What do they mean by fillers?
Used in low quality, cheap commercial dog foods, fillers
are basically put in the dog's "food" to save the
manufacturer money, not to increase nutritional values.
These include inedible and hard to digest products such as:
cereal byproducts, - cottonseed hulls, - crushed peanut
shells, - straw, - corn and crushed corncobs, - weeds, and
- feathers.
A cheap dog food filled with corn fillers, listed as corn,
corn meal, and corn gluten meal should be avoided as this
is used as substitute for higher quality animal protein
sources.
These fillers are not just unpalatable, but can be
dangerous to your pet. They can cause digestive problems,
allergies, and in immune deficient puppies or older pets
can cause severe medical problems. .
What is a by-product?
Found in cheap dog food, meat by-products are euphemisms
for parts of animals that wouldn't be considered edible by
any smart consumer. Meat by-products actually do not
contain meat. By-products are part of the animals that are
left over after the meat has been stripped away from the
bone. Thrown into the cheap dog food stew pot then would
be items such as heads, feet, entrails, hoofs, entrails,
lungs, spleen, kidneys, brains, stomach, bones, blood,
intestines and lots of other parts of the carcass not fit
for human consumption.
Also, the boiled down flesh of road kill, zoo animals, and
4-D (dead, diseased, disabled dying) livestock is
considered okay with these manufacturers. This also can
include dogs and cats that have been euthanized. Avoid dog
food with blood meal, which is an inexpensive protein
booster. The animal source is usually not stated, and the
blood can be contaminated with residues of hormones, or
medications.
What is a non-specific meat source?
If the main protein source is listed as "meat" this is to
be avoided, It is always mystery meat such as: spoiled
rotten meat from the grocery store (Styrofoam wrap and
all), - Road kill that can't be buried on the roadside, -
heads, feet, skin, hair, feathers, carpel and tarsal
joints, and mammary glands are used from the
slaughterhouses. Animals that died are used, cancerous
tissue and all, - tumors and worm infested organs are also
rendered. Injection sites are rendered, blood clots and
all. Stomach and unclean bowels are rendered.
Contaminated material including blood is rendered.
Carcasses with high levels of drugs or pesticides in excess
of limits prescribed under the FDA (not fit for human
consumption) are rendered.
Everything is pitched into large vats and slowly ground,
then cooked at low temps till the grease rises to the top.
This is the source of animal fat listed in the dog food
ingredients. The leftovers are put, raw, into a press
where the moisture is squeezed out, and this is the "meat"
used in the cheap dog food brands.
Why are artificial colors, preservatives and flavors used?
Flavor is added, because most pets wouldn't eat the
finished product without some sort of cover up for the
horrible smell. These additional flavors are usually from
rancid restaurant grease. This grease sometimes sits in
dumpsters, out in the sun for weeks. This is what the pet
food manufacturers buy to add as flavoring, which is
sprayed onto the kibble. Also sugar or corn syrup is used
to cover up the bad taste of the inferior kibble.
Different dyes are used to make the food look good to us,
the pet owner. The pet certainly doesn't care what color
their food is, and the dyes are not necessary and are
considered harmful.
Artificial preservatives are used to extend the shelf life
of the dog food. The main ones to avoid are: BHA
(butylated hydroxytolulene), propyl gallate, propylene
glycol (also used in automotive antifreeze, and is
suspected of causing red blood cell damage) and ethoxyquin.
These are all potentially cancer causing agents that your
pets are eating every day.
This all sounds pretty grim, but rest assured there are
many extremely excellent, ultra premium organic dog foods
now being manufactured without any of the above crap in
them. These highly reputable and conscientious companies
have philosophies aimed at providing you and your pet the
best of the best when it comes to nutrition and peace of
mind.
A lot of pet owners are also now making their own all
natural dog food at home, and this is always better than
the junk the commercial pet food manufacturers are feeding
our pets. It is easy, and comparable in price to buying
the premium organic dog food brands, as long as you use a
proper nutritionally balanced dog food recipe. There are
many all natural, healthy dog food recipe books for sale,
and also readily available on the internet are all sorts of
high quality dog food recipes E-books and websites
featuring home cooked pet food.
Whatever you choose for your pet, remember we speak for
them, and choose the best for them that you are able to
give.
----------------------------------------------------
I am an animal lover and advocate of raising healthy, happy
pets, as part of the family. I truly believe this starts
with proper, adequate nutrition, which in turn extends your
pets life.
Check out what is the best of the best for you dog here:
http://www.recipes4gourmetdogs.com
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