Is Your Dog Filling Up on Fillers?

You can never underestimate the importance of understanding the AAFCO pet nutrition standards and of knowing how to read dog food labeling when choosing a commercial diet for your pet. The AAFCO will give its approval to both low and high quality ingredients, and unless you know exactly what's in the commercial pet food your dog is getting, you might think everything is just fine.

But there have been problems with many of the lower quality dog foods and the ingredients that are used that have been brought to light in the early part of 2007. Speaking of problems with dog food will of course trigger the memory of the most recent devastating loss of canine and feline lives due to contaminated food.

Various dog food recall reports indicated the numbers of affected cats and dogs hit the 39,000 mark across the country. Animals became extremely sick or died due to the contamination of commercial pet foods with an industrial chemical – melamine, used to make plastics and fertilizers. This chemical was found in more than 100 brands of pet food that were recalled in Canada and the USA starting in mid-March.

The major culprit was identified as rice protein concentrate (otherwise called rice gluten), NOT brown rice. Then in June, concerns were raised about reports of acetaminophen (Tylenol) being found in dog and cat food, followed by salmonella poisoning in others.

The second chemical also found with the melamine was cyanuric acid - deadly when combined. Both were found in the cat and dog food recall in March 2007. Cyanuric acid is commonly used to slow the breakdown of chlorine in swimming pools and hot tubs. It has NO place in pet food!

It was speculated then (and some still hold the same opinion now) that those two chemicals were in dog food because it was a sneaky and unethical way to increase the reported nitrogen content. But the rice gluten contaminate with the melamine was simply what is known as a "filler>"

The dog food recall of those contaminated pet foods has done nothing to stop the use of fillers in lower grade commercial dog foods. Many pet food manufacturers keep their costs down by loading then with bulk which has absolutely no nutritional value. Your pet's food could one or more of a number of fillers, including:

• Cereal by-products 
  
• Cottonseed hulls 
  
• Citrus pulp 
  
• Peanut hulls 
  
• Weeds 
  
• Straw 
  
• Corn and corncobs 
  
• Feathers 
  
• Soy

These fillers are unfortunately used in the place of quality fiber, and can irritate the walls of your pet's intestines. Yet as food prices continue to rise, the use of fillers will undoubtedly continue so that dog food manufacturers can keep their costs down.

Even the meat meals which you might think are protein sources in your pet's food, if they are not of good enough quality, are nothing more than fillers. All the plant materials used as fillers carry a risk of toxic herbicide and pesticide contamination, and soy is one of the top cited allergens by veterinarians, which causes severe allergic reactions. Reactions can include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, hives, diarrhea, facial swelling, shortness of breath, swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, fainting, and anaphylactic shock.

Higher end brands of dog food, are products both devoid of any byproducts, and containing the healthiest choice of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

These nutrients are best when provided with a recognizable name and not some chemical number. Avoid obscure listings like potato product, rice or peanut hulls, and grape pomace. Look for something more recognizable than words that give you only a vague notion of what you are feeding your dog.

Diligence is required in avoiding these foods as many of them are masked with euphemisms and phrases such as “Moist, chewy” or “contains vegetables,” among many more.

Pet food manufacturers pay people good salaries to come up with the words which will entice you to buy their products. You need to know how to read the ingredients behind the descriptions, and decide if they really belong in the dish of your best pal. Don’t let your dog fill up on fillers!

Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling"Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition".

Visit the link below now for Sharda's Special  Free Dog Food Report.