Advanced Reading Dog Food Labels

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Specifics vary with each breed, yet nutrition guidelines are similar for all dogs. The average dog should have some source of protein as 70% of its diet. Carbohydrates supply energy for the family dog; they should make up 15% of the diet. Fats should fill the last of the daily needs.

It seems an easy diet plan to provide for your pet. That is until the ingredient list is read. The chief ingredient in most dog foods is corn meal. Dogs do not necessarily eat corn in the wild. Unless their prey had recently consumed some. Although dogs, for the most part, do not live in the wild any longer, their nutritional needs have not significantly changed.

Dog food standards have been established by the AAFCO, American Association of Feed Control Officials. Another government subsidized organization that paves the way for bigger business.  Dog food standards are as follows. A dog food with no descriptive terms qualifying the source ingredient must contain at least 70% of the named ingredient. Beef dog food-70% beef, Chicken dog food-70% chicken, and so on.

American Association of Feed  Control Officials  only identify with guaranteed analysis certain flavors of dog food such as beef dog food or chicken dog food. Ingredients lists may be confusing, with identifying words such as meat by products. These are often beef intestines or chicken innards and are generally mistaken for crude analysis.  The minimum amount protein required by  the  American Association of Feed Control Officials is bolstered by protein from corn meal and wheat flour.  This makes it impossible to know the protein source from reading the label.

The main  ingredient in both canned chicken dog food and  canned beef dog food  is water.  The maximum amount of water, as set by the Amercian Association of Feed Control Officials, is 82%.  That leaves 18% for nutrients.

Protein is 6% of canned dog food which includes meat by products and plant protein.  2% is ash and 2% is fat.  With 2% as fiber, only 6% is left  for vitamins and minerals.  After .32% sodium solution is subtracted it is even less.  Your pet relies on the nutrition guidelines for nutritious food as set by the AAFCO.

 Dog foods with descriptive terms such as dinner, entrée or stew are only required to contain 10% of the mentioned ingredient. Think that’s bad? There’s less still in a dog food that qualifies itself using “with”. When this is the case, there is only 3% of the named ingredient required to be contained in the food. The list is still not complete. A dog food that is flavored with an ingredient is only mandated to contain traceable amounts of that ingredient.

Pretending to be the friends of dog lover’s, dog food conglomerates sell fortified lawn debris as nutritious food. Lawn debris? They show whole vegetables on the labels. That is to trick the consumer into believing they are buying high-quality food, when they are actually buying supplemented floor sweepings. Check the ingredients on dog food labels to determine what, if any, vegetables are contained therein.

Dog food is a concoction of industrialized nations. In other nations the dogs eat what their owners eat. If you thought the vegetable situation was terrible, just wait. The meat source in dog food is no better. The animal carcasses are trimmed of human consumable meat , and the rest is ground for dog food. This is as it should be.

However, one often sees the media hyping a story of sick cows that cannot even stand up. Farmers singing the blues because they are losing money on diseased cows. What is not mentioned is what happens to that cow. Do they just throw it away? Of course not. It goes into dog food. Why do you think they say, ”Don’t eat that it is dog food.”

Advanced Reading Dog Food Labels
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