Nutrition Information
Ok first thing is first....
High-quality ingredients are essential for a healthy food. Some economy brands of dog food are made from inexpensive ingredients that are not easily digested, and therefore, do not provide the best nutrition. While they may technically meet the legal specifications for percentages of protein, fat, carbohydrates, etc., these foods have lower energy values and lower-grade proteins. Because of this, many health-building nutrients may pass right through your dog's system without being absorbed. It also means that you have to feed larger amounts of that lower quality food to provide your pet with the same nutrition as a smaller amount of premium food. When you compare the cost of these foods on a per-serving basis, and realize how quickly you go through a bag, economy foods may actually cost more in the long run.
Rice in general is not bad it is a great carb in dog food IF listed as Rice and not brewers rice, rice polishings or rice bran that has no nutritional value. But whole rice does and it is most easily digested grain and the least likely to cause allergic reactions. It is an antidiarrheal and helps lower cholesterol. Brown rice is even better nutrtionally. As far as the others they are all good to stay away from. Dogs "can" also have a reaction to chicken so I would stear to a lamb food if you are worried about that. STAY away from foods with Wheat, Corn, or soy - known to be allergens and beef fat -because it is indigestible.
Here are foods that are high quality and a varriation to chose from depending on what you are looking for.
This company Natura makes these brands you can get them all at Lemos or to find a dealer near you call (408) 261-0770 (800) 532-7261. These foods are all HIGH quality they just each have a different specialty.
***Karma organic dog food was developed from a holistic standpoint - better ingredients ensure better nutrition and health. Ingredients:
Organic chicken
Organic whole grains like kamut, quinoa and brown rice
Preventive antioxidants derived from all-natural sources including rosemary and green tea extract
Whole organic - not dried - fruits and vegetables
Organic flaxseed and sunflower seed meal for a balanced mix of fatty acids
By blending these foods together, along with all-natural flavorings like organic butter, garlic and sea salt, Karma has developed a 95% organic dog food - the highest organic rating of any pet food brand!
***California Natural- no biproducts or artifiacial preservatives that can cause allergic reactions or stomach issues in your pets. Just wholesome, unrefined pet food ingredients that are as pure and natural as the way Nature intended.
***Evo (red meat diet)- Specially designed to provide all the key nutritional benefits received from the feeding of raw food diets but with the benefits of 21st Century nutritional research.Only the highest quality beef, lamb, buffalo and venison - including the meat, cartilage, fat, bone and connective tissue - are used in the making of EVO Red Meat. Whole fruits and vegetables are added to supply important, health promoting nutrients that dogs would find foraging for food. Live, naturally occurring microorganisms are then gently sprayed .. the cooling process. If you like the idea of feeding raw, but prefer a gently cooked food that provides benefits that match raw, frozen or home prepared high-meat pet diets, EVO is the answer. EVO is grain-free and provides the benefits of modern nutrition in a safe, convenient and cost-effective natural food.
***Innova- brings the world of pet nutrition closer than ever to that of healthy human nutrition by incorporating lean meats and cottage cheese, vegetables and fruit along with whole grains to create a dog food unequaled in nutrition and health benefits. high levels of natural antioxidant vitamins, and rich supply of Omega 6 and Omega 3 Essential Fatty acids. Innova Adult Dog goes above and beyond to provide complete and balanced nutrition.
***HealthWise Lamb Meal & Oatmeal- is a highly digestible rice-free formulation that supplies the optimum fuel and nutrients that ALL dogs need to live a long, healthful and happy life. Rice-free formula for an alternative diet.
Top quality lamb meal and low ash chicken meal provide a nutrient dense source of protein. Oatmeal and pearled barley promote superior digestibility if you have a dog with rice digestion issues.
KIRKLAND/COSTCO ...
If you are looking for a quality food for less money and you are a Costco member you luck out!
the ingredients is exactly the same as those that go into the Diamond food. The formula is a bit different though. The chicken and lamb is all purchased from human grade suppliers. The chicken is from the US and the lamb is from the US or New Zealand. The suppliers guarantee that it is antibiotic and hormone free. The rep wasn't sure about the grade of the grains, but she did say it is all US sourced. All of the ingredients now go through 151 quality checks.The Diamond website has a FAQ's page and it would all apply to the Kirkland brand as well. The food contains glucosamine and chondroitin. The vitamins and minerals are also chelated.
Here we could pay $22.99 for 40 lbs. Kirkland food was rated an A+ in the Merck grading system.
I spoke with a "high-end"dog food rep. and went through the Kirkland ingredients. She stated that it was all good ingredients and what fillers it did have were high quality fillers.
I asked the rep why such a supposed quality food is selling for so little. She said that Costco buys in such mass quantities that they can charge less and that Costso spends no money on marketing their product or on pretty packaging. So they can keep the cost low.
She has worked in dog foods for years and after going over the quality and price of the Kirkland said she would feed it to all her dogs and tell her friends and family about it. She said that even with her discount it would be cheaper for her to purchase the Kirkland.
After researching the ingredients I found that the chicken and rice has more meat content than the Lamb and rice. I have also found only one thing that is of possible concern and that is beet pulp. I have included my findings so that you can decide for yourself....
Beet pulp is a very common ingredient in many different pet foods. It has long been recognized as a popular feed additive for horses and other livestock and, more recently, has also been added to many dog and cat foods. There are many reported benefits to using beet pulp in animal foods, but there is also some controversy concerning its use. This article will help explain the benefits and potential disadvantages of this common feed ingredient.
Some people confuse beet pulp with the common garden vegetable, but beet pulp is actually very different. Beet pulp is the by-product of the extraction of raw sugar from commercially grown sugar beets. Sugar beets are grown in huge quantities for the production of sugar. After the sugar has been extracted, the remaining pulp contains very little sugar, but is valuable as a fiber and energy source. The benefits of beet pulp One of the biggest advantages of by-product feed sources is that they are usually readily available and affordable. In addition, beet pulp has several additional advantages over many other common fiber sources such as peanut, rice, or soy hulls. Beet pulp is an insoluble fiber source that is moderately fermentable. This means the fiber from beet pulp has the benefits of adding bulk and moisture to animal stools while providing an energy source that can improve the health of the colon. Slow to moderately fermentable fiber sources, like beet pulp, are often recommended as one of the best sources of fiber for dogs and cats. Beet pulp has been most commonly used in horse feeds. Horses are true herbivores and up to 40% of their calories come from digestion of food in the colon. There, fermentable fibers are broken down into volatile fatty acids by bacteria. These volatile fatty acids are then utilized by the beneficial bacteria and the horse as an energy source. Little digestion occurs in the colon or large intestine in dogs and cats, however, so they would receive few calories from the beet pulp. Nevertheless, beet pulp would improve colon health by providing the beneficial bacteria with a small amount of volatile fatty acids. The disadvantages of beet pulp There have been several reported problems concerning the use of beet pulp in animal foods, including potential swelling in the stomach, palatability, and plugging of the intestinal villus. Few of these have been substantiated and most refer to the feeding of beet pulp to horses. Some studies conducted in horses actually used a quantity of beet pulp that provided up to 50% of their daily calories, therefore, any negative (or positive) effects of beet pulp were related to the large quantities that were fed. Keep in mind that the amount of beet pulp that is normally fed to horses is a much larger quantity and greater percentage of daily intake than would ever be fed to a dog or cat. Summary In summary, beet pulp is considered to be an excellent fiber source in most commercial pet foods. The addition of beet pulp to commercial dog and cat food is widespread, but the actual amount eaten per day is quite small. Beet pulp is rarely the only available fiber source; as a rule, a variety of fiber sources that cross all ranges of fermentability and solubility are recommended. In addition to being a good fiber source, beet pulp may have a slight advantage over some other fiber sources because of its benefit to the intestinal bacteria that help maintain colon health. Beet pulp is often found in many quality foods, and when fed correctly, is an ingredient that can be beneficial to almost all pets. References |
