Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

By 'junk food', I mean dog food brands that you should AVOID!

Are you paying attention to the ingredients label when purchasing your dog's food? If not, you should. If your dog consumes food containing animal derivatives, artificial flavours or corn/cereals, your dog's diet may be lacking in the essential vitamins and nutrients that help maintain good health. 

Although many well known pet food brand labels claim to be "premium" these may in fact offer very little or no nutrition for your dog. Any brand can consider their food premium even if it only contains 4% beef.

Ingredients to look for:

Ingredients to avoid:

It's all in the labeling! You should avoid brands with unclear labeling. Here are two examples; one good and one bad:

Food brand one:
Lamb (42%) (Lamb Meat Meal, Lamb Gravy), Sweet Potato (30%), Potato (8%), Rapeseed Oil (4%), Pea Starch (4%), Linseed (3%), Beet Pulp (2%), Alfalfa (1%), Yeasts, Carrot (1%), Minerals, Tomato Powder (0.5%), Seaweed Meal (0.5%), Herbs (Marjoram 167 Mg/kg, Orgeano 167 Mg/kg, Parsley 167 Mg.kg, Rosemary 167 Mg/kg), Yucca (200 Mg/kg), Cranberry (100 Mg/kg), Marigold (50 Mg/kg).

Food brand two:
Cereals (35%), Meat and Animal Derivatives (26% Meat in the Chunk, 4% Beef in the Brown & Natural Kernels), Vegetable Protein Extracts, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Oils and Fats, Various Sugars, Minerals, Vegetables (4% Vegetables in the Green & Yellow Kernels). with Colourants, Antioxidants and Preservatives.

It's quite obvious which is the good and which is the bad, right?

Food brand one was Wainwrights Grain Free Lamb and food brand two will hopefully come as no surprise... Bakers complete.

So, which well known brands should you be wary of?

Bakers - #1 worst of all time. It is PACKED with additives, preservatives and sugars. In fact, it contains 13 E numbers, some of which are banned in certain countries. You wouldn't feed your kids McDonalds everyday so don't feed the dog equivalent to your pet. 

Pedigree - Unclear labeling, mainly cereals with a measly 8% chicken, contains colourants and preservatives

Iams - Unclear labeling, contains wheat and maize and added salt

Beta - Unclear labeling, main ingredient is cereals, 4% chicken and 14% meat - doesn't specify from what animal

Royal Canin - Unclear labeling, contains wheat and maize and artificial additives

Eukanuba - Contains wheat and maize

Frolic - Very unclear labeling. Contains mostly cereals, animals derivatives with 4% beef, sugars and milk

Wagg - Main ingredient is wheat. Also contains maize and artificial additives

Hi-Life - Unclear labeling. First listed ingredient is meat meal (which meat?) also contains wheat and added salt

Hills - Foods contain low meat content and mostly maize

Winalot - Unclear labeling i.e. meat and animal derivatives 27% of which 14% meat (what's in the other 13%???) also contains cereals and sugars

Pro-Plan - Low meat content, contains wheat, maize and added salt

Any supermarket own brands i.e. Tesco, Asda, Pets at home - all cheap for a reason!

We're also jumping on the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal And Rocco, Jan's Funny Farm, Bionic Basil, Barking From The Bayou and Love Is Being Owned By A Husky!

I thought it was about time I listed which supplements my mum gives me, the reasons for them and why I recommend them!

Dorwest's Garlic and Fenugreek Tablets

My mum gives me a tablet a day and will up this to two a day in the summer time as I tend to suffer from hayfever. I'm so good at taking them now she no longer has to hide them in my food. 

"Garlic has antibiotic, antiseptic and anti-viral properties confirmed and has anti-inflammatory compounds. Fenugreek seeds also contain anti inflammatory properties.  When given regularly at the maintenance dose Garlic & Fenugreek Tablets increase resistance to infections by stimulating the immune system."

Dorwest's Elderberry & Nettle Extract

Mum will add this to my food during the winter time as I get 'Snow Nose' when it gets too cold outside. All I need is a quarter of a teaspoon added to my food each day and my pink nose turns back to black within a few months.

"A liquid to supplement the diet by providing specific nutrients to enhance and maintain good pigmentation.

These two plants are rich in iron and iodine, both essential for good pigmentation. The high levels of these nutrients are preserved in these full strength extracts and are beneficial to enhance and maintain the lack of pigmentation that may occur following a season or during the winter months. Can be given throughout the year and with any dry, wet or complete feeding regimes."

Olive Oil

Another that can be picked up from your local shop if it's not already in your mums cooking cupboard! I'm getting lots of benefits inside and out from having a little olive oil on my kibble. I've been told that it not only makes my food taste nicer (they're not lying) but also keeps my digestive system healthy and my bones and joints supple. On the outside it gives me a soft, shiny. flake-free coat. Mum swears it makes me shed less too. It's her fault she wears so much black, not mine! Much to my disgust I also get a little dab of it on my nose if it gets too dry. It does make my nose lovely and soft I guess.

Thornit Canker Powder

I run away when I see this bottle but apparently it's keeping my ears healthy... The things I put up with! 

Once a fortnight mum cleans my ears with cotton balls and water and will then pop a tiny bit of this stuff in each ear.

It's good for ear mites, itching and canker and a little bottle lasts a lifetime!

My mum also keeps Euphrasia handy for when I get really weepy/gunky eyes and Hepar Sulph just in case I get any ear infections.