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Questions
- Why should I know where my dog’s food comes from?
- Why should I avoid added artificial colours or preservatives in dog food?
- What dog food should I look for?
Every pup parent wants to make sure they’re giving their pooch the best that they possibly can. This includes vet care, social life, all the toys they could ever want and a diet that keeps them healthy and happy. If you have been a puppy guardian since the 90’s you might have even noticed some big differences in how we keep and treat our dogs. There has been a shift towards dogs being our friends and family instead of just pets or property and science is constantly developing.
Science helps us to protect their health better with advances in veterinary care, even training techniques are different. The majority of people will gravitate more towards positive training techniques because it’s the most scientifically proven and maintains a solid bond between person and pooch. We’ve done away with pack and dominance theories when it comes to our pooches. You might even remember seeing white dog poo years ago but as we have learned more about what dogs need we have changed what they’re fed. We have a better understanding that they are omnivores rather than strict carnivores so we see more healthy poo instead of the white poo that was from eating too much meat and calcium.
Why should I know where my dog’s food comes from?
Understanding where your dog’s food comes from means you can be assured of its quality. If you’re getting them a bag of food and the meat content is not easy to understand then you’re not likely getting the best quality ingredients. It’s important as their carer to understand what makes a good dog food because let's face it, our beloved pets will gobble almost anything down even if it isn’t good for them.
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A dog food could have the best branding in the world with great packaging but if it doesn’t have the nutrients your pup needs, it’s not worth a pretty penny. The most expensive isn’t always the best as well so be sure you understand what to make of the ingredients on the label. Understanding what’s in their food will also help you decide between dry, wet and raw food so you can really get to grips with the cooking methods and how it impacts the food.
Raw food tends to contain the highest nutrients per weight of any type of dog food so you usually pay less but you need to keep it frozen. Dry food can stay fresh for long periods but the high cooking temperatures reduce the quality of the nutrients. Wet dog food is a great choice for fussy eaters and introduces more water into a diet but is often expensive to feed and doesn’t help with dental health as much as other types of food.
Why is free-range chicken important?
The difference between free range chickens and caged chickens isn’t just ethical. While there are big moral and ethical questions over buying caged chickens and eggs that are forced to spend their short lives in very small cages, it also doesn’t benefit your pooch. Caged chicken may mean the company that makes the dog food gets to purchase meat for a lower price and can then pass on these savings to you but that isn’t always the case and you can find yourself with a substandard meat.
For chickens to develop and produce healthy meat, they need to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Caged chickens are often barely able to exercise and they don’t get anything besides chicken feed in their diet. Free range chickens will often have grass to roam on which means they can enrich their standard diet with natural foods like seeds, worms, roots and various grasses. A varied diet along with a fit and healthy lifestyle makes for more chicken that can grow bigger, healthier and offer a higher quality of protein for your dog. When the standard of care is increased and chickens are free range, they will usually have better care in more than just one department. Health care like anti-parasite treatments and vet visits make sure sickly chickens aren’t being used for meat and passing on any nasties to your beloved pup!
Why should I avoid added artificial colours or preservatives in dog food?
Most pet parents already know that natural is good and artificial is bad but sometimes it isn’t clear why. It’s usually safe to presume that natural colours and preservatives are safe for dogs to consume. Common natural preservatives include vitamin C and vitamin E. While they don’t keep food fresh as long as artificial preservatives, the trade off is that they are in no way detrimental to your beloves pooch.
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Dog food with artificial preservatives and colours can include chemicals like Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). While the European Union has set a limit on how much can be present in your pup’s food, they are still suspected of being a possible carcinogen. While a small amount of each chemical might not cause an issue, we tend to feed our pups the same food day and in and out so it’s the cumulative effect that has many pup parents worried. Artificial additives in food have also been linked to liver and kidney issues when consumed over a long period.
Beyond serious illness, artificial additives can also cause a lacklustre coat, lethargy and just generally take the spring out of your pooch’s step.
What dog food should I look for?
When shopping for the perfect dog food for you and your pooch one of the first things to look for is a diet with high quality ingredients. This means the protein should be ethically sourced and free range and there should be no artificial additives. Food labels should be nice and easy to read without lots of long words you don’t understand and then you really know what you’re feeding your pup.
Lifestage Artisan
Lifestage Artisan has it all when it comes to complete and balanced diets with no nasties. Lifestage Artisan Adult Grain Free Chicken with Pomegranate & Kale contain no artificial, colours, preservatives or flavours and is a highly digestible dry dog food. All ingredients are of the best quality like the free range chicken that will keep your pup fit and healthy with plenty of energy. The recipe supports the immune system and gut health to maintain organ and digestive health. To top it all off, it’s naturally grain free so it’s perfect for pups with sensitive tummies. For beloved pets who may be sensitive to chicken, there are lots of different flavour options like Lifestage Artisan Adult Grain Free Haddock with Peas & Parsley. There’s bound to be an Artisan diet to suit every pooch.
Other brand options
There are lots of other options when it comes to finding ethical and wholesome foods for your pup with no ingredients that can harm them. For wet food diets, the Country Hunter range is a great option. Natures Menu Country Hunter Turkey with Superfoods Pouches are a great example of a wet food pouch that contains no artificial additives and only uses human grade and ethically sourced protein. The ingredients list is a nice and easy read and the food is also grain free, so it's suitable for most pups.
True Instinct is another top quality brand with only the best ingredients. They offer True Instinct Raw Boost Free Range Chicken which contains a mixture of dry nuggets and freeze dried chicken to lock in all the nutrition without the need to cook at high temperatures. All of their meats are ethically sourced and they only use free range chickens. Their recipe contains only natural goodness with superfoods, prebiotics, vegetables, fruits and botanicals including berries, chickpeas and rosemary. There are no artificial preservatives so you can rest assured that your pooch is only getting the best quality food.
Once you understand what to look for on the label, it makes finding a wholesome and nutritious meal for your pup much easier. To find your doggy their perfect dinner, visit us in store an online for great prices.