Do you know what food is really harmful for your dog? Probably the stuff you're feeding her now. How do I know? Because the worst dog foods are the most popular ones on the market. They're advertised on TV and they're all over supermarket and pharmacy shelves. Some of them are even for sale in your vet's office! I can't blame you for buying these foods, they've been foisted on you; they're everwhere you look! But, really, you should avoid them, because...
I know you want to keep your dog healthy! To do that, it is important to give him the diet closest to that of his ancestral wild dogs... meat or fish. Ideally, his food should contain at least 75 percent protein from real meat or fish and 25 percent real vegetable and fruit products. It is important to feed him food that is safe for human consumption too. For more information on the best dog foods, see my recent blog on the 5 Best.
But, whatever you do, stay away from dog foods that don't contain meat, but meat by-products. By-products can mean any part of an animal except meat; they are waste products, and may not even contain any protein. Stay away from corn, or any type of grain product, especially flour; dogs are generally allergic to these products. Stay away from preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavors and colorants. And stay away from menadione, a synthetic version of vitamin K that has not been approved for long term use.
These 8 dry dog food brands are not a comprehensive list of foods that are simply horrible for your dog; they are just some of the most popular brands that are horrible for your dog. The list is instructive though, as it includes the food's ingredients, which you should memorize as stuff to avoid!
1. Alpo Dog Food
Alpo Dog Food
Ground yellow corn, corn germ meal, meat and bone meal (source of pork flavor), soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), egg and chicken flavor, corn gluten meal, animal digest, salt, dried peas, potassium chloride, natural steak flavor, natural grill flavor, choline chloride, added color (red 40, yellow 5, blue 2), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
2. Beneful Dog Food
Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, salt, water, animal digest, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried peas, calcium propionate (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
3. Boots & Barkley Dry Dog Food
4. Chef Michaels Dog Food
At least Chef Michaels lists 'beef' as the first ingredient, but all those preservatives should stop you in your tracks!
Ingredients: Beef, soybean meal, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of vitamin E), brewers rice, soy protein concentrate, corn gluten meal, ground yellow corn, glycerin, poultry by-product meal, ground wheat, animal digest, salt, pearled barley, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, natural filet mignon flavor, dried potatoes, dried green beans, added color (red 40, blue 2, yellow 5, yellow 6 and other color), sulfur, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, potassium chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride, manganese sulfate, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), biotin, sodium selenite.
5. Hill's Science Diet Dog Food
6. Ol Roy Dog Food
Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, chicken by-product meal, wheat middlings, animal fat [preserved with BHA and citric acid], natural flavor, brewers rice, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, color added [red #40, yellow #5, blue #2], zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, niacin, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, manganous oxide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex [source of vitamin K activity], riboflavin supplement, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate.
7. Purina One and Purina Pro Plan Dog Food
Ingredients for Purina One: Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of vitamin E), pea fiber, oat meal, fish meal, animal digest, salt, potassium chloride, calcium phosphate, potassium citrate, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, l-lysine monohydrochloride, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, vitamin D3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
8. Pedigree Dry Dog Food
Ingredients: Ground whole corn, chicken by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine) corn gluten meal, animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), meat and bone meal (natural source of calcium), brewers rice, ground whole wheat, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, salt, potassium chloride, vegetable oil (source of linoleic acid), vitamins (dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin E], l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin C, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement [vitamin B2], vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement), choline chloride, minerals (zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, potassium iodide), added FD&C colors (red 40, yellow 5, blue 2)
Are these 8 horrible dog foods enough to get you to read the labels from now on. Most of these ingredients are non-foods. That's enough of an indication that they don't belong in your dog's tummy. While healthy dog food costs a bit more than this junk food, it may save your dog from getting diabetes or worse illnesses later on.
See: 5 Best Dog Foods
Sources: Healthy Pets, Dog Food Advisor, Dog Food Scoup, Recipes For Gourmet Dogs
That's the buzz for today!
COMMENTS ( 1 )
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