The dog and the cat – scientifically proven – are carnivorous animals, such as the wolf or the lion. So regardless of the climate in which it is located or its size, the carnivorous animal should feed almost exclusively on meat.
But how do we choose a quality food from the huge variety that exists today in pet shops? As in our diet there are some simple rules to judge if a product is good enough for our beloved partner.
CONTENT
It is often a mistake to look at the percentage of protein on the back of the package of a dry dog or cat food. However, proteins can be of plant origin (eg corn or soy) and high-protein diets burden the organs of a sarcophagus, causing from simple indigestion and constipation to obesity, diabetes or even allergies. other very healthy animal. What we should ask is “how much MEAT does it contain?”. This is shown by the list of ingredients. The first 5 ingredients are the basis of a food. If at least the first 5 words are meat ingredients * and do not include unsuitable ingredients such as corn, barley, rice, soy, tapioca, etc., then we are well on our way.
QUALITY
Once we have made sure that the content of meat ingredients is at good levels, we should check the quality of the meat. No formal ingredient terminology has been established in the pet food industry. The companies take advantage of this “window” in order to mislead the consumer. For example, the name “meat derivatives” may refer to nails, beaks, hair, etc., which is animal protein, but not the type of protein that will feed our animal. Therefore, our goal should be to buy food that uses fresh meat, as it is what provides the nutrients in their most natural form, while the greater the amount in the food, the less the need for synthetic additives (vitamins, minerals, flavor enhancers, etc.). So for example we prefer “Fresh Chicken” from “Chicken”, because it is much more nutritious, but also tastier.
ORIGIN
The names of the ingredients should be clear and specific, eg turkey or chicken fat, in contrast to aoristologies such as poultry protein or poultry fat which leave a lot of room for interpretation. Also of great importance is the origin of the ingredients. When a company has questionable quality ingredients it only mentions the name (Pork) and not its origin (Pork from Edmonton, Canada).
PRIORITY
The order of the ingredients plays a big role, so when one ingredient appears before another, it means that it is present in a larger amount within the recipe. Companies know that consumers are looking to find meat as the first ingredient in a food, because that’s the dominant one. To achieve this, they use some tricks such as the so-called “splitting”. That is, the breakdown of an ingredient into 2-3 names so that it is hidden in the composition of a food. Instead of the words “Corn (25%)” on the package, it says “Corn flour (12%), Corn gluten (7%), Maize semolina (6%)”. Thus, an animal ingredient is artificially presented higher in the list of ingredients, when in fact its percentage in the food is much lower than the following.
VARIETY
In Nature the wolf will one day feed on a hare, the next on a quail, the next on a salmon. This diversity of the natural diet should also be reflected in the food of our carnivorous pets. In order to absorb all the nutrients from many protein sources, the recipe we choose must be characterized by at least 3 sources of animal protein. * When we say meat ingredients we mean meat, egg, fish, chicken fat, etc.
