Natural. Organic. Holistic. These words are used a lot today, but when it comes to dog food, what do they mean?Some of the claims I discovered from manufacturers of natural dog foods are:
1. Produced in USDA, FDA and AAFCO approved facilities
2. USDA inspected meats of human grade.
3. Naturally preserved
4. High quality ingredients
5. Experts to ensure quality and safety of the food
6. In-depth cleaning and sanitation of manufacturing facilities
7. Testing grain shipments for mycrotoxins
8. Developed by pet-health doctorate professionals
9. Naturally colored foods
10. "Nature-identical" ingredient profiles
Premium dog foods are generally not found in your supermarket. So, feeding your dog a natural or organic food may require a special trip to the pet store. They also are likely to be more expensive than your supermarket brands.
However, each one boasts quality ingredients, quality manufacturing and product safety. Here are some brands of natural or organic dog food. This is not a complete list. If you use a natural or organic dog food, or are a natural or organic dog food producer, please leave a comment and tell us about your brand.
Natura
Nutro Natural Choice
Canidae
Blue Buffalo
Wysong
Wellness
Holistic Select
Young Again
What do you think of natural and organic foods? What are the pros and cons? Does your dog like them?
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9 comments:
I imagine (since I am not a dog food expert) that it's not just the ingredients - it's also the processing. You can probably have the best "natural" or "organic" ingredients in the world, but if they are superheated almost all of the nutrient value is lost.
I use a holistic brand of dog food now. However before that I used commercial dog food.
I had a dog that I loved very much that died of cancer. In reading about cancer in dogs I found most dogs do die of cancer.
The biggest guess by dog people( there have been no real studies) is high levels carbohydrates in Commercial dog food is contributing to the high cancer rates.
Again there are no studies that can really affirm this in dogs. Scientits do confirm once cancer is evident in the body carbs should be reduced as they feed cancer cells.
It does seem to make sense to me.
So I have switched to holistic brands. It has given my dogs shiny coats and cleaner teeth. There may be other benefits but I will really need to see that over a long period of time.
I use solid gold wolf king plus these suppliments missing link and prozyme.
I have two dogs and their combined weight is 285 lbs, my food bill with treats included comes out to 250.00 a month.
Thank you for your comment Rod. I will read more about the processing process. It's good to keep learning.
Wow Don, 285 pounds of dog! It seems that you've witnessed benefits of the type of dog food you are using. I hope that you find the holistic food contributes to very long lives for your furry best friends.
Thank you Peggy for spreading the word about organic dog food. While many dog owners probably view commercial foods as more convenient, organic and all-natural dog foods are extremely healthy you don't have to worry about artificial preservatives, synthetics, or other artificial ingredients.
These foods (if they are truly organic and all-natural) consist of a combination of vegetables, especially Spinach and broccoli which provide strong anti-cancer benefits and essential nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
The best thing about these foods (for a picky dog) is that you can find them "wet" in a can as well as dry with a variety to fit any taste or flavor preference, which means you'll be able to match the food to your dog's needs!
We've always fed our dogs plain old dog food, but Cooper refuses to eat it unless we mix something in like gravy. He's so needy! Maybe one of the foods you suggest would taste better to him.
Thank you for that information Marsha. I found it interesting that spinach and broccoli are common ingredients.
Lexi, hope you find something Cooper likes that is also healthy for him. Stay tuned for more discussions next week on homemade food, raw meaty bones and more!
Thank you Peggy for spreading the word about organic dog food. While many dog owners probably view commercial foods as more convenient, organic and all-natural dog foods are extremely healthy you don't have to worry about artificial preservatives, synthetics, or other artificial ingredients.
These foods (if they are truly organic and all-natural) consist of a combination of vegetables, especially Spinach and broccoli which provide strong anti-cancer benefits and essential nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
The best thing about these foods (for a picky dog) is that you can find them "wet" in a can as well as dry with a variety to fit any taste or flavor preference, which means you'll be able to match the food to your dog's needs!
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