The Patio Expert Pages

Because our dogs depend completely on us for their nutrition, we should be aware of what we're feeding them. After all, in a time where everyone is so conscious about what they put in their mouth, insisting only on "natural" or "organic" foods, shouldn't that kind of concern also extend to the canine members of our family, with natural dog foods?

There are a lot of nutritionists today who tell people that a lot of their health problems come from processed foods: transfats, bad cholesterol, an excess of sugar or carbohydrates. The same applies to the so-called food that we feed our dogs: today, a lot of the contents in a can of dog food aren't necessarily good for your dog, and may give him health problems.

One such ingredient is meat-byproducts. Now, meat by-products are classified by the Association of American Feed Control Officials as "The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents."

Even worse, there isn't much regulation going on as to what the source of these "parts" is - stories abound, and a lot of them are backed up by evidence, of the dead animals that go into the rendering plants: animals killed on the highways, 4D (Dead, Diseased, Dying, Disabled) animals, and even dogs and cats that were put down in pounds!

Thankfully, public outcry has significantly lowered the processing plants that accept that last ingredient. But if you really want to be sure, get rid of all your dog food that has meat byproduct as an ingredient, and instead, opt for natural dog food. There are varieties, like Lifes Abundance dog food and Flint River dog food, that use only natural ingredients: meat from free-range chicken, or lamb, or fish caught off the North Atlantic coast like menhaden.

In addition to its health benefits, natural dog food also represents a good bargain: the prices may be higher than your usual dog food, but because of their nutritional value, your dog will need to eat less of it. And of your dog is eating less junk, then he's be making less of a mess a few hours afterwards!