A Primer on pet nutrition

[Renee]

- Credit to Labinnah from the SA Forums. Your post was so well written and aligned with my beliefs, I've copied it (mostly) here.

Alright folks, as you can tell by the title, this is the thread to come for everything and anything relating to dog foods.

The food your pet eats effects many, many parts of his life. Lots of problems come from improper diet and can be solved by very simple changes. Does Mittens itch constantly and have lots of dander? Probably food-related. Has Sparky suddenly sprayed the dining room with lots of liquid love? Could be food-related. Does Fido has the most rank, paint-peelin' bowel movements? Yeah, that's food-related. And when you think about it, it makes sense. All living things get what they need to survive from what they eat, and if what they're eating contains little or none of the essential ingredients for a proper diet, health problems are bound to arise. This simple guide will help you keep your pet happy and healthy, and hopefully prevent you from having to take unneeded, additional trips to the vet office.

First the basics -
It doesn't get much more basic than ingredients. This is the make-up of foods, and more often than not, the root of many allergies and health problems in lower-quality diets. When it comes to shopping for pet foods, the first thing you should do is flip the bag over and find the nutritional information. If you see 'Corn' or 'By-Product' as one of the first ingredients, then you're off to a bad start.

Here's a list of ingredients to AVOID -

Corn - It's undigestable! This is used as a cheap filler for almost all dog and cat foods! This has almost no nutritional value, and passes straight through your pet, coming out as additional waste. On top of that, it's a very common allergen in dogs and cats!

By-Product- Some by-products are worse than others, but all by-products are an unreliable source of meat protein. You never really know what's in by-product meal, but it can range from diseased livestock, horse remains, roadkill, euthanised animals from local shelters and 4-d meats (all seen in meat by-product meal) to unfiltered intestinal tracts, feathers, brains, feet and waste (poultry by-product meal). Some say that by-products aren't all bad. Why? Well because an animal would eat all that in the wild, right?! Nope, not necessarily. By-products can contain high traces of chemicals used in euthanasia (such as phenobarbital), as well as meat rendered but still tainted with poisons and deadly bacteria. In the wild, most animals would never encounter these things, and would probably die if they did. The 'filler' that the animals would gain in the wild from eating other animals can be replaced with much cleaner, healthier, and safer ingredients.

Peanut Hulls, Mill Run - This is essentially what they sweep off the floor from the processing plants. It's literally the hulls of peanuts, scraps from trees (including bark), and whatever else employees happened to drop on the floor that day. Science Diet will tell you it's fiber! Unfortunately, we really don't have the slightest idea what's in the 'mill run' that day.

Wheat, Wheat Gluten - Another allergen, wheat and wheat gluten is starting to pop up in all the wrong places. It has the same basic problems as corn, and is used frequently as a filler, binder and sweetener.


And here's a list of ingredients look for -

Whole meats (i.e Chicken, Turkey, Bison, Venison) - You're getting exactly what it says you're getting. Whole meats, usually quality cuts of whatever is listed. This is meat alone, contains no internal organs, no mystery chemicals. Generally the best quality meat you can get in pet food. They're easier to digest than the 'meals' (ie, chicken meal), but usually come hand-in-hand with at least one 'meal' for a more complete diet.

Fruits and Vegetables - Such as fresh blueberries (a natural antioxidant!), fresh apples (tasty and healthy!), sweet potatoes (reliable source of fiber, though doesn't agree with all dog's tummies). Again, you're getting what it says, these are fruits and vegetables ground up in the food. This is the source of fiber and plant material that a dog or cat would normally be getting from eating the stomach of prey in the wild. It's carefully balanced in premium foods, and is generally not a main ingredient.

Meals - Preferably seen alongside their 'whole meat' counterpart, chicken meal, fish meal, turkey meal is the dehydrated 'whole' product. It contains organs and bone and is good for adding calcium to the food. It's a bit harder to digest than whole meats, but is far cleaner and safer than 'by-product'.

Oatmeal and Fish/Flaxseed Oils - Oats and oatmeal are highly digestible and good for soothing upset bellies. These ingredients are frequently found in higher volume in sensitive-stomach formulas and are included in several ultra premium foods. Certain oils, such as flaxseed oil, are great for the skin and coat. Fish oils, especially salmon, also aid in skin/coat care as well as digestion. Not all oils are good though - corn and soy oils can cause allergic reactions just like their whole counterparts and should be avoided.

Brand Name Foods - The Good, The Bad, and the 'Oh God, you're dog's been eating this and is still ALIVE?!'

And I'm not kidding either and I'll explain why.

Some of those nasty ingredients listed in the previous post can lead to serious health problems and even death (in worst-case scenarios). Not too long ago, Diamond had to recall large quantities of their dog food for extremely high aflotoxin content that killed dozens of dogs. Aflotoxin comes from corn, one of the ingredients to avoid in your doggy healthcare plan. Another problem that can occur in dog and cat foods with high sugar-content is diabetes. Yep, your critter could be getting insulin shots, from you, for the rest of its life. My boyfriend's mothers cats are all becoming diabetic, and she still doesn't understand why.

Here's a list of DOG foods and the things you should know about them -

Ultra Premium
Merrick / Merrick 'Before Grains'
TimberWolf Organics
Wellness
Prarie / Instinct
Innova / Innova Evo / Evo / Ancestral
Addiction
Orijen
Weruva

All these foods contain whole meats, fruits, vegetables, and often cater to sensitive stomachs and unusual allergies. These foods all have a wide range of flavors including bison, venison, salmon and trout, as well as chicken and turkey for the less fancy. Many of these brands have come out with Grain-Free varieties of their original formulas, especially in canned foods. There's NO by-product, corn, wheat or mill runs in any of these foods. They are available at Petco (for Solid Gold), Canine Commissary (all three), or Pet Supplies Plus (all three).

Premium
Chicken Soup
Natural Balance
Blue Buffalo
Solid Gold
Canidae
Pinnacle

Chicken Soup and Natural Balance have the no by-product, no-corn policy and are excellent foods. They don't have the lavish flavor choices of Ultra Premium foods, and tend to be more grain-heavy, but cater to some very picky critters. Natural Balance has a Potato and Duck for dogs allergic to chicken, and many of these brands are coming out with completely 'Grain Free' options and 95% meat-type canned foods. These are all easily available at your local Petco, and Blue Buffalo can be found at Petsmart.

Acceptable
Iams
Purina
Diamond
Eagle Pack
Eukanuba
Royal Canin

I hate to have to put Eagle Pack on here, but with the recent increase in corn on their ingredient list, they're falling fast. These are foods that are... well, they're okay. I guess. They contain corn and/or by-products, are generally cheaper and are available at grocery stores. This stuff wont necessarily KILL your dog (despite the Diamond mass-death thing earlier this year), but it's certainly not the best. If your vet tells you to buy this stuff, punch him.

Horrid
Alpo
Pedigree
Regular Science Diet (non-prescription)
Mainstay
Kibbles and Bits
Good Day Chunks

This is the worst of the worst. Usually no whole meats, or in the case of 'Good Day' no meat AT ALL. 90% of these foods are composed of corn, wheat, mill runs, followed by steamed bone-meal and by-product meal. Unfortunately, a majority of the foods you'll see available to the public are this grade, and can lead to many health problems. Also, these foods are GREASY, they make your dog's coat oil and often smelly, and make waste large, frequent, and often nasty-smelling. Science Diet I'm probably opening a can of worms with. But seriously, next time you have a bag at your finger tips, especially Adult Maintenance, just look at it.

Edit: A note about Science Diet - If your vet has put your dog on a prescription Science Diet in relation to a medical issue (such as kidney or urinary problems), my suggestion is to heed his advice. Regular Science Diet is terrible for a day-to-day use, but these prescription formulas may be what saves your pet's life.