Don’t fall for the marketing tactics: take the label test
At the end of the day, the primary purpose of ads is to get you to buy the product – whether it’s healthy or not. The people responsible for advertising the product aren’t concerned about the actual quality of the product, their top priority is to make it look like a good or even the best product.
So, what you need to do is to examine the labels on your pet’s food and treats carefully to make a more informed purchasing decision. Always looks for low calorie dog treats and food.
Companies are required to provide a list of the ingredients used in the product on their product labels – from the largest to the smallest.
Do a simple Google search of the first five ingredients. Enter each ingredient in the search bar followed by the phrase “good for dogs” then “bad for dogs”. You will be predictably shocked by the results. When you do your own research, you will start to realize that prescription foods the vets sell are not always a good choice.
While they may be suitable for a particular condition, they may end up causing many other unexpected health problems, and you haven’t yet considered all the things that go into the cooking and packaging process.
Refrain from feeding shelf-stable foods as a staple diet
Clever marketing tactics have been effective in making us overlook the many concerning reasons why processed foods have such long shelf lives.
As far as the average consumer knows, shelf-stable foods provide your dog with everything it needs to live a long and healthy life. But in actuality, things are much different. Even though there will always be some rare exceptions, don’t just assume that your dog is one of them.
Thanks to the industrial cooking processes, shelf-stable food products don’t have live enzymes. This means that they are essentially dead foods that require synthetic supplementation to meet AAFCO’s balanced nutritional standards.
My biggest issue with these products is that they are not what they are marketed to be – a staple daily diet.
Besides, if all the nutrition needed by the body to maintain optimum health could be fitted into a can or pellet, there surely would be thousands of companies out there making human “food” and marketing it as a staple diet.
There are specific situations in which canned foods, kibble, and biscuits are ideal including in charities, shelters, on long trips, or when we are short on time, however, they shouldn’t be fed as a staple diet.
Incorporate fresh whole foods
Fresh whole foods like fruits and vegetables have a high natural enzyme content and will have a huge influence on your dog’s health.
Whole foods are also rich in fiber, which is vital for digestive health.
The cooking processes involved in the production of shelf-stable foods destroy most of the important nutrients. To make up for this, manufacturers have to incorporate synthetic nutrients into their products.
The said nutrients are mere imitations of the more beneficial ones found in nature. And this is where the main difference between whole foods and industrially-produced foods arises.
Whole foods, as opposed to the majority of synthetic nutrients, contain nutritional co-factors that work together to enhance nutrient absorption, assimilation, and utilization in the body.
Instead of saying you are what you eat, it should be stated more correctly as you are what your body can absorb.
Start researching safe whole foods for dogs
When it comes to feeding your dog healthier foods, there are certain fruits and vegetables that should be avoided. Also, you need to note that certain parts are more nutritious than others. For instance, broccoli stems have more nutrient content than the head,
and the leaves of the beetroot plant are highly nutritious.
For optimum absorption of nutrients, puree vegetables or give whole as a substitute to bones for the maintenance of healthy teeth and gums.