Choosing a Dog Food: Guidelines

Question:
 Choosing a new dog food can be an overwhelming decision. Learning to read the label on the bag can go a long way toward helping you decide.
The following guidelines are courtesy of Whole Dog Journal:
*One or more named meats(Chicken, Lamb, etc.) in the first few ingredients (or a named meat and a named meat meal)
*Whole foods (i.e. rice rather than brewer's rice, corn vs. corn gluten meal)
*No unnamed animal sources (i.e. Animal Fat, Meat and bone meal)
*No artificial colors or flavors
*No chemical preservatives (i.e. BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin)
*No added sugars or artificial sweeteners
What about byproducts?
There is some controversy about byproducts. Some people think they are fine; others will not use a food that contains them. I would think that most would agree that byproducts should never be the ONLY source of meat in a dog food. The problem with byproducts is that you can not ever absolutely know what they contain. It might be necks and feet and organs, and that's fine. But what else might it be?
By-product: An ingredient produced in the course of making a primary food ingredient; a secondary or incidental product. Feathers are a by-product of poultry meat processing. Feathers which are removed from a carcass during production of poultry meat are then hydrolyzed (pressure cooked with steam until they are an edible gel) which makes them an acceptable feed grade ingredient. Hydrolyzed feathers have been assigned the (IFN) International Feed Number 5-03-795 and can appear on a label as "Poultry By-products." On page 158 in the AAFCO book, Official Publication, 1994, Association of American Feed Control Officials Incorporated, they show: Hydrolyzed Poultry By-Products Aggregate is the product resulting from heat treatment, or a combination thereof, of all by-products of slaughter poultry, clean and undecomposed, including such parts as heads, feet, underdeveloped eggs, intestines, feathers and blood." The IFN assigned to this mix is 5-14-508. Today's regulations allow the entire mix or any part of it to appear on a label as "Poultry By-products." A "Fish By-product" can contain heads, tails, intestines and blood. This fish process residue has been assigned the IFN 5-07-977. A "Meat By-product" could be viscera and blood soaked sawdust from the floors of a packing house where meat is being processed. The meat being processed can be lamb, beef, horse, or any other source. Each one has its own IFN. Some of the animal feed IFN's that contain wood shavings from the floor of a processing facility include "Dried Ruminant Waste" #1-07-526, and "Undried Processed Animal Waste Products" #5-02-790. It is important to note that the amount of wood shavings in either of these two "Meat By-products" is limited and should not be more than 35% in one and 40% in the other. When a pet food label's list of ingredients shows the word By-product you can be assured that there is NO measurable amount of meat in the ingredient. If the ingredient contained enough meat that it could be measured the pet food company would proudly list the MEAT, not just the By-product of that meat's production. When the food you're using doesn't work.
When you've had to change foods several times, it is beneficial to look at the ingredients of all the previous foods and see if there is one (or more) ingredient common to all the foods (i.e. wheat, corn, beef). It might mean that your dog is having a problem with a certain ingredient, and even if you keep changing between different high quality foods, you might not see any real improvement till you pin down the "bad guy" and remove it.
Ingredients commonly found to cause food sensitivities or intolerances, and how to identify signs of intolerance:Not all dogs will develop sensitivities or intolerances to these ingredients, but many do. These are the most common ingredients that turned up when I searched "common allergens in dog food wheat soy":
Beef
Wheat
Soy
Corn
Yeast
Symptoms:
Itchy skin is the primary symptom a dog suffers from food sensitivities.
Other symptoms may include:
anal itching
ear inflammations/recurring ear infections
hair loss
licking front paws
loss of appetite
face rubbing
head shaking
The following symptoms may manifest but are rare:
asthma like symptoms
behavioral changes
diarrhea
flatulence
seizures
sneezing
vomiting
What about canned dog food?
Canned dog food is an excellent way to add more meat protein to your dog's diet. It can be fed exclusively, or added as an enticement to kibble.
*Canned dog food contains significantly more meat than kibble
*Canned food retains its nutritional value better than kibble
*Nutrients in canned suffer less damage in the cooking process than those in kibble
*Canned food generally contain far fewer chemical additives than kibble
Natural Diets
Others choose not to use commercially prepared foods at all, and instead feed nutritionally balanced and species-appropriate diets of fresh raw or very lightly cooked food, of the same quality you yourself would eat.

Answer:
 Great thread ZenCat!

Answer:
 What do you folks think of Wellness?

Answer:
 We typically feed out 2 year old Yellow Lab Eukenuba Maintenance in the morning, then half Eukenuba Maintenance mixed with 1/2 can of Eukenuba Maintenance in the evening. This has worked well. Last week she almost stopped eating completely for two days, not sure if she was not feeling well or if it was the affects of a full week of a new pup in the house. (nine week old Labradoodle). Anyway Ive always wondered if feeding her half kibble and half canned was ok as she loves the canned, Im glad to see I seem to have been doing the right thing.

Answer:
 Well! Looks like I need to do some more homework! Been feeding my labs (10 months) old Purina One Large Breed Puppy Formula. Even though it lists the main ingredient as chicken and it looks healthy, that could explain some mysteries. My vet said to feed the pupplies on the low end of the feeding scale on the bag, they are feed twice a day and do get some treats. But I am now wondering since reading the other posts if Sugar's what seems to be excessive shedding, and Holly's belching and sporadic gagging could be allergy related? Holly already weighs 72 lbs and the vet said "no more"! She was already on a mini diet when she was 3 months old so I'm thinking a change in food might just be a good thing to try. Prior to the labs, my dogs have always eaten commercial food, half dry mixed with half canned and did well. I read that feeding strictly dry is better because it leads to less waste, both going and coming if you get the meaning. I've checked out some of the suggested web sites and am now rather confused. I want the best for my babies but there is just so much information to sort through! :help:

Answer:
 I'll second the question about Wellness - our breeder was using Wellness, but not a puppy formula - regular duck and rice. It seems fine - he eats well, poops well (I think?! Never had a dog before. But it seems ok...) Denali is 14 weeks old. After some reading I'm also concerned about puppy food vs. adult food - is too late to go to puppy food now? Should I bother if he seems fine with the regular? He seems fine weight-wise also, I think.

Answer:
 Hi Guys I'm New To This Site, Found It While Searching For Food For My 18 Month Finnicky Black Lab Austin And 4 Month Yellow Lab Mason. I Have Tried Wellness And Niether Of Them Really Like It,they Are On Eukanuba Natural Lamb And Rice Right Now But Austin Doesnt Like It And They Dont Make A Lg Breed Puppy For Mason. Has Anyone Tried Royal Canin Lab (i Know They Have To Be 2 Before They Can Start On It But Ive Heard Good Things. I Was Also Thinking About Artemis- Has Anyone Heard Of It??

Answer:
 Hi Everyone!
My Vet told me that Shadow needed to lose 15 pounds. She has the start of hip problems and the Vet said it would help a lot if she lost the weight. I went and read labels and read labels. I'm still confused. What do you all think about Purina One Weight Control? Does anyone have any suggestions on a good food? I also feed her chicken, chicken livers/gizzards mixed in with the food.
Thanks for your help
Becky

Answer:
 Your section on canned dog food may warrant some reconsideration....
As I am looking at a can of "Chicken&Rice Chunks in Gravy - LB Puppy Food" Can label, here is what I notice:
1.) First ingredient is Chicken Broth: Moisture content of product is 80%. So 80% of the cost of this product went towards water. Not a good way to add "meat" to a dogs diet if you ask me.
2.) Chemical additives that I have never seen in kibble: Guar Gum, Sodium Trypolyphosphate, Glycine, Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Idodide.
3.) Other non desireable ingredients: Potassium Chloride, Salt, and Wheat Gluten.
In my experience canned dog food should be used sparingly. I have known several dog owners who had dogs that had would go into convulsions after eating canned dog food. The preservatives were thought to me the main culprit. With that being said I do used canned dog food in instances where the dog is being finiky but needs to eat ie a growing puppy, or a pregnant bitch.
I advise my customers that buy pups from me to avoid canned dog food all together.

Answer:
 A very late reply to this comment...
I continue to consider canned food to be an excellent supplement or stand alone food. Our choice of canned food should be as careful for kibble, of course. Additives, fillers, adhesives and other things - including the ingredients you mentioned - will be found in any commercially prepared food, but some are better and less "mysterious" than others. The ingredients of the canned food I feed my boys does not match the description you posted.
As far as the water content goes, "real" meat has a far higher moisture content than does kibble. I don't see moist meat as a negative thing, though I wouldn't feed the food you described to my dogs in any case.
The alternative to food containing these additives remains raw and home cooked natural diets.
Choose wisely!
Natural Balance Duck & Potato Canned
Duck, Duck Broth, Potatoes, Dehydrated Potatoes, Canola Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Kelp, Lecithin, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Abscorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Selenite, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement. Your section on canned dog food may warrant some reconsideration....
As I am looking at a can of "Chicken&Rice Chunks in Gravy - LB Puppy Food" Can label, here is what I notice:
1.) First ingredient is Chicken Broth: Moisture content of product is 80%. So 80% of the cost of this product went towards water. Not a good way to add "meat" to a dogs diet if you ask me.
2.) Chemical additives that I have never seen in kibble: Guar Gum, Sodium Trypolyphosphate, Glycine, Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Idodide.
3.) Other non desireable ingredients: Potassium Chloride, Salt, and Wheat Gluten.
In my experience canned dog food should be used sparingly. I have known several dog owners who had dogs that had would go into convulsions after eating canned dog food. The preservatives were thought to me the main culprit. With that being said I do used canned dog food in instances where the dog is being finiky but needs to eat ie a growing puppy, or a pregnant bitch.
I advise my customers that buy pups from me to avoid canned dog food all together.

Answer:
 <quote>Duck, Duck Broth, Potatoes, Dehydrated Potatoes, </quote>
BE aware of ingredient splitting. Because they list potatoes 2x, once as "potatoes" and once as "dehydrated potatoes" (which weigh less, note) it is likely that the real first ingredient in this food is actually potatoes, not dehydrated potatoes.
Evil. Where I'm from, that's called "lying."

Answer:
 <quote>Duck, Duck Broth, Potatoes, Dehydrated Potatoes, </quote>
BE aware of ingredient splitting. Because they list potatoes 2x, once as "potatoes" and once as "dehydrated potatoes" (which weigh less, note) it is likely that the real first ingredient in this food is actually potatoes, not dehydrated potatoes.
Evil. Where I'm from, that's called "lying."
Sadly, I agree. I never said any commercial dog food was perfect, I mistrust the entire industry... but for some of us it is the only option sometimes. My appreciation for this food is based solely on the fact that its grain free, which I see as a move in the right direction for carnivores. I've seen a lot of scarier ingredient lists than this one. All I'm suggesting is that everyone do the best they can for their dogs. And to remember that there is never just one "best thing" that applies to everyone at every stage of their lives.

Answer:
 That's the problem with looking solely at ingredient labels. It gives you an overview, but it doesn't paint a complete picture. NB may actually be duck based, and until you call the company, you won't know. The ingredients are placed in order of weight...you don't know how much more duck than potato is in the food - it's just as likely as not that there is still more duck than all the potatoes added up. The only way to know is to ask them (assuming they'll tell - which that in itself usually is a good indicator as to the quality of the company).

Answer:
 That's the problem with looking solely at ingredient labels. It gives you an overview, but it doesn't paint a complete picture. NB may actually be duck based, and until you call the company, you won't know. The ingredients are placed in order of weight...you don't know how much more duck than potato is in the food - it's just as likely as not that there is still more duck than all the potatoes added up. The only way to know is to ask them (assuming they'll tell - which that in itself usually is a good indicator as to the quality of the company).
Excellent point, DoJ. In fact last year when I did my "dog food project" (trying to find the highest calorie, highest meat percentage food) I could, I found only two companies of the 7 or so I called to be very open and forthcoming, one was Natural Balance, the other was Evangers. Both answered all my questions openly (including meat to vegetable protein ratios). Without exception, all the others (Nutro, Natura, Purina, Diamond, Iams/Eukanuba and I can't really remember the rest now) told me that it was "Proprietary Information".