Guide to Ingredients

Below are guidlelines to assist you when choosing a premium kibble. All of the ingredients listed are those that you should absolutely avoid when purchasing a food (or even treats) for your pet. If you would like more information about why these ingredients are harmful, consider attending one of our seminars where you will learn all about the dangers associated with each.

• Animal Fat
  Animal Fat is a by-product of meat meal processing. The origin of the contributing animals is never known, and the resulting oil is very low in linoleic acid and essential fatty acids that are important for skin and coat health.
• Beet Pulp (Sugar) Controversial
  Beet Pulp is the dried residue from sugar beets which has been extracted and cleaned in the process of manufacturing table sugar.

  When added to pet food it slows down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste). This holds the waste in, causing the kidneys and liver work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs. Feet may swell, so the dogs lick their feet. Sugar is a contributing factor to ear infections and cataracts. The sole purpose of this ingredient is to 'firm up' stools.

  Beet pulp is rather controversial. Many think that it is an excellent additive and source of fiber and that all sugar has been completely extracted before being added as a pet food ingredient. If this is the only 'problem' ingredient in a particular kibble, other factors will have to help you decide.

• Beef Tallow
  Beef Tallow is obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering. This is a very palatable and flavorful source of saturated fat, but it is low in linoleic acid, which is important for skin and coat health.
• Brewers Rice
  Brewers Rice is composed of the small fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels during the milling process. It is a very low quality rice product that is void of nutritional value. Basically, it is the sweepings from the floor of the rice mill.
• Chemical Preservatives
  Chemical preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are potentially cancer-causing agents. The long-term build-up of these chemicals has never been thoroughly studied and may ultimately be very harmful.
• Chicken By-Products (or any meat by-products)
  Chicken By-Products consist of the rendered, left over parts of slaughtered chickens including necks, beaks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. It excludes feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in 'good processing practices'. Chicken By-Products contain much less nutritional value than other ingredients such as Chicken or even Chicken Meal.
• Corn Gluten Meal (think glue)
  Corn Gluten Meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of cornstarch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. When added to pet food, it slows down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste). This holds the waste in causing the kidneys and liver to work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs, and feet may swell causing dogs to lick their feet.
• Ground Corn
  Ground Corn is the entire corn kernel, ground or chopped. Corn (in any form) is currently the third most common cause of food allergies in pets. It can cause issues such as hot spots, itchy skin, and even behavioral problems.
• Poultry By-Product Meal
  Same as Chicken By-Products, although the origin of its content can be from any fowl (turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.) instead of a single source like Chicken. Again, Poultry By-Product Meal is much less expensive, less digestible and lacking nutritional value.
• Rice Bran
  Rice Bran is the outer coating of the rice kernel, with little or none of the starchy part of the germ. It is an inexpensive source of fiber that is considered a filler ingredient with no nutritional value.
• Rice Flour
  Rice Flour consists principally of the soft, finely ground and bolted meal obtained from milling rice (containing essentially the starch and gluten of the endosperm) together with fine particles of rice bran and the offal from the 'tail of the mill.' It is a highly pre-processed ingredient. All of the naturally occurring vitamins have been leeched out by the processing that has already occurred. Ground Rice with its natural nutrients intact would be preferable.
• Rice Gluten Meal (think glue)
  Rice Gluten Meal is the dried residue from rice after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of rice starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. Again, any 'gluten' that is added to pet food will slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste), thus holding this waste in causing the kidneys and liver to work overtime. Dogs may chew their lower backs, and feet may swell causing dogs to lick their feet.
• Sorgham
  Sorghum is the ground grain of the sorghum plant. Not only is it low in digestibility, it has no known nutritional value.
• Soybean Meal
  Soybean Meal is the product obtained by grinding the flakes that remain after removing most of the oil from soybeans through the use of a solvent or a mechanical extraction process. Soy is widely accepted as the #1 allergen of dogs. It is a poor quality 'protein filler,' and low in digestibility.

A Word About Protein in Pet Foods

The 'Crude Protein' analysis on pet food labels is only a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food—not the quality of the protein. Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of human food production, such as Rice Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal & Beet Pulp. Whole meats are always the best source of quality protein. Meat protein is absorbed and retained better and is higher in essential amino acids like methionine, arginine, and taurine. Ingredients such as 'Rice Gluten Meal' contain less than half the usable protein as other sources, such as Chicken.

Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved.