Susan Bertram, D.V.M.
Decisions, Decisions
One can reasonably argue that we have too many choices when it comes to feeding our dogs. To simplify the process, first decide whether you want to purchase commercial foods or prepare a diet from scratch. Some things to consider:
Commercial Diet Pros:
Convenient to buy, store and serve.
Less time to prepare.
Formulations backed up by research.
Complete and balanced assurance (formulated to provide all the nutrients dogs need).
Economical.
Heat processing destroys food-borne bacteria in raw ingredients.
Commercial diet cons:
The quality of the ingredients is not regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the way human foods are.
Processing temperatures have been proven to damage some nutrients (such as vitamins) and these temperatures can denature (alter the chemical structure of) proteins.
Inexpensive ingredients of low nutritive value keep costs down. Examples are wheat middlings, meat-and-bone meal, rice mill end products and textured vegetable (soy) protein.
Concern about the quality of meat sources.
May contain artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin, which may be potential carcinogens.
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