If you really care about your pet's health, wouldn't you only want to feed him/her the best of the best? Sometimes the labels of your branded pet food makes little white lies about what actually goes into your dog's or cat's stomach. Here are a few terms you should look out for the next time you decide on what to feed your pets!
1. "All-Natural"
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn't actually defined the term "natural. But if we follow the definition provided by Association of American Feed Control Officials, "natural" is defined as food that's derived solely from plant, animal, or mined sources, not having been subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives. Keep a look out for ingredients like BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) and BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole). Those are definitely preservatives and not natural.
2. "Organic"
Since regulations for food are still underway, the USDA's National Organic Program mandates organic-claiming companies to follow their human food regulations: the foods must have a USDA organic seal on the label and must be made of at least 95% organic ingredients. Unfortunately, the USDA seal is allowed on the label even if only one of the ingredients is completely organic and the others aren't. These foods also lose their nutritional value when they're cooked at high temperatures too.
3. "Corn-" or "Grain-free"
We have been scared into thinking carbs are super bad for us, hence the grain-free and carb-free food fads. That obsession has now transferred over into our pet's diets as well. In actuality, not all grains are bad and it's also pretty rare for dogs to be allergic to grains (disregarding intolerances). Just make sure that the first few ingredients that make up your pet's food aren't grain-based. Beware of those filler sources too, including corn husks and beet pulp.
4. "Limited Ingredients"
Here's another example of our diet trends making their way into our pet's eating habits. This food choice may be the one for you if your pet has some pretty severe allergies. But otherwise, examine the food label with a sharp eye. Ingredients like sweet potato or even bison sound good, but following them is a long line of supplemental preservatives to make up for any lacking nutritional value.
5. "Complete Nutrition"
The Association of American Feed Control Officials' definition of the word "complete" is the product contains all the nutrients dogs require. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the food sources are of top quality. The ingredients could be coming from low-quality proteins, by-products, and synthetic vitamins. The nutrients also might have been exposed to overprocessing and high-temperature cooking.
6. The actual name of the recipe.
Don't fall for super organic and healthy sounding brand names. As much as you would love to buy "Real Buffalo From the Mountains", there may also be a lot of other ingredients in the recipe that are much less appetizing than buffalo. Don't let those sugarcoated titles fool you!