also not automatically get fat, learn to beg at the table, or refuse to eat their own food just because they are fed table scraps. They will, however, do those things for various other reasons, like being overfed, not trained properly or just plain spoiled. It is important that you do not feed junk food, candy, items that contain a lot of artificial ingredients, high amounts of fat, salt or sweeteners. Leftover meats (or meat trimmings), pasta, rice, oatmeal, baked or steamed potatoes and especially fresh, raw or lightly steamed vegetables and fresh fruits are healthy additions to a dog’s commercial diet. Moderation is the key and of course you need to subtract the amount of foods you supplement from the total daily ration of dog food. Carbohydrates must be processed in order to be digested by the dog. This is either achieved by finely grinding, pureeing or mincing, or gentle cooking or steaming – but not at excessively high temperatures or for long time periods.”
2. “Mixing different dog food brands will improve my dog’s diet”
This misconception seems to originate from dog owners unconsciously feeling guilty about the type of food they feed, or those following their own ideas for “improving” their dog’s diet without doing any research. Every brand of dog food follows a specific formulation and nutritional philosophy, developed by the manufacturer. All products are formulated to supply a balanced amount of nutrients in a ration of a certain size (remember kibble size and density vary from brand to brand), based on the body weight of the dog. When mixing different kibbles, instead of getting “the best of both”, your dog isn’t going to eat enough of either one to get the full benefit of a particular nutritional system designed and researched by a manufacturer. Last but not least, if digestive upset occurs, it’s going to take so much longer to figure out what exactly caused it, compared to just eliminating either the commercial food or whatever extras were fed recently. If you want to offer more variety, stick to one line of food of the same brand at a time and rotate between brands every few months. Supplementing the dry food with fresh, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruit, yogurt, meat or a bit of canned food is also safe and healthy.”
“Dogs should not be fed (raw) eggs”
The main argument is that the Enzyme Avidin contained in the egg white, destroys biotin within the body. The fact is that the egg yolk supplies more than enough biotin to make up for this loss. Salmonella are another concern, but dogs with their significantly shorter digestive tract are much more resistant to these bacteria than for example humans.”
“Dogs should not be fed cottage cheese and yogurt”
This incorrect information originates from sources that do not take into consideration that not all dairy products contain high amounts of lactose and that not all animals have trouble digesting them. Just like some humans, some dogs do not produce any, or not enough of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to break down lactose. This is a condition commonly referred to as lactose intolerance. Cottage cheese only contains minute amounts of lactose and yogurt is generally tolerated well and rarely ever triggers symptoms. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, protein and vitamins; yogurt is a good source of calcium, protein, potassium and magnesium and (if products with live cultures are fed) can supply beneficial bacteria like for example Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus. It also helps to soothe upset stomachs in sick animals. Only the plain versions of these products should be fed to avoid unnecessary sugar intake. If you want to feed cottage cheese, low fat and low sodium varieties are preferable.”
“Dogs need a food product appropriate for their life stage”
www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main
This is what pet food manufacturers want you to believe, but it is just a way to secure their customer base early on and increase sales. The more items in a particular line of food, the higher the visibility of their product on a store shelf – and of course the more likely people are to buy and stick with the brand through the whole life of the animal. Fact is that a food declared as suitable “for all life stages” will feed a growing puppy just as well as a lactating bitch, an adult or a senior dog – just the amounts you have to feed will change. Puppy and senior food is often more expensive than the regular type of food of the same brand, yet does not differ much in nutritional value. Compare the guaranteed analysis and ingredient list. Further, puppy food can cause large and giant breed puppies to grow at maximum rate, which is not healthy for them. A slower, more even growth results in far less risk of orthopedic problems and a healthier adult dog.”