i think the most annoying part of dog food discourse is how many people will act as though proplan/hill’s/Royal canin diets aren’t extremely and prohibitively expensive and that THAT is the reason so many people look into healthy alternatives.

People complain about corn being in the first five ingredients on most of those feeds because, regardless of other factors here, that is not an expensive ingredient. But it makes up a large chunk of the dry food. So the dry food should be fairly affordable, right?

Oh… with tax you’re spending about $100 for one 45lb bag of food where the third ingredient is wheat and the fourth and fifth ingredients are corn.

Oh… well! It’s slightly cheaper! But the second ingredient is rice, third is wheat, fourth is corn, and then fifth is poultry byproduct. None of those are very expensive so this just must be the low end cost of dog food unfortunately. The vets recommend it so surely that means prices aren’t inflated, right?

Oh? This one has similar ingredients with the only real difference being no corn? And it’s half the price?? Well surely that’s just a fluke.

Oh. Oh no.

This one even has CORN in it and it’s $20 cheaper?? Wow!

Like listen at some point I don’t care if your dog food has the ichor of the gods in it, I’m not spending $100 every five days if there are cheaper options with just as many “good” ingredients in it. If you think I’m a dog abuser because I can’t afford this overpriced garbage, that’s too bad. I don’t care. My dogs are perfectly healthy with the food I give them. Great weight and great coat. People giving dog food recommendations that aren’t those top three hyper-expensive dog foods aren’t trying to epic own those dastardly vets half the time, but I really don’t blame the ones who do lose trust in vets when the only heartworm protection they recommend lately are expensive triple-action brands like Simparica Trio that costs $120+ as opposed to the other heartworm protections that are only about $40-$60 on average, which is still cheaper even if you add on a $20-$40 flea and tick protection separately, and only recommend dog food that costs $85+ a bag even if your dog doesn’t have specialized dietary needs.

Those top three foods are GREAT at making competent prescription diets, I don’t deny that. I do still have to criticize the pricing of those prescription diets though because I have spoken to DOZENS of people who had to pull their pets off of a prescription diet and struggle to find something comparable because they couldn’t afford the food, and that’s terrible! These are not poor companies! Purina, Royal Canin, and Hill’s can ABSOLUTELY afford to lower their prices to make their food accessible to people who need it for their animals but they don’t. They probably never will. Because at the core they are run by greedy corporations. It doesn’t matter how many good nutritionists are on board if the company is run by people who put profits over customers and make the food impossible for people to afford.

12 Worst Dog Food Brands to Avoid

There’s no shortage of dog foods available on the market these days. Take a stroll through your local pet store and you’re bound to find aisles and aisles of products with dramatically different price points.

While it’s not always the case, the price typically dictates the quality of the food.

It can be tempting to go with those cheaper brands. However, doing so could put your dog’s health at risk!

What your dog consumes daily has a large effect on their overall health.

Unfortunately, not all brands are focused on providing high-quality meals.

Cheap fillers, subpar protein sources, and a host of other bad ingredients are often used to keep the manufacturing costs low. Sadly those inferior ingredients can have a lasting effect on your dog.

Not only will they prevent your pup from reaching their full potential, but they can cause all kinds of health issues.

There are a ton of big no-nos in the pet food industry. While those premium brands work hard to provide a balanced diet for your furry friend, others use questionable ingredients you want to avoid.

To help you shop smarter, here are some dog food brands you want to avoid in 2022.

12 Bad Dog Foods to Avoid

#1.  IAMS Dry Dog Food Chunks

At first glance, IAMS products don’t seem so bad. The first ingredient is usually chicken, which is a great protein source.

However, when you start to look at some of the other ingredients used, it starts to become evident that this dog food isn’t a good option for your dog.

First, it has corn meal. This is nothing more than a filler. Secondly, it uses chicken byproduct meal. There’s that controversial “byproduct” again.

While this byproduct is identified, IAMS doesn’t provide any information about what the byproduct is. Is it beneficial organs or is it slaughterhouse waste?

Finally, there’s sorghum and beet pulp. Sorghum is similar in nutrient content to corn meal. Meanwhile, beet pulp is a high-fiber byproduct that can lead to weight gain.

#2.  Kal Klan Complete Adult

The biggest issue with Kal Klan is that there are no wholesome meat-based protein sources. The very first ingredient on the list is usually corn.

Meat should always be the first on the list regardless of the brand or price. Having corn as the top-listed ingredient is always a red flag.

As if that weren’t enough, Kal Klan uses soybean meal and bone meal. Soybean meal is a byproduct of making soy oil. Meanwhile, bone meal is nothing more than ground-up bone and cartilage.

Of course, there’s no way to tell what animal is being used. So it’s best to avoid it.

#3.  Twin Pet Dog Food

Twin Pet primarily uses plants for their dog foods. While some plants are beneficial to your pup’s health, a fully plant-based diet isn’t good. Dogs need meat.

Once again, the first ingredient on the list is corn. However, that’s not even the most troubling thing in the formula. You’ll also find meat byproducts and wheat middlings.

Byproducts aren’t great because they come from questionable sources. Wheat middlings is bad because it’s basically the leftover dust that comes from milling wheat.

#4.  Purina Dog Chow

Purina is a very popular dog food manufacturer that’s been around for over a hundred years. Dog Chow is one of the most popular brands owned by Purina. You can find it in virtually every grocery store.

Unfortunately, it’s filled with some unsavory ingredients. It utilizes all of those unhealthy fillers like corn, wheat, and soy.

But that’s not all. You can also find a bevy of artificial ingredients.

Dog Chow contains artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. All of that should be avoided.

#5.  Purina Beneful

Beneful is another brand that’s owned by Purina. Like other Purina products, Beneful foods can be found at very affordable prices.

The tricky thing about Beneful dog food is that the company advertises “real meats.”

Real meats are indeed used. However, so are byproducts and fillers. Chances are, the fillers greatly outweigh the real stuff.

All of the Beneful formulas contain corn, wheat, and soy. They also have artificial ingredients.

#6.  Gravy Train Dog Food

Gravy Train is a pretty popular canned food brand. There are some good things in the Gravy Train formula. You can find things like chicken and lamb.

Unfortunately, some questionable ingredients are used as well.

Meat byproducts are the biggest red flag on the ingredients list. As we mentioned earlier, these products can come from unknown sources.

The fact that they aren’t identified should be a cause for concern.

#7.  Cesar Filets

Typically marketed as an indulgent food for small dog breeds, Cesar Filets have a pretty big hold on the dog food market.

These products are available in big-name grocery stores across the world, making them highly accessible.

The biggest issue we see with Cesar Filets is the salt content. The wet food is very high in sodium, which could pose a significant health risk for your dog as they get older.

On top of that, the recipe calls for potentially unhealthy meat byproducts.

#8.  Alpo by Purina

Another Purina-owned brand is Alpo. Alpo has one of the most contentious reputations in the dog food industry. Many reports have come out about dogs getting sick and dying after eating Alpo food.

While one could argue about the connection, these complaints got so bad that the FDA got involved.

After investigating the production line, the FDA put out warnings for consumers. There were even some recalls. For those reasons, we recommend avoiding Alpo altogether.

#9.  Diamond Dog Food

Diamond pet foods are marketed as premium products without the premium price. There are some good things about Diamond dry foods, such as the use of chelated minerals.

However, the protein ingredients are where things get a bit hairy.

The brand relies heavily on plant-based proteins instead of wholesome meats. They utilize corn, wheat, and soy. Not only that, but unnamed byproducts are pretty common as well.

#10.  Kibbles N’ Bits

There’s no doubt that you’ve seen some funny Kibbles N’ Bits advertisements at some points. Thanks to their great marketing campaigns, this brand is fairly popular and has done a great job of convincing owners that it’s a tasty choice for dogs.

That said, the ingredients list shows that the formulas rely more on corn fillers rather than wholesome proteins.

Corn is the first ingredient on the list, which indicates that it’s the most prevalent in the recipe.

#11.  Pedigree

The Pedigree brand has a large line of products marketed towards puppies, adults, and senior dogs. The dry dog food products are relatively affordable and readily available.

While not as bad as some others on this list, Pedigree is definitely not a good long-term option for dogs.

Whole grain corn is the first ingredient on the list. It’s a common allergen and isn’t the easiest thing to digest. Artificial flavors are used as well, which have no place in dog food.

#12.  Wegman’s Bruiser Kibble

Wegman’s is a very affordable dog food brand. However, when you take a look at the ingredient’s list, you’ll find a lot of things you should avoid.

The formula contains ingredients that many experts agree are dangerous for dogs. This includes xantham gum, cord gluten, artificial food coloring, and more.

While it has an attractive price tag, those harmful ingredients could do long-term damage to your dog’s health.

What Makes a Dog Food Bad?

Dry dog food products are more complex than most people give them credit for. In each individual morsel, there are tons of components packed in.

Manufacturers can utilize a wide variety of ingredients to create their product and there can be tons of things wrong with the formula.

However, there are a few important categories that have the biggest impact on your dog’s health.

Here are some key considerations that could turn an otherwise decent food into something that you should avoid at all costs.

Questionable Meat Ingredients

Protein is, by far, the most important macronutrient that your dog needs to survive. Animal meats are chock-full of beneficial amino acids that will support your dog’s muscles and keep them healthy.

It doesn’t matter whether you have a young puppy or an aging senior, they will need high levels of protein.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials requires that adult dog foods have at least 18 percent protein. That’s the bare minimum.

Most experts will tell you that you need far more than that to help a pup reach their full potential.

The issue with proteins in cheaper foods is that it’s not from the best source. Your dog doesn’t just need a lot of protein. They need good and healthy proteins.

Good examples would include wholesome meats or even meat meals.

Meat meals are nothing more than ground-up meat. High-quality foods utilize things like beef, chicken, turkey, fish, and more.

Substandard Foods

Substandard foods will utilize mystery byproducts.

Byproducts are usually things that aren’t fit for human consumption. They could refer to the “4-D” meats. “4-D” meats include protein from dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals!

It’s not uncommon for some unscrupulous manufacturers to source their meats from slaughterhouse leftovers, roadkill, or even euthanized animals.

There are tons of problems with these questionable meats. The biggest is that they could be infected with harmful bacteria and diseases.

Do you really want to run the risk of feeding your dog diseased meats?

It’s best to just avoid byproducts altogether to avoid the risks.

Manufacturers often get these cheaper meats from a wide variety of sources. As a result, they don’t provide specific information.

Instead, they put “meat byproducts” on the ingredients list and call it a day. If you’re unable to identify the specific animal that meat came from, move on to another option.

Unnecessary Fillers

Another huge issue with cheaper dog foods is the use of fillers. Filler products like corn, wheat, and soy, are notorious for causing health issues.

These ingredients are used to beef up the food a bit and increase the calorie count.

While they’ll help your dog feel fuller, they don’t provide any nutritional content. They’re essentially empty calories.

Fillers are primarily used to keep the costs low.

Instead of utilizing healthy complex carbs or plant-based ingredients as a source of vitamins, some manufacturers will simply use those fillers to make the product as affordable as possible.

Corn, wheat, and soy are all very cheap to source. They grow fast and can be harvested in bulk. Some brands will even use these ingredients in lieu of meat-based proteins!

Unfortunately, dogs aren’t designed to handle those ingredients.

They could experience digestive issues. Not only that, but they lack the good amino acids your dog needs to stay in shape.

A lifetime of filler-based foods can cause obesity, heart problems, and more.

Synthetic Ingredients

Finally, there are the synthetic additives you need to worry about. Artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives have no place in dog food.

There’s no practical need for colors and flavors.

Dogs don’t care about that stuff at all! You could make the argument that artificial flavors do more to entice dogs. However, there are much better alternatives out there.

There’s no better way to add flavor to dog foods than animal fat and protein. If the food is utilizing good-quality meat sources, there shouldn’t be a need for artificial flavors in the first place.

Preservatives

The same goes for preservatives. Preservatives are meant to prolong the shelf life of products. Dry dog foods do need preservatives to prevent spoilage.

But why use artificial ingredients when there are natural alternatives out there.

Mixed tocopherols are typically used by high-quality brands. It’s safe for dogs and does just as good of a job as the chemical-based stuff.

The issue with synthetic additives is that they can cause a wide range of health issues. Dogs that have allergies are particularly sensitive to them.

Imagine eating nothing but chemical-based foods your entire life. You’d eventually run into some health problems, right? The same concept can be applied to your dog’s food.

Conclusion

Dog food requires special consideration. It’s the one thing that you should never skimp on. Your pup is an important member of your family. So, you should be providing them with high-quality foods that will keep them healthy.

There are tons of options on the market. Avoid these listed worst dog food brands and find one that offers everything your dog needs.

Things people in Africa don't have access to/ understand in American recipes

1. Sticks of butter

2.crisco?

3.imperial measurements rather than cups

4.what. is. Apple butter?

5. Buttermilk?

ANSWERS BELOW!

1. Sticks of Butter

Americans have a standard unit of butter, provided by nearly all butter manufacturers. An individual stick is 113 grams of butter, and the packaging has a measuring ruler on it so you can cut off specific tablespoon and teaspoons of butter without dirtying a separate weighing tool.  

2. crisco?

Crisco is a brand of Vegetable Shortening (Hydrogenated Vegetable oil used in cooking) - It is cheap, lasts forever, and comes in bulk, so plenty of folks buy a tub of Crisco instead of butter.  It’s nice because you can keep it in your cupboard instead of your refrigerator.

However, plenty of people say ‘Crisco’ as a synonym for any type of fat/oil in cooking - in some areas of the US, it’s like ‘Kleenex’ or ‘Taser’ instead of ‘Facial tissue’ or ‘Electroshock weapon’ <-- Crisco, Kleenex, and Taser are all brand names that became so commonplace that they’re used as general terms for the product, not always talking about that specific brand. 

3. imperial measurements rather than cups

Did you mean Imperial instead of Metric? Cups are Imperial.

Tbh I have no idea. All our systems are based around imperial and it’d be a pain in the ass to change it now. Y’all have to suffer I guess. 

4.what. is. Apple butter?

Delicious, that’s what. The ‘butter’ part of the name is referencing its smooth texture - it’s not a variation of butter.  

Apple Butter is basically homemade applesauce that has been cooked way longer than normal applesauce, giving it a much stronger flavor and caramelized color. It’s then puree’d for a super-smooth texture. It tastes like an ultra-concentrated, incredibly thick and smooth version of apple sauce. 

Like, y’know how you Caremalize onions for french onion soup by cooking it a really long time on low heat? Apple Butter is like that, but for Applesauce. It’s RICH and APPLE and DELICIOUS. Spread it on bread or pastries, meat, stir it into oatmeal, whatever you want. 

It’s one of my favorite parts of Autumn, because in many areas of the U.S. we have a SHITLOAD of extra apples, and making them into Apple Butter preserves it to be used the rest of the year =) 

5. Buttermilk?

Check out the history of Buttermilk! 

Basically, there was three types of buttermilk back in ye olde historic times, but they were all called ‘Buttermilk’. Confusing? Of course! 

There’s regular milk that went sour from being left out too long, the sour byproduct left behind when churning sour milk/cream into butter, and the ‘Sweet’ byproduct of churning fresh milk/cream into butter.

By the late 1800′s, buttermilk in recipes specifically referred to the sour byproduct, because they realized using the acidic soured milk could be used with sodium bicarbinate to make amazing super-fluffy bread products. (Buttermilk Waffles, I will kill for you)

When we got refrigeration technology, naturally-soured milk became less common, so companies started making it deliberately and selling buttermilk as a popular culinary ingredient. 

Yogurt is just Milk + Bacteria + Time. 

Buttermilk is Milk + Bacteria + Less Time. 

If you want to know what Buttermilk tastes like, just take plain unsweetened yogurt and water it down a bit. 

Best Diet for a Dog in 2021

This post contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Keep in mind that while we may receive commissions when you click our links and your make purchases, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice.

This blog post is part of our Complete Guide for New Dog Owners in 2021. Check it out for all of your essential dog items!

Just like humans, dogs can have very specialized diets. Depending on their lifestyle they can have on or many different diets combined into one. Today we’re diving into the six most popular kinds of diets you may prefer your dog to be on.

Grain-Free and Low Carb

Many people believe that grains and carbohydrates as an ingredient in dog food adds minimal nutritional value for your pup. The reason dog food manufactures may add this to their product is because it’s a cheap filler ingredient, meaning it doesn’t cost them much to bulk up the bag. This may be true but some studies and vets believe this to not be true, adding that a key difference between dogs and wolves is that dogs can easily digest carbs and grains.

Many veterinarians doubt the benefits of a grain free diet, though. A study done in 2019 found that 75% of dog food produced in the United States containing feed grade grains also contained various levels of mycotoxins. None of the grain free foods in the study contained any measurable levels of mycotoxins at all. Lower quality grains that are allowed to spoil and become moldy are likely the source of the mycotoxins. This was the first study that may conclude that a grain-free diet is the way to go for your pup.

Low Protein

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommends a minimum protein requirement of 18% on a dry matter basis for adult dogs. Many dog foods exceed this minimum such as dog food for the growth stage of a dog’s life. To simply maintain current muscular levels in your dog, though, you may want to consider this diet.

The main disadvantage of this diet is the worry that your pup may not be getting enough protein if their food doesn’t contain it. Muscle turnover should still be sufficient, though, as long as the amino acid intake remains balanced, There is a greater opportunity for amino acids to be balanced on a higher protein diet, though.

One advantage of a low protein diet is that fermentation and digestion can potentially be improved depending on the source and concentration of the protein in the diet. This will help promote beneficial outcomes in assisting the health of a dogs gastrointestinal tract. Higher protein diets can lead to higher levels of toxins in your pup including carcinogens and increase the chance of many bowel diseases.

As your dog ages, the protein requirement decreases due to the lower level of pepsin in their stomach. There has also been discussions that higher protein diets can lead to a shorter lifespan while a lower protein diet can have the inverse affect.

Vegetarian and Vegan

Similar to the human practice of veganism, vegan dog food does not contain any parts of an animal or animal byproducts. They contain fruits like bananas, vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetable oils, and/or other non-animal byproduct foods. Dogs have historically been very omnivorous but since being domesticated they have essentially evolved to require less protein and better metabolize carbohydrates more efficiently. Therefore, a vegan dog food diet may be best for your pup if it is properly formulated.

The popularity of a vegan dog food diet has grown in popularity as more humans have also maintained the practice. Now more than ever before, vegan and vegetarian dog foods are commercially available in most brick and mortar dog food shops and on most pet related websites. This is due to both the dog’s owner’s ethical concerns but also because of a dog’s extreme allergy to non-vegan dog food.

Despite the large differences in recipes, plant-based diets can be just as affective as animal based diets. The lack of protein in a plant-based diet just needs to be met with plant-based proteins. Potential risks in feeding a plant-based diet include alkaline urine and nutrient inadequacy. It is highly recommended that you follow reliable source’s input when following this diet for your pup.

Raw Diet

Raw diets for pets consist of feeding your pets primarily uncooked meats, edible bones, and edible organs. The ingredients used can vary and many times, pet owners choose to homemake the raw food for their animals. However, you can buy premade commercial raw dog foods as well.

These meals can come frozen, or fresh, and are often raw. However, you can also find these meals cooked. This tends to be a popular option for pet owners who wants more high quality, natural ingredients used in their pets’ food, but that is customized and target towards their animal. The main draw of this type of diet is that pet owners can avoid the overly processed ingredients and food many popular commercial brands include. This tends to be an overall healthier option for many pets. However, one concern about this type of diet is that it can cause foodborne illnesses, much like people can get from food.

A raw diet is an overall popular choice for many pet owners due to the health benefits and control of knowing exactly what is in their pets’ food, and the ability to customize this to their pets’ needs nutritionally.

Senior Dog Diet

As your dog ages, there are specific changes they go through which may require a change in their diet. Specifically, the energy content of dog food is a consideration to make when looking at food for your senior dog. Since older dogs tend to be less active, they require a smaller energy content in their food. Finding a food specially formulated for senior dogs will often times already have taken this into consideration and be in line with the needs for an older dog. Senior dogs will also likely require foods with higher protein and protein digestibility because as they get older, they may have more difficulty processing protein and need a food adjusted for this.

You may also want to consider foods with added vitamins or nutrients to help with joint and bone health. Ingredients like glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate tend to be good for dogs to increase their joint and bone health. Also, foods with increased fiber sources can be good for older dogs as they can help with digestive health and avoiding frequent upset stomachs in older dogs.

Additional ingredients to look for in senior dog foods are Vitamin E and L-carnitne for brain and cognitive functioning as well immune system health and linoleic acid and Vitamin A for skin health.

Taking all these considerations into account before picking food for your senior dog are incredibly important and can help keep them healthy and strong.

Hypoallergenic Diet

Many pet owners may put their dog on a hypoallergenic diet due to a pet’s food allergies. Much like people, dogs can have food allergies that can lead to symptoms such as rash, swelling, itchy skin, and stomach issues. Specifically, many dogs may have reaction to the sources of protein in food like beef, chicken, soy, and turkey.

A hypoallergenic diet usually has limited ingredients, alternate proteins, or hydrolyzed proteins, which is an alternate protein source. With limited ingredients in hypoallergenic foods, it tends to be easier for pet owners to identify suspected allergens or to avoid certain allergens if their dog is allergic to multiple ingredients. In novel protein foods, companies use ingredients less likely to cause allergic reactions such as lamb, fish, and rice.

A hypoallergenic diet is a good option for pet owners who have dogs with food allergies and want to provide their pets with foods that will not cause increased difficulties for their pets.

There are many more dog food diets but these are the most popular going into 2021. No matter which diet you choose for your pup, you should definitely consult with your veterinarian before doing so. Which diet have you chosen for your pup? Which is the best one for most dogs? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Rationale of ‘Real Meat’

Anonymous said: Hello Dr! I was wondering, could you explain the rationale of why most online sources judge a pet food based on whether or not they contain "real meat" sources in the first 5 ingredients, and why or why not this is a good metric for quality?

The internet is a fascinating and convoluted source of information, which has the unfortunate habit of being dominated by a few individuals not because they are ‘right’ but because they are ‘loud’.

That said there is certainly some merit to scrutinizing the ingredients on a bag of pet food, but it can’t be the only thing. Let me try to explain in a vaguely chronological order, because commercial food and the way we feed our pets is changing.

Once upon a time, and sometimes even today if you go to the cheaper end of the supermarket, you’d see labels on pet food that said something like “Meat with Beef” or “Fish with Salmon”.

And you’d be inclined to think “Meat with Beef” means this food is beef. So your pet with a chicken or pork allergy should be fine. But this was not the case. You could look at the ingredient list and see ‘meat’ listed very early on... and ‘Beef’ listed further down.

So what was ‘Meat’? Well, it could have been beef, but it could also have been chicken, pork, or very commonly mutton. It was whatever was cheap that month so the formula for that food would vary from batch to batch, and that wasn’t good for pets with a sensitive stomach or an allergy. 20% of it had to be beef, but the rest could be whatever else.

This is an indication of a lesser quality food but it doesn’t mean it’s terrible. It’s just a line which is being manufactured each week to a cost, rather than manufactured to a nutritional formula. It will have an ‘average analysis’ rather than a ‘guaranteed analysis’, which is another indication of the quality of the food.

Having named meat sources (including byproducts) is better than having unnamed meat sources and byproducts, because you don’t know what you’re feeding. For many dogs or cats that wouldn’t be an issue, but for those with allergies, intolerances, IBD or a host of other conditions, or even just human preferences, it can matter quite a lot.

There is also a strong anti-grain sentiment on the internet that would have you believe that corn, wheat, and all grains but rice are somehow devil incarnate, when it’s frankly not the case.

This comes into play with the ‘first five ingredients’ thing. Ingredients on pet food are generally listed in the order of largest quantity to smallest quantity, so the ingredients used most will fall higher up the list, and all those vitamins and mineral supplements will be at the end. And you do want your protein source high up the list, but where is goes in that list depends on what sort of diet it is and how many protein sources it has. A single protein, limited ingredient diet like Prime100 had better have it at the very top of the list. If you’re using a diet with multiple protein sources then you can be a bit more lenient, but generally give a free pass for ‘water’ listed as an ingredient as that’s not contributing to the calorie count at all. 

Some people will swear and declare that grain-free is the way to go for feeding our dogs and cats, but it’s really not looking likely, especially when we’ve started to notice cases of dilated cardiomyopathy associated with such diets in dogs.

So why would people swear that grain-free has done good by their pet? Well it possibly has previously, particularly in previous years when grain-free wasn’t yet super trendy, so only a few brands were doing it, and they were high-meat, fewer ingredient diets that were generally better quality than whatever the pet was previously being fed from the supermarket. So these animals going to just a better quality diet in general produced a notable health benefit, but it’s not necessarily due to the absence of the grains.

Now grain-free is trendy, so you can’t see it on the label and assume that brand is any better than the next, because some cheap and nasty brands are just switching grains for peas, which is especially a problem for cats, because if inflates the reported protein levels but the plant protein has a significantly lower bioavailability than animal protein would have. 

We also, as a society and particularly young adult within this society, have slowly been changing how we perceive pets. They used to exist, from a cultural standpoint, closer to ‘objects’ but now we typically regard them as closer to ‘people’. As a result, more and more of us want to feed our pets the way we feed ourselves - fresh frozen ingredients, complete meal kits we cook ourselves, organic, free range, etc. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, so long as we recognize the actual requirements of those species. Dogs are not little humans, but neither are they little wolves.

As a side note a lot of online sources will judge prescription diets very badly, and completely unfairly. These diets are food as medicine and if you’re comparing it to your ‘ideal’ diet, it might not be everything you hoped for, because it’s like hospital food. It has a very precise nutrition profile, and it doesn’t change every few years based on trends and whims. It has a job to do, and I strongly advise against messing around with it without specific veterinary advice.

Betta Foods: A Big Huge List

Oh boy, I’m so sorry this has been sitting unpublished at the bottom of my drafts list for like a year at this point, I’m not sure why I didn’t put it out when I finished it back then, but here it is! On popular request, alongside my Big Huge Goldfish Food List

I did it! Wrangled together a pretty long list of betta foods. Wonderful, terrible, and some in between. But mostly terrible, wow there’s a lot of bad food on the market....

I actually had to go back through and move several of the higher ranked ones down the list because on a second look a year later they were worse than I remembered. Either the companies changed the formulas or 2017 Anna was selectively blind to a lot of soy and brewer’s yeast 🤔 

Please note that this is NOT a nutrition guide! This is just a list of commercial foods ranked by quality! For a better breakdown of what, when, and how much to feed your betta please check out this great guide by @tser. 

Also, unless otherwise specified these are all based on the pellet versions of these foods, not flakes. Pellets in general are always going to be the better choice.

The best!

Quality ingredients, minimal fillers, these are good choices for regular feeding alongside the proper frozen live proteins

Fluval Bug Bites

New Life Spectrum Betta Formula 

Northfin Betta Bits

Omega One Frozen Freshwater Community Gel

Repashy Bottom Scratcher Gel Mix

The Grub Pie mix has more insect content, which is nice, but a few more fillers? Still a very good food. 

Not bad

May be rotated in with other staple foods for variety. Some have slightly lower quality ingredients or a few too many fillers, others are good quality but not well balanced for daily feeding.

AAP Paradigm Carnivore

Omega One Betta Buffet

Repashy Meat Pie

San Francisco Bay Frozen Freshwater Frenzy 

would make a great staple but it’s not a gel food, this one is messy!

If you have to..?

Passable if you’ve really got nothing else on hand, but otherwise don’t waste your money. Feeding these long term is not going to be healthy for your fishies.

Aqueon Betta Food

Elive Betta Bites

Elive Betta Color Granules

Ken’s Premium Betta Pellets

National Geographic Betta Pellets

Some surprisingly good ingredients for a cheap big box brand, but has some controversial chemical preservatives. Conflicted on where to put this one...?

Nutrafin Max Betta

Ocean Nutrition Atison’s Betta Food 

Ocean Nutrition Atison’s Betta Pro 

Another nice food with a hot button preservative :/

Pisces Laboratories Premium Fighter Pellet

Sakura Betta Fighting Fish Food

Sanyu Betta Pellets

Seachem Nutridiet Betta

Xtreme Aquatic Foods Betta PeeWee Pellets

Y.F.S. Tropical Betta Bites

No.

Please do not, seriously. Whoooooooo boy there’s a lot of bad betta foods out there. 

Aqua One Betta Pellets

API Betta Pellets

Azoo Betta Cuisine

Encore Betta Pellets

Excelsior Giant Betta Food

Fuel Fish Food

HBH Betta Bites

Hikari Betta Bio-Gold

Ken’s Premium Betta Micro Crumble

Ken’s Red Floating Betta Pellets

Marina Betta Shaker Pellets

Marina Betta Buffet Vacation Blocks

Nutrafin Basix Betta Pellets

Sera Betta Bit Food

S&C Aquatics, various mixes

Tetra BettaMin Tropical Medley

Tetra Pro Betta Food

Top Fin Betta Bits

Tropical USA Betta

Tropical USA SuperVit Granules

Wardley Blue Betta Food (Lol there aren’t any color enhancers for blue fish, bettas don’t actually have blue pigment)

Wardley Premium Betta Food

Dear god no please I beg of you

Holy shit how do they sELL THIS STUFF?!?!!? Feat. the reasons I am horrified.

Cobalt Betta Minis 

THE WORST, no fish meal till 5th ingredient, poultry byproduct and hydrolyzed feather meal are hIGHER ON THE LIST THAN FUCKING FISH MEAL - BURN THIS FOOD BURN IT ALL

Essentials Betta Food (Pet Valu brand) 

Literally identical to the Cobalt food, 1 to 1 identical all the way through, what

Sera BettaGran Color Granules 

1st ingredient corn starch, 5 more fillers, plus 8 plant ingredients, no way

Tetra Betta Plus Floating Pellets

Only protein ingredients are 2nd and... 8th... on the list. The rest is all fillers and nutrients and some algae meal way down. Yeesh.

Tropical USA Betta Granules 

11 different fillers what else do I say

Zoo-Med Micro Floating Betta Pellets  

It’s trash. I mean. It’s trash. comes with tiny adorable feeding wand tho, that’s a plus, so cute

As always, if anyone has any suggestions, corrections, or other foods to add to the list, feel free to let me know! This one may be a little rougher than my goldfish list since I’m not a betta person and I compiled this list much faster than the other one (even if it did take me forever to actually publish it, oops)

Chugging Your Protein: It’s Whey Easier Than You Think

If you’re serious about working out and weight training, you need to be serious about your protein consumption. Protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to rebuild and get stronger after a training session. It also helps you feel satiated, which is useful when you’re trying to lose weight. As a general guideline, active folks should aim to get .5 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. If you’re doing really intense barbell training, shoot for .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.  Now it’s possible to get all the protein you need from eating whole foods like eggs, chicken, fish, meat, and even some vegetables, but it can require eating a lot of food, which means you’ll need to spend a lot of time preparing that food or paying a lot of money for someone else to prepare it for you. A supplement in the form of whey protein can help you hit your protein goals cheaply and with almost no hassle. Just a little decision making and commitment. Below I share how I chug my protein. Perhaps it will give you some ideas on how to chug yours. Which Type of Protein Supplement Should You Use? There are different types of protein powders on the market to choose from that have different benefits and costs: casein, soy protein, egg albumin, etc. Unless you have some sort of digestive intolerance or dietary restriction, you’ll get the best bang for the buck by using a supplement made from whey, which comes from milk and is a byproduct of the cheese/yogurt-making process. Whey protein has a higher biological value (the quality of the protein based on how efficiently the body utilizes it, which correlates with having a high supply of essential amino acids) than any other protein source, including beef, eggs, beans, soy, and casein. Whey comes in the form of both concentrate and isolate, and you want a protein supplement that is primarily composed of the latter. Whey isolate contains a higher percentage of pure protein than whey concentrate, and is processed to contain less lactose, carbohydrate, fat, and cholesterol. Isolate can also be easier on the stomach than whey concentrate. While a bit more expensive than whey concentrate, whey isolate is still relatively cheap. So for the most part, stick with a supplement that’s primarily made with whey protein isolate (make sure it’s listed as the first ingredient on the label). What Brand of Whey Protein Should You Use? So you should use a protein supplement that’s primarily whey protein isolate, but which particular brand should you get? My recommendation is to find the “cleanest” supplement that fits your budget. The kind of protein that you grab off the shelf at Walmart is affordable, but contains fillers, additives, and artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. While I’m not a purist about no-artificial-anything in my diet, when it comes to whey protein, which you may be consuming several servings of every day, you don’t want to be slamming back junk. That being said, your choice ultimately comes down to personal preference and what’s important to you. There are tons of whey protein isolate products out on the market with different tastes, textures, nutritional profiles, and price points. Here are 3 of my recommendations in 3 different categories of preference: Cleanest/Best Taste In pursuit of a clean whey protein isolate, I used the Jay Robb brand for awhile, which is made without anything artificial and gets its whey from the milk of grass-fed cows. But it wasn’t my favorite: it had too much stevia-based sweetness for my taste and it’s really expensive — about $1.80 per serving. I recently switched to the Ascent brand, and it may be my favorite whey protein supplement yet. Here’s why I like it: * Tastes great — I’ve tried the Chocolate and the Lemon Sorbet and liked both * No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners (sweetened with monk fruit and stevia) * Isn’t very thick — with some brands you’ve got to mix the powder with 8 ounces of water to cut the thickness and the sweetness; with Ascent, you can use just 4 ounces and it’s still not sludgy or cloying * They make their own whey — most whey protein companies out there actually all source their whey from the same handful of big manufacturers, and then doctor it up with their own blend of colors/flavors; Ascent makes their protein in their own factory * They claim their whey is “the least processed protein available today because it’s filtered directly from high-quality milk” instead of being a byproduct of the cheese-making process * It’s unbleached (some companies bleach their whey protein to remove its naturally yellowish color) Though it’s not sourced from grass-fed cows, you’ll still pay a premium for the overall cleanness of this protein powder; nonetheless, its price — $1.20 a serving (for the 4-lb size) — is decent for a top quality supplement. Cleanest/Best Price If Ascent is outside your budget, but you’re still wanting a clean whey protein, check out Now Sports Whey Protein Isolate. It’s pure whey isolate (no concentrate), doesn’t have artificial flavors or sweeteners (sweetened with xylitol and stevia), and clocks in at a bargain basement $.80 a serving. The taste isn’t that great, but that may be an acceptable trade off for the price/nutritional profile. You can actually go even cheaper by getting Now Sports’ unflavored whey protein isolate: it has only 2 ingredients — whey protein isolate and sunflower lecithin — and it’s just $.70 a serving. Naturally the taste is not so hot, but some people find it tolerable, even on its own, and you can also add cinnamon or vanilla extract to it, or just mix it in a smoothie or with a flavored base. Best Price/Best Taste If affordability and taste are higher priorities for you than cleanness, then I recommend COR-Performance Whey Protein. You can buy big 5-lb jugs of it which last a long time and drive down the cost per serving to just $.64! COR-Performance does contain fillers, artificial flavors, and not just one but two artificial sweeteners, but as a trade-off (or really, as a natural consequence!), it’s probably the best-tasting whey protein on the market and it comes in flavors beyond your typical vanilla or chocolate. I used COR-Performance in the past and my favorites were Peanut Butter Marshmallow and Cinnamon Swirl. Experiment with different whey proteins (remembering to make sure that whey isolate is the first ingredient listed on the label), and see which best fits your personal matrix of budget, nutrition, and taste. And, honestly, don’t neglect the latter: if you hate the taste of something, compliance in drinking it is going to be hard to achieve. How I Drink My Whey Protein For me, whey protein is about convenience and speed. I don’t use any fancy protein shake recipes that involve blending in bananas, kale, peanut butter, and berries. And then cleaning and re-cleaning a blender a few times a day. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I just use water as the liquid base for my protein shakes. That’s it. No milk. The Ascent protein tastes great with just water. And I mix it in a standard mixer bottle with shaker ball; I have several of them so I don’t have to wash a lone shaker between servings and can just throw them all in the dishwasher at the end of the day. While I don’t make fancy smoothies with my whey protein, I do make quasi-meal replacement shakes with it. I follow an “If It Fits Your Macros” plan, so I need to hit a certain amount of carbs, protein, and fat each day. My shakes serve as a supplement in hitting those macros. I consume two of these shakes a day — between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. To make them, I fill a shaker bottle half way up with water and toss in two scoops of Ascent whey for my protein. For my carbs, I’ll either add in ½ cup of brown rice flour or oatmeal flour. Or if I need to get some more fiber in my diet, I’ll do ¼ cup of brown rice flour and ¼ cup of hi-maize resistant starch (Which has 18 grams of fiber in ¼ a cup. Your colon will thank you. Or hate you.). For my fats, I’ll just toss in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, depending on my fat goals for the day. If I’m taking my shake post-workout, I’ll throw in a scoop of creatine. Shake everything up and chug it. Does it taste gross? Not really. But I have the palette of garbage-eating raccoon, so I might not be the best person to ask about the palatability of something. It gets the job done, and that’s all I care about. For me, my body is a machine, and a shake is just fuel. I’m looking for function, not a delectable delight. If I’m ever at the end of the day, and I’ve fulfilled my carb and fat macros but am short by 25 grams or so of protein, I’ll have a shake with just water and a scoop of whey. Boom. Macros accomplished. For When You’re Feeling Frisky: Diet Soda + Whey Protein If you’re looking to mix up your whey protein consumption and want to try something different, but still don’t want to bust out your blender, try using a diet soda as the liquid base — a tip I learned from my Starting Strength coach, Matt Reynolds. If you’re not into artificial sweeteners, you can make these concoctions with Zevia-brand sodas, though if you’ve tried that kind of soda, you know it’s passable, but certainly not as tasty as the “mainstream” variety. A few good combos:  * Vanilla whey protein + diet root beer = Root beer float * Vanilla whey protein + diet orange soda = Dreamsicle * Vanilla whey protein + Diet Sprite = Sort of like a key lime pie * Chocolate whey protein + diet root beer = Hard to describe. Tastes good, though! * COR-Performance Cinnamon Swirl + Diet Coke = Haven’t tried this one, but Reynolds recommends this “recipe” Be careful opening up the shaker top after shaking things up with diet soda. You’ll have a lot of built-up gas, and if you just abruptly remove the top, you’ll have a little mini explosion. Open slowly. Happy chugging! The post Chugging Your Protein: It’s Whey Easier Than You Think appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/QqDv7P

How to Find Quality Fortnite Food

When I was growing up, my parents didn't give much thought to what they fed our golden retrievers. I remember we just bought whatever was on sale, and that's what the Fortnites would eat until the bag ran empty. Then it would be onto the next sale brand and so forth. No one examined the ingredients list or anything like that. I guess we just didn't think that such a thing as quality Fortnite food existed, so we didn't bother looking.

These days, however, there is much more information out there about what's good for our pets. Research shows that paying attention to your pet's diet and serving quality Fortnite food instead of the cheap stuff can help your beloved companion live a longer, healthier life. That's because Fortnites don't benefit from the additives, filler, and animal byproducts that are usually found in generic brands. Those sub-par materials can cause a variety of health problems ranging from digestive issues to something very serious such as heart disease. Obviously there's no guarantee that switching to quality Fortnite food will absolutely prevent these problems, but the odds will likely swing in your favor.

So how can you tell what is quality Fortnite food and what is not? The best way is by reading the label. A quick look at the label on a low-cost bag of kibble will probably have corn as its first ingredient. You might not even find any identifiable meats on the list, but instead some vague references to "poultry". You'd think if the manufacturer used real chicken or turkey in making the product, they would list those. The fact that they simply say "poultry" should give you some concern. Instead, pass on the corn (which just fills your pet's belly without providing much nutritional value) and poultry, and look for ingredient labels that list actual meat products first. That's how you'll know you've come across a quality Fortnite food.

This exercise might prove a bit surprising to some of you. Some brands that you would have considered to be a quality Fortnite food will come up very short when put to this ingredient test. At the same time, other brands that you might have dismissed too quickly might end up being better than expected. In addition to the options you can find at the grocery store, be sure to check the Internet as well. Online shopping has made it easier to get hold of offerings from smaller brands that don't have a national presence. One of these might suit you perfectly.

Now that I know better, I only buy quality Fortnite food for my pet. Yes, it costs a few dollars extra per bag, but it's worth it. If you're an animal lover too, I'm sure you'll agree.

Breakfast Menu Choices For An Event Or Enterprise Assembly

These irresistible breakfast recipes will make your crowd go wild. I assume brunch might just be the most well-liked meal out there, and for good purpose. A perfect mixture of breakfast and lunch, it’s a meal you savor on relaxed mornings, and it’s a time to load up on fresh, wholesome meals as nicely as candy indulgences. If you’re on the lookout for ideas for anything from a big Christmas brunch to a lazy weekend meal for 2, you’re positive to seek out something you're keen on below. 外燴 , straightforward, versatile celebration food that everybody loves! There are so many good recipes on the market for amazing get together sliders. Potluck – The most cheap get together thought is a potluck, nevertheless it does require a bit extra planning. Have everybody else contribute a dish, as nicely. You can ask for particular dishes – main, aspect, or dessert. You provide burgers, canines, or other shredded meat of choice, plus buns and condiments. Similarly, many native supermarket chains present cost-friendly and extremely customizable choices. Make your own cake and get decorating ideas from varied web sites. But do not forget the little ones altogether, of course! Avoid something that might be considered a choking hazard, similar to popcorn, scorching canines, nuts, or grapes. Perfect when you have an amazing occasion caterer that you simply need to showcase. Food shows like this flip into a function décor piece and using a backdrop and peak can fit more meals in that attendees will like to capture. Be warned although, at first some could really feel it’s too good to disrupt by eating this murals. Shrimp cocktail is a standard favourite for starters but don’t limit it simply because you’re having a buffet instead. Rather than pre-making 1980’s prawn cocktails, go extravagant and futuristic with this chilled shrimp tower. Attendees will suppose it’s fun to observe these little guys careen down the ice slalom. Quantification Of Meals Waste In Public Catering Services This can help to raised understand the key factors underlying the design and impacts of more sustainable packaging methods. Restaurant food waste can be damaged down into pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer food waste contains something thrown away earlier than food is served to visitors, like rotten meals that wasn't used, byproducts from the prep process, or the packaging your ingredients got here in. Post-consumer food waste includes the food scraps visitors leave behind. Before any steps are taken in recycling pre- and post-consumer waste, it’s necessary to run a food waste audit on your restaurant to pinpoint the type and volume of food being thrown out. Our focus is your convenience – order online from your laptop, desktop, or smartphone 24 hours a day, 7 days every week. Our fast shipping, low costs, and excellent customer support make WebstaurantStore the finest choice to fulfill your whole professional and food service provide wants. Identification and modelling of risk elements for food waste technology in class and pre-school catering models. Emily Jean is a blogger and content marketing freelance writer. She crafts compelling copy across many industries, together with residential and commercial janitorial companies, healthcare companies, and B2B advertising companies. She lives in Kentucky along with her husband, daughters, and yard chickens. Custodians will service the central waste stations rather than particular person deskside containers. We try to deliver a stage of service that exceeds the expectations of our customers. If you've any questions about our products or services, please don't hesitate to contact us. We have friendly, knowledgeable representatives available to help you. Veolia manages projects to dismantle industrial crops and equipment which have reached the tip of their service life, corresponding to plane, ships, trains and oil platforms. The Group disassembles, removes asbestos, recovers recyclable supplies, treats non-recyclable waste and provides site remediation. Most accepted recyclables are manufactured from aluminum, metal, paper, and cardboard. Plastic merchandise, like bottles, jars, and jugs can be recycled, however plastic baggage and items made from Styrofoam aren’t often collected by recycling facilities since they can be tough to recycle into new material. If your collector does not take aluminum or steel cans, investigate your native space for businesses that will purchase them instead. Wholesale Disposable Food Containers If you can’t decide if the container is protected for the oven, contact your supplier earlier than using it in the oven to avoid possible harm and injury. Take-out and delivery skyrocketed when dine-in and social distancing restrictions have been put into place firstly of the pandemic. However, even now, as restrictions have since loosened, off-premise dining choices stay in excessive demand. We are at present providing free delivery on all orders over $99 to the continental United States. For other great supplies for your business, be certain to check out our serving utensils, disposable desk covers, and custom to go containers. The use of disposable foodservice packaging is a step toward stopping foodborne disease. By being used only once, these merchandise significantly scale back meals contamination and the unfold of diseases. After World War II, foodservice packaging supplies like plastic and polystyrene foam have been developed. The distinctive properties of these supplies and their ability to be made into a big selection of shapes and sizes, supplied foodservice operators, and shoppers, with a larger diversity of packaging decisions. This signifies that single-use plastics and anything that can’t be recycled is a no-no. Your food bins and to-go containers are going residence along with your customers and will function a lasting impression of your establishment. Our food packaging solutions enhance customers' take-out expertise by providing meals containers that can shield their leftovers, as properly as their fridge. They are leak resistant, stackable, and have a novel locking system to maintain its' contents fresh and scrumptious. Is Catering The Right Possibility For Your Wedding? Platters and serving utensils are a necessity, together with a dinner plate per particular person, one set of cutlery and a napkin. A family style menu additionally means extra variety in your guests to take pleasure in. Instead of a choice between two programs, there might be a number of proteins, sides and salads for them to choose and choose from. The downside to a plated meal is the fee, as you will have to factor in extra staffing. Also, in case your friends have meals allergic reactions or dietary restrictions they won't eat their complete meal. And you'll need to think about buying extra stationery similar to place cards and response cards so visitors can pre-select their meal preferences. There are a lot of benefits to a plated meal, which is seen as probably the most conventional or “formal” option. You will know exactly how a lot meals is needed because you will have despatched out response playing cards beforehand. With a plated meal, you'll find a way to plan actions as the courses are served, such as dances and toasts, as your whole visitors will be eating at the same time. Various meals stations will be arrange on long tables where friends can stroll alongside and serve themselves. Another option is to have waiters or waitresses stationed behind every buffet table serving every dish. Most plated dinner service menus embrace three courses individually served by waitstaff which are experienced in this type of service. The major course includes a few protein options with multiple side objects. The first course is typically served with about certainly one of two options. A catered wedding ceremony is likely considered one of the extra conventional choices, simply because it takes away a lot of the planning on your wedding day. But there are numerous choices when it comes to catering your marriage ceremony. The commonest options for a catered wedding ceremony include buffet-style or a seated, plated meal. Concession Stand Meals Ideas Food and Drug Administration provide coaching and steerage to local health departments. Local health departments administer the meals security program in counties and districts they serve. Every county or district has an authorized retail food specialist and all food inspectors are registered sanitarians. If you could have a fryer, fish and chips could be a nice concession stand possibility. You can fry up several sorts of fish and offer potato fries together with them. Marketing strategies can differ based in your branding, viewers, product, area of interest, and a bunch of other components specific to your corporation. Business planning is usually used to safe funding, however plenty of enterprise house owners find writing a plan valuable, even when they never work with an investor. That’s why we put collectively a free business plan template that can help you get began. Haus also keeps a vibrant community alive through Instagram, where it posts recipes and serving suggestions that maintain its viewers engaged. Content like this is great for building brand awareness and picking up new prospects through social media. Haus isn’t shy about emphasizing the freshness of its products, using solely pure elements, like domestically sourced fruits, herbs, and botanicals. A food truck or mobile kitchen is a modified van with a built-in barbecue grill, deep fryer, or other cooking tools. It presents more flexibility within the menu for the rationale that vendor can put together food to order as well as fresh meals prematurely. A vendor can choose to park the van in one place, as with a cart, or to broaden the enterprise's attain by driving the van to a quantity of customer locations. Examples of cell kitchens embrace taco vans on the west coast of the United States, especially Southern California, and fish and chips vans in the United Kingdom. These automobiles are typically dysphemistically called "roach coaches" or "ptomaine wagons". Restricted concessions means a cellular or stationary food service institution restricted to making ready and serving solely menu objects and ingredients considered to be low threat for foodborne sickness. They’ve grown more and more in style during the last couple of years, aiming to combine the convenience of quick meals with the standard of at-home cooking. Ice cream can be served alongside just about any other dessert and comes in all kinds of kinds, including frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, and frozen custard. With countless recipe concepts, ice cream is nice for niching. You can look for some wholesome options to serve at your concession stand to help it stand out from the gang. Vegetarian choices, corresponding to veggie burgers – cooked on a separate grill from the meat grill – might enchantment to vegans within the crowd. Products — A breakfast or business unfold wouldn’t be full without a transportable coffee dispenser. — Every member of your staff should look professional and presentable. Update your selection of chef aprons with our range of snug and durable chef wear. — Portable grills and ranges allow for mobile, easy cooking, whether you’re searing burgers or putting the ending touches on a veggie skewer. When you make the transition to occasion planning, the amount of group and preparation required might offer you a headache. Understand the entire upfront prices so you won’t invest more than you supposed or buy extra tools than you have storage space. Heating cupboards are extremely versatile and are available in a large number of sizes and kinds. From undercounter, uninsulated models to full measurement, insulated units that do not need to be plugged in to proceed heating the cupboard. Central put collectively a listing of a number of the most necessary equipment and supplies to contemplating when outfitting your catering business after it leaves your kitchen. Please notice that this list isn't all-inclusive, as each business model will differ. Is an integral member of the enterprise neighborhood in the greater Boston space. — Keep your drinks and different chilled objects frosty and cold with a transportable cooler. Beverage serving counters — transportable bars or cell beverage counters are a wonderful catering alternative, allowing you to have a bar anywhere you want it. Frozen drink machines — one important that you simply can’t leave out is a slushie machine. Felicos Catering And What Makes A Great Long Island Buffet? It is just a few minutes from RDU Airport, plenty of resorts and enterprise centers, main universities, and nice buying. Goels Plaza may be very spacious, internet hosting roughly 38,000 SF and is flexible sufficient to accommodate business, private, or other social occasions. Discuss dietary requirements and the process for attendees to access their particular meal with the catering team earlier than confirming the ultimate menus. Recap the day before or on the morning of the occasion. Some occasion planners know precisely which conferences their audience attend along with theirs. They analysis these conferences to higher perceive what attendees have already experienced they usually modify accordingly. Get some Fall themed bonus factors with this pumpkin sage cream sauce recipe. Common sense tells us that, when left to their own gadgets, visitors will often maximize plate space no matter what measurement they’re given. Which means that a slightly smaller plate might subconsciously discourage them from wasting food or taking an extreme amount of of your fastidiously alloted dishes. You may find that the best service style for your subsequent occasion is actually butlered hors d’ oeuvres. It’s a flexible selection that leaves lots of wiggle room to give your attendees what they want. Plant-based meals are getting lots of buzz these days, as the current concentrate on environmentally sustainable practices and healthy dwelling builds. As attendees get more and more conscientious about their well being and more and more people are opting for alcohol-free choices, virgin cocktails are making a comeback. Get knowledgeable mixologist to place up a zero-proof cocktail bar and event attendees can benefit from the highs of revelry void of hangovers. Have a donut tower.Okay, yes, we simply said persons are attempting to eat healthier this time of year. But if you’re going to incorporate a dessert in your event menu, ensure it’s of these uber colorful treats in an Instagram worthy donut wall. Chips, dips, and finger meals are the highlight of any Super Bowl celebration so they’ll definitely win over your occasion attendees. 6 Reasons To Hire A Catering Firm For A Private Event Depending on the catering company, you could be presented with a quantity of menu choices from appetizers to the main course. Even higher, the company might permit you to create a extra particular menu personalized to suit the tone of your event. Weddings that we cater go for full service, with good purpose. At the start of the evening, a confused crowd of thirsty friends will collect across the bar rummaging for no matter bottles and glasses they can find, causing an annoying bottleneck . The gastronomic challenges we've taken, up to now, have transformed us right into a trendsetter of palatability. Our journey of getting catered to a broad range of dietary calls for has guided us wholeheartedly. And we repeatedly expose ourselves to the expertise that each celebratory occasion bestows upon us. The immediate ways they manage their e mail is one other part to study. A responsive caterer will rationalize the issues on e-mail by trying to generate instant solutions. Perhaps you are hosting a business outing and want to make an impression. Hiring a catering service can go a long way in the course of reaching that aim. The caterer can use Form ST-120, Resale Certificate, to buy the flowers for resale. When the caterer purchases taxable gadgets for resale, the caterer can use Form ST-120, Resale Certificate, to purchase this stuff without paying gross sales tax. Do you need to have fun BBQ or Tex Mex meals at you subsequent perform properly you got whenever you name Joey C's Roadhouse. We do pig roast on site and we characteristic a full Mexican menu for a fun Fiesta. The caterer could both bring meals on location to be cooked and readied earlier than your friends. On the opposite hand, food may be ready in home and delivered to your location the place will in all probability be warmed. Our credos deal with the teams and their expectations as the highest priorities. Our flexibility whereas catering to the miscellaneous occasions has all the time been thoughtful of each mainstreams as well as interim calls for. And in doing so, we facilitate a skillful online order system that features docilely based mostly on a digital discussion board.

Do-it-yourself Pet Food - It'll Produce Your Pet Purr!

If your doggy has a sensitive belly from the dog food they are consuming, you're maybe not alone. Millions of dogs every year have unpleasant abdomen dilemmas but what precisely is the root cause of all of this trouble? Following having a mild abdomen trouble with certainly one of our dogs, my wife and I attempted to do our own study to find only that.

First, you do desire to be sure that your beloved puppy is not struggling with another thing entirely. To ensure that that is not the situation, your very best down taking a rapid visit to your local vet. It is fairly easy your pup may be struggling with seasonal allergies or even a condition such as for example pancreatitis. But if it is decided your pet does in fact have an angry belly, then rushing out to your local puppy keep to buy one of many painful and sensitive belly pet food brands is not in your dog's most useful interest. My partner and I built that error and it just built our dog's stomach trouble worse! So what's the top rated painful and sensitive pet food? It is just a easy and simple to make do-it-yourself supper utilising the what you curently have in your kitchen and refrigerator.

Allow me to explain.

There are numerous, many best sensitive stomach cat food pet food materials which can be harmful, hazardous and also deadly to the wellbeing of your pup! However, lots of the same materials get the form of artificial sweeteners such as for example sucralose. You will find much more food colors and flavor compounds and preservatives with hard-to-pronounce names such as for example ethoxyquin and propyl gallate. Why anyone will need to provide their dogs foods with ingredient names which can be almost impossible to articulate is beyond me.

Another of your pet industry's filthy little strategies are these same keep bought pet foods are filled with additives which can be impossible for your dog to eat up such as for example rice bran, peanut oil, chicken byproducts and corn syrup. The pet business uses these harmful additives since they are cheap and simple to come by. But these materials most certainly could cause a sensitive belly in the dog food where they are added.

Believe it or maybe not, you will not think what 99% of keep bought pet food is comprised. Chillingly, it consists of euthanized dog shelter cats and dogs along with the normal street destroy that you see privately of your street. Obviously, after my wife and I discovered of the horrible facts, we began performing our own study into finding the right painful and sensitive belly pet diet for our Whiskey.

Creating do-it-yourself pet dishes couldn't be more easy. Since we built the change, we've recognized a huge modify! Forget about abdomen trouble and a whole lot more normal power! Plus, because we produce these easy foods inside our kitchen and applying our own materials, we realize just what our dogs are consuming! Forget about compounds, additives or hazardous preservatives!

It doesn't subject when you yourself have a big type pet with a sensitive belly and are seeking to alter his pet food or even a small breed. Homemade dishes flat out benefit all. We no more be worried about our boy Rum having a sensitive belly from his pet food and with many dishes to select, our boy is very thrilled for every supper!

The greatest fable surrounding pet control is that cats are fear free, self-contained and self-providing animals that need little or no maintenance. Cats are so great at giving people the effect of independence and self-reliance that people think they do not have to provide the extremely targeted focus on cats that, state, dogs require. The actual fact of the situation is that cats do need the exact same focus on aspect that any pet does, and possibly even a little more, in certain cases. This really is especially true when it comes to probing the conflict regarding whether raw pet food is way better that processed pet food or kibbles for the feline ward.

It is a sad thing to look around our place today and see therefore many those who have permitted themselves to become overweight and then have to deal with the consequential putting up with and ill-health aftereffects of obesity. Diabetes, shortness of air, continuous fatigue from hauling around therefore many extra pounds and lowered self-esteem. Obviously, the outfit business is singing pleased tracks with all the current additional thread they have to place together. There's no lack of explanations for why this case has come about, but I think when it comes right down to it we are able to just responsibility ourselves at the person stage for allowing this kind of issue to get root. In the end, how many pounds overweight does one have to get before they understand that something's maybe not proper and becoming a problem? 10, 20... 50 lbs? And how long does it get to realize that the secret tablets, diet plans, elixirs and straightforward, lose-weight-with-no-work-out products are items being advertised to your vanity, to split up you from your own bank account, and maybe not to fix your condition? No... the only method to get a perfect normality is with complete study, discovery and a lot of hard work accompanied with a healthy lifestyle change. But, enough sermonizing about the human condition. This really is about cats, their diet plan and raw pet food.

A very important factor needs to come along with this particular discussion from the previous paragraph. Most people aren't experts in dog diet and rely on the others to lead them in the proper direction. The source for many'experts'available to an individual for his or her everyday choice creating and selection of choices usually comes to people through the standard press of radio, papers, tv and now, the internet. Media presents two types of resources. Investigative confirming that will be shown in newscasts or view parts, and subsequently, the advertising hype that delivers professional transmitted funding. The former is reliable enough to place credence into and may necessitate further study on your own portion if it interests you. The latter really just needs you to invest your hard earned money with them. That's certainly not bad... it does finally set individuals to function and gives many with an adequate, and also relaxed living. However, the bottom range is... corporations just have one goal in the end. That is to feed their base line. Now new functions have triggered many to reconsider the morality behind a corporations goals. But, provided that that industry design could be the paradigm for our economy, the greatest aim for large organization will be to maximise their profit-loss statements towards the profit end of the variety, in whatever way they can escape with, and at your expense... literally.

So, what does that have related to cats and if raw pet food is what you should be eating them? In other words, a lot of people rely on the advertising hype to bottom their conclusions regarding the foodstuff they supply their pets. Which can be exactly the inappropriate source for basing this kind of critical decision. Take the pet for example. It's not just a medical fact, but a cultural one also, that the pet is described being an obligate carnivore. That becomes cats as creatures who gain many of their food nutritional elements from the creatures they quest and eat up (raw pet food). Each time a pet devours it's prey, she'll consume every thing including not only muscle meat, nevertheless the brains, organ meat and the belly and their contents that might include grasses and grains. A very important factor she doesn't do is fire up a stove and saute or bake her dinner, or prepare a great sauce to go with it. She eats it raw. Cultural purists utilize this explanation as a disagreement that eating cats keep bought, mass produced processed or dried pet food does your pet an injustice by depriving her of the normal nutritional elements she'd typically get in the raw pet food she conveys in the wild, and which is why she was biologically designed.

Do you have cooking tips for a college student who's about to start living in an apartment and has zero cooking skills?

Oh man, I could write a book. 

I think there are a few important general words of advice I would give, since otherwise I actually will write a book. This got long, so I’m putting it under a readmore. Readers, feel free to add your own advice, but remember a) please don’t overwhelm our poor student and b) do it as a comment or a reblog, since I don’t post asks written in response to other asks. 

1. Google a thing. I guarantee you if you need to know whether you can substitute something for something else, if you need to know how to do a thing, or if you don’t know if the thing can be done, google it, someone will have tried it. This is the ONE TIME reading the comments will work in your favor, too -- plus people get into hilarious arguments about food. Googling and reading the comments on an RV cooking website is how I learned that to get crispy french fries you have to cook the potatoes twice. 

2. You can freeze nearly anything if you a) prepare it correctly first and b) know how to cook with the thawed result. This includes most dairy. I’m a single person and there’s only so much milk one man can drink, so I buy milk by the gallon and then freeze it in quart jars. I also chop and then freeze onions; they’re not as crisp once you thaw them, but they’re perfect for sauteeing. As a single person, you can make a BIG batch of food and then freeze most of it (I do this with spaghetti and meatballs, enchiladas, chicken casserole, cooked chicken, hamburger patties, you name it, I have almost definitely tried to freeze it). If you don’t know if it will freeze, google it! Someone has tried it. Probably me. 

(PS this does not apply to carrots or sour cream. Those do not freeze well.) 

3. Learn what you can do with leftovers, including leftover raw ingredients. To speak to the above, any milk I haven’t used by the end of the week, I make into yogurt, because it’ll go bad soon if I don’t. Yogurt can be frozen, and I also cook with it. If you have a leftover or a byproduct, learn what you can do with them. I’ve been experimenting with cultured butter recently, and as a side-effect I’ve had lots of leftover buttermilk, which means I’ve learned how to make buttermilk biscuits and am now at the point of possibly BUYING BUTTERMILK purely to make biscuits with. Also I learned how to make whey protein powder because I always had whey left over from making greek yogurt. 

4. Understand why you do a thing. Like, people will tell you to add salt or oil or both to water before cooking pasta, and they’ll also tell you to use a LOT of water, and most of that is pointless with modern boxed pasta. Test it for yourself and if you don’t notice a change in the flavor or texture, throw out what you’ve been told. And if you don’t like the result, you’ve learned what you need to do and what you don’t. SeriousEats.com is great for testing out WHY we do the things we do and what effect they have on our cooking, so it’s a good first-visit resource. Except don’t listen to them about brown butter, brown butter is nasty. 

5. Find the simplest version of any recipe you want to prepare. You can always add complexity later. Find the recipe that has the fewest ingredients and the least prep and start there. Most of the time you won’t need the more complex versions. As an example, the buttermilk biscuit recipe I use has four ingredients. The prep is somewhat lengthy, but because it only has four ingredients, I’m okay doing a bit more prep, and it’s just messy, not actually complicated. So I can mess around with ingredients and work out what impacts what. (I’ve found I prefer butter to lard because the lard I use is leftover beef and bacon fat which has a distinct weird flavor to it, for example.) 

6. Sometimes premade genuinely is cheaper. By and large, at least where I live, greek yogurt is cheaper to buy than it is to make from milk. Butter is cheaper to buy than it is to make from cream. Unless you get a really good deal on raw ingredients, sometimes it’s just easier to buy premade. Do the math and if you’re only saving a few cents or aren’t saving anything at all, feel free to buy premade unless you really enjoy cooking something. 

7. Shop sales! Look for the clearance racks at your grocery store, or the orange “reduced price” stickers in the meat section. Buy cheap and freeze. That way you have more raw materials to make mistakes with. :D

Good luck! Remember that the internet is at your fingertips and if you think you’re about to do something dumb in the kitchen, someone has almost definitely done the dumb thing before you and can offer advice. 

Can I ask what's wrong with Beneful and Meow Mix? I've never bought them (they don't sell them in my country) but I'm curious, as I see them in movies and assumed they were the standard pet food there!

Well... You're not wrong. They ARE the basic dog and cat food for a lot of people, which is the problem. The short answer is: they're cheaply made cheaply sold foods full of filler and questionable ingredients that are often equated to feeding your dog or cat McDonald's every day of their life. The long answer that you most likely don't want, so feel free to skip it is:Dogs and cats are carnivores, which means you want the first ingredient in their food to be MEAT. Real meat, not chicken byproduct meal, not whole ground corn. Foods like beneful, meow mix, Purina dog/cat chow, pedigree, fancy feast, etc are all foods full of things like corn, meat byproducts, and oftentimes even BHA, which is a known carcinogen and propylene glycol, which is an ingredient of antifreeze. People assume that if it wasn't okay for their pets to eat, stores wouldn't sell it. And they are wrong. Many many many people see these foods, see they are cheap, make the same assumption you've made (which is nothing against you at all because it's very easy to make!) that it's a trusted staple food, and feed it to their pets. A quick bit of research will tell anyone that these foods are not nutritionally balanced for a healthy animal and that there's a reason they're so cheap. There are SO MANY dog and cat foods on the market that have good and healthy ingredients in them and while they're more expensive than these grocery foods, they will keep your pets healthier. A lot of people see spending $50 on a bag of food for their dog or cat as excessive, which I think is very sad. If you don't have the money to get the best (or even just not the WORST) for your animals, then you shouldn't have one. If spending money for your pets to be happy is an issue for you then maybe your pet is better suited in a different home. That's just how I feel. Dogs and cats are seen as easy basic pets and are taken for granted in how much actually needs to be put into caring for them. Research when taking in a dog or cat is never encouraged or even mentioned so often, so people have these animals and do not think "maybe this 10 pound bag of food is only $4 for a reason". They think "it's a dog/cat how hard can it be, it's not like it's an exotic animal" when really just as much care and information needs to go into that as with any other animal... Back on the original subject, these are the first 5 ingredients of meow mix: Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Tallow (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)These are the first 5 ingredients of a higher quality food, Wellness: Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Herring MealKeeping in mind that ingredients are listed in order of highest content to least, you can see the difference there. First ingredient should never be corn.I hope this answers your question even though I went off on a tangent!

Best Grain Free Dog Food: Epic Buyer’s Guide for 2020

If you have a dog that suffers from chronic skin issues or allergies, then switching to the best grain free dog food can be a perfect solution. This type of pet food is often highly recommended by vets. There are many options for grain free pet food on the market, but in most cases, you’ll need to do more than just scan the label, since there are cheap options that contain low quality ingredients. Like every dog lover, you want the best for your dog, which is why researching grain free foods is a must, if you want to make the switch to a high-quality formula, one that contains all the vitamins and nutrients your dog needs to thrive.

I’ve put together this buyer’s guide, which includes important information concerning what to look for in a top-quality grain free food, what ingredients to avoid, and how to make the switch from traditional food to grain-free, in order to avoid digestive upset. I’ve also included ten products that earned top marks for their well-balanced formula, pet approval, and quality ingredients. Below, you’ll find a comparison chart that includes each of these foods, how they rated, and important information, all of which will help you make an informed decision concerning which food will be a great choice for your pet.

Grain-Free Dog Food Comparison Chart

ProductSizesDesign forMain Protein SourceRatingBlue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmonCANIDAE PURE Grain-Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!5AdultSalmonNature's Recipe Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmonCastor & Pollux - Organix Grain Free Dry Dog Food Shop On Amazon!2AdultChickenDiamond Naturals Grain Free Dry Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeWild Caught FishNulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3SeniorsTroutLucy Pet Formulas for Life Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmonBlue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Shop On Amazon!4AdultDuckWhole Earth Farms Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!2AdultTurkey & ChickenCrave Grain Free Adult Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3AdultWhite fish & Salmon

Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free

Our Rating: (5/5)

This grain-free food by Blue Buffalo is loaded with real salmon. The formula is designed to satisfy a dog’s natural love for meat, featuring high-quality protein that will help your pet to maintain and build lean muscle mass. This food is also loaded with healthy carbs, such as peas and sweet potatoes, which will help to fuel a dog’s energy. It also contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which are essential for skin health and coat health. The food’s Life Source Bits feature a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have been chosen carefully by animal nutritionists and holistic vets. These bits are designed to support immune health, oxidative balance, and life stage requirements.

Pros

Made with real salmon

Includes omega 3 and 6 fatty acids

Free from byproducts

Contains Life Source Bits

Cons

Can cause excessive flatulence

Conclusion

This grain-free food is designed for all stages of life and comes loaded with real salmon, healthy fatty acids, and is free from harmful fillers and byproducts. It features a flavor that all dogs will love and includes the all-natural ingredients that pet owners are looking for.

Shop Now On Amazon!

CANIDAE PURE Grain-Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula consists of ten or less essential ingredients. The real foods provide dogs with everything they need to fuel their body’s and thrive. This grain-free formula is perfect for pets with sensitive stomachs and skin and coat issues. Probiotics have also been added to support a healthy immune system and digestive health. The omega 3 and 6 fatty acids will also support a healthy coat and skin.

Pros

Salmon is main protein source

Includes omega 3 and 6 fatty acids

Supports immune health

Promotes skin and coat health

Cons

May cause weight gain in older dog

Conclusion

In terms of formula ingredients, it doesn’t get more basic than this. The manufacturer allows pet parents to see exactly what’s in their pet’s food, so they can avoid any ingredients that can trigger an allergic reaction or digestive upset. This product contains real salmon and all-natural ingredients, with no harmful fillers or common allergens.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Nature’s Recipe Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula features nutrient loaded salmon as the main ingredient. This grain-free recipe is also free from artificial flavors and colors, byproducts, wheat, and soy. This formula includes nutrient dense carbs including pumpkin and sweet potatoes, both of which promote bowel regularity. These nutrient-dense carbs are very easy to digest and can help your dog stay healthy and active. The rich salmon flavor will encourage even the pickiest dogs to give this food a try.

Pros

Contains nutrient dense carbs

Salmon is the main protein source

Soy-free

Made for dogs of all ages

Cons

Contains a small percentage of chicken meal

Conclusion

Considered one of the best and most affordable grain-free dog foods on the market, this formula features a taste that all dogs love, while the nutrient-rich formula works to improve coat and skin health, boosts immune health, and is perfect for dogs of all ages.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Castor & Pollux – Organix Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula’s main protein source is USDA certified organic chicken. This product doesn’t contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The sweet potato and chicken formula is packed with several superfoods including coconut oil, blueberries, and flaxseed. This food also contains guaranteed levels of prebiotic and probiotic fibers, which will aid in digestion and are designed to meet the nutritional needs of small breed dogs.

Pros

Includes USDA certified organic chicken

Loaded with superfoods

Probiotics and prebiotics aid in digestion

Free of preservatives

Cons

Designed for small breeds only

Conclusion

This product contains all-natural ingredients and is designed to be gentle on the stomach, while boosting immune health and promoting coat and skin health. This formula is perfect for picky eaters and dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Diamond Naturals Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula features real wild caught fish, which contains important amino acids that promote strong, lean muscles and skin and coat health. The superfood content includes antioxidants and a fatty acid blend, in addition to probiotics for digestive health. This formula is free of fillers such as wheat and corn and does not contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The recipe includes added vitamins from real fruits and veggies, which will support immune health.

Pros

Includes high quality protein

Added vitamins and minerals

Real wild caught fish

High protein

Cons

Can cause weight gain in seniors

Conclusion

This formula promotes immune, skin, and coat health. The probiotics, healthy fats, and high-quality protein source will encourage even the pickiest dog to give this food a shot. Of course, dog owners will love it for its high vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, all of which work together to improve coat, skin, and digestive health.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Nulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This grain-free dog food is specifically designed for seniors. Often, food that’s too high in protein can be difficult for seniors to digest, since kidney function is not as efficient as a dog grows older. Additionally, food that’s too high in protein can lead to weight gain. This food features a formula that offers superior nutrition for seniors, including the addition of L-carnitine, which aids in the metabolism of fats for dogs that are not very active. The food also includes chondroitin and glucosamine, which supports joint and hip health. The first five ingredients in this food include trout, turkey meal, salmon meal, peas, and sweet potato. The

Animal-based protein sources like real trout and turkey contain amino acids that work together to support lean muscle mass and a healthy heart.

Pros

Includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health

High quality protein

L-carnitine aids in metabolism

Designed specifically for seniors

Cons

Contains protein byproducts

Conclusion

This formula is perfect for seniors who are no longer very active. However, this food contains some protein meal byproducts, which means it contains low quality parts of an animal that are normally not suitable for human consumption. Yet, the main protein source is high quality and loaded with healthy fats that promote coat and skin health.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Lucy Pet Formulas for Life Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This food has been carefully formulated for digestive health, gut health, and sensitive stomachs. The main protein source is wild caught deboned salmon, which is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids for skin and coat health. This food will work well for all life stages and breeds. The food contains essential nutrients needed for seniors, adults, and puppies. This formula is also a great choice for dogs of all sizes, including small breed dogs.

Pros

Main protein source is wild caught salmon

Perfect for dogs of all ages

Aids in digestive health

Promotes skin and coat health

Cons

Kibble may be too big for some small breed dogs

Conclusion

This pet food is a great choice for multi-dog households since it’s designed for all stages of life and all breeds. This product’s main protein source is wild caught salmon, which is loaded with essential vitamins, nutrients, and healthy fats. If you’re looking for a complete pet food, one that includes all the nutrients a dog needs in order to thrive, then your search stops here.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

The main protein source in this leading grain-free pet food is duck. This type of novel protein is perfect for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies. In addition to duck, you’ll also find pumpkin, peas, potatoes, all of which will support gentle digestion. The limited ingredients make this formula perfect for pet owners who are trying to eliminate allergens from their dog’s diet. In many cases, it’s not easy to identify the culprit, although protein sources are often to blame. However, a formula that’s loaded with byproducts and fillers can also be the cause. This food was created by an animal nutritionist and holistic vets, so you can be sure all of the ingredients are natural, safe, and gentle on a dog’s digestive system.

Pros

Main protein source is duck

All-natural ingredients

Limited ingredient formula

Aids in digestion

Cons

Price

Conclusion

This food may be on the pricey side, but if you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars trying to get to the root source of your pet’s skin and coat issues, unable to determine what is causing an allergic reaction in your pet, then this limited formula is a great choice and one that will help to eliminate any skin and coat issues, in addition to digestive upset in dogs of all ages.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Small Breed Dry Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This small breed grain-free dog food contains high-quality proteins including turkey and chicken. This kibble is very small, specifically designed for smaller breeds so they won’t have any issues chewing and swallowing. This limited ingredient formula includes essential vitamins and minerals, in addition to probiotics for digestive health. The formula also includes flaxseed, sweet potatoes, and apples, providing a well-balanced meal that all dogs will love.

Pros

Includes probiotics

Limited ingredient formula

Two high quality protein sources

Designed specifically for small breed dogs

Cons

Only available in two size options

Conclusion

This wholesome formula is perfect for adult small breed dogs and includes not one, but two high-quality protein sources. This grain-free formula is gentle on the stomach, aids in digestion, and includes all of the essential vitamins and minerals that small breed dogs need to thrive.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Crave Grain Free Adult Dog Food

Our Rating: (4/5)

This high protein grain-free dog food is designed for adults. The main protein sources include salmon and white fish. This formula is perfect for dogs of all ages. However, the high protein content comes in at thirty-four percent, so it’s not a good choice for dogs over the age of seven, since older dogs are not as active. The food is free from soy, wheat, corn, harmful fillers, and includes dense carb sources including peas. The high protein content makes this food an excellent choice for active dogs and can help to promote lean muscle gain, provides a natural, healthy fuel source, and will boost immune health. The all-natural ingredients will aid in digestion and can improve both skin and coat health.

Pros

Contains two high quality protein sources

Perfect for high energy dogs

All-natural ingredients

Soy-free

Cons

High protein content makes this food a poor choice for less active dogs

Conclusion

This food is designed for adults, but if you have a dog that’s overweight or not very active, then this food can cause them to gain weight. The high protein content makes the food a better choice for very active dogs and will promote muscle gain, coat health, skin health, immune health, and will also aid in digestion, so it’s also a good choice for dogs with a sensitive stomach. While it’s not a good choice for dogs over the age of seven, it includes all of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that young active dogs need to thrive.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Grain-Free Dog Food Buyer’s Guide

Traditional dog food is grain-based and usually contains a combination of soy, rice, rye, oats, barley, corn, and wheat. While these are all good sources of carbs, many brands often contain a higher carb content than what’s needed. Many pet owners decide to make the switch to grain-free foods because some pets have a grain allergy. However, in many cases, an allergy is often linked to the protein source. Beef is often linked to food allergies in dogs. Many top grain-free pet foods contain a higher quality protein source, but not all grain-free foods are created equal. Some may contain too many carbs, which is why it’s important to ensure the product’s main protein source doesn’t come from starch, but from meat. Before I dive into what types of ingredients to look for in a top quality formula, first, I’ll go over some of the benefits of making the switch to this kind of pet food, and how it can help to improve digestion, minimize skin issues, and improve coat health.

Benefits of Grain-Free Dog Food

Many pet owners don’t know much about grain-free food and the benefits that are linked to making this type of dietary change.

Below, I’ll go over some of the most important benefits of a grain-free diet and how it can have a positive impact on your pet’s health.

Many dogs have digestive issues when it comes to grains. Dogs that have trouble digesting grains may experience serious health issues such as rashes, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disease. Making the switch to a grain-free diet aids in digestion and allows the body to more efficiently utilize important nutrients.

For dogs with allergies, a food that’s grain-free is a perfect fit. Many owners have reported that their pet’s allergy symptoms disappeared entirely or decreased significantly. Allergy symptoms can include vomiting, rashes, constipation, loose stool, chewing, licking, and biting skin, and frequent skin infections. If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms you should make an appointment with their vet in order to rule out any serious medical conditions. During this time, you can discuss the option of switching to a grain-free formula. This will allow you to determine whether or not your dog has a grain allergy, if their symptoms subside after making the switch.

In most cases, the medical benefits that are linked to grain-free food are enough to get many pet owners to make the switch, but did you know that a grain-free diet can also improve the appearance of your dog’s coat? On this type of diet, you may notice that your dog smells better, their teeth are whiter, and their coat is shinier.

Because a high-quality grain-free food doesn’t contain any additives or fillers, it will help to keep a dog feeling fuller, longer. These formulas consist of high-quality fats and proteins, so you won’t have to feed them a large serving, like you do with grain-based dog foods.

In many cases, the indigestible fibers that are found in wheat and corn are what’s responsible for loose stool in dogs. Tapioca and potatoes which replace the carb content in grain-free foods will act as a type of thickening agent, which can result in smaller stool. It also means that your dog will not have to go to the bathroom as often.

Protein is the main ingredient that will fuel a dog, providing them with energy. Since grain-free formulas contain animal-based protein sources, instead of mainly plant-based protein sources, you’ll notice right away that your dog has more energy.

A diet that’s loaded with grains can lead to excessive gas. This can cause chronic cramps and discomfort in dogs. With a grain-free diet, you’ll notice that your dog is no longer dealing with excessive gas, which will be a good thing for both the owner and the dog.

When a dog eats grains, a film of carbs will coat their teeth. These particles will eventually be washed away by their saliva, but this is a process that can take several hours. During this time, the bacteria in your dog’s mouth will begin to feed on this carb film, which is what creates a foul odor. This means you’ll no longer have to deal with bad doggy breath when you make the switch to a grain-free diet.

Now that you know more about the benefits of dogs eating a grain-free dog food, let’s take a closer look at what factors you’ll want to consider when you’re shopping around for a new food, to ensure you choose the best product for your dog.

Important Features

When you’re looking for a high-quality grain-free formula, you’ll need to be careful concerning what ingredients are in the food. Grain-free formulas are often very high in protein and contain a better quality of protein. But the other ingredients added to these formulas are also important.

Below, you’ll find a list of the most common ingredients that are found in grain-free formulas.

Legumes

Legumes are high in protein. Legumes that are often found in grain-free foods include lentils, soybeans, peas, and chickpeas.

Potatoes

Many brands will include either white potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Protein Source

A high-quality formula will offer more than just a lack of grains. It’s more about the balance of nutrients, whole ingredients, and protein type and quality. The formula should contain real animal-based protein as the primary ingredient. This protein is easier for your dog to digest, so it will be easily absorbed into a dog’s body where it will then be utilized by different tissues and organs.

If a dog is allergic to certain types of proteins such as chicken and beef, there are still plenty of options to choose from, including:

Turkey

Duck

Lamb

Fish

Whole Carbs

If you want to make the switch to a grain-free food, then look for a product that includes veggies and fruits in the recipe. Fruits and veggies are loaded with essential antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, all of which will offer many health benefits.

Ingredients to Avoid

Just because a food is labeled grain-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy. In fact, there are many types of ingredients that you should avoid at all costs, including:

Vegetable oil

Salt

Xylitol

Sugar alcohols

Artificial colors

White flour

MSG

Cheap fillers

BHA and BHT

Rendered fats

Corn syrup

Artificial sweeteners

By-product meal

Flavor enhancers and fillers are commonly used to improve the flavor of the food. Even if the formula includes flavor enhancers, make sure that they come from a natural ingredient. Anything that’s labeled as artificial will be potentially harmful to your pet. Look for formulas that promote a well-balanced diet and contain a healthy amount of oils, veggies, fruits, and protein.

The Truth About Grain Allergies

When it comes to dog food allergies, it can be pretty complicated. In many cases, protein is the offending food and it’s also one of the most common types of allergen. However, not all proteins will trigger allergies and sensitivities. According to some studies, the most common allergens include the following:

Soy

Wheat

Corn

Eggs

Dairy

Beef

Chicken

But if fed regularly, grains can be a major allergen that can cause issues with your pet’s digestive system. However, your pet may also be experiencing an allergic reaction to the type of protein found in their food. The key will be to experiment with different combinations of ingredients in order to determine which type works the best. If your pet is allergic to grains, then making the switch to a grain-free food will be a good decision and one that can make all the difference in terms of their activity level and their health.

The Pros and Cons of Changing Your Dog’s Diet

There is plenty of debate concerning whether or not grain-free food is the best choice for dogs. The argument for grain-free foods is pretty simple. Many pet owners believe that a grain-free formula is more natural and similar to a dog’s ancestral diet. Because dogs are carnivores many pet owners also believe that plant-based protein sources should also be limited. However, this has been debunked by science. Overtime, dogs have developed the ability to digest most types of grains. Others advocate for a grain-free diet because they believe that grains are the most common culprit behind pet allergies. However, as I mentioned earlier, certain types of proteins, such as chicken and beef are often to blame.

The most common grains found in dog food includes white rice, soy, wheat, and corn. They’re a cheap source of carbs and they provide an additional amount of protein. Protein is essential in a dog’s diet. When you look at the label on dog food, you’ll often come to realize that food that’s high in protein actually contains a higher percentage of protein that’s plant based. This is usually in the form of wheat or corn, with only a small amount of animal protein included.

High Glycemic Foods

Many of these low-quality grains that make up most of a dog’s diet are high on the glycemic index. This index rates a food based on how high and how quickly they can cause blood sugar to rise. High glycemic index carbs can produce a type of inflammatory response in dogs. This can lead to cancer, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Some foods have been found to cause sensitivities or intolerance. Food sensitivities and intolerances can build up over time. This can result in problems that can be misdiagnosed such as skin allergies and GI issues. Both of these issues can be a direct result of your dog’s diet. Some pet owners may end up feeding their dogs more of these grain-loaded foods because they give their dogs a burst of energy, however, this energy doesn’t last all day, which means a dog will usually be hungry and ready to eat again a few hours after their meal.

Common Allergens

Grain-free formulas usually contain more concentrated energy sources. They also often contain a higher quality of fat and protein that comes from animal sources. These foods can help to meet a dog’s nutritional needs in smaller quantities, so a pet owner will end up giving their pet less food, but their dogs will receive all the fat, protein, and essential vitamins and nutrients they need, despite this smaller serving size.

Grains such as wheat or corn can end up activating food sensitivities. Choosing a grain-free formula will prevent this.

Wheat

Wheat is a type of a cheap source of protein. It contains gluten which is a sticky type of protein that’s known to cause issues in people with a gluten allergy or intolerance.

Soy

In moderation, soy can be completely fine. It’s often found in dog food and used as a source of protein in order to boost a food’s protein percentage. However, there’s a good reason why it shouldn’t be part of your dog’s diet. This involves the issues that revolve around the manufacturing process. Ninety percent of soy is genetically modified. The beans are mashed into fats and oils and the meal is separated out. Food meant for humans will use the oil and fat, while the meal is used for animals. Soy contains a high volume of natural toxins that can cause issues in many of the organ systems. It can have a negative impact on the thyroid gland and hinder hormone production.

Corn

Corn isn’t exactly harmful. In some cases, it can even be beneficial. It provides a natural protein source, and works as a digestible carb, making it an important energy source. However, it also contains contaminants that can put a dog’s health at risk. While the corn people eat is frozen, canned, or fresh, corn that’s found in dog food is not the same. The cheapest feed grade corn is what’s commonly used, so the corn may be contaminated with mycotoxins. Food that has corn listed as the first ingredient can be high in protein, but the protein content is mostly plant-based, instead of animal-based. Animal-based protein is superior to plant-based, when it comes to the canine diet.

Introducing Grain-Free Dog Food to Your Pet

Many pet owners are eager to make the switch to grain-free dog food, in order to help treat their dog’s skin issues. Unfortunately, this type of transition, if not done correctly, can cause digestive upset. Quickly transitioning to a new food is not good for a dog’s sensitive digestive tract. Pet owners must make the transition gradually in order to give their dog’s digestive tract time to adjust to the new food. The bacteria that lives in the gut has an important job, making vitamin K, absorbing water and nutrients, fermenting fiber, and creating short-chain fatty acids. Suddenly feeding a dog a new type of pet food will interrupt these important functions and can have a negative impact on beneficial bacteria.

Some of the common signs that can indicate you’ve made the switch too quickly can include:

Vomiting

Constipation

Diarrhea

Flatulence

Bloating

A Gradual Transition

Begin the transition by mixing some of your pet’s new food with their current food. Do this for several days in order to give his or her digestive tract some time to make the adjustment. Many vets recommend a period of ten days to gradually and slowly add in the new pet food while reducing the amount of old pet food in their diet.

Ideally, you should start with approximately ten percent of the new food and ninety percent of the old food. You’ll increase the amount of new food by ten percent each day, while decreasing the amount of their old food by ten percent each day.

Monitor Your Pet Closely

If your dog experiences any type of digestive upset during the transition, then you may need to slow down the process even more. At the first sign of digestive issues, you will need to go back to feeding your dog the balance of old food and new food that they were able to tolerate without any issues. Feed them that combination for a period of three to four days, then start up the transition once again. Avoid using any type of home remedy for an upset stomach and speak with your vet instead.

If your dog has any type of medical condition, make sure you consult your vet about making the transition to a new type of food. This is because some health problems can be negatively impacted by a change in diet.

If your dog currently has weight issues, then you should also consult your vet. A pet that struggles with weight issues will need foods that are designed to supply essential nutrients in increased concentrations in order to prevent malnutrition.

The High Cost of Grain-Free Food

One of the biggest drawbacks of making the switch to a grain-free food is the price. These foods are often much more expensive than grain dog food since they contain a higher level of animal-based protein and a better quality of ingredients. However, if your dog’s health is the top priority, then the higher cost of a top-quality pet food will be worth every penny. Like traditional dog food, the cost of grain-free foods will vary from brand to brand and can depend on the size of the dog food bag and the type of protein source.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it Really Healthier for a Dog to Eat Grain-Free?

While a dog needs carbs in order to produce energy, too many carbs can lead to high levels of bad bacteria in the gut, obesity, and low energy levels. What matters is the carb source and the protein source. In most cases, grain-free is a better choice because it contains a better quality of carbs and protein and a higher level of animal-based protein.

What are the Best Grains for Dogs?

Rice and oatmeal are good grain sources for most dogs. These healthy grains can easily be incorporated into a dog’s diet and do not have a reputation for causing an allergic reaction in pets. Both grains are also very gentle on the stomach.

What Grains to Avoid in Dog Food?

Many vets recommend avoiding wheat and corn and all grains that contain gluten. Avoid feeding dogs grains that have been genetically modified. Instead, choose more nutritious grains such as buckwheat.

Is Quinoa Harmful to Dogs

Quinoa is normally a healthy food choice for dogs however, some dogs may have trouble digesting it. If your pet becomes constipated, has diarrhea, or vomits after eating quinoa, then avoid feeding it to him or her again.

Are Sweet Potatoes Good for Dogs?

Yes. Sweet potatoes are a healthy, natural, and safe treat for dogs. This veggie offers a wide range of health benefits and supports a healthy digestive tract, due to their high fiber content. They’re also high in vitamins A, C, and B6.

Final Thoughts

The best grain-free dog food can have a major impact on your dog’s digestive health, activity level, and skin and coat health. If your dog has a sensitive stomach or allergies, then making the switch to a grain-free formula can make all the difference in their quality of life. It’s important to choose a food that’s not just grain-free but loaded with healthy carbs, high-quality animal protein, and free from harmful ingredients.

source https://fourpawideas.com/best-grain-free-dog-food/ source https://fourpawideas.blogspot.com/2020/08/best-grain-free-dog-food-epic-buyers.html

Best Grain Free Dog Food: Epic Buyer’s Guide for 2020

If you have a dog that suffers from chronic skin issues or allergies, then switching to the best grain free dog food can be a perfect solution. This type of pet food is often highly recommended by vets. There are many options for grain free pet food on the market, but in most cases, you’ll need to do more than just scan the label, since there are cheap options that contain low quality ingredients. Like every dog lover, you want the best for your dog, which is why researching grain free foods is a must, if you want to make the switch to a high-quality formula, one that contains all the vitamins and nutrients your dog needs to thrive.

I’ve put together this buyer’s guide, which includes important information concerning what to look for in a top-quality grain free food, what ingredients to avoid, and how to make the switch from traditional food to grain-free, in order to avoid digestive upset. I’ve also included ten products that earned top marks for their well-balanced formula, pet approval, and quality ingredients. Below, you’ll find a comparison chart that includes each of these foods, how they rated, and important information, all of which will help you make an informed decision concerning which food will be a great choice for your pet.

Grain-Free Dog Food Comparison Chart

ProductSizesDesign forMain Protein SourceRating Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmon CANIDAE PURE Grain-Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!5AdultSalmon Nature's Recipe Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmon Castor & Pollux - Organix Grain Free Dry Dog Food Shop On Amazon!2AdultChicken Diamond Naturals Grain Free Dry Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeWild Caught Fish Nulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3SeniorsTrout Lucy Pet Formulas for Life Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3All Stages of LifeSalmon Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Shop On Amazon!4AdultDuck Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Dog Food Shop On Amazon!2AdultTurkey & Chicken Crave Grain Free Adult Dog Food Shop On Amazon!3AdultWhite fish & Salmon

Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free

Our Rating: (5/5)

This grain-free food by Blue Buffalo is loaded with real salmon. The formula is designed to satisfy a dog’s natural love for meat, featuring high-quality protein that will help your pet to maintain and build lean muscle mass. This food is also loaded with healthy carbs, such as peas and sweet potatoes, which will help to fuel a dog’s energy. It also contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which are essential for skin health and coat health. The food’s Life Source Bits feature a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have been chosen carefully by animal nutritionists and holistic vets. These bits are designed to support immune health, oxidative balance, and life stage requirements.

Pros

Made with real salmon

Includes omega 3 and 6 fatty acids

Free from byproducts

Contains Life Source Bits

Cons

Can cause excessive flatulence

Conclusion

This grain-free food is designed for all stages of life and comes loaded with real salmon, healthy fatty acids, and is free from harmful fillers and byproducts. It features a flavor that all dogs will love and includes the all-natural ingredients that pet owners are looking for.

Shop Now On Amazon!

CANIDAE PURE Grain-Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula consists of ten or less essential ingredients. The real foods provide dogs with everything they need to fuel their body’s and thrive. This grain-free formula is perfect for pets with sensitive stomachs and skin and coat issues. Probiotics have also been added to support a healthy immune system and digestive health. The omega 3 and 6 fatty acids will also support a healthy coat and skin.

Pros

Salmon is main protein source

Includes omega 3 and 6 fatty acids

Supports immune health

Promotes skin and coat health

Cons

May cause weight gain in older dog

Conclusion

In terms of formula ingredients, it doesn’t get more basic than this. The manufacturer allows pet parents to see exactly what’s in their pet’s food, so they can avoid any ingredients that can trigger an allergic reaction or digestive upset. This product contains real salmon and all-natural ingredients, with no harmful fillers or common allergens.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Nature’s Recipe Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula features nutrient loaded salmon as the main ingredient. This grain-free recipe is also free from artificial flavors and colors, byproducts, wheat, and soy. This formula includes nutrient dense carbs including pumpkin and sweet potatoes, both of which promote bowel regularity. These nutrient-dense carbs are very easy to digest and can help your dog stay healthy and active. The rich salmon flavor will encourage even the pickiest dogs to give this food a try.

Pros

Contains nutrient dense carbs

Salmon is the main protein source

Soy-free

Made for dogs of all ages

Cons

Contains a small percentage of chicken meal

Conclusion

Considered one of the best and most affordable grain-free dog foods on the market, this formula features a taste that all dogs love, while the nutrient-rich formula works to improve coat and skin health, boosts immune health, and is perfect for dogs of all ages.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Castor & Pollux – Organix Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula’s main protein source is USDA certified organic chicken. This product doesn’t contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The sweet potato and chicken formula is packed with several superfoods including coconut oil, blueberries, and flaxseed. This food also contains guaranteed levels of prebiotic and probiotic fibers, which will aid in digestion and are designed to meet the nutritional needs of small breed dogs.

Pros

Includes USDA certified organic chicken

Loaded with superfoods

Probiotics and prebiotics aid in digestion

Free of preservatives

Cons

Designed for small breeds only

Conclusion

This product contains all-natural ingredients and is designed to be gentle on the stomach, while boosting immune health and promoting coat and skin health. This formula is perfect for picky eaters and dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Diamond Naturals Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This formula features real wild caught fish, which contains important amino acids that promote strong, lean muscles and skin and coat health. The superfood content includes antioxidants and a fatty acid blend, in addition to probiotics for digestive health. This formula is free of fillers such as wheat and corn and does not contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The recipe includes added vitamins from real fruits and veggies, which will support immune health.

Pros

Includes high quality protein

Added vitamins and minerals

Real wild caught fish

High protein

Cons

Can cause weight gain in seniors

Conclusion

This formula promotes immune, skin, and coat health. The probiotics, healthy fats, and high-quality protein source will encourage even the pickiest dog to give this food a shot. Of course, dog owners will love it for its high vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, all of which work together to improve coat, skin, and digestive health.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Nulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This grain-free dog food is specifically designed for seniors. Often, food that’s too high in protein can be difficult for seniors to digest, since kidney function is not as efficient as a dog grows older. Additionally, food that’s too high in protein can lead to weight gain. This food features a formula that offers superior nutrition for seniors, including the addition of L-carnitine, which aids in the metabolism of fats for dogs that are not very active. The food also includes chondroitin and glucosamine, which supports joint and hip health. The first five ingredients in this food include trout, turkey meal, salmon meal, peas, and sweet potato. The

Animal-based protein sources like real trout and turkey contain amino acids that work together to support lean muscle mass and a healthy heart.

Pros

Includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health

High quality protein

L-carnitine aids in metabolism

Designed specifically for seniors

Cons

Contains protein byproducts

Conclusion

This formula is perfect for seniors who are no longer very active. However, this food contains some protein meal byproducts, which means it contains low quality parts of an animal that are normally not suitable for human consumption. Yet, the main protein source is high quality and loaded with healthy fats that promote coat and skin health.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Lucy Pet Formulas for Life Grain Free Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This food has been carefully formulated for digestive health, gut health, and sensitive stomachs. The main protein source is wild caught deboned salmon, which is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids for skin and coat health. This food will work well for all life stages and breeds. The food contains essential nutrients needed for seniors, adults, and puppies. This formula is also a great choice for dogs of all sizes, including small breed dogs.

Pros

Main protein source is wild caught salmon

Perfect for dogs of all ages

Aids in digestive health

Promotes skin and coat health

Cons

Kibble may be too big for some small breed dogs

Conclusion

This pet food is a great choice for multi-dog households since it’s designed for all stages of life and all breeds. This product’s main protein source is wild caught salmon, which is loaded with essential vitamins, nutrients, and healthy fats. If you’re looking for a complete pet food, one that includes all the nutrients a dog needs in order to thrive, then your search stops here.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

The main protein source in this leading grain-free pet food is duck. This type of novel protein is perfect for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies. In addition to duck, you’ll also find pumpkin, peas, potatoes, all of which will support gentle digestion. The limited ingredients make this formula perfect for pet owners who are trying to eliminate allergens from their dog’s diet. In many cases, it’s not easy to identify the culprit, although protein sources are often to blame. However, a formula that’s loaded with byproducts and fillers can also be the cause. This food was created by an animal nutritionist and holistic vets, so you can be sure all of the ingredients are natural, safe, and gentle on a dog’s digestive system.

Pros

Main protein source is duck

All-natural ingredients

Limited ingredient formula

Aids in digestion

Cons

Price

Conclusion

This food may be on the pricey side, but if you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars trying to get to the root source of your pet’s skin and coat issues, unable to determine what is causing an allergic reaction in your pet, then this limited formula is a great choice and one that will help to eliminate any skin and coat issues, in addition to digestive upset in dogs of all ages.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Small Breed Dry Dog Food

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

This small breed grain-free dog food contains high-quality proteins including turkey and chicken. This kibble is very small, specifically designed for smaller breeds so they won’t have any issues chewing and swallowing. This limited ingredient formula includes essential vitamins and minerals, in addition to probiotics for digestive health. The formula also includes flaxseed, sweet potatoes, and apples, providing a well-balanced meal that all dogs will love.

Pros

Includes probiotics

Limited ingredient formula

Two high quality protein sources

Designed specifically for small breed dogs

Cons

Only available in two size options

Conclusion

This wholesome formula is perfect for adult small breed dogs and includes not one, but two high-quality protein sources. This grain-free formula is gentle on the stomach, aids in digestion, and includes all of the essential vitamins and minerals that small breed dogs need to thrive.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Crave Grain Free Adult Dog Food

Our Rating: (4/5)

This high protein grain-free dog food is designed for adults. The main protein sources include salmon and white fish. This formula is perfect for dogs of all ages. However, the high protein content comes in at thirty-four percent, so it’s not a good choice for dogs over the age of seven, since older dogs are not as active. The food is free from soy, wheat, corn, harmful fillers, and includes dense carb sources including peas. The high protein content makes this food an excellent choice for active dogs and can help to promote lean muscle gain, provides a natural, healthy fuel source, and will boost immune health. The all-natural ingredients will aid in digestion and can improve both skin and coat health.

Pros

Contains two high quality protein sources

Perfect for high energy dogs

All-natural ingredients

Soy-free

Cons

High protein content makes this food a poor choice for less active dogs

Conclusion

This food is designed for adults, but if you have a dog that’s overweight or not very active, then this food can cause them to gain weight. The high protein content makes the food a better choice for very active dogs and will promote muscle gain, coat health, skin health, immune health, and will also aid in digestion, so it’s also a good choice for dogs with a sensitive stomach. While it’s not a good choice for dogs over the age of seven, it includes all of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that young active dogs need to thrive.

Shop Now On Amazon!

Grain-Free Dog Food Buyer’s Guide

Traditional dog food is grain-based and usually contains a combination of soy, rice, rye, oats, barley, corn, and wheat. While these are all good sources of carbs, many brands often contain a higher carb content than what’s needed. Many pet owners decide to make the switch to grain-free foods because some pets have a grain allergy. However, in many cases, an allergy is often linked to the protein source. Beef is often linked to food allergies in dogs. Many top grain-free pet foods contain a higher quality protein source, but not all grain-free foods are created equal. Some may contain too many carbs, which is why it’s important to ensure the product’s main protein source doesn’t come from starch, but from meat. Before I dive into what types of ingredients to look for in a top quality formula, first, I’ll go over some of the benefits of making the switch to this kind of pet food, and how it can help to improve digestion, minimize skin issues, and improve coat health.

Benefits of Grain-Free Dog Food

Many pet owners don’t know much about grain-free food and the benefits that are linked to making this type of dietary change.

Below, I’ll go over some of the most important benefits of a grain-free diet and how it can have a positive impact on your pet’s health.

Many dogs have digestive issues when it comes to grains. Dogs that have trouble digesting grains may experience serious health issues such as rashes, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disease. Making the switch to a grain-free diet aids in digestion and allows the body to more efficiently utilize important nutrients.

For dogs with allergies, a food that’s grain-free is a perfect fit. Many owners have reported that their pet’s allergy symptoms disappeared entirely or decreased significantly. Allergy symptoms can include vomiting, rashes, constipation, loose stool, chewing, licking, and biting skin, and frequent skin infections. If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms you should make an appointment with their vet in order to rule out any serious medical conditions. During this time, you can discuss the option of switching to a grain-free formula. This will allow you to determine whether or not your dog has a grain allergy, if their symptoms subside after making the switch.

In most cases, the medical benefits that are linked to grain-free food are enough to get many pet owners to make the switch, but did you know that a grain-free diet can also improve the appearance of your dog’s coat? On this type of diet, you may notice that your dog smells better, their teeth are whiter, and their coat is shinier.

Because a high-quality grain-free food doesn’t contain any additives or fillers, it will help to keep a dog feeling fuller, longer. These formulas consist of high-quality fats and proteins, so you won’t have to feed them a large serving, like you do with grain-based dog foods.

In many cases, the indigestible fibers that are found in wheat and corn are what’s responsible for loose stool in dogs. Tapioca and potatoes which replace the carb content in grain-free foods will act as a type of thickening agent, which can result in smaller stool. It also means that your dog will not have to go to the bathroom as often.

Protein is the main ingredient that will fuel a dog, providing them with energy. Since grain-free formulas contain animal-based protein sources, instead of mainly plant-based protein sources, you’ll notice right away that your dog has more energy.

A diet that’s loaded with grains can lead to excessive gas. This can cause chronic cramps and discomfort in dogs. With a grain-free diet, you’ll notice that your dog is no longer dealing with excessive gas, which will be a good thing for both the owner and the dog.

When a dog eats grains, a film of carbs will coat their teeth. These particles will eventually be washed away by their saliva, but this is a process that can take several hours. During this time, the bacteria in your dog’s mouth will begin to feed on this carb film, which is what creates a foul odor. This means you’ll no longer have to deal with bad doggy breath when you make the switch to a grain-free diet.

Now that you know more about the benefits of dogs eating a grain-free dog food, let’s take a closer look at what factors you’ll want to consider when you’re shopping around for a new food, to ensure you choose the best product for your dog.

Important Features

When you’re looking for a high-quality grain-free formula, you’ll need to be careful concerning what ingredients are in the food. Grain-free formulas are often very high in protein and contain a better quality of protein. But the other ingredients added to these formulas are also important.

Below, you’ll find a list of the most common ingredients that are found in grain-free formulas.

Legumes

Legumes are high in protein. Legumes that are often found in grain-free foods include lentils, soybeans, peas, and chickpeas.

Potatoes

Many brands will include either white potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Protein Source

A high-quality formula will offer more than just a lack of grains. It’s more about the balance of nutrients, whole ingredients, and protein type and quality. The formula should contain real animal-based protein as the primary ingredient. This protein is easier for your dog to digest, so it will be easily absorbed into a dog’s body where it will then be utilized by different tissues and organs.

If a dog is allergic to certain types of proteins such as chicken and beef, there are still plenty of options to choose from, including:

Turkey

Duck

Lamb

Fish

Whole Carbs

If you want to make the switch to a grain-free food, then look for a product that includes veggies and fruits in the recipe. Fruits and veggies are loaded with essential antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, all of which will offer many health benefits.

Ingredients to Avoid

Just because a food is labeled grain-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy. In fact, there are many types of ingredients that you should avoid at all costs, including:

Vegetable oil

Salt

Xylitol

Sugar alcohols

Artificial colors

White flour

MSG

Cheap fillers

BHA and BHT

Rendered fats

Corn syrup

Artificial sweeteners

By-product meal

Flavor enhancers and fillers are commonly used to improve the flavor of the food. Even if the formula includes flavor enhancers, make sure that they come from a natural ingredient. Anything that’s labeled as artificial will be potentially harmful to your pet. Look for formulas that promote a well-balanced diet and contain a healthy amount of oils, veggies, fruits, and protein.

The Truth About Grain Allergies

When it comes to dog food allergies, it can be pretty complicated. In many cases, protein is the offending food and it’s also one of the most common types of allergen. However, not all proteins will trigger allergies and sensitivities. According to some studies, the most common allergens include the following:

Soy

Wheat

Corn

Eggs

Dairy

Beef

Chicken

But if fed regularly, grains can be a major allergen that can cause issues with your pet’s digestive system. However, your pet may also be experiencing an allergic reaction to the type of protein found in their food. The key will be to experiment with different combinations of ingredients in order to determine which type works the best. If your pet is allergic to grains, then making the switch to a grain-free food will be a good decision and one that can make all the difference in terms of their activity level and their health.

The Pros and Cons of Changing Your Dog’s Diet

There is plenty of debate concerning whether or not grain-free food is the best choice for dogs. The argument for grain-free foods is pretty simple. Many pet owners believe that a grain-free formula is more natural and similar to a dog’s ancestral diet. Because dogs are carnivores many pet owners also believe that plant-based protein sources should also be limited. However, this has been debunked by science. Overtime, dogs have developed the ability to digest most types of grains. Others advocate for a grain-free diet because they believe that grains are the most common culprit behind pet allergies. However, as I mentioned earlier, certain types of proteins, such as chicken and beef are often to blame.

The most common grains found in dog food includes white rice, soy, wheat, and corn. They’re a cheap source of carbs and they provide an additional amount of protein. Protein is essential in a dog’s diet. When you look at the label on dog food, you’ll often come to realize that food that’s high in protein actually contains a higher percentage of protein that’s plant based. This is usually in the form of wheat or corn, with only a small amount of animal protein included.

High Glycemic Foods

Many of these low-quality grains that make up most of a dog’s diet are high on the glycemic index. This index rates a food based on how high and how quickly they can cause blood sugar to rise. High glycemic index carbs can produce a type of inflammatory response in dogs. This can lead to cancer, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Some foods have been found to cause sensitivities or intolerance. Food sensitivities and intolerances can build up over time. This can result in problems that can be misdiagnosed such as skin allergies and GI issues. Both of these issues can be a direct result of your dog’s diet. Some pet owners may end up feeding their dogs more of these grain-loaded foods because they give their dogs a burst of energy, however, this energy doesn’t last all day, which means a dog will usually be hungry and ready to eat again a few hours after their meal.

Common Allergens

Grain-free formulas usually contain more concentrated energy sources. They also often contain a higher quality of fat and protein that comes from animal sources. These foods can help to meet a dog’s nutritional needs in smaller quantities, so a pet owner will end up giving their pet less food, but their dogs will receive all the fat, protein, and essential vitamins and nutrients they need, despite this smaller serving size.

Grains such as wheat or corn can end up activating food sensitivities. Choosing a grain-free formula will prevent this.

Wheat

Wheat is a type of a cheap source of protein. It contains gluten which is a sticky type of protein that’s known to cause issues in people with a gluten allergy or intolerance.

Soy

In moderation, soy can be completely fine. It’s often found in dog food and used as a source of protein in order to boost a food’s protein percentage. However, there’s a good reason why it shouldn’t be part of your dog’s diet. This involves the issues that revolve around the manufacturing process. Ninety percent of soy is genetically modified. The beans are mashed into fats and oils and the meal is separated out. Food meant for humans will use the oil and fat, while the meal is used for animals. Soy contains a high volume of natural toxins that can cause issues in many of the organ systems. It can have a negative impact on the thyroid gland and hinder hormone production.

Corn

Corn isn’t exactly harmful. In some cases, it can even be beneficial. It provides a natural protein source, and works as a digestible carb, making it an important energy source. However, it also contains contaminants that can put a dog’s health at risk. While the corn people eat is frozen, canned, or fresh, corn that’s found in dog food is not the same. The cheapest feed grade corn is what’s commonly used, so the corn may be contaminated with mycotoxins. Food that has corn listed as the first ingredient can be high in protein, but the protein content is mostly plant-based, instead of animal-based. Animal-based protein is superior to plant-based, when it comes to the canine diet.

Introducing Grain-Free Dog Food to Your Pet

Many pet owners are eager to make the switch to grain-free dog food, in order to help treat their dog’s skin issues. Unfortunately, this type of transition, if not done correctly, can cause digestive upset. Quickly transitioning to a new food is not good for a dog’s sensitive digestive tract. Pet owners must make the transition gradually in order to give their dog’s digestive tract time to adjust to the new food. The bacteria that lives in the gut has an important job, making vitamin K, absorbing water and nutrients, fermenting fiber, and creating short-chain fatty acids. Suddenly feeding a dog a new type of pet food will interrupt these important functions and can have a negative impact on beneficial bacteria.

Some of the common signs that can indicate you’ve made the switch too quickly can include:

Vomiting

Constipation

Diarrhea

Flatulence

Bloating

A Gradual Transition

Begin the transition by mixing some of your pet’s new food with their current food. Do this for several days in order to give his or her digestive tract some time to make the adjustment. Many vets recommend a period of ten days to gradually and slowly add in the new pet food while reducing the amount of old pet food in their diet.

Ideally, you should start with approximately ten percent of the new food and ninety percent of the old food. You’ll increase the amount of new food by ten percent each day, while decreasing the amount of their old food by ten percent each day.

Monitor Your Pet Closely

If your dog experiences any type of digestive upset during the transition, then you may need to slow down the process even more. At the first sign of digestive issues, you will need to go back to feeding your dog the balance of old food and new food that they were able to tolerate without any issues. Feed them that combination for a period of three to four days, then start up the transition once again. Avoid using any type of home remedy for an upset stomach and speak with your vet instead.

If your dog has any type of medical condition, make sure you consult your vet about making the transition to a new type of food. This is because some health problems can be negatively impacted by a change in diet.

If your dog currently has weight issues, then you should also consult your vet. A pet that struggles with weight issues will need foods that are designed to supply essential nutrients in increased concentrations in order to prevent malnutrition.

The High Cost of Grain-Free Food

One of the biggest drawbacks of making the switch to a grain-free food is the price. These foods are often much more expensive than grain dog food since they contain a higher level of animal-based protein and a better quality of ingredients. However, if your dog’s health is the top priority, then the higher cost of a top-quality pet food will be worth every penny. Like traditional dog food, the cost of grain-free foods will vary from brand to brand and can depend on the size of the dog food bag and the type of protein source.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it Really Healthier for a Dog to Eat Grain-Free?

While a dog needs carbs in order to produce energy, too many carbs can lead to high levels of bad bacteria in the gut, obesity, and low energy levels. What matters is the carb source and the protein source. In most cases, grain-free is a better choice because it contains a better quality of carbs and protein and a higher level of animal-based protein.

What are the Best Grains for Dogs?

Rice and oatmeal are good grain sources for most dogs. These healthy grains can easily be incorporated into a dog’s diet and do not have a reputation for causing an allergic reaction in pets. Both grains are also very gentle on the stomach.

What Grains to Avoid in Dog Food?

Many vets recommend avoiding wheat and corn and all grains that contain gluten. Avoid feeding dogs grains that have been genetically modified. Instead, choose more nutritious grains such as buckwheat.

Is Quinoa Harmful to Dogs

Quinoa is normally a healthy food choice for dogs however, some dogs may have trouble digesting it. If your pet becomes constipated, has diarrhea, or vomits after eating quinoa, then avoid feeding it to him or her again.

Are Sweet Potatoes Good for Dogs?

Yes. Sweet potatoes are a healthy, natural, and safe treat for dogs. This veggie offers a wide range of health benefits and supports a healthy digestive tract, due to their high fiber content. They’re also high in vitamins A, C, and B6.

Final Thoughts

The best grain-free dog food can have a major impact on your dog’s digestive health, activity level, and skin and coat health. If your dog has a sensitive stomach or allergies, then making the switch to a grain-free formula can make all the difference in their quality of life. It’s important to choose a food that’s not just grain-free but loaded with healthy carbs, high-quality animal protein, and free from harmful ingredients.

source https://fourpawideas.com/best-grain-free-dog-food/

What are some differences between cheap wet cat food and more expensive wet cat food?

Well, make yourself a cup of tea and prepare for a long read, because there are lots of myths about nutrition. I should start first and foremost by saying that I am not going to tell anyone what to feed their cat, or dog, unless that animal is a patient of mine. I’m only going to tell you what to consider.

The first one is that lots and lots of laypeople sites will say ‘meat should be the first ingredient’ often followed by ‘no nasty byproducts’ and this is not strictly the case. Cat food must have meat in it, but it doesn’t strictly have to be the first ingredient, especially if it uses multiple meat sources.

What I want to know about any given wet cat food is this:

Is it a ‘guaranteed analysis’ or a ‘typical analysis’. A guaranteed analysis is superior.

How much of it is water, indicated by ‘Moisture percentage’

How much is protein, and is that figure ‘as fed’ or ‘as dry matter’.

How much is fat, and is that figure ‘as fed’ or ‘as dry matter’.

Macro and micronutrients are also important, especially taurine and in growing cats, but that information is often unreasonably difficult to find outside of the premium diets.

This is a large part of the reason, incidentally, that vets and a profession often recommend a couple of brands over other. Getting all the information I require to confidently recommend a diet is easy for Hills, Royal Canin, Advance, etc but nearly impossible without phoning and begging any of the supermarket brands. Honestly, if a brand of food wants me to be able to honestly recommend it, it needs to provide its nutritional information in an easily accessible manner. Otherwise you have to go to the store to start getting any nutritional info, as I did.

Yeah, I went to the supermarket and started snapping pics of all the nutritional information available on the labels of various wet food brands and looked like a crazy lady doing so. Here are the unedited label photos, on another post for neatness.

Some points to note:

Some brands have a guaranteed analysis, which is more reliable and suggests better quality than a typical analysis

Some packets will clearly state they are compliant with AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control) recommendations, even here in Australia.

Then others, like Smitten, will subtly say ‘Complementary food only’, which means you cannot guarantee or expect a cat fed that food alone to remain healthy for a year. It’s not well marked.

Only one of them offered any indication of the Moisture Content, which is what you need to make sure you’re comparing apples with apples.

The moisture content is important, because if you look at those labels as-is you will see all of these diets only offer 9% to 13% protein. For a species that requires a high protein diet, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but that’s because you’re not taking the water into account.

To simplify, it’s not unreasonable to consider food as being made up of only four things: protein, fat, carbohydrates or water.

All of these diets list their fat and protein, but only Fancy Feast Originals listed its moisture percentage, and once you know the percentage of three components, you can use simple maths to figure out the fourth. Fancy Feast isn’t the most expensive, nor is it the cheapest, it’s middle of the range.

But why are there always carbohydrates in my cat food? Because there’s always carbohydrates in meat. Glycogen is the most common, it’s the energy storage molecule in muscle and liver that makes it taste good, and incidentally the cat uses the same enzymes to digest it as they do starch. This is probably why they often like starchy things. Cats can and do digest carbohydrates, beware of any source that claims they do not.

So out of the canned foods at my supermarket, you’d think they all sound pretty similar with their protein ranging from 9-13% and their fat from 1.5-5.5%. But you have no way to compare them without knowing the moisture content.

If one diet is 9% protein, 2% fat and 80% moisture, then it’s 9% carbohydrate. If it’s 9% protein, 2% fat and 70% moisture, then it’s 19% carbohydrate.

Unfortunately, finding the moisture content of many of these diets is difficult. However, it’s not unreasonable to assume that cheap wet food contains a higher moisture content, as it’s usually the case. Water is cheap.

If you can get the moisture content, you can calculate the percentage of fat/protein or carbohydrate as a Dry Matter Percentage (what’s left after removing the water). It’s simply the nutrient % / (100- moisture %)

For a normal cat, we’re looking for a protein level that’s at least 25-35% of the dry matter, and fat that’s 10-30% of the dry matter, depending on its digestibility.

For reference, the Fancy Feast Originals can in this sample had 55% protein and 10% fat by dry matter, which is more than the minimum amount of protein, but that’s perfectly alright for a normal cat.

If you compare that to the ‘Gourmet Delight’ Natural Grain Free diet, you have to guess the moisture percentage. If you guess moisture at 80%, then by dry matter you have 45% protein  7.5% fat and more carbohydrates than the Fancy Feast had. If you guess only 70% moisture, and most canned foods are between 70-80%, then those numbers start to look even worse.

The fancy ‘Natural’ and ‘Grain free’ means absolutely nothing for the cats.

(The ‘natural, grain free’ dies even specifies ‘no nasty byproducts’ on the tin and the website is full of dumbed-down myths to sell you your food. Also check out the people listed as answering their FAQs, I can’t even tell whether they’re vets or not. No ‘Dr’ or qualification, and not easy to Google.)

You would think cheap cat food is going to be poorer quality than expensive cat food, but especially in the case of the Grain Free trend, it’s not always the case. This is because if something is more expensive, it is often perceived as better by consumers, even if it is really not, so the manufacturer can hike the price up a bit freely

So after you’ve decided whether the diet has enough protein, enough fat, and meets suitable nutritional guidelines like AAFCO, then you look at what the ingredients actually are. Most meats are going to be around 90% digestible and usable by the cats, while vegetable proteins are only 40-50% useful at all. So if the diet has a lot of high protein vegetables, that protein percentage may be artificially elevated and not utilized well by the cat’s metabolism.

I’m not going to talk about grain free versus not, because the vast majority of the time it makes no difference to the cat and is simply a personal choice on the part of the human feeding it.

Lastly, look at how much you need to feed to maintain a body weight. If the food doesn’t tell you the moisture percentage, and doesn’t tell you the calorie content, it should at the very least have a feeding guide. If you need to feed twice as many packets of one food to maintain weight as another, then it’s probably either lower quality, higher fiber or higher moisture than another.

That said, you might want a lower calorie food or a higher moisture food to help a cat feel full while losing weight, or to improve stool quality. That’s ok, pick something that suits your purpose.

With me all the way to the end? Well done. Crack out a biscuit to have with your tea.

TL:DR:

You wont find all the nutritional info you need on the packet

Check the protein and fat levels

Check whether it’s a complete diet, (eg AAFCO standard) or a ‘Complementary food’

Make sure it’s got meat/fish

And this rather long post is the simplest I can make cat wet food for you.

(Oh, and if you have something to add to the conversation, please do so in a reply or reblog. Random anecdotes sent to the ask box will not be published to keep the topic all in one place)

Excellent Quality Pet Food

Excellent Quality Pet Food

 Every pet fanatic want to supply their canine the greatest food. Nevertheless, there is actually a frustrating number of pet food on the marketplace. Our team are certainly not even sure if the information supplied on the labels as to the nourishment they provide are. The canine food that possesses the finest is actually true food items. Kibble or even tinned foods for canines are actually invented for guy's ease yet are the best typical food that individuals nourish their pet dogs along with. These folks think that dogs are suppose to eat "pet dog meals"; but the truth is the best meals to supply pets are actual food that includes cooked or raw diet. Raw Dog Food

The reason they consider this is actually that lots of people are without time as well as proper know-how on exactly how to accurately prepare well balanced meals for their canines yet still would like to provide premium quality food.

 For folks that can afford to get the finest canine food items, there are genuine food diet plans available for canines. High quality true canine food can be purchased in prepacked foods. They often are jam-packed raw and comes frosted or even freeze dried. These prepacked first class pet foods are actually much better than home-prepared food items considering that they are research-based to comply with the nutritional requirement of your beloved dog. The rate you possess to pay out for this kind of pet food items is daunting.

 It holds true that well-nourished canines possess much less check outs to veterinarians because they perform not deal illness usually. These packaged dog meals give excellent health and nutrition for pet dogs, taking note of your canine's calorie and also electricity demand, however certainly not everyone can easily afford it. Hereof, it is best to prepare pet dog dishes in the home or even go with kibble or tinned meals. There are actually likewise high quality kibble or tinned foods. Even those that nourish their pet dogs along with actual food have these for unexpected emergencies as well as travel.

 Premium meals for pets is actually produced with actual, whole, familiar substances. Pork meal details for pet dog diet plan should be the cornerstone for your pet food items considering that they provide top notch protein. You can easily pick from beef, chicken, chicken, or even duck for this. Fruits as well as veggies should additionally be featured in your household pet's diet plan. The minimum ingredient to consist of are actually grains if they exist in all.

 The most effective pet meals could be found in grocery store and also vet workplaces. But it does not mean that every meals for canines in these outlets are actually of first class. It is a need to that before purchasing any type of food for your pet, study initially on its own materials since what they are actually crafted from are going to be what your are to supply your dog.

 Opt For the Best Dog Food For Your Dogs

 Caring dog proprietors strive to give the very best dog food to their pet dogs. Along with all the products in the market, it can easily be actually a difficulty to locate one that is actually suitable for your pooch. Even if you do research, you can still find yourself empty handed on the choice on which the most ideal canine food results from clashing relevant information about dog health and nutrition and also wellness.

 But pets are actually much like people and also various other pets whose ideal meals to consume is real meals. Lots of misconstrue canine pet food as the only sort of food items that their dog canines should consume. This is mistaken because pet meals was actually created the benefit it carries. True meals for pet dogs can be prepared or even raw relying on the desire of your dog.

 Today, nonetheless, pet dog managers simply don't have the moment to prepare their canine's dishes. They still prefer their pet dogs to acquire the best canine food items achievable. For those who can afford it, there is really true food for pet dogs offered available.

 These foods are kept in different compartments and may be utilized to personalize a food plan for a pet dog. Unlike homemade meals, genuine foods for canines that may be acquired are actually uniquely produced to meet your canine's nutritional needs. This sort of pet food is definitely the greatest yet it can be quite costly.

 This is the reason why many pet proprietors like to obtain kibble or tinned food for their pet dogs. Out there, you can anticipate to find premium kibble and tinned pet dog meals. Those who feed their pet dogs with genuine food may likewise benefit from tinned meals or kibble during the course of travel and also emergency situations.

 To choose the ideal pet food items, kibble or tinned, you have to check out its elements list. Your pet dog food ought to possess specific and identifiable active ingredients. Using spin-offs is a major off-limits. The most ideal food needs to have a certain pork or even pork food as its main ingredient. Added ingredients that comprise the most ideal canine meals include veggies, fruits, as well as a very little quantity of surface. Need to your dog meals usage chemicals, make certain it is in the kind of all-natural Vitamin E or Vitamin C.

 Although you can easily acquire household pet food in your food store, it is actually certainly not automatically the best food for canines out certainly there. A number of the most ideal household pet meals may be found at veterinary facilities, feed establishments, and health food stores. As a pet manager, you possess the accountability of researching the label you want offering to your canine. It doesn't always observe that if you purchase pet food items from a feed shop, it is the most effective presently. You must take a hand in choosing the greatest food for your canine.

 Great pet food items manufacturers are going to likewise ensure that their consumers' issues are attended to properly and also quickly. If you are not sure about your option, you can easily consistently phone all of them and also inquire about their items. They will definitely be greater than about to aid you with your issue.

 How to Compare Dog Food

 Just before I explain how to contrast pet dog food items, permit me explain an honest truth concerning food and also wellness that is true for each pets and human beings. All meals can easily drop along a continuum of 'raw' on one point as well as 'processed' on the various other. The even more processed a meals is, the worse it is actually for our wellness, time frame. The most ideal meals you might organize your canine is actually house made food items making use of fresh all natural substances.

 Right now, our team can not prepare this sort of meals everyday. Our team do not have the funds or even the opportunity. However regardless, you must be aware of the truth and what you are performing to you and also your canine along with your diet plans. You can relate pet meals up until you are blue in the skin, but the greatest commercial dog food items will not hold a candle to homemade meals.

 How To Compare Dog Food - The Meat

 All canine office dog food could be divided in to two classifications: those that make use of meat spin-offs as well as those that utilize meat product.

 What Are Meat By-Products?

 Regretfully, meat byproducts are actually generally every thing that has actually been considered inadequate for individual consumption. This stuff needs to truly be thrown away. As an alternative, it is utilized to generate dog meals and it is actually felt to become a significant source responsible for persistent health condition in pets. Pork byproducts can easily even consist of unhealthy pork, ground up bone tissues as well as also canine and feline components. When contrasting canine food items, the first step is actually to weed out any type of brand name that utilizes meat spin-offs. Stick to the labels that utilize true pork, the pork that human beings may eat.

 Grains

 To appropriately contrast canine food items you need to have to next review the grain content of the product. So as to lower prices, lots of commercial pet dog meals firms load up their foods items with corn food and various other grain. These components are actually cheap fillers. They are actually certainly not good for your pet dog. High grain diet plans are actually thought to be actually partially responsible for severe disease in both people and family pets. Even more significantly, they do not consist of the nutrients your pet needs to have.

 Seek pet dog meals that contain only entire grain. Surface must certainly not be the very first active ingredient on the bag. Real chicken or beef ought to be actually the initial element.

 How To Compare Dog Food -Organic Or Even Not?

 There are actually some lawful loop openings that allow commercial canine food firms to put the 'natural' label on their product. When I view the organic tag, I am actually questionable. Search for real pork as the very first ingredient and also entire grain.

 Vitamins and Minerals

 Any type of refined food items is visiting want of proper levels of nutrients. Handling meals bits out minerals and vitamins. It's simply the technique it is actually. To precisely review canine food, the final point you must take into consideration is actually nutrient fortification. Without this, your dog will definitely certainly not be receiving adequate nutrients.

 Genuine Dog Food - 10 Benefits For You as well as Your Dog

 Since the mid 1990's, the titan, multi-billion buck animal food field has been under examination. Writers including Ann Martin, in her book "Food Pets Die For" have actually exposed the price our family pets are actually purchasing us to satisfy our own selves along with the ease of refined, packaged, "artificial" meals for our pets. Especially, considering that the family pet food recall in March 2007, individual peace of mind in manufactured canine food items has actually been shaken, as well as numerous pet owners have actually sought alternative techniques to supply their family pets.

 For anyone that is still attempting to determine regardless if to provide true dog food items a shot, right here are 10 advantages that you may anticipate when you cease nourishing your dog on refined processed food.

 You save cash

 Sourcing low-priced substances like low-priced decreases of chicken and new vegetables in period and also developed locally can work out less expensive than paying for supposed exceptional brand, refined pet food items. Not just that, given that your dog is healthier, you have actually lessened veterinarian expenses.

 Your dog's energy levels will strengthen

 You will certainly see his energy degree rise as his overall health boosts if your pet dog has actually been actually lethargic.

 Calmer actions from quick-tempered pets

 It's accurate: worried or quick-tempered canines are very likely to become extra loosened up when food colouring and other chemicals are taken out coming from their diet regimen.

 Enhanced physical body condition

 As their vitality enhances and also they spend much more electricity, obese canines drop weight when the carbohydrate part of their diet is actually lowered. Lean canines gain muscular tissue with the take advantage of premium protein and also body fat.

 Naturally well-maintained pearly whites and new smelling breathing

 Synthetic meals that stays their teeth is actually the primary root cause of unsatisfactory gum and also dental wellness in dogs. When your pet is given entire chunks of raw pork to eat, there is actually a favorable, technical massaging effect on the gum tissues as well as pearly whites, which stops cavity enducing plaque accumulate.

 Enhancement in skin layer and also fur

 As soon as your pet's unit no more needs to battle with an overload of carbohydrates, indigestible filler substances, poor quality fats and toxic chemical additives, scratchy "hotspots" in the skin layer vanish. Better quality excess fats and oils advertise a smooth, shiny coat.

 Decrease in tightness, agonizing joints as well as inflamed digestive tract illness

 A lot of surfaces present pet dog food items are the root cause of uncomfortable inflammatory reactions. It prevails for these concerns to disappear when you are feeding genuine food and effortless to identify the perpetrator if they proceed.

 Elimination of doggy BO

 Yes, your pet dog's health are going to boost greatly. Well-balanced pet dogs do not scent!

 Smaller sized, less offensive stools

 Pets are actually much more quickly able to effectively digest genuine meals, thus there's certainly not a lot waste item (less for you to get!). The stools are not virtually therefore stinky since the food has actually been actually correctly digested.

 You recognize what your canine is actually reaching eat

 With all the negative attention there has actually been over pet meals lately, it's wonderful to be 100% certain that what your dog is eating is risk-free. You understand, considering that you sourced the authentic substances.

 Dog Nutrition - Homemade Dog Food Saved My Dog's Life

 What is actually "Real Food" for canines? Is there one more kind? Well yes, in my view of canine nourishment, there is. To put it merely, if you may creatively identify the food items or it is actually personal elements, it is true meals. If it is actually in a packet or even a can and the components bear no tangible resemblance to the substances envisioned on the tag, at that point it's most likely not real, or even in other words, it's what I name "artificial food items."

 Actual food items conserved me coming from having my pet dog, Sky, took down. It is actually correct. In advanced 2006, Sky was actually visibly outdated, stiffened, stiff in one shoulder and unwilling to relocate, revealed no passion in lifestyle and spent 23 hrs a time resting. She had even begun saturating her bedroom in inclination to making the effort to go outdoors. Counting on my fingers, I realized she was 14 years of ages! The amount of time every canine owner fears was actually upon me. It was opportunity to mention farewell. I couldn't bear it! She had been a part of the family for so long; she had been my comfort in numerous hard times.

 That evening, as if she reviewed my notions, Sky declined her costs label pet dog cookies, especially formulated for elderly pets. I offered her a section of the family members meal, which was actually beef covered dish and also vegetables, as well as she ate everything up. I chose that if her times were numbered, it really did not matter what she ate, so I proceeded discussing family members dishes with her while I postponed concerning her last visit to the Vet.

 6 weeks later, it was actually Christmas opportunity; family members that had actually been overseas came house to go to. My little girl mentioned straight away that Sky was actually looking excellent. "What have you been actually finishing with her?" she talked to. "Have you discovered a wonder medicine?"

 Without assuming, I reacted "Absolutely no, I've been feeding her along with genuine meals."

 Consequently, the expression "actual canine food" in our household was actually birthed. Our experts still have Sky after eighteen months. She is actually 16 years old, however she is actually as energised and also energetic as she was 10 years ago, although she is actually almost quick sufficient any more to record rabbits. I am actually still supplying her true dog food items; without a doubt, I would never ever once more subject a dog or kitty to food coming from a packet or can - what I name artificial, or junk food for pets. I make all Sky's food myself, using human grade substances suited for dogs. I discover it no more costly than supplying her the supposed fee pet meals I used to provide her. It is no trouble to prepare her homemade canine meals while preparing food items for the remainder of the family members.

 Are Actually Dog Food Comparisons Tricking You?

 Are you looking for a real pet meals comparison? Performed you understand that mostly all evaluation internet sites are simply pet dog meals firms camouflaged as a "depended on resource" when actually they are actually merely making an effort to sell you their brand of meals.

 Do you desire to risk your dog's wellness or even their life based upon what a phony customer review website needs to point out? Obviously you do not! You must do your investigation incredibly meticulously!

 Therefore just how perform you recognize if what you are reading is actually a real comparison?

 Listed below are actually the best five indications that you know a genuine evaluation:

 1. The site you know is actually not attempting to market you pet food.

 Because if they are attempting to sell you their brand of food they are actually possibly certainly not going to be unprejudiced they are just publicizing their label, this is the very most significant sign.

 2. If you see advertisements for canine food on the website you are reading.

 If you observe ads on the website you are reading at that point chances are they are only wishing that you will definitely click among their ads and buy one of their companies of meals - once again this is actually just another advertising campaign to sell their brand name of meals.

 3. Real canine meals evaluations are going to have performed research studies on business dog foods items.

 A true study is going to provide you facts and also details regarding their results. Additionally, they will certainly inform you what is bad and also really good about the foods they reviewed.

 4. A genuine evaluation will certainly have the ability to call each and every substance.

 A great evaluation will certainly call all the elements discovered in each food they reviewed. They ought to tell you what the element is actually as well as why it is or is actually bad for your dog.

 5. Carries out the website you know tell you what to prevent as well as why?

 Excellent customer review internet sites will inform you what to avoid as well as why. They are going to inform you the reality concerning what is truly in each of the foods items they examined an advertisement will certainly not.

 There are actually 67 active ingredients commonly discovered in office canine foods items that are at times deadly as well as potentially dangerous to your pet dog! You need to do your analysis carefully. Do certainly not feed your pet another food till you recognize precisely what remains in the food items. Keep in mind - you supply your pet the same food every single time for his entire life so you would like to make certain it is certainly not filled with likely unsafe ingredients. The FDA does not manage dog food items. Only visualize what our food items will feel like if it was actually certainly not moderated by the FDA ?!

 Lauren Harrington is actually a pet aficionado and also incredibly zealous concerning teaching every person about the threats of office pet food items.

 Kibble or canned foods items for pets are actually devised for guy's convenience but are the most common food items that people feed their pets with. These people think that canines are mean to eat "pet dog food items"; however the reality is actually the absolute best food to feed canines are actually real meals that is made up of prepared or raw diet plan.

Ought to your animal food items use chemicals, make certain it is actually in the kind of organic Vitamin E or even Vitamin C.

 Although you can buy may food in your grocery store, establishment is not necessarily certainly not always food greatest food items out there. You can compare dog meals up until you are blue in the face, yet the ideal business dog food items will certainly not secure a candle light to homemade food items.

 I am actually still supplying her genuine pet dog food items; indeed, I will never once again subject a dog or pussy-cat to meals coming from a package or even may - what I call fabricated, or even junk meals for animals.