23rd March 2011
Here in the USA, the FDA (and other agencies) require that food labels list their ingredients by percentage first.
Well, cheap cat (and dog) food (Purina Cat/Dog Chow / store brands) are primarily made of corn. Corn is cheap for the manufacturer, and is a great filler. However, you're being fooled into thinking you're saving money, when actually, your pet is pooping any savings all over the yard.
You see, corn is indigestible, so your when you buy your pet cheap food, they're not getting proper nutrition, and the corn content causes loose, stinky stools in some animals. Since your pet isn't getting its required nutritional needs from a regular serving of cheap food, it has to eat more food to try to get to this nutritional level. This is where you're not saving any money - your pet has to eat more of the cheap food to try to stay healthy or you have to pay more money to buy supplemental nutritional edibles for your pet to make up for the nutritional deficiencies of the cheap food. Cheap food also has artificial colors that aren't allowed to be used in human food. This can manifest as a reddish tint in black haired pets.
Let's look at the ingredients in Purina Dog Chow
How about Purina Cat Chow Complete?
See any meat? Me, neither. "Poultry by-product meal" is all the beaks, spurs and pulverized bones left after the chicken is processed for human food.
Well, how do I know what food is good for my pet?
It's simple: Just read the ingredients. Higher quality food has meat as its primary ingredient. Really high-end food has meat as its first several ingredients (this is overkill for family pets, IMHO, and is pretty much only used by the folks who show and/or breed dogs professionally). Cheap food has "corn meal" or "corn" as the primary ingredient, followed by other low quality meal products.
Purina One is a good quality food, that's not really expensive, once you consider that Fido or Sylvester won't be eating it in the volumes they eat the cheaper food. You'll also notice that your pet is healthier and has a nicer coat.
Let's look at the ingredients in Purina One Chicken and Rice dog chow:
. . and Purina One Cat Chow (Chicken and rice):
You can see that chicken is the primary ingredient by volume here. It's nice to see the brewer's rice is the second most seen ingredient (brewer's rice is better for your pet than corn is)
So, think of your pet, and buy wisely (your pet will appreciate it).
Want to discuss this? Have a comment for the author? Mosey on over to the Novarata Forums and let us know what you think.
Well, cheap cat (and dog) food (Purina Cat/Dog Chow / store brands) are primarily made of corn. Corn is cheap for the manufacturer, and is a great filler. However, you're being fooled into thinking you're saving money, when actually, your pet is pooping any savings all over the yard.
You see, corn is indigestible, so your when you buy your pet cheap food, they're not getting proper nutrition, and the corn content causes loose, stinky stools in some animals. Since your pet isn't getting its required nutritional needs from a regular serving of cheap food, it has to eat more food to try to get to this nutritional level. This is where you're not saving any money - your pet has to eat more of the cheap food to try to stay healthy or you have to pay more money to buy supplemental nutritional edibles for your pet to make up for the nutritional deficiencies of the cheap food. Cheap food also has artificial colors that aren't allowed to be used in human food. This can manifest as a reddish tint in black haired pets.
Let's look at the ingredients in Purina Dog Chow
Whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), meat and bone meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, whole grain wheat, egg and chicken flavor, animal digest, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, calcium phosphate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, added color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, brewers dried yeast, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
How about Purina Cat Chow Complete?
Poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal, meat and bone meal, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, animal digest, calcium carbonate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, calcium phosphate, taurine, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, added color (Red 40), copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.
See any meat? Me, neither. "Poultry by-product meal" is all the beaks, spurs and pulverized bones left after the chicken is processed for human food.
Well, how do I know what food is good for my pet?
It's simple: Just read the ingredients. Higher quality food has meat as its primary ingredient. Really high-end food has meat as its first several ingredients (this is overkill for family pets, IMHO, and is pretty much only used by the folks who show and/or breed dogs professionally). Cheap food has "corn meal" or "corn" as the primary ingredient, followed by other low quality meal products.
Purina One is a good quality food, that's not really expensive, once you consider that Fido or Sylvester won't be eating it in the volumes they eat the cheaper food. You'll also notice that your pet is healthier and has a nicer coat.
Let's look at the ingredients in Purina One Chicken and Rice dog chow:
Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain wheat, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), soy flakes, soybean meal, animal digest, glycerin, calcium phosphate, caramel color, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, ferrous sulfate, sulfur, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.
. . and Purina One Cat Chow (Chicken and rice):
Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, fish meal, soy protein isolate, animal liver flavor, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, caramel color, choline chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, Vitamin E supplement, taurine, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.
You can see that chicken is the primary ingredient by volume here. It's nice to see the brewer's rice is the second most seen ingredient (brewer's rice is better for your pet than corn is)
So, think of your pet, and buy wisely (your pet will appreciate it).
