How To Choose The Best Dog Food

How to choose the best dog food...

Some of the information below comes from Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats His book offers simple home made dog food recipes if you want to make your own food, and solid veterinary advice on supplementing commercial dog food. He also offers easy recipes for the allergy dog (and cat), and what determines whether your pet is healthy. It is a great reference to have around the house!

1. Protein contains amino acids. Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of the body. That means amino acids are what the body uses to make and replace tissues. Essentially, the body is a bunch of tissues all put together in a particular order slapped onto a nice solid frame called bones (which is also tissue). What this means for you is the better quality protein you give your dog the better his building blocks.

Each protein source offers different building blocks. In dog food, the protein source is usually meat. So variety in protein sources helps cover the different amino acids required of tissue building. When dog food is cooked it lowers the value of the protein. The value of protein (the number) on the bag is higher than the actual useable value of the protein by about 25%.

When learning how to choose the best dog food understand that when the label reads byproduct or meal it means just that, and might or might not be a healthy source of protein. Especially if the label reads this as its first few ingredients. Think of it this way, a McDonalds hamburger is a low quality protein, a steak is high quality.

A note about allergies An allergy is the body's reaction to something. It is an immune response which means the body puts up its defenses. This can show up in many ways, but most commonly through the skin causing red spots, itchiness, and hair loss. The reason it shows up this way is that the skin is the largest organ. When there is a problem in the body it often surfaces through the skin (ears, feet, nose, body).

An allergen is the thing that causes allergies. The allergen can be in the environment (like trees or grass), from shampoos and other chemicals (flea and tick chemicals), or from dog food. Dog food contains several chemicals that are not listed on the label. These chemicals have been absorbed during the life or processing of the animals and grains that were used to make the dog food. This can be one of the reasons it is so difficult to find a food that works for a dog with food allergies. It is not necessarily the protein they are allergic to, but something environmental that was already present before the dog food was made.

2. Carbohydrates are a form of sugar. Sugar is an important nutrient. But just like human food, sugar from whole grains is better than refined sugar in a cookie. The difference is that grains are complex carbohydrates which offer more ways for the body to break down and utilize the sugar. Carbohydrate sources to avoid, or minimize because they lack nutritional value are rice flour, beet sugar, corn gluten meal, and brewers rice.

3. Fat Two things about fat that you should understand.

a) Fat is what makes your dog full. A fatty diet will make your dog full, but he may not have met his other nutritional requirements.

b) Fat and protein are related. This means a diet high in fat must also have a higher protein level. Your biggest source of fat comes from meat. If you are trying to get your dog to lose weight and he gets a high protein food, he is also getting a food high in fat. Your dog might need less food to keep a trim figure, but he might be feeling hungry also. Senior dog foods often have less fat and less protein which can be a good food for an overweight dog.

4. Vitamins and Minerals This is a tricky concept in dog food. While dog food labels suggest that the proper amount of vitamins and minerals are included, much can be lost in the processing of dog food.

To get the most out of your dog food add an enzymatic supplement to your store bought food. If you do this, avoid the preservative sodium benzoate because it accumulates in the body and becomes a toxin. Adding enzymes help your dog break down and utilize his commercial dog food. Find a supplement product that keeps the calcium and phosphorus levels almost equal. I like C-Biotic from the Wysong company.

5. All the other stuff. In learning how to choose the best dog food, you need to understand how science views the world. Science has become skilled at isolating compounds, creating preservatives, additives, flavorings, colorings, and textures. It is important to remember, when you isolate an ingredient, that ingredient loses or gains other qualities. Some of those gains and losses are harmful. Look at the whole picture when you choose dog food.

Here is a two part article on home made dog food. In case you wonder why you do not find exact caloric intake numbers when you are learning how to choose the best dog food it is because all dogs are different. The homemade dog food articles were written by my friend Erik who was a veterinary technician and dog musher (he's on a hiatus in Hungary for medical school).