Dog allergies

Dog Allergies and what you can do to make your dog more comfortable

Update on Home cooked meals for dogs

As you all know I am an advocate of feeding good food to your dog and letting the big dog food industry go bankrupt.

Investigating specialty store dog foods.

I have been looking into some interesting brands of food out there that don’t seem to get a lot of attention because they don’t have the big money for advertising campaigns. These foods are often sold in speciality pet shop stores. You won’t find them at the grocery store or Wal Marts or the local Petco. I think it’s because the grocery stores can’t make much of a profit off of them and they are far superior to any other food out there. So try some of these dog foods out and let me know what you think. They will be a little more expensive but far less expensive than those you will find at the vet’s office.

6 Comments »

  Mark Siebel wrote @

Great article!!! YES the best/healthiest dog foods (more meat/less fillers) are generally found at the smaller, specialty feed stores. Petco has begun to sell SOLID GOLD and WELLNESS which are 2 great foods as well.

Mark SIebel
http://www.doggiestepsdogtraining.com/

  lplatzeck wrote @

If it’s a big chain store I don’t bother going in. Although I have heard that Wellness is a good food. I have not tried it.

I looked up Solid Gold and came up with these ingredients.

I’m not crazy about any dog food that starts out with a protein “meal”.
Ocean Fish Meal | Beef | Potatoes | Potato Protein | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Natural Flavoring | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley Flakes | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

  Diana wrote @

We have been using Nature’s Recipe for a couple of years. They make a venison version that seems to work well with our allergic dog. The food doesn’t contain corn or wheat, which I think is often the culprit. George gets ear infections whenever he eats any of the artificially flavored, colored, and corn heavy store-brands.

George isn’t really crazy about the food, but if I mix in some plain yogurt or pour some skim milk or soy milk in it, he eats it up pretty good.

Please check out Gracie and George’s blog at gracieandgeorge.blogspot.com

  lplatzeck wrote @

I certainly agree that corn and wheat are the biggest culprets. I would avoid any dog good with wheat or corn

  Pam wrote @

HI,

That sounds very interesting, but I don’t see the names of the foods anywhere. . Can you tell us what they are?

Thanks

  lplatzeck wrote @

I tried the Innova brand and found it to be very good. I tried the adult dog food, the mostly meat kibble and lastly the Low Fat adult dog food. That is the one I am using now and I find it to be very good. My dogs eat it and they are not having any problems with it. I’m adding the ingredients so you don’t have to go look it up.

Turkey

Turkey is the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey or a combination of thereof – exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, and entrails.

Turkey is an excellent source of highly digestible protein. Natura uses high-quality turkey in many of our formulations.

The turkey Natura uses is tested to be free of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, as well as chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. This is an important distinction because manufacturers are not required to list substances that are present in the ingredients when they go into the pet food.

Chicken

Chicken is the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken – exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, and entrails.

Chicken is an excellent source of protein.

The chicken Natura uses is tested to be free of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, as well as chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. Natura does not add these harmful ingredients, and they are not present in the ingredients we use. This is an important distinction, because manufacturers are not required to list substances that are present in the ingredients when they go into the pet food.

Barley

Barley is a major food and animal feed crop, a member of the grass family Poaceae.

Ground barley is the entire barley kernel, ground or chopped.

Ground Barley is a good quality source of carbohydrates. Because Natura uses the entire barley kernel, it contributes additional protein, barley oil, bran, vitamins and minerals to the diet.

Brown Rice

The whole rice kernel containing the nutrient-rich bran with only the rice hull removed.

Rice bran is rich in numerous nutrients like B-vitamins, magnesium, and fatty acids.

Potatoes

Potatoes are whole, freshly cooked, Idaho russet potatoes, that include the skins.

Natura uses only whole, freshly steam cooked potatoes. They are not pre-processed, so they retain all of their important nutrients (including ‘protector’ antioxidants).

Potatoes provide B vitamins, carbohydrates, zinc, vitamin C, copper, iron, magnesium, niacin and potassium. Natura uses only fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, just like you would buy at the grocery store.

Rice

Rice, unless listed as brown rice, is the de-hulled rice kernel, without the bran — known as white rice.

Rice, in its whole form, is a high quality source of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. This is in contrast to fractionated grain ingredients used by some manufacturers such as rice polishings, rice bran, or brewers rice which have been leeched of much of their nutrient value.

Natura uses whole rice, which is the most easily digested grain and the least likely to cause allergic reactions. It is an antidiarrheal and helps lower cholesterol. Natura also uses brown rice, which is the same plant with the bran intact.

Pea Fiber

Pea fiber is an absorptive vegetable derived from cleaned and processed pea hulls.

Pea fiber is a useful ingredient that helps regulate the bowels to help prevent constipation or diarrhea.

Chicken Meal

Chicken meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of chicken — exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, or entrails.

Chicken meal is considered to be the single best source of protein in commercial pet foods. Natura uses high-quality, low ash chicken meal extensively. This ingredient is very digestible, very palatable, and very expensive.

Herring

Herring is the clean tissue of undecomposed whole herring or herring cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oils.

Herring is an excellent single-source protein. It is also an excellent source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Natura uses whole, high-quality herring, which are ground and added to the ingredient mix.

Natural Flavors

Natural flavors are minimally processed flavor ingredients that do not contain synthetic or artificial components.

In the Natura products that include “natural flavor” in the formula, the exact composition is proprietary. However, it is always made from the same animal species on which the formula is based. For example, the “natural flavor” used in the original EVO formula contains a reduction of chicken meat – much the same process as is employed to create a chicken stock in your home kitchen.

Chicken Fat

Chicken fat is obtained from the tissues of chickens in the commercial process of rendering or extracting.

Chicken fat is the highest of all animal sources in linoleic acid (over 23%), an important element for skin and coat health. Because Natura uses such high-quality chicken, this is a high-quality source of fat.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is the whole seed of the flax plant.

What makes flaxseed so outstanding is its mix in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Together these fibers aid in digestion and help to prevent constipation, thereby offering protection against cancer. Flaxseed is also an excellent source of Omega 6 and Omega 3 essential fatty acids. These fatty acids help produce the soft, luxuriant coat on your pet for which Natura is known. The richest source of alpha-linoleic acid is found in flaxseed.

Apples

A member of the rose family, the apple has a compartmented core and is thus classified as a pome fruit.

Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber. About 81% of the fiber is soluble; most of it is of a type called pectin. Apples provide both soluble and insoluble fiber, some vitamin C and beta carotene, and potassium and boron.

Natura uses this nutritious fruit in its whole form to obtain all of its wholesome nutrients.

Carrots

Carrots are the roots of the carrot plant, and a member of the parsley family.

Innova dog and cat foods contain whole steamed, carrots which are free of pesticides.

When ingredients are fresh and not pre-processed, they retain all their flavors and important nutrients (including ‘protector’ antioxidants). Natura uses only fresh, whole fruits and vegetables in our foods.

Herring Oil

Herring oil is the oil extracted from whole herring.

Herring oil provides a rich source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Because the herring that Natura uses is of such high quality, the herring oil helps produce healthy skin and lustrous coats.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is obtained by extracting oil from sunflower seeds.

Sunflower oil has a high concentration of linoleic acid (73%), which is important for good skin and coat health. Natura uses sunflower oil that has been cold-pressed and protected from exposure to heat and light. This very high quality, very palatable fat is used in California Natural and Innova formulations.

Egg

Egg is the part or whole of the reproductive body produced by hens.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with naturally occurring complex combinations of amino acids. Natura uses only whole eggs in our products.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is the result of separating milk or cream into curds and whey. The curds are drained and pressed to form the soft, white, spoonable cheese.

Cottage cheese is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, protein and vitamins. Natura uses high-quality cottage cheese, straight from its retail container. The cottage cheese has only trace amounts of lactose and because of its limited inclusion in the formula, the ultimate amount of lactose in the finished product is insignificant and would not be in sufficient supply to cause an intolerance problem.

Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts are a member of the pea family.

Alfalfa sprouts are rich sources of antioxidants, anti-carcinogens, phytochemicals, enzymes, trace minerals and numerous other living nutrients which work against toxins, resist cell mutation and invigorate the body’s immune system. One of the phytochemicals contained in alfalfa sprouts is ’saponins’. Saponins lower the “bad” cholesterol and fat but not the “good” HDL fats. Sprouts are good sources of vitamin C, folate, beta carotene and niacin.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a rich source of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium, and pantothenic acid.

Dried Chicory Root

Dried Chicory Root is the dried, non-roasted root Cichorium intybus L., used as a source of inulin, as soluble, fermentable fiber. It shall contain no less than 50% inulin and no more than 13% moisture. Chicory Root is a thick-rooted blue-flowered European perennial composite herb widely grown for its roots and as a salad plant.

Commonly known as a “prebiotic,” the inulin derived from the Chicory Root is a fructooligosaccharide added to accomplish the same purpose as supplementing probiotics. The prebiotic feeds the “good bacteria” and hinders the growth of bad bacteria in the pet’s digestive tract.

L-Carnitine

Carnitine, or L-carnitine, is a vitamin-like compound made in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It is found in animal-based, not plant-based, sources of protein.

L-carnitine has been used to help with fat metabolism, and recent scientific studies indicate that it helps reduce weight in overweight dogs and cats.

Direct-Fed Microbials

This is the regulatory term given to probiotics.

Probiotics are living microbes that can be found in a healthy digestive tract. As cooking would kill these microbes, Natura adds them to the outside of the kibble after the dry food has been gently cooked. Since the entire contents of our canned foods must be cooked as part of the canning process, we are unable to add viable probiotics to our canned products.

Lecithin

Lecithin is a specific phospholipid and the principal constituent of crude phosphatides derived from oil-bearing seeds.

Lecithin is essential for normal fatty acid transport within cells. It is obtained chiefly from soybeans, corn and egg yolk. Natura uses whole grains, fresh fruits and natural protein sources which provide all the essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals necessary for the life and health of our pets.

Rosemary Extract

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub of Rosemarinus Officinalis.

Rosemary, along with its cancer prevention properties, is a highly effective preservative.

Vitamins/Minerals

Vitamins are organic compounds that function as parts of enzyme systems essential for the transmission of energy and the regulation of metabolisms of the body. Minerals are inorganic substances essential for a host of vital processes within the body.

AAFCO regulates minimum standard quantities of vitamins and minerals in levels that pets need to survive. All pet food manufacturers supplement their products with vitamins and minerals. Beyond meeting these minimum requirements, all Natura products contain a complete vitamin and mineral supplement program that helps pets to thrive, not just survive. The minerals Natura uses are chelated, providing three to ten times greater assimilation than common minerals. Our Innova products also contain beneficial probiotic supplements, which are not required by the AAFCO minimums.

Included in our foods are some of the following: Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene, Biotin, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Dicalcium Pantothenate, dl-Methionine, Folic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Niacin, Potassium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin C Supplement (Sodium Ascorbate), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (Alpha Tocopherol), Zinc Proteinate

Natura adds these important vitamins and minerals, in proper balance to its foods to ensure that your pet gets all the necessary nutrients for life and good health every day.


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