SANDYGLEN CAVALIERS

CAVALIER CARE AND TRAINING
Dog Food Recommendations

Jennifer Harris

Before I became educated on dog nutrition I went by word of mouth and fed all my Rotties Iams/Eukanuba thinking it was the best thing I could give them, after all my vet sells it, and all the commercials say it's the best, everyone seems to think it's one of the best, so it must be the best right? NOT! Same goes for Science Diet, and some of the other more expensive dog foods that you hear a lot about, they are not as good as we are led to believe.

Once I actually researched dog nutrition I learned what type of diet a dogs body is intended to have, and once I learned how to decipher the ingredient list I was surprised at the poor quality of the food I was getting for the money that I was paying for it. Why was it so expensive if it's not so good? Well, these companies need all that money they can get to pay for their expensive advertising claiming that they're the best. They also pay the veterinarians very well to sell and market their food too. Most of the best foods out there are foods you have never seen or heard of because they do not advertise. All of their money goes straight into their foods, using top ingredients only. These food companies are also more picky about who they will let sell their foods. You will NEVER find any of these good foods on a grocery store shelf, but more commonly at a feed store or small pet boutique. Most of the foods can also be ordered online and delivered right to your door. My local Agway sells my top food choices.

The following information comes from the Whole Dog Journal which is a well known, respected journal often subscribed to by Veterinarians, Dog breeders, and average pet owners who want to stay up to date with the latest dog health information. Keep in mind that the following list is only listed ALPHABETICALLY and NOT in any favored order (not best to worst).

My favorite food on this list is "Wellness" made by Old Mother Hubbard. It has excellent "human grade" (human consumable meat) protein sources at the top of the list, fruits, veggies, antioxidants, and healthy herbs and supplements added in. It's also lacking in some of the allergy causing ingredients that some other foods contain such as wheat, corn, soybean, animal fat, egg, or dairy products. They use only "all-natural" ingredients, and no artificial flavors or flavor enhancers. Many people have recently turned to Raw food diets, finding it to be the healthiest way to feed a dog. If you want the health benefits seen from a raw food diet, but you don't have the time or effort, or you are worried about possible contamination with raw meats, than Wellness is a great kibble choice since it is made out of many of the same foods that a Raw food diet comes from (such as meats, fruits, veggies, herbs, supplements), and it leaves out all of the poor, and harmful ingredients that many other dog foods contain(too much grains, preservatives, disgusting protein sources, dangerous chemicals, etc..). I would consider this food to be one of the closest diets to a Raw food diet that you can buy in a bag. I also like the fact the you can get "Wellness" in a variety of flavors such as Chicken, Lamb, and Ocean Whitefish. We most commonly use the chicken but occasionally use a different flavor for variety which is good for dogs, they are not intended to have the same exact food every day of their lives as we have been led to believe. It is best to alternate between your top dog food choices or flavors for optimal nutrition. We will also occasionally alternate with California Natural and Innova. Our dogs love Wellness and have never looked healthier than they do now.

Do your dog a favor and feed them one of the foods on the list at the end of this page. You will be giving them a longer, healthier, happier life to live out and enjoy with you. Not to mention all the $$$ you'll be saving on vet bills.

Jennifer Harris

What to look for on the ingredient list.

Superior sources of protein, either whole fresh meats or single source meat meal (ex. chicken meal rather than poultry meal)

A whole-meat source as one of the first two ingredients.

Whole, unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods. Nutrients and enzymes are more likely to be found in unprocessed foods.

 

Quality foods should contain very little to NONE of the following:

Food fragments - lower-cost by-products of another food manufacturing process, such as brewer's rice and wheat bran...Manufacturers usually include at least one fragment to help lower costs. Beware any food that includes several fragments.

Meat by-products (not handled as carefully as whole meat) - any food that contains meat by-products as the MAJOR protein source indicates a low-quality product.

 

HIGH-QUALITY FOODS SHOULD NOT CONTAIN:

Fats or proteins named generically (ex. animal fat/poultry fat instead of beef fat/ lamb meal)

Artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethioxyquin)

Artificial colors.

Sweeteners (corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin) to improve unappealing food Propylene glycol - a toxic substance when consumed in large amounts; added to some "chewy" foods to keep them moist.

 

 

Whole Dog Journal's
Top Ten Dry Dog Food Recommendations