posted 04-10-2003 02:38 PM           

A pet food label is designed in the same manner as our label on food products with the most contained ingredient listed as the number one ingredient. As the remainder of ingredients are listed in succession of order, from the most to the least.

The first question I ask myself is…Does it contain BHA, BHT or Ethoxyquin. These will be found in the lower category of the listing. These chemicals are used as preservatives in order for the pet food to remain on store shelves for a length of time. These preservatives are found to be cancer causing agents in our pets. BHA and BHT are chemical equivalents to formaldehyde, which is used as an embalming fluid along with other with preserving other things such as your paneling in your den. Ethoxyquin is a pesticide. Some labeling will use fancy wording to "trick" the consumer in to thinking it is a safe product. "Formalin" is used to disguise the word formaldehyde. Propylene Glycol is the same as anti-freeze. Now, would you really want to feed these ingredients to your pet?

The best preservative used is tocopherols (vitamin C and E). This is a good source of antioxidants and fatty acids, which are essential to a healthy pet. The only problem is the shelf life of the food is not as long but will keep the food fresh for 6 months in an unopened bag. Always check the expiration date listed on the bag.

After researching the BHA and BHT possibilities, I then look at the first ingredient. Is it a meat, rice or corn? Remember, what ever is listed first is the main ingredient in this pet food. If it is listed as Corn, then the main ingredient is corn over any meat, poultry or vegetable product.

If a meat product is listed first, second or third, this is where it gets confusing. It can be listed as meat, poultry, beef, lamb, fish, beef by-product, chicken by-product, lamb by-product, poultry by-product or meat meal, beef meal, lamb meal, chicken meal, turkey meal or fish meal. It all sounds good to you doesn’t it? This food has a meat source listed first so that means it has a higher meat content than anything else. Nothing can be farther from the truth!

If the word "meat" alone is used it means: it can contain tongue, heart, esophagus, diaphragm, skin, nerves and blood vessels. Once processed this "meat" can loose 80% of the meat weight. You may think the meat is the number one ingredient but after processing it can fall into 4th, 5th or 6th place on the ingredient list because now it contains mostly water.

When the label reads By-products the actual definition of that is: it can contain any part of the chicken, cattle, lamb or fish to include lungs, kidneys, stomach intestines brain, ect. There is no real meat involved, but in simple terms... any inside part of the animal.

The BEST meat source is Meat Meal. It does not contain any foreign matter but does contain the real meat of the animal. After processing you end up with a true meat weight as most of the moisture is removed. Do not be fooled with the wording Poultry By-Product Meal, as this is ground parts of the chicken or turkey that include undeveloped eggs, intestines, neck and feet.

Look for chicken meal, beef meal, lamb meal or fish meal. Be careful of poultry meal. I find this is not clear enough as to what poultry are being used. If your pet should be allergic to chicken, there would be a cause of concern, due to not clearly specifying which poultry it contains.

Next I look at the following ingredients. Does it contain corn? Corn is a major filler ingredient in pet foods. It has no nutritional value but will make your pet feel full and can cause numerous skin problems and gas problems. Corn is the cause of many allergies in our pets, so I advise to stay away from corn.

You do not want more than two carbohydrates included. Carbohydrates are important but some foods can contain excessive amounts, which raises the sugar level. If more than two are used, it raises the concentration level so high that it can now becomes the number one or two main ingredient while pushing your meat source down a few notches. The reason your puppy could be acting like a wild indian might be due to the fact that he/she is on a sugar high.

Grains such as rice, barley, wheat products, flour, millet, ect., are important for fiber content but can also be over used as fillers. These grains are necessary for a healthy digestive system but excessive amounts are unnecessary and can add to the carbohydrate list. A lot of these grains are equal to cereals which are just fillers.

Fruits and vegetables are just as important for your pet as they are for you. They are an excellent source of antioxidants and provide for a healthy immune system. It does not matter where they are located on the food label as long as they are listed.

Probiotics added to the food provide natural enzymes and friendly bacteria to aid in digestive process

In summary I have included a list of questions to ask yourself when looking at a pet food label:

What preservatives are being used?
Are there any chemicals added?
What is the meat source?
Does it contain corn, corn meal or corn gluten meal?
How many carbohydrates does it contain?
What are the fibers and how many?
Does it contain Fruits and vegetables, and probiotics?
Ask yourself…would I eat this food? If your answer is no, then why would you feed it to your pet? It isn’t just a dog or cat, it is a living creature that deserves the best you can offer them. If you wouldn’t feed it to your kids, then don’t feed it to your pet!

posted 04-10-2003 07:28 PM            

I disagree with this...several of the foods you listed above have more than two sources of carbs. More than 2 sources of carbs doesnt neccessarily = tons of carbs. Some foods use only one or two sources in larger amounts while others use a variety of sources but in smaller amounts of each source. There are many foods out there that use a variety of carb sources but do not have a high percentage of total carbs.
If anyone is worried about the carb content there is a simple formula you can use to guestimate the percentage of carbs in any given food:
100% - protein% - fat% - moisture% - fiber% - ash% = carb%
example:
Brand X guaranteed analysis
protien....24%
fat........15%
moisture...10%
fiber......3%
ash........7%

100% - 24% - 15% - 10% - 3% - 7% = 41%
Brand X has approx. 41% carbs

posted 04-21-2003 05:51 PM         

One question I always ask myself...
"If corn is SO good for canines, why don't you ever see wolves grazing in corn fields?"

Science Diet=CORN
Purina Chows=Corn, Corn, CORN!

posted 07-31-2003 10:10 AM            

Ingredients:

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

This is what the ad said: Fresh, Never Frozen, Hormone-Free Chicken is #1 The number one ingredient in ALL Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand dog and cat foods. We use only fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken as the base of our formulas to provide a more satisfying, healthier, wholesome meal for your pet.

Go here to see the nutrition make up...I could not feed this to my prescription needing dog. What do you think about the protien amounts? pretty high??? http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/formulas.html