Facts and figures about processed dog food

Unfortunately the statistics concerning the packaged dog food industry are not all that reassuring. Although there have been a number of improvements in the regulatory process much of what goes into the processed foods you buy for your dog at the local pet store or supermarket is not what should be considered fit for consumption. There is a rampant problem with misleading information being put on the labels. Worse than that is the amounts of antibiotics, steroids, hormonal supplements and toxins that are to be found in the process foods. These products (along with other chemicals which make their way into our farm animals) are believed by more and more experts to be the causes of many modern day pet maladies.

Here are some tips and information which might help you to make a more informed decision when buying processed foods.

Dry foods: The brands that use natural preservatives (vitamins C and E or ethoxyquin) in their production are the best to buy.

Canned foods: Next time you visit your local supermarket take your calculator and do an interesting comparison experiment. Write down the prices for ground beef and then the price per gram of the canned dog foods. You will find that the cheapest canned dog food is as much as 5 times more expensive than what cheap ground beef costs.

Now do what are they really putting in there. If after processing, canning, marketing, distribution and advertising they can still charge less than ground beef (which we know is made from the leftovers of the slaughter house) are all those "healthy," "nutritious" claims really true?

Canned food is not pure meat and is not supposed to be unless so indicated on the label. The FDA has regulations that indicate what percentage of the ingredients of canned dog food must be meat as per the label.

beef stew must be 25 percent beef
beef dinner must be between 25 and 95 percent beef
beef should be 95 percent beef
all beef must contain only beef and therefore not additives or supplements
beef flavor should have enough meat to give the canned food the flavor of beef

The fillers that dog food manufacturers use are rice, barley, corn, meat byproducts, meals, powders, additives and water. The meat that they use can often be highly questionable as the regulations regarding the quality of meat to be used in canned dog food are not very comprehensive or clear.

Often the meat used for canned food falls under what is known as the 4-D category. The Ds stand for way an animal is when delivered to the slaughter house, disabled, diseased, dying or dead. The FDA deems this meat suitable for your dog since it is subjected to very high temperatures during the rendering process.

Semi moist foods: Although you can find some well made and good looking precooked pet food burgers. You must be aware that it is necessary for the manufactures to use about 20 percent sugar or more in the production in order to hold these types of foods together. You wouldn't want to feed them to a diabetic dog and you should be very careful as all that sugar robs your dog's body of good healthy vitamins and minerals. So although there are conscientious companies who do in fact make great dog food that is both healthy and yummy the food which you can make in your own kitchen will always prove to be not only more nutritious but also more appealing for you pet. Since you will be using only fresh ingredients and will be preparing the food yourself. You will have the assurance that not only is your dog getting good food but also it is safe for him and free of contaminants, preservatives, additives and other chemicals.

Happy cooking!!  Skin care and treatment for dogs