Pet Food Information

A Letter from our President

Americans have imposed their poor eating habits and lifestyles on their pets, looking for a simple bag of food to pour into a bowl twice a day. Many pet food companies have been misleading the public by passing out flashy literature and developing clever ad campains designed to conceal the fact that the product being promoted is not nutritionally sound. All of the beautifully packaged, shiny bags with pictures of happy children and running puppies underneath phrases like, "He'll think it's bacon" or "Looks good enough for you to eat!" attempt, and in most cases, succeed at luring you into purchasing these low quality foods. With so many brands being sold from store shelves, different styles from wet, to dry, to canned, semi-moist, gourmet, organic, etc. and each of these items having a different price tag, and it's own level of availability, it's not hard to see why most pet owners shop for their pet food primarily out of convenience. In an industry that grosses more than $12 billion annually, it's no surprise that most pet food companies are interested in your wallet rather than your pet's health.

Most pet foods lose 50-75% of their nutrients during creation, meaning that if the ingredients going into the mix are bad to begin with, the end-result can only be worse. Many companies produce extruded foods, which create massive buildups in your animal's stomach causing an often fatal condition known as bloat. Other serious conditions, such as arthritis, allergies, digestive dysfunction, premature aging, to name a few are most often caused by a poor choice in diet beginning in the early years of your pet's life. Symptoms of such an animal barely surviving on their current brand of dog or cat food might include itching, development of hot spots or eczema. Your pet might have impacted anal glands, fatty skin growths, bad breath, loose or light-colored stools, and even an inexplicable aggression towards other animals.

Modern medical practices can easily repair, but never prevent. We and our pets are biological machines not designed to eat manufactured or processed foods, but unlike our pets, we get choose what is eaten. To feed our pets something that may actually make them sick is cruel and unusual punishment. It is important to keep in mind that the words "Guaranteed Analysis" does not guarantee that the product contains the amounts listed. because the label provides absolute minimum or maximum levels, which often differ from the actual quanities present in the final cooked product. AAFCO labelling guidelines require that ingredients be listed in order by physical weight. Meat products weigh much more than grains, so if a cheap grain like soy, wheat, or corn is listed first, the amount of meat present in the food is alot less than you might think.

The first ingredient in any pet food should always be an animal source protein. Don't forget, dogs and cats are carnivores and need the protein and fat from meat to survive. Meat should be specifically listed and the animal it comes from should be clearly identifiable and not listed as "animal" or "poultry." your label should never list ingredients called by-products, as these are left over "junk" parts of animals which contain no nutrients and only cause problems for you animal.

At Pet Lover, we do our homework and pledge to help you make sense of ingredients and product labels to find the optimum diet for your pet.

Our Level System

Dogs and cats are carnivores, descended from hunters of the the past. Accordingly, the best food our pets can eat is a combination of raw meat and fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately it takes quite alot of work and money to maintain such a natural diet, so we've generated our own level system to help you find the right dietary alternative best suited for your loved ones. Level 1 foods are generally formulated to provide dogs and cats with optimum nutrition and nutrient levels, whereas Level 5 foods should be avoided as much as possible.

Level 1: Contain no common food allergens or byproducts, and are highly digestible. Typically contain Probiotics added to food, though this is not a requirement. A probiotic is living beneficial bacteria (also found in yogurt) that are added after the cooking process too aid digestion. Level 1 foods provide the meat carnivores need without the unnecessary By-products commonly found in other commercial foods.

• Level 1 Foods Include: Avoderm, California Natural, Canidae/Felidae, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Halo, Health Food for Dogs, Innova, Merrick, Nature's Variety, Pinnacle, Solid Gold, Taste of the Wild, Timberwolf Organics, Wellness, Weruva

Level 2: Contain no common food allergens or byproducts, but not as digestible as a Level 1 foods. These foods may contain extra grain sources but will not include fillers such as brewers rice.

• Level 2 Foods Include: Nutro Natural Choice Lamb, Nutro Ultra, Premium Edge

Level 3: Contain 1 or more potential food allergens, but still moderately digestible.

• Level 3 Foods Include: Natures Recipe, Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Royal Canin

Level 4: AVOID May contain by-products, many potential food allergens, and preservatives. Level 4 foods may also contain artificial binding agents that harden stool.

• Level 4 Foods Include: Bil-Jac, Eukenuba, Iams, Nutro Max, Pro-Pac, Purina One, Purina Proplan, Science Diet.

Level 5: AVOID Long term exposure to these foods may possibly be harmful to your animal and could reduce a pets' life span. Level 5 foods meet minimum AAFCO requirements. Packaging is flashy and often misleading. May use ultra poor protein sources known as the "4D" (Dead, Dying, Diseased, Disabled). These foods contain many food allergens, byproducts, artificial preservatives, sugar, salt, and artificial colors. They may contain Meat Meal or Bone Meal and incorporate propylene glycol into the formula.

• Level 5 Foods Include: 9-Lives, Abady, Alpo, Cesar, Chefs-Blend, Companion, Cycle, Fancy Feast, Gravy Train, Kibbles'N Bits, Ol-Roy, Pedigree, Purina Beneful, Purina Dog Chow, Skippy.

What's in Your Pet's Food?

People read the ingredients mostly for themselves but not normally for their pets. Here are some key terms to consider in reviewing your pet food labels.

What's Bad?

Common Potential Food Allergens: Because the cost of meat is so expensive, many pet food companies instead make use of cereal grains to achieve proper protein levels for your pets. Unfortunately, a dog's body is not designed to eat grains instead of meat, and in many cases, after several years of exposure, their bodies will begin to reject the grains. Such rejection leads to symptoms like skin rashes, hot spots, excess shedding or hair loss, respiratory problems, and loose stools. These potential allergens include, but are not limited to: Soy, corn, wheat, and sorghum.

By-Products: Humans get the choice cuts of meat, but what happens to the rest of the animal? These parts are ground up, rendered, and included in your pet's food under the general term "By-Products." These can include anything from beaks, to feet, tails, eyeballs, spinal tissue, blood, and unborn fetuses.

Animal Fat: Fat is one of the essential nutrients key to keeping your dog or cat living long and healthy as it provides them with the essential long-term energy their bodies need to survive. When you see the word "fat" on your ingredients label, you want the source to be clearly identifiable, i.e.: Chicken Fat. You never want to see the term "Animal Fat" as this can come from almost any animal including dogs and cats!

Meat Meal/Bone Meal: This particular ingredient includesc denatured parts from mammals that are rejected for human consumption. The sources of meat/bone meal are referred to as the "4D" standing for "Dead, Dying, Diseased, or Disabled" animals. Meat from sick cows, or even that of animals that have been laying dead on a farm for days decomposing can be included in this category. Pet food industry insiders have admitted to using road kill in pet food, as well as euthenized dogs and cats. In order to sterilize this meat, government regulations dictate that it must be sent to a rendering facility. Here, carcasses are denatured using toxic chemicals and even carcinogens such as carbolic acid or creosote. According to federal meat inspection regulations, fuel oil, kerosene, crude carbolic acid and citronella are the approved denaturing materials.

Artificial Preservatives: To keep food fresh in a closed bag for over a year, it has to be treated with preservatives. The two most common preservatives are BHA and BHT. Animal tests have shown adverse kidney, liver, reproductive, brain, behavioral function, and allergic reactions to these chemicals. Many European countries have actually banned the use and importation of BHA and BHT because of the dangerous effects they may have on human and animal health. Propylene Glycol, often used as a form of anti-freeze, is another common preservative, most commonly found in canned food.

Salt: Heavily used to help increase palatability (taste) can cause hypertension, kidney stress, and colon irritation. A correct balance of salts is vital for survival, but excessive amounts can cause serious damage.

Fillers: Fillers, such as corn or brewer's rice, provide no nutritional value whatsoever, but they do prevent a dog or cat from feeling starved. Fillers aren't digested by the animal, but simply pass right through from one end to the other. To put it plainly, this means more poop.

What's Good?

Chicken Meal/Turkey Meal/Lamb Meal: The term meal refers to muscle or tissue which is dry and 50%-60% meat protein! In processing, these meals do not shrink below the grain weight, producing a true meat based formula for your carnivores.

Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids: Omega 3 and 6 are found in fish oils and vegetable oils respectively, and intensify the health of a dog's skin and coat. These acids can take a dog who suffers from constant shedding or hair loss, and turn him into a glowing champion.

Glucosamine & Chondroitin: The best way to deal with arthritis and obesity is to prevent them starting from an early age, and one way to do that is to supply your pet with a natural diet containing joint support supplements. Often found together, Glucosamine and Chondroitine not only make a dog feel healthier, but can prevent a future struggle with arthritis. These supplements, naturally found in animal cartilage, slow down enzymatic degradation of cartilage and stimulate cell regeneration, keeping your older pet going.

Probiotics: If you own a dog who suffers from chronic vomiting or diarrhea, his body may be stressed. When the body is stressed, every part of it is stressed, and when the digestive tract becomes stressed, many beneficial bacteria that line it are killed off by "bad" bacteria or antibiotics. Many natural foods will contain micro-organisms called Probiotics, or "good" bacteria, which protect the digestive tract from these harmful invaders, and ultimately aid in digestion.

For more information on dog and cat food, check out Do You Know What's In Your Dog's Bowl?, researched and written by our general manager Jeremy Plante.