| Commercial Foods |
Cattledog Dreams
Dedicated to the Care, Training and Placement of Australian Cattle Dogs
What to Look For
MEAT: Some form of meat should be the first ingredient on the bag. If it isn't, put the
bag down and go to the next. Don't settle for "meat meal" either. It must specify the
meat, like "lamb meal", "chicken meal", "beef meal" etc. Hopefully it will tell you the meat
meal is made from all muscle meat, but that is a rare find.
If the first ingredient is a fresh meat rather than a "meal" (bag will just say "chicken",
instead of "chicken meal" for instance), that is okay, but the next ingredient should be a
meat meal, not a grain, otherwise you are not getting a lot of meat protein in the bag.
That's because the fresh meats include a lot of water, and water is heavy. Since
ingredients are placed on the list by weight, the manufacturer gets "meat" credit for all
the water in the meat and is able to place it before the dry grain on the ingredient list.
WHOLE FOODS: If the first ingredient is a meat meal, the next ingredient can be a grain,
but try to buy food that uses whole grains rather than parts of a grain like "rice hulls"
"rice flour" etc. That way the grain adds the most nutrients to the food.
What to Avoid
CORN, WHEAT, SOY, YEAST, and (maybe) RICE: Avoid foods with corn, wheat and soy
products in any form. These three grains are common allergens for dogs. Even if your
dog shows no symptoms of allergy, these grains can lower their immune system and
cause health problems without you ever suspecting they are the culprit. Avoid them.
Yeast is also suspected of causing some problems, so avoid it too if you can. There is
also some indication that rice may be a problem for dogs. Time will tell!
MEAT BY-PRODUCTS: Avoid food with meat by-products all together if you can, and they
certainly should not be in the top five ingredients. Meat By-Products contain no protein
and are essentially what's left over on the slaughterhouse floor including feathers,
beaks, offal and such. Nothing particularly beneficial for your dog, so why pay for it?
INGREDIENTS YOU WOULDN'T CONSIDER EATING YOURSELF: If you wouldn't sit down
to a plate of peanut hulls, why should your dog?
MEAT: Some form of meat should be the first ingredient on the bag. If it isn't, put the
bag down and go to the next. Don't settle for "meat meal" either. It must specify the
meat, like "lamb meal", "chicken meal", "beef meal" etc. Hopefully it will tell you the meat
meal is made from all muscle meat, but that is a rare find.
If the first ingredient is a fresh meat rather than a "meal" (bag will just say "chicken",
instead of "chicken meal" for instance), that is okay, but the next ingredient should be a
meat meal, not a grain, otherwise you are not getting a lot of meat protein in the bag.
That's because the fresh meats include a lot of water, and water is heavy. Since
ingredients are placed on the list by weight, the manufacturer gets "meat" credit for all
the water in the meat and is able to place it before the dry grain on the ingredient list.
WHOLE FOODS: If the first ingredient is a meat meal, the next ingredient can be a grain,
but try to buy food that uses whole grains rather than parts of a grain like "rice hulls"
"rice flour" etc. That way the grain adds the most nutrients to the food.
What to Avoid
CORN, WHEAT, SOY, YEAST, and (maybe) RICE: Avoid foods with corn, wheat and soy
products in any form. These three grains are common allergens for dogs. Even if your
dog shows no symptoms of allergy, these grains can lower their immune system and
cause health problems without you ever suspecting they are the culprit. Avoid them.
Yeast is also suspected of causing some problems, so avoid it too if you can. There is
also some indication that rice may be a problem for dogs. Time will tell!
MEAT BY-PRODUCTS: Avoid food with meat by-products all together if you can, and they
certainly should not be in the top five ingredients. Meat By-Products contain no protein
and are essentially what's left over on the slaughterhouse floor including feathers,
beaks, offal and such. Nothing particularly beneficial for your dog, so why pay for it?
INGREDIENTS YOU WOULDN'T CONSIDER EATING YOURSELF: If you wouldn't sit down
to a plate of peanut hulls, why should your dog?
| Commercial Dog Foods Worth Considering Cattledog Dreams feeds its fosters Azmira - Classic Dog and Lifestyle dog foods supplemented with fresh and home-made foods (see Fresh Food page for recipes). We highly recommend this product line (which includes vitamin supplements and holistic treatments as well). Azmira is not generally available in regular pet supply stores, so if you cannot find it nearby, try the following local sources: Furry Family home delivery service to Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and San Ramon 925-218-0647 Holistic Hound 1510 Walnut Street, Berkeley 510-843-2133 Superior Pet Alliance 21970 Meekland Avenue, Hayward 510-581-2900 Rainbow Grocery Coop 1745 Folsom Street, San Francisco 415-863-0620 For Paws 2500 Deer Valley Road #1513, San Rafael 415-456-4685 |
How to Pick
A Good Dog Food
Picking a good dog food is as easy as
reading the ingredient bag!
Though Cattledog Dreams recommends a
home-made diet if you have the time, a good
compromise is a premium dry food
supplemented with fresh and home-made
food (as described under Fresh Food).
A Good Dog Food
Picking a good dog food is as easy as
reading the ingredient bag!
Though Cattledog Dreams recommends a
home-made diet if you have the time, a good
compromise is a premium dry food
supplemented with fresh and home-made
food (as described under Fresh Food).
| Other good products that you can typically find in quality pet supply stores are: Natura Innova and EVO Canidae Wellness - Super5Mix Steve's Real Food Nature's Variety - Raw Food (available frozen or freeze dried) If you have a favorite food you would like Cattledog Dreams to add to this list, please email the product information to jennifer@cattledogdreams.com |
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