What's for supper?
The dog food quandary is a subject that I have tried to avoid but the current trends are forcing me to make some clarifying statements.
Choosing a dog food is one of the most important decisions you are faced with. My recommendations are not based on cost, advertising or palatability.
There are only two organizations that are interested in the nutritional value of the dog food you are buying AAFCO and WSAVA. Dog food companies are not required to seek their approval. Dog food companies are not regulated. Only a dog food company that voluntarily submits their data will receive AAFCO or WSAVA approval. VERY FEW manufacturers pursue the AAFCO statement on the label of their dog food.
Without diving into a huge discussion of studies, just reading the ingredients to analyze your choice of food is subject to misinterpretation of the nutritional benefit of the food. For example, a dog food that contains flax can use the nutritional value from the flax to claim it is supplying the very beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. The problem is a dog's digestive system is not proven to digest flax... so it just rolls through the digestive system with no benefit to the dog. This example is given as a very simple illustration. The entire scenario is much more complex and best left to the experts to sort out. This is why those of us who want the best for our dogs rely on AAFCO and WSAVA approved guidelines.
Choosing a dog food is one of the most important decisions you are faced with. My recommendations are not based on cost, advertising or palatability.
There are only two organizations that are interested in the nutritional value of the dog food you are buying AAFCO and WSAVA. Dog food companies are not required to seek their approval. Dog food companies are not regulated. Only a dog food company that voluntarily submits their data will receive AAFCO or WSAVA approval. VERY FEW manufacturers pursue the AAFCO statement on the label of their dog food.
Without diving into a huge discussion of studies, just reading the ingredients to analyze your choice of food is subject to misinterpretation of the nutritional benefit of the food. For example, a dog food that contains flax can use the nutritional value from the flax to claim it is supplying the very beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. The problem is a dog's digestive system is not proven to digest flax... so it just rolls through the digestive system with no benefit to the dog. This example is given as a very simple illustration. The entire scenario is much more complex and best left to the experts to sort out. This is why those of us who want the best for our dogs rely on AAFCO and WSAVA approved guidelines.
As another example here is a graph that is associated with Canine dilated cardiomyopathy. (DCM) is a primary disease of cardiac muscle that results in a decreased ability of the heart to generate pressure to pump blood through the vascular system. There is a strong link between DCM and the food the dog was fed. |