Mary Allen
The better alternative is high-quality dry and/or wet food, which should be grain-free and, if possible, cold-pressed. Of course, these types of feed cannot keep up with the ridiculous prices of the discounters. Nor should they. Because everything that is saved on the sales price is at the expense of quality!
Grain-free feed
These feeds, such as those from Wolfsblut, Platinum, Purizon, Josera, and others, do not contain any grain (wheat), the meat sources are all of high quality and have been carefully processed and the oils used are responsible for a beautiful coat, strong claws, a healthy intestinal flora and ensure clear eyes, were mostly cold-pressed, which is gentler and preserves the nutrients.
Which type you feed also depends on the taste of your dog. There is now a large selection of different types of meat. And feel free to add some variety to your four-legged friend’s diet, because you don’t want to eat chicken every day, do you?
If you feed different types, you should make sure that they feed one type in the morning and one in the evening. Do not mix two types, as certain ingredients in the feed can have different digestion times and can therefore lead to diarrhea or gas.
By feeding high-quality food you prevent many problems, especially in old age. Food allergies, chronic diarrhea, kidney and liver damage, etc. occur much less frequently. You save veterinary costs and spare your dog a few visits to the unloved doctor. But be careful: Not every expensive food is also of high quality! Varieties from “Select Gold”, “Eukanuba”, “Royal Canin”, etc. also contain grain! Pay attention to the composition of the feed.
Remarks lining composition
To know what is in the feed, it is worth looking at the composition. So that you know what is included, here are some explanations (source: “Dogs would live longer if… Schwarzbuch Veterinarian, by Dr. Jutta Ziegler):
poultry meal:
But only poultry meal contains high-quality protein. Poultry meal, on the other hand, is simply a conglomerate of dried by-products and thus consists of by-products such as feathers, feet, claws, beaks, etc. When these inferior raw materials are processed into meals, they are no longer identifiable. For example, there is a feather meal (!) produced by a well-known company for the production of pet food, in which the feathered character is of course no longer recognizable. The protein quality is accordingly extremely inferior, or ultimately no longer available.
lignocellulose:
This is cellulose contaminated with lignin residues (lignin is an organic substance that is stored in plant cell walls and is used for lignification) and thus consists of wood, jute, or bamboo.
dried beet pulp:
This is a by-product of sugar production from sugar beets (a pure waste product).
corn Gluten Lining:
A sticky protein residue from industrial processing. It contains a lot of vegetable protein, but for a carnivore – I can’t repeat it often enough – it is hardly usable. The corn gluten feed prevents diarrhea and thereby retains unusable substances as toxins in the body, resulting in a significant burden on the kidneys and liver.
animal fat:
Unless otherwise specified, it is pure waste in the very last link. These fats must first be dehydrated before they can be processed into dog food at all. The consequence of processing is that these fats quickly become rancid. A US study revealed an increased risk of cancer and an increase in heart problems and tumor formation when ingesting such fats. Waste products such as old frying fat are also processed. There are truly no limits to the imagination and economic awareness of the animal feed industry.
Studies in Switzerland have shown that half of the “feed fat” is contaminated with mineral oils. And it is precisely these cheap feed fats that are used in the production of dog and cat food by large deep feed producers, which I do not want to name, but which you and everyone else know from daily advertising!
psyllium:
These are psyllium husks that can swell up to 50 times their volume and are therefore just supposedly filling.
hydrolyzate:
From crustaceans and cartilage (glucosamine and chondroitine to strengthen the joints) – the production is more reminiscent of leftovers. This is how glucosamine is obtained from shrimp, shrimp, and crab shells. Chondroitin consists mainly of shark cartilage, but also beef lung and pig ears or snouts. It is unclear whether chondroitin and glucosamine are nutritionally effective at all.
L-Carnithine:
This vitamin-like substance is said to promote fat burning (which has not been proven), which is actually necessary given the amount of sugar and carbohydrates that dog food and even “diet” foods contain.
sodium phosphate:
This is a man-made stabilizer, emulsifier, and acidity regulator. A large number of artificial vitamins, minerals, and amino acids added shows that this substance must be used to enhance a grossly inferior product.
If these components are in the feed, it is better to choose a different variety. Because many of the substances contained can overload the kidneys and liver in the long term and thus damage them. The long-term consequences are often kidney diseases, such as kidney failure, or liver damage, up to the point of slow and steady poisoning of the body!
That’s why you should pay close attention to the composition when choosing dry food (and also canned food)!