The best and the worst of dog food!
The truth about commercial dog food
One of our aims of coming to the island is to eat a better quality of food, self grown, raised and caught, and where we can’t produce our own - we want to try to eat local produce. The same goes for our dogs - we are aiming to feed them the freshest rabbits that are shot or raised by us, and our own chickens and turkeys. This got me thinking about what goes into commercial dog food. . . So I grabbed a tin of dog food from the cupboard and did some research into what was in it!
Number one on the list of ingredients: Cereals.
And not the type you would find in your weetabix, but can refer to any product of any cereal including wheat, rice, oats, barley, maize etc. By giving a generic term and not specifying what cereals, the pet food companies are able to buy any of the above based upon the lowest market price. Cereals are the first ingredient listed as they are the cheapest to buy and act as a filling agent and have a very low nutritional value. Although they do offer some carbs, they are generally not complex carbs that offer a slow release of energy. Cereals also are linked to internal and skin allergies in dogs and cats.
Happy dogs on a sunny day
Number two on the list of ingredients: Meat and Animal Derivatives. (4%)
Sounds yummy doesn't it? Only 4% meat derivative? I thought dogs were meat eaters? These Derivatives are all the crap that is unusable for human consumption, and would be highly processed, boiled and rendered. We are not talking prime cuts of lamb or fillet steak, but any combo of the below:
But wait, it gets worse. If we assume that the animals the above components came from were all healthy and farm raised animals, then we might be mistaken. There is nothing in law to state that the meat and animal derivatives need to be fit for human consumption, so the animal source can come from
Sounds yummy doesn't it? Only 4% meat derivative? I thought dogs were meat eaters? These Derivatives are all the crap that is unusable for human consumption, and would be highly processed, boiled and rendered. We are not talking prime cuts of lamb or fillet steak, but any combo of the below:
- Feet
- Backs
- Livers
- Lungs
- Heads
- Brains
- Spleen
- Frames
- Kidneys
- Stomachs
- Intestines
- Undeveloped eggs
But wait, it gets worse. If we assume that the animals the above components came from were all healthy and farm raised animals, then we might be mistaken. There is nothing in law to state that the meat and animal derivatives need to be fit for human consumption, so the animal source can come from
- Road kill
- Dead zoo animals
- Dead on arrival poultry
- Diseased and dying livestock
- Euthanized pets from animal shelters
Number three on the list of ingredients: Oils and fats.
Admittedly, some oils, such as fish oils and cod liver oil are good for dogs, however, when these are not specifically mentioned as a selling point I do wonder if they are included in the oil and fat ingredient grouping. These oils and fats are added to make the dog enjoy the bulking agent and potential road kill.
The rest of the ingredients.
Now we are heading into the minor elements within the dog food. If the first three ingredients have not put you off, then I am sure that the list of E numbers, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, emulsifiers, additives and preservatives may make you run faster than a boarder collie chasing a Frisbee.
In a recent review of Pedigree Vital, it scored a staggering 0.6 / 5 and another site gave it a lowly 1 and stated "Overall, this is one of the lowest quality products reviewed on this site. It receives a 1* rating due to the unavailability of anything lower."
Admittedly, some oils, such as fish oils and cod liver oil are good for dogs, however, when these are not specifically mentioned as a selling point I do wonder if they are included in the oil and fat ingredient grouping. These oils and fats are added to make the dog enjoy the bulking agent and potential road kill.
The rest of the ingredients.
Now we are heading into the minor elements within the dog food. If the first three ingredients have not put you off, then I am sure that the list of E numbers, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, emulsifiers, additives and preservatives may make you run faster than a boarder collie chasing a Frisbee.
In a recent review of Pedigree Vital, it scored a staggering 0.6 / 5 and another site gave it a lowly 1 and stated "Overall, this is one of the lowest quality products reviewed on this site. It receives a 1* rating due to the unavailability of anything lower."
