There isn't any one dog food better than another, that's for sure. What is for sure is that everyone's looking for that one food that will do it all. Unfortunately that usually isn't the case. In part 1, I picked a food that a majority of my customers would usually ask if I carried and broke it down as to what really goes into the manufacturing of it. In part 2 of "Dog Food 101" I pick a food that I sell in my store (Prestige Pet Nutrition - shameless plug). Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul - Adult dog food. I choose to name the dog food in large part that I know that this food is a great product and will not be held under the microscope if a company wanted to sue me. So here we go, as in the last food I took there ingredient listing from the internet and copy/paste it. The breakdown goes as follows:
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
Chicken - Simply put, it is exactly what you read. Some companies are labeling it "Deboned Chicken" others simply use the wording "Whole Chicken" Either way you read it, it's still chicken. All bones, guts and meats are used in this mix. Keep in mind, dog food is cooked at 450 degrees so all of the meat/bones are burned down and mixed with grains to create a kibble.
Turkey - Again, it is exactly what you read. Turkey in a whole form is being used. Another poultry choice mainly cause of the idea of another protein source as well as this meat has a different amino acid source other than what chicken would produce.
Chicken Meal - is chicken that has been grounded down to a powder, an easy way to explain it is to think of the "Cup of Noodle brand"- when water is added it then becomes an edible bowl of noodles to eat. In order to get this ingredient, they start with whole chicken and remove all the moisture from it. All the bones, meat, guts and such is still there yet grounded down (which is where you get protein from) What is important to know is that the meat protein is still utilized even when broken down, substantially more since it is in a concentrated form. Here is where most consumers don't understand. Lots of pet food companies utilize this meal as their first ingredient, yes it is still a good ingredient yet water needs to be utilized in order to rejuvenate it. It is here that you should know when a fresh meat is used as the first ingredient it will cook down into the food and become more like the 3 - 4 ingredient instead of the first mainly because of all the water that is being removed and dispersing throughout the mix. Again lots of foods will use water to reactivate this meal form, a food like Chicken Soup uses water also (purified) but rely mostly on the "fresh meats" - Chicken/Turkey to achieve the same result.
Ocean Fish Meal - What needs to be noticed at this point, a food like Chicken Soup utilizes 4 meat proteins within the first 4 ingredients. Why I say that now, as we know dogs are carnivorous by nature. Hence they eat meat, well it is important to note that most inferior foods do not have enough meat proteins in their foods so they use corn and fillers to make up the difference. In this case, meats is used extensively to push protein levels as well as keep it a meat based food. Ocean Fish is a blend of different fish and mixed into a meal form as stated with the chicken meal. Not my personal first choice for a Fish protein but as we know utilizing Fish this high means alot of it must be used since every batch is approximately 40,000lbs at one time. I would prefer to see a Salmon or Trout to be used in a meal form but again not too bad considering it still is a real meat source, better than a corn source.
Cracked Pearled Barley - is a grain that is utilized in most holistic based foods because it's highly digestable as well as it's uses for a binding fiber when meats are being used within the first few ingredients.
Whole Grain Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Millet & White Rice - you'll notice that CSDF utilizes a whole grains, not gluten's or hulls. These grains produces a fair amount of proteins as well as a high concentration of numerous vitamins. Not to mention a fiber source, most companies believe that dogs need some type of fiber in there food. Dogs in the wild don't eat Rice, corn, or wheat so why use it in a food? In reality, it's one of the easiest ways for a food to become a kibble. Nowadays, most manufacturers are going the grain free route and taking away the grains but using potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas as a binding fiber source. Traditionally dogs are not allergic to these ingredients since they have not been in dogs foods radars til the last 5 years.
You'll notice that as we further go down the list of ingredients you'll find more meats (salmon/duck) as well as carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries and spinach. Anytime you can add more meats as well as fruits and vegetables to your mix, obviously it can't be bad.
The one greatest improvement in feeding a food like this is the amount of food that you give your dog would be at minimum of 1/3 less than when fed a grain based food. Why you may ask, grains are normally fillers and that would be the intention, Meats are heavier to digest so you'll find yourself feeding less dog food to get the same results in terms of weight issues but a better overall nutritional factor for your dog.
As always you can always contact me or come to PRESTIGE PET NUTRITION for all you pet needs. We have a full line of Holistic dog foods to choose from.
Part 3 is coming soon, I will discuss the pros and cons as to why feed a food like this and talk a little about where the industry is going with the grain free world.
