Dog food is a multi-billion dollar industry, with a huge variety of products. It can be so hard to choose the food just right for your dog. What ingredients should it contain? What should be avoided? Should it be wet, dry or raw? What type of diet is right for your dog? The truth is, over 70% of the people shopping for dog food do not know what is in the food their feed their dogs.
While you may think the food you are feeding your dog is healthy, in actual fact, it may be doing more harm than good. Dogs have very particular dietary needs that change with age, lifestyle and medical conditions. Thus, it is very important to research the ingredients and quality of pet food before you feed it to your canine friend. Here are some important things you need to know about what your dog is eating:
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Kibble does not clean teeth:
This is one of the biggest myths surrounding dog food. Kibble is nothing more than a ground meal that is shaped into the form of pellets. The claim that kibble cleans teeth, is like saying that eating tortilla chips cleans teeth. They don’t.
When your dog eats kibble, it tends to shatter and so the contact between the kibble and the teeth is limited to the tips of the teeth. This does little to stop the buildup of plaque and tartar, as they usually accumulate near the bottom of your dog’s teeth, close to the gum line.
The myth of kibble cleaning teeth is one that is actively perpetuated by pet food companies and has no scientific evidence to support it. Regular brushing and proper dental care are the only ways to protect your dog’s teeth and ensure a healthy lifestyle.
According to Wikipedia.
Beware of Processed Food
Behind the façade of happy dogs you see in every pet, food ad is a very grim reality. Legally, pet food may contain any meat that is unsuitable for human consumption. It is legal to use undesirable products in processed dog food as long as they do not cause immediate harm to the animal. This authorizes manufacturers to make pet food from unwanted byproducts such as hoofs, tails, testicles, and so on. Would you really want these products in your pet’s food?
Worse still, the process of the cooking this food can remove essential enzymes from the food and make it hard for your pet to thoroughly digest. In the long term, such food can have hazardous consequences on the health of your pet.
“Complete and Balanced” label can be misleading:
Pet owners need to recognize that the label “Complete and Balanced” on pet food does not mean that it is in practice, the best for your dog. You need to recognize that there are some limitations attached to the label “Complete and Balanced” as certified by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Pet food certified as “Complete and Balanced” meets the minimum theoretical nutrient intake necessary for your average dog. They do not address other important issues involving pet food, such as quality of ingredients, digestibility or bioavailability of nutrients. The testing of the pet food for this certification is only on a small number of dogs and last only about six months. Thus, long-term issues like nutrient and enzyme deficiencies are not fully explored by the testing process.
So, take the “Complete and Balanced” label with a grain of salt, and make sure to thoroughly research the ingredients and history of the dog food product before buying it.