Well Beings Article: How Does Diet Affect Behavior in Dogs?
Here's an excerpt from an article we're about to post in the Well Beings Articles section:
How Does Diet Affect Behavior in Dogs?
"... The most important information required to understanding dog food is to thoroughly read the labels. Dog food labels are similar to those on human food products: ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first three ingredients make up the bulk of the food, so those are the most important to look at when selecting a dog food brand.
Meat or a specific type of meat meal should always be the first ingredient on the label. Choose a product that identifies the type of meal, such as "chicken meal," or "lamb meal," as opposed to those that say "poultry or meat meal" which can contain just about anything that fits under that title, including road kill and diseased animals, as long as it's a bird in the case of poultry, and any animal (domestic or otherwise) in the case of meat meal.
Falling into the meat meal category was the recent discovery of Phenobarbital (the drug used to euthanize animals) found in a number of commercially sold dog foods, including some popular "brand names." It was suggested that the remains of euthanized domestic animals are rendered into animal feed - the likely source of the Phenobarbital. Phenobarbital is a hearty compound that is able to survive the cooking process, which is why it was detectable in the tested food. Since there has been a recent increase in the cat version of "Mad Cow's Disease," this may very well prove to be the case.
As your investigation continues, also look to make sure the first ingredient is not a meat by-product. By-products are not muscle meats, and can include leftover animal components such as lungs, kidneys, brain, spleen, liver, bone, blood, fatty tissue, stomach, and intestines freed of their contents. There are mixed feelings about the use of by-products in dog food, but the fact is, some dogs have trouble digesting these, and according to Ann Martin (Food Pets Die For, pg.2), "Livers can be infested with worms (liver flukes) or diseased with cirrhosis. Lungs can be filled with pneumonia. If an animal is diseased and declared unfit for human consumption, the carcass is acceptable for pet food." Given there are many great foods that don't include by-products; it might be best to shy away from those that do..."
The full article should be available in the next day or so. We will discuss some of the major points made in the article with the folks at The Honest Kitchen - makers of dehydrated raw dog food.
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Note (added 10/11/2005): How Does Diet Affect Behavior in Dogs? is finally online.
Please feel free to comment on this article by posting a comment here.
[Tags: dog behavior, dog food, dog nutrition, dog diet]
How Does Diet Affect Behavior in Dogs?
"... The most important information required to understanding dog food is to thoroughly read the labels. Dog food labels are similar to those on human food products: ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first three ingredients make up the bulk of the food, so those are the most important to look at when selecting a dog food brand.
Meat or a specific type of meat meal should always be the first ingredient on the label. Choose a product that identifies the type of meal, such as "chicken meal," or "lamb meal," as opposed to those that say "poultry or meat meal" which can contain just about anything that fits under that title, including road kill and diseased animals, as long as it's a bird in the case of poultry, and any animal (domestic or otherwise) in the case of meat meal.
Falling into the meat meal category was the recent discovery of Phenobarbital (the drug used to euthanize animals) found in a number of commercially sold dog foods, including some popular "brand names." It was suggested that the remains of euthanized domestic animals are rendered into animal feed - the likely source of the Phenobarbital. Phenobarbital is a hearty compound that is able to survive the cooking process, which is why it was detectable in the tested food. Since there has been a recent increase in the cat version of "Mad Cow's Disease," this may very well prove to be the case.
As your investigation continues, also look to make sure the first ingredient is not a meat by-product. By-products are not muscle meats, and can include leftover animal components such as lungs, kidneys, brain, spleen, liver, bone, blood, fatty tissue, stomach, and intestines freed of their contents. There are mixed feelings about the use of by-products in dog food, but the fact is, some dogs have trouble digesting these, and according to Ann Martin (Food Pets Die For, pg.2), "Livers can be infested with worms (liver flukes) or diseased with cirrhosis. Lungs can be filled with pneumonia. If an animal is diseased and declared unfit for human consumption, the carcass is acceptable for pet food." Given there are many great foods that don't include by-products; it might be best to shy away from those that do..."
The full article should be available in the next day or so. We will discuss some of the major points made in the article with the folks at The Honest Kitchen - makers of dehydrated raw dog food.
----
Note (added 10/11/2005): How Does Diet Affect Behavior in Dogs? is finally online.
Please feel free to comment on this article by posting a comment here.
[Tags: dog behavior, dog food, dog nutrition, dog diet]
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