Despite all the publicity about manufactured and refined human foods and the drive to get us all to think about what we are eating, little has changed.The vast majority of pet owners continue to buy poor quality dry, tinned and pouch food from supermarkets and chain stores.Research shows that most shoppers rate convenience higher than quality or price.Would You Feed Your Kids Cheap Garbage
For years, the pet food manufacturers have been allowed to disguise exactly what's in their food by using words and phrases such as:
CEREALS
MEAT & ANIMAL DERIVATIVES
DERIVATIVES OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN
ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS
BY-PRODUCTS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN
Ingredients on any food product are listed in the order from most to least content
CEREALS Cereals are used in abundance by manufacturers.They will inform you that they are an excellent source of necessary dietary fibre and carbohydrate.Of course this is true but some products contain up to 80% cereals.The use of cereals in a pet food is an alternative to more expensive ingredients.Cereals are generally described as "bulking agents" which only serve to fill your dogs tummy and have little or no nutritional value, hence why they are pooing so much because their bodies are just expelling the crap
MEAT AND ANIMAL DERIVATIVES/BY-PRODUCT
It can be any part of any animal - whatever is cheapest when they make their food.This avoids constant label changing for the manufacturer.This means that your dog food will not be the same mix all the time, it will differ in content depending on what meat is cheapest at the time
ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS Dried blood & blood meal from slaughterhouse operations
Chicken by-product meal clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs & intestines
Chrome shavings from a stage of leather manufacture
Collagen & gelatine from the boiled skin & other parts of slaughtered livestock
Feathers from poultry processing
Lanolin from the cleansing of wool
Manure from animal husbandry
Meat & bone meal from the rendering of animal bones & offal
Poultry by-product & poultry meal made from unmarketable poultry bones & offal
Poultry litter swept from the floors of chicken coops
Whey from cheese manufacturing
Fetal pigs
VEGETATION BY-PRODUCTS
Acidulated soap stock from the refining of vegetable oil
Bran & germ from the milling of whole grains into refined grains
Brewers yeast from ethanol fermentation
Corn stover residual plant matter after harvesting of cereals
Distillers grains from ethanol fermentation
Glycerol from the production of biodiesel
Grape seed oil recovered from leftovers of the winemaking process
Molasses from sugar refining
Orange oil & other citrus oils recovered from the peels of processed fruit
Pectin recovered from the remains of processed fruit
Sawdust & bark from the processing of logs into lumber
Straw from grain harvesting
MINERALS & PETRO CHEMICAL BY-PRODUCTS
Asphalt from the refining of crude oil
Fly ash from the combustion of coal
Slag from ore refining
Gypsum from flue gas desulfurization
Ash & smoke from the combustion of fuel
Mineral oil from refining crude oil to produce gasoline
Salt from desalination
DERIVATIVES/BY-PRODUCT OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN
Material from the human food preparation industry.By the time it is processed at high temperature it contains no nutritional value & just serves as another fibre source. This product is inexpensive and is classed as yet another "bulking agent"
WATER The cheapest ingredient available.It mainly applies to frozen, semi-moist or tinned foods.Usually described as moisture, jelly or gravy
EC PERMITTED ADDITIVES Refers to a list of around 4000 chemical additives which do not need to be individually named
BHT / BHA These popular preservatives are heavily used in the pet food industry, not only to preserve fats but to stabilize the whole product as well. We have certainly been educated as to thedangerous side-effects of BHT/BHA in our own diets
ARTIFICIAL COLOURS
E102 (tartrazine), E110 (sunset yellow) and others have been shown to cause hyperactivity in children and have recently been banned for human consumption by the Food Standard Agency
POTENTIAL CONTAMINANTS
Given the types of things manufacturers put in pet food, it is not surprising that bad things sometimes happen. Ingredients used in pet food are often highly contaminated with a wide variety of toxic substances. Some of these are destroyed by processing, but others are not
BACTERIA
Slaughtered animals, as well as those that have died because of disease, injury, or natural causes, are sources of meat, by-products, and rendered meals. An animal that died on the farm might not reach a rendering plant until days after its death. Therefore the carcass is often contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. Dangerous E. Coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than 50% of meat meals. While the cooking process may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins some bacteria produce during their growth. These toxins can survive processing, and can cause sickness and disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their products for bacterial endotoxins. because sick or dead animals can be processed as pet foods, the drugs that were used to treat or euthanize them may still be present in the end product. Penicillin and pentobarbital are just two examples of drugs that can pass through processing unchanged
MYCOTOXINS
Toxins from mold or fungi are called mycotoxins. Modern farming practices, adverse weather conditions, and improper drying and storage of crops can contribute to mold growth. Pet food ingredients that are most likely to be contaminated with mycotoxins are grains such as wheat and corn, and fish meal
CHEMICAL RESIDUE
Pesticides and fertilizers may leave residue on plant products
NUTRITION-RELATED DISEASES
OBESITY
Feeding recommendations or instructions on the packaging are sometimes inflated so that the consumer will end up feeding and purchasing more food. One of the most common health problems in pets, obesity, may also be related to high-carb, high-calorie dry foods.Overweight pets are more prone to arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes
CHRONIC DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Chronic vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and inflammatory bowel disease are among the most frequent illnesses treated. These are often the result of an allergy or intolerance to pet food ingredients
Many nutritional problems appeared with the popularity of cereal-based commercial pet foods. Other problems may occur from reactions to additives. Others are a result of contamination with bacteria, mold, drugs, or other toxins. In some diseases the role of commercial pet food is understood; in others, it is not. The bottom line is that diets composed primarily of low quality cereals and rendered meals are not as nutritious or safe as you should expect for your cat or dog
NICHE CLAIMS
A trip down the pet food aisle will boggle the mind with all the wonderful claims made by pet food makers for their repertoire of products. Knowing the nature of the ingredients helps sort out some of the more outrageous claims, but what’s the truth behind all this hype
Indoor Cat, Canine Athlete, Persian, 7-Year Old, Bloodhound, or A Pet With A Tender Tummy, Too Much Flab, Arthritis, or Itchy Feet.No matter what, there’s a food “designed” just for that pet’s personal needs. Niche marketing has arrived in a big way in the pet food industry. People like to feel special, and a product with specific appeal is bound to sell better than a general product like “puppy food.” The reality is that there are only two basic standards against which all pet foods are measured: adult and growth, which includes gestation and lactation. Everything else is marketing
Experience with my own dogs and customer feedback has taught me that hypoallergenic foods are much, much tastier to your pet’s pallet.I have heard this comment from customers a thousand times in the last 5 years:“I’ve tried every food in the supermarket and he/she won’t eat it”. Foods generally stocked in a supermarket or chain store contain cheap bulking ingredients/government minimum of meat which is 4% or both, plus supermarket staff are only trained to show you where things are, take your money and pack your bags, they don’t have the slightest clue about pet nutrition
Always remember that dog food is not just dog food, it’s very much like feeding yourself.If you walk into a supermarket you have two choices, their own make or whatever commercial makes they choose to stock.What if you don’t like any of them.Do you instead choose to buy from specialist shops i.e fishmongers/butchers/bakers because their products are of better tasting quality.Shopping for dog food is the very same, most dogs prefer a hypoallergenic diet as it is obviously much tastier & nutritionally satisfying, you will not find these foods in a supermarket
My 3 boys are on a hypoallergenic diet as my spaniel X collie Brogan has had an extremely sensitive stomach since I rescued him in 2005.I have tried Brogan on all foods over the years and have found that hypoallergenic foods are the only ones which don’t spark off a reaction to the ingredients. There is a downside however as not all the flavours agree with him.Every dog will react differently to various brands / flavours.The same flavour in different brands are completely different mixes depending on the ingredients, so just because the dog turns it’s nose up at say ‘lamb’ does not mean that they dislike that flavour, this just means that they don’t find that particular mix appetising.If they are slightly loose with one flavour try the others as this does not mean that they will be the same with all flavours of that brand, some protein sources just don’t agree with certain dogs
Depending on which food you currently feed, hypoallergenic foods are more expensive because the ingredients are far superior to that of other foods, they will also last longer as you can cut the amount fed down by 15-20% per meal.This change over could give you a happier, healthier pet & save you a fortune.
Weaning should not be rushed due to what ever the reason as the puppies might not have drunk enough of mother’s milk which may lead to increased susceptibility to diseases & viral infections like parvovirus.
Puppies will begin to experiment with their mother's food, this is a signal to start teaching the puppies to eat out of a pan. Place a pan of food in a safe area and place 1 puppy by the pan. When it's a free for all feeding frenzy, the weak and the shy, or less dominant, always get left out. By teaching one puppy at a time, you accomplish several tasks: social contact between owner and puppy, the puppy recognizes where the food is coming from, you can keep track of how much each pup is eating, and also, note how smart, or slow-witted, the individual pups are.When you have placed the pup by the pan of food, gently stick the pup's muzzle in the gruel. DO NOT immerse the pup's nose in the food, as he could aspirate the food into his lungs. This may have to be repeated several times, until the pup gets the idea. After a few minutes, pick the puppy up, clean and dry him, and put him back with his litter mates. Then repeat the process with the next one until all have had a turn
8 WEEKS+
Recommended feeding is 4 times a day
12 WEEKS+
Recommended feeding is 3 times a day
16 WEEKS+
Recommended feeding is twice a day
HOW MUCH & HOW OFTEN TO FEED
Too infrequent feeding can lead to a very slow metabolic rate that encourages food to be laid down as fat rather than being used for energy immediately.It can also cause the irritation of the esophagus by stomach acid, and appears to be associated with gastric dilitation and volvulus (canine bloat).Feeding two or more smaller meals is better, one hour before or after exercise
NEVER go by the feeding guide on the packaging as they always recommend at least 15-20% more than your dog will need.Every dog has a different rate of burning energy.Start by feeding under the recommended amount, monitor your dogs weight & condition very closely, adjust the amount to suit
For a 20-30kg dog getting moderate exercise a 15kg bag of food should last a minimum of 5 weeks (take 1 week off per additional dog of similar weight).If you cannot make it last that long the food is either not nutritional enough or you are overfeeding, use a measuring cup or scoop when feeding
FUSSY EATERS
If they do not eat their food within 5-6 minutes, lift it and put it away until the next meal time, repeat this procedure with every meal, no treats or titbits until they learn.Result = Reward
PUPPY FOOD > ADULT FOOD
All dogs are nutritionally classed as an adult at 12 weeks old so can safely be fed adult food from then on, however this is completely up to the individual owner
SMALL/MEDIUM BREEDS
Puppy/Junior Food 3-4 weeks+
Adult Food 12 weeks+
LARGE/GIANT BREEDS
Puppy/Junior Large Breed Food 3-4 weeks+
Adult Large Breed Food 12 weeks+
Adult Food 12 weeks+
Large/Giant breeds are much more susceptible to hip dysplasia, exposing them to high protein levels which accelerate bone & joint growth puts them at a higher risk.Feeding large breed puppy from 3-4 weeks or large breed adult food from 12 weeks will reduce this risk.Limit their exercise in the first year to promote natural bone & joint development
WORKING/SPORTING/GREYHOUND
This is not a food specifically for this type of dog.It is generally to avoid VAT which makes the foods more affordable
LIGHT
Many dogs start to gain excessive weight, especially if they have been neutered.By reducing their daily food intake by 10-15% and reducing tit bits and treats this should keep their weight normal.You DO NOT have to buy diet or light food
MATURE/SENIOR
If your dog is getting older you do not need to change because these foods boast to have lower fat levels, glucosomine, chondroitin & msm in the ingredients.The amounts in the food are usually not nearly enough to make a difference to their mobility.You are better sticking to their normal diet which may contain these ingredients anyway and adding a high quality joint/mobility supplement
