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Dog Nutrition
Dog Nutrition can affect your dogs behavior the same way poor nutrition effects
people. Just as too much sugar can cause kids to become hyperactive, cranky, and
out of control, poor nutrition can contribute to canine behavior problems. Dogs that are
anxious, fearful, “hyperactive” or aggressive are likely to be even more so with excess
sugar and unhealthful chemicals flooding their body.
Today there are so many different dog foods available it can be very hard to know
what is best for your own dog. It is important to learn to read the labels this will allow
you to bypass exaggerated advertising claims and get a realistic idea of a product’s
quality.
The law states, dog food manufacturers must list ingredients in descending order by
bulk weight. For example, a bag of dry kibble that lists the first three ingredients as
“chicken meal, chicken by-product meal, and rice” has more chicken meal than any
other ingredient. Because dogs are primarily carnivores, the first two ingredients
should contain meat.
The most common meat sources are chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef. There are three
grades of meat: using chicken as an example, the highest quality is simply labeled
“chicken.” This indicates a whole meat source—the clean flesh of slaughtered
chickens, limited to lean muscle tissue. A step below that is “chicken meal,” made from
rendered muscle and tissue. (Rendering separates fat-soluble from water-soluble
materials, removes most of the water, and may destroy or alter some natural enzymes
and proteins found in raw ingredients.) If “meal” is listed, the source should be
identified (rather than the vaguely descriptive “poultry meal” or “meat meal”).
The lowest level of chicken would be “chicken by-products.” Chicken by-products may
contain heads, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. Dog foods that contain by-
products, especially when they appear high on the list of ingredients, are not of high
quality.
Avoid dog foods that contain large amounts of corn. Corn is a common allergen that
has been known to cause itchy skin as well as hyperactive behavior (through a series
of chemical reactions in the body, it actually lowers serotonin—the neurotransmitter
that contributes to calmness—levels in the brain). Other ingredients to avoid include
artificial colors or flavors, and any that are not identified by source (for example,
“animal fat” rather than “chicken fat”). Also, read the ingredient line that begins
“preserved with…” The desirable preservatives are vitamins E (sometimes listed as
“mixed tocopherols”) and C (often called “ascorbic acid”). Unhealthful, potentially
cancer-causing preservatives to watch for are BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin.
Be careful some manufacturers break down less-than-ideal ingredients into parts so
they can be listed separately and therefore appear lower on the ingredients list. For
example, the list might read “chicken meal, ground corn, corn meal, corn gluten meal.”
In reality, if all the corn products were grouped together, there would be more corn
than chicken by bulk weight, so corn would have to be listed first.
For the most part, supermarket brands are of lower quality than those at pet supply
and specialty stores. Higher quality foods are usually more expensive, but because
they contain more nutrients, less is fed per meal, so it balances out. And because the
body is able to absorb more nutrients, less waste is produced. Feeding a high quality
food is an important investment in your dog’s health. Your better off spending a little
more now because it can pay off in better health for your dog and could save you form
some expensive veterinary bills in the future.
If you switch your dog's food to another brand make sure you do it slowly over a few
weeks. Add the new food in a little at a time gradually increasing the new food as you
decrease the old food until your now feeding only the new food. This will minimize any
problems you might have.
Dog Nutrition can affect your dogs behavior the same way poor nutrition effects
people. Just as too much sugar can cause kids to become hyperactive, cranky, and
out of control, poor nutrition can contribute to canine behavior problems. Dogs that are
anxious, fearful, “hyperactive” or aggressive are likely to be even more so with excess
sugar and unhealthful chemicals flooding their body.
Today there are so many different dog foods available it can be very hard to know
what is best for your own dog. It is important to learn to read the labels this will allow
you to bypass exaggerated advertising claims and get a realistic idea of a product’s
quality.
The law states, dog food manufacturers must list ingredients in descending order by
bulk weight. For example, a bag of dry kibble that lists the first three ingredients as
“chicken meal, chicken by-product meal, and rice” has more chicken meal than any
other ingredient. Because dogs are primarily carnivores, the first two ingredients
should contain meat.
The most common meat sources are chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef. There are three
grades of meat: using chicken as an example, the highest quality is simply labeled
“chicken.” This indicates a whole meat source—the clean flesh of slaughtered
chickens, limited to lean muscle tissue. A step below that is “chicken meal,” made from
rendered muscle and tissue. (Rendering separates fat-soluble from water-soluble
materials, removes most of the water, and may destroy or alter some natural enzymes
and proteins found in raw ingredients.) If “meal” is listed, the source should be
identified (rather than the vaguely descriptive “poultry meal” or “meat meal”).
The lowest level of chicken would be “chicken by-products.” Chicken by-products may
contain heads, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. Dog foods that contain by-
products, especially when they appear high on the list of ingredients, are not of high
quality.
Avoid dog foods that contain large amounts of corn. Corn is a common allergen that
has been known to cause itchy skin as well as hyperactive behavior (through a series
of chemical reactions in the body, it actually lowers serotonin—the neurotransmitter
that contributes to calmness—levels in the brain). Other ingredients to avoid include
artificial colors or flavors, and any that are not identified by source (for example,
“animal fat” rather than “chicken fat”). Also, read the ingredient line that begins
“preserved with…” The desirable preservatives are vitamins E (sometimes listed as
“mixed tocopherols”) and C (often called “ascorbic acid”). Unhealthful, potentially
cancer-causing preservatives to watch for are BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin.
Be careful some manufacturers break down less-than-ideal ingredients into parts so
they can be listed separately and therefore appear lower on the ingredients list. For
example, the list might read “chicken meal, ground corn, corn meal, corn gluten meal.”
In reality, if all the corn products were grouped together, there would be more corn
than chicken by bulk weight, so corn would have to be listed first.
For the most part, supermarket brands are of lower quality than those at pet supply
and specialty stores. Higher quality foods are usually more expensive, but because
they contain more nutrients, less is fed per meal, so it balances out. And because the
body is able to absorb more nutrients, less waste is produced. Feeding a high quality
food is an important investment in your dog’s health. Your better off spending a little
more now because it can pay off in better health for your dog and could save you form
some expensive veterinary bills in the future.
If you switch your dog's food to another brand make sure you do it slowly over a few
weeks. Add the new food in a little at a time gradually increasing the new food as you
decrease the old food until your now feeding only the new food. This will minimize any
problems you might have.
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