8 Must Knows About Your Dog Food!

“I don’t understand the ingredients in processed dog food?’

You and everyone else! But a lot of you might not know that dog food manufacturers (by law), have to list their ingredients according to weight. Heaviest first. So if you pick up a bag of dog food and the first few ingredients are Soy or Corn, or by-product for example, you may want to rethink your purchase. What it should read is Chicken, turkey, beef, a named protein, followed by things that we understand, rather than things that we don’t. So in essence, the top 5 ingredients of any dog food, will speak volumes about the quality of the food. Or check us out at Doggy Bag and find out what our first 5 ingredients are!

“What is BY-PRODUCT?”

Ever come across the term by-product when it comes to dog food? And wonder what it is? Well, by-products are pretty much left overs of a carcass, after it’s been stripped of meat. It’s definitely not fit for human consumption. But if you spot by-products on your list of ingredients, it’s better to have a named by product like Chicken or beef so you are aware of the source but steer clear of a generic by-product because it can basically include many things from many sources (beaks, feet, feathers, roadkill…I’m just saying). Btw you know who doesn’t use by-products in their food? Doggy Bag! 

“Why does my dog poop as much as he eats!?”

Poop! Yes let’s go there! If you notice your dog eating the same amount that its pooping out, it means it’s not digesting the food well and most probably not taking in enough nutrition. Pets who are fed kibble and other typical pet foods poop more often and a lot! The larger the size of the poops indicates that less food is being digested. Kibble is only 20 to 40% digested which means that 60 to 80% is discharged in their poop! Meanwhile, a study found that dogs pooped around half as much when eating fresh and human-grade food. And in case you didn’t know, Doggy Bag uses only human grade food!

“Why does my dog always drink a lot after eating kibble?”

Your dog should be eating a moisture rich diet. If you feed your dog a dry kibble diet daily, most likely they will experience a constant state of dehydration. And it doesn’t matter how much water you leave out. Dogs need a moisture rich diet to properly digest their food. A lack of moisture puts a lot of stress on their organs and particularly affects the liver and the kidneys. Like humans, dogs need water to flush out toxins. So instead of 10% moisture afforded with kibble, look for foods high in moisture with about 70%, like Doggy Bag!

“What’s AAFCO?” 

It’s like this guys, dog food is regulated by AAFCO. That stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials which sets the standards for the quality and safety of the pet-food industry in the US. This standard is carried throughout the world in hopes that your dog food follows a nutrient profile that benefits our fur friends. So if you are buying freshly made dog food (which is a great move), make sure it's seen by a canine nutritionist or it follows some form of guideline that is species appropriate. Doggybag meals are balanced to AAFCO standards as close as possible, for peace of mind.

“What is BHA/BHT and what’s it used for?” 

It’s impossible these days to understand everything listed in a bag of dog food. Even I find it confusing! So let me instead tell you about what you should NOT feed your dog and if you see it on the list of ingredients, then maybe you can rethink your purchase. BHA Butylated Hydroxyanisole and BHT Butylated hydroxytoluene. It is known to be carcinogenic, causing tumours in laboratory animals and it’s been banned in many countries for human use. Dog food uses it to preserve fats in their food. These two chemicals are used to give kibble a stable shelf life. But one thing for sure with Doggy Bag, if we can’t spell it, we won’t sell it.

“Can’t my dog just have 1 type of food, all its life?”

A diverse dog's diet does wonders for your dog's gut health. The stimulus brought by different foods enriches the gastrointestinal bacterial flora and promotes good gut health. Surprisingly, a long term dog diet consisting of the same few ingredients can actually make your dog more susceptible to developing an allergy or intolerance to those ingredients. By mixing it up and integrating new foods, your dog’s digestive system will be much better off. That’s why Doggy Bag has 8 lip smacking flavours and 4 fresh food supplements to choose from.

“What are some of the benefits of Natural food for dogs?”

Research shows feeding a whole foods diet, or adding whole foods to your dog's diet can reduce the risk of illness, increase your dog's lifespan and give them a better quality of life. Dogs fed a whole foods diet live an average of 3.1 years longer than dogs fed a processed food diet.

So check out our Doggy Bag menu and add years to their lives!