dry dog food

Question
I have been running across alot of websites about commercial dry dog food that are killing peoples pets by there kidneys and livers getting toxins in them because of the dog food they eat. Is it true that the dog food industry is putting dead dogs and cats as part of the ingredients? I am really concerned about what is safe for my dog to eat. Could you please let me know what ingredients to look for and what not to get?  Thank you

Answer
Hello Tonia,

You are wise to consider the importance of education when making a commercial dogfood choice. While this is a vast subject and difficult to summarize in a few paragraphs, I can offer you some resources which may be of help.

First, this is the classic introduction to the problems with commercial dogfood; lengthy, but well worth a read.
http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1

Next, here is a short excerpt from one of my own seminars:

"Here is how I start looking at a  food, and I would encourage you to try these methods too.

1. Check through the list for any of the really undesirables - corn gluten meal, brewer's rice, BHA/BHT, anything unidentified  eg "animal fat" or "meat". The presence of one or more of these should rule that food right out, right away.

2. Evaluate the main ingredients, which are anything listed before the first fat source (not the first five, as is commonly thought).  You need to evaluate the quality of these ingredients and this can take some time to learn how this works. Briefly put, you want to look for;

- whole meat sources, specifically identified - lamb, duck, salmon, turkey, not by products
  or digest, or generic things like "poultry"
-  specifically identified meat meal is fine, it simply means that the meat has had water removed   
  and does not speak to meat  quality per se, only weight of this ingredient - foods that list for
   example,  "lamb meal" as a first  ingredient may
  actually contain more meat protein than one that simply says "lamb" since meal is more  
  concentrated with water removed
- specifically named fats and oil sources - chicken fat, sunflower oil as opposed to "animal fat" or  
 "vegetable oil"
- an Omega 6:3 ratio of anywhere from 7:1 to 5:1 - but you can always add more fish oils if the ratio
  is the only thing you don't like about a food
- carbohydrates are not all evil as some suspect, but the type, amount and quality will all be  
 important considerations in choosing a food. Look for lower or non gluten grains like rice and
 seeds such as quinoa and amaranth, also white and sweet potato as healthier alternatives to   
 wheat, oats, barley and sorghum. You want whole unprocessed grain as much as possible since
 processing removes a lot of nutrient value. Grain should not be a main protein source as amino
 acids from grain are of a much lower biological value for the carnivore..and this will mean that the
 amount of crude protein stated on the label may well be much lower in the dog's system, resulting  
 in less than optimal nutrition.
-appropriate nutrient content for your individual dog - is your dog arthritic? Best to avoid white  
potato. Do you have a Giant breed puppy? There are excellent new foods that are formulated with  
what we currently know about minerals, fats and energy for these unique dogs. And so on.

-  Avoid corn, corn gluten, middlings, or any type thereof  or wheat, soy or sorghum as main
  ingredient - ditto for soy

These are a few important guidelines, to help you choose a diet or several types to use as staple foods, not intended to be comprehensive here, but a list of basic ideas."

Third, a lot of information on the recalls here:
http://thepetfoodlist.com/petfoods_pg1.htm

And lastly, my own discussion group ThePossibleCanine offers a wealth of archived information on canine diet and natural health, plus ongoing discussion with a team of experienced (and some trained) nutrition advisors.
http://groups.yahoo/com/group/ThePossibleCanine

I hope some of this helps, and I applaud your decision to start looking more deeply into this important issue.
Catherine