Truth About "Dog Food"

Grocery Stores Sell
Poor Quality “Dog Food”

Many people are feeding their dogs kibble (“dog food”) they buy from grocery stores, thinking they are doing well for their pets. Many of these brands in grocery stores have it going on with advertising… they do. Fun, exciting ads… Drop-dead gorgeous and energetic dogs... Outstanding testimonials from show breeders… They sponsor dog shows… But the average pet owner doesn't educate him or herself about dog food, and doesn't realize the falsehood of their claims.

People who truly love their dogs do the best they know how, the best they can… but dog food available in grocery stores is very low-quality. Bottom of the barrel. There is NO quality. It shouldn’t even be allowed to be CALLED dog food. (Just because a dog will eat it, and the manufacturer CALLS it “dog food,” does not mean it really IS dog food.)

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One of the hundreds of tips and tricks I share with my dog training students and newsletter readers is that wild dogs, and the wolves from which they descend (genetically, domesticated dogs are only 0.2% off from being a gray wolf, while the gray wolf differs from its closest WILD relative, the coyote, by about 4% of its DNA), have NOT evolved into a different species with different nutritional requirements. They do not eat corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, potatoes, barley, oats or any of the other "fillers" (including PEANUT HULLS!) some manufacturers add to a little bit of meat and call "dog food."

They eat MEAT. Dogs are naturally meat eaters. Nature dictates they eat meat. They are carnivores. (Some argue they are omnivores, and this gets controversial and political... but no one argues that they don't need meat, or even that they don't need MOSTLY meat.) Dogs are also what is referred to as "opportunistic carnivores" in that.... idiots that they sometimes are, they will eat almost ANYTHING.

But it's not good for them.

Basically, there are three levels of quality in dog food. Low, medium and high. Low is sold in grocery stores. To the best of my knowledge and experience, there is no med- or high-quality food sold in any grocery store.

Many researchers believe poor diet is one risk factor for degenerative diseases (such as cancer), allergies and behavior problems (corn being a particular culprit in over-active dogs). Another is that we’ve been over-vaccinating our dogs forever. Studies show that dogs should be vaccinated no more than every three years, and there is a lot of evidence that even THAT is too often. Every veterinary teaching hospital in this country has switched to a 3-year protocol. (But remember: Dogs still need to see the vet for annual health checkups.)

Med- and high-quality food is found in pet stores and feed stores. To know what you are REALLY feeding your dog, you must read the list of ingredients. Is your food preserved with chemicals like ethoxyquin, BHT or BHA? Look for a food that uses natural preservatives. Does it contain meat or just meat by-products? Is it filled with carbs? Dogs have NO NUTRITIONAL USE WHATSOEVER for carbohydrates; they are used SOLELY to cheapen the food. The higher the amount of carbs, the lower the cost of the food and the more the dog poops as it can’t digest what, for him, is an unnatural diet.

Good news: The higher the quality of food, the less they eat. The less they eat, the less they poop, but also, because they actually USE what they eat, the stools are smaller, firmer and have less odor.

The most noticeable result of eating a low quality food is the dog's big, STINKY stools.

When reading labels, beware of a tactic called "grain-splitting." Manufacturers add several sources of grains (fillers) so the label reads as if there is more meat than grains. For example: if you put in 1 cup of meat and 2 cups of rice, on the label, you'd have to list the ingredients like this: Rice, Meat. Then the consumer knows there is more rice than meat. But if you add 1 cup of meat to ¾ cup rice and ¾ cup corn, you can list it like this, making it LOOK like meat is the #1 ingredient: Meat, Rice, Corn. But actually, GRAINS outweigh the meat 1.5 to 1.

I have a lot more information on dog food in my files. Here is what I can send you if you email me a request: #1: Natural diet for dogs (What Nature intended them to eat) #2: Criteria in choosing a quality dog food #3: List of high-quality foods – pick any one and you’ll be set

I also have info on vaccines (there is more to know that I have not included here) if you are interested.

Diet and vaccines… we put this stuff into our dogs… we owe it to them to know what it REALLY is.

This tip and hundreds more can be found in my free 3,000+ subscriber “Doggie Parenting 101” Tips and Tricks e-Newsletter.

Would you like to subscribe? It's free, (I won’t use your address for any other purpose), and I promise that no matter what you already know about dogs, you will learn new tips and tricks on loving and living with dogs that will make you an even better doggie parent. :-0)

Learn more about my newsletter and my dog training/behavior modification services at www.nanny911fordogs.com If you are looking for a trainer, I’d love to help you train your dog (“One lesson works or don’t pay!”), but please… you are welcome to my newsletter whether we work together or not!