Since the emergence of the natural pet food market in 2004, pet food has improved markedly. The focus has shifted from merely sustaining your pet to providing natural health solutions including naturopathic and preventative care.
Wheat and corn gluten are two of the worst – and most ubiquitous – ingredients you can find in dog and cat food.
A bag of pet food is not just a bag of food, but a bag of ingredients that could easily save pet parents thousands of dollars in out of pocket expenses over the course of their pet’s life. Furthermore, paying attention to the ingredient panel of your dog’s food should be of utmost concern. In fact, a pet parent who buys cheap and/or poor quality pet food often spends much more money over their dog’s lifetime, due simply to trying to manage medical issues which can be easily avoided through better nutrition.
As a good rule of thumb, here are THE TOP 10 ingredients to avoid;
- Meat By-Products & Bone Meal
- Animal Fat
- Corn/Wheat/Rice Gluten Meal
- Propylene Glycol
- White Potatoes
- Soy Products
- BHA & BHT
- Ethoxyquin
- Salts
- Sugars
Although this list may be daunting, stay away from the following ingredients;
| Ingredient Types | Ingredient List |
| Additives | Glyceryl Monostearate, Phosphoric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Bisulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Onion Powder / Extract, Magnesium Oxide, Monosodium Phosphate, Lysine, Phosphoric Acid, Brewer’s Yeast Extract, Dextrose |
| Binders | Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, Rice Gluten |
| Carbohydrate Sources | Brewers Rice, Cereal Food Fines, Feeding Oat Meal, Grain Fermentation Solubles, Maltodextrins & Fermentation Solubles, White Potato Product, Soy Flour |
| Coloring Agents | Blue 2, Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 (artificial colors), Titanium Dioxide |
| Fat Sources | Animal Fat, Beef Tallow, Lard, Poultry Fat, Vegetable Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Tetra Sodium Pyrophosphate, Eucalyptus Oil |
| Fiber Sources | Cellulose, Corn Bran, Corn Cellulose, Oat Hulls, Peanut Hulls, Rice Hulls, Soybean Mill Run, Wheat Mill Run |
| Fillers | Corn, Wheat Flour, Rice Hulls, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Rice, Soybean Hulls, Peanut Hulls, |
| Flavoring Agents | Animal Digest, Digest, Natural Flavor, Artificial Flavor, Smoke Flavor, Glandular Meal, Bacon Flavors, Chicken Flavors, Artificial Flavors, Yeast Culture |
| Fruits and Vegetables | Beet Pulp, Apple Pomace, Citrus Pulp, Grape Pomace |
| Preservatives | BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, Propyl Gallate |
| Protein Sources | Beef & Bone Meal, Blood Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, Corn Germ Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Fish Meal, Liver Meal, Meat & Bone Meal, Meat Meal, Pork & Bone Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Poultry Meal, Soybean Meal |
| Supplements | Bone Phosphate, Salt, Mineral Oil, Yeast Culture, Yeast Fermentation Solubles, L-alanine, Calcium Chloride |
| Sweeteners | Cane Molasses, Corn Syrup, Fructose, Sorbitol, Sucrose (Sugar), DI-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate, Glycerin, Caramel |
| Vitamins and Minerals | Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (Vitamin K3, Synthetic Vitamin K), Sodium Chloride (Salt) |
Over the ensuing weeks and months we’re going to cover most – if not all – of these ingredients one by one. We’ll explain what’s in your pet’s food and why, and the negative effects that each of them bring. Then, we‘ll bring you up to speed on the good ingredients that are found in the best foods available, why they’re good, and the positive changes you’ll see when you feed him the best food available. So check back here often for the best information on your pet’s health. 🙂