One of the questions I often get asked is “What should I feed my dog?’
What a great question! There are certainly many options out there and it can get confusing. The best thing you can do is learn what are the ingredients you want and don’t want to see in your dog’s food.
Here is what you DON’T want to see in your dog’s food ever
(whether it be a puppy or an adult)
1. By-products. This is what remains after the food is processed and the human-grade meat is sent to the grocery stores. What is in a “by-product” anyway? Nothing I want to give my dogs, that’s for sure.
2. Corn whether they call it “ground yellow corn,” “corn meal,” or “corn gluten meal.” Corn’s main purpose is not to add any nutrition to the dog food, but to make your dog feel full. It’s a filler, nothing more. The more fillers you have in a dog food, generally the more food you need to give your dog so that it gets the proper nutrition. The better quality dog foods may cost a little more, but you have to feed less to your dog.
3. Non specific ingredients like “animal fat,” “animal digest,” and “meat meal” . You want to know WHICH animal we’re talking about here. Chicken meal is straightforward (=good). Meat meal is mysterious (= bad) …
4. Chemical preservatives ( “ethoxyquin,” “BHA,” “BHT,” “propylene glycol”) Did you know that propylene glycol can be found in antifreeze, body lotions, hair gels, perfumes, bubble bath, shampoo, smoke machines, and paint? Lovely.
5. Brewer’s Rice. It’s another filler. You will often see white rice or brown rice in the ingredient list. Both are okay, but brewer’s rice is not.
6. Soy is another filler, like corn, and some dogs are also pretty allergic to it.
7. Sorghum is another filler.
8. Wheat. It won’t hurt him unless he’s allergic to it. If your dog is allergic to it, he will be more prone to develop skin problems.
9. Salt. It is an unnecessary ingredient.
10. Brewer’s yeast. It can cause skin problems and/or ear infections if your dog is sensitive to this ingredient.
11. Flax. Dogs generally do not tolerate it well.
So where does that leave you with choices? If you would like to read the rest of the article, please head on over to the article on the Ottawa K9 School!
Article by Chantal Mills who owns the Ottawa K9 School in Ottawa
ottawak9school@yahoo.ca
ottawak9school.com
Liz Bradley is a dog lover who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband,