Mary Allen
“Animal by-products”, “Oils and fats”, “E 123”, … the list of ingredients on the dog food packaging is often full of puzzling terms. To reduce production costs, save on quality, and still make the food palatable for dogs, manufacturers occasionally “cheat” unnecessary fillers and additives under the food to stretch it. However, this does not mean that cheap dog food is automatically worse than expensive products. You can recognize inferior goods primarily by looking at the ingredients. You should be careful with the following information.
Beware of E Numbers: Artificial Additives in Dog Food
As with finished products for humans, artificial additives in dog food are also identified by so-called E numbers. These can be preservatives that make the feed last longer, aromas, attractants, and appetite stimulants or colorings. Many of these additives are suspected of triggering allergies in sensitive dogs. Amaranth (E123), for example, gives the meat a nice red color, making it look appetizing and making it appear fresher to the dog owner (your woof, on the other hand, doesn’t care at all about the red color). It is suspected of triggering intolerances, skin reactions, and asthma.
Flavor enhancers marked with the E numbers between E 620 and E 637 are also unnecessary and controversial. These include, for example, glutamates, which have repeatedly fallen into disrepute in humans because they are said to cause discomfort, digestive problems, and headaches. In addition, flavor enhancers, as well as sweeteners, flavorings, attractants as well as appetite stimulants can make dog food so tasty for your four-legged friend that he eats too much of it, and the risk of obesity increases. If the remaining ingredients are also of inferior quality, the woof can also lack important nutrients and symptoms of deficiency gradually appear. A harmful effect of the approved substances has not yet been proven without a doubt, but they are at least superfluous for healthy dog nutrition. The fewer E numbers on the ingredients list, the better.
“Animal By-Products” is Mostly Unnecessary Ingredients
Lists of ingredients sometimes contain the rather vague term “animal by-products”. Unless the addition “food grade” is included, it is usually some slaughterhouse waste that is unfit for human consumption. Examples of animal by-products are hooves, feathers, beaks, hair, blood, cartilage and bones, urine, and offal. That sounds unappetizing, but it is not necessarily harmful. The problem here is that nobody can understand what exactly is behind the term. However, if it is a matter of sensible supplements in dog food, it is usually more precisely differentiated which animal by-products are involved. If the term is only there in general, it is usually ingredients that your dog cannot use as well and which are therefore unnecessary.
Cheap Fillers Usually Mean Poorer Quality
But there are also vegetable by-products. This is plant waste, such as cores, skins, stalks, straw, or press residues from vegetable oil production. Your four-legged friend does not need these ingredients, they only serve to fill up the food so that it looks like more than it is. Cereals are also often used as an inexpensive filler. Your woof could use a few carbs and a little grain, corn, and rice, but too much of it means too little quality meat. The higher ingredients are listed on the list of ingredients, the higher their proportion in dog food. Sometimes the herbal fillers are broken down into their parts to make the total look smaller. So take a good look. Other unnecessary fillers are animal carcass meal, dairy products, and bakery products.
Molasses & Sugar? Your Dog Doesn’t Need It
Sugar is sometimes added to dog food to improve the taste. While humans can use sugar in moderation, it is completely unnecessary for dogs. The tricky thing is that sugar isn’t always labeled as such on the ingredient list. The sweet substance can also be hidden behind the terms “molasses”, “glucose” and “fructose”. Dairy products refer to all waste arising from the manufacture of cheese and milk products; they may also contain milk sugar (lactose). Bakery products are leftovers from the preparation of bread, cakes, biscuits, and the like – also a hidden sugar trap.
Oils & Fats: What is Behind Them?
“Oils and fats” – that sounds good, why shouldn’t a dog be able to use it? The difficult thing here is that the terms are too imprecise and it is not clear from them whether or not they are valuable nutritious oils and fats. Old frying fat, for example, can also be hidden behind this vague designation.