Corn Wolves? Wheat Tigers?

By: Tina Valant-Siebelts

www.havedog.com

Every day, we enjoy a wide array of food choices and styles, from fast food to elegant multi-course feasts. But, our pets have to eat what we serve, when we serve it. As a pet mom who cooks (and bakes) for her pets, I thought I was very knowledgeable about their nutrition. I could spend hours researching new treat recipes, online.

Evidenced by extra ribcage padding, our vet kindly suggested Mack and Jackpot needed to drop some weight. Rudy had a chronic problem with itchy feet-which kept me up nights with his gnawing and licking. We assumed it was a grass allergy. I know a lot of dogs with skin and ear problems. I wondered if it could all be food-related. I had to discover how my pets' food was affecting their health. Was I feeding them "fast food" or solid nutrition which could improve health and vitality, and possibly increase their life spans?

Gently look in your dog or cat's mouth. The four long pointy teeth are "canines" and indicate a carnivore, a meat-eater. Review your pet's food label. The first five ingredients are fundamental. Ground yellow corn was the first ingredient, in the food I had. Did you ever see a dog, wolf, coyote, or fox chomping down on an ear of corn? Do zoo care-givers offer wheat or soybeans to the tigers, lions, or cougars? After all, our domestic pets are tiny replicas of their wild cousins.

So, then why do pet food manufacturers use corn and wheat? A little research yielded that shortly after World War II, there was a grain surplus. Unfit for human consumption-it was directed to the pet food industry. Cheap, readily available, with a long shelf life; add a colorful label, clever advertising, and grocery store convenience---and you get a now multi-billion dollar industry.

The second ingredient was chicken by-products (what remains after choice cuts). By-products can include unappealing items (heads, feet, tendons, intestines)….. No wonder they can be difficult to digest. I learned an optimum food would first list "meal", (ie chicken meal) a human grade, concentrated source of protein with the majority of water extracted. Along with a meat meal, what else should your dog's food contain? Vegetables, an animal based fat source, beet fiber, antioxidants, bacterial cultures and proteinated minerals.

What to avoid in your pet's food

• By-products
• Grains (soy, corn, wheat, corn gluten or wheat gluten)
• Chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxoquin)
• Refined sugar, artificial sweeteners
• Artificial colors