The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Hey Everyone!

We started carrying Nature's Select in 7.5lb buckets this week.  For those of you unfamiliar with Nature's Select, they make their all natural, holistic food in a plant in North Texas.  Doug and Danielle Magdych run the operation here in Northwest Arkansas and they are super knowledgeable about dog food and what it takes to make a great, healthy food.  Doug and Danielle will actually deliver Nature's Select food to your door, if you're looking for large quantities (like the 25lb or 50lb bag)  You can order from them at nsnwa.com or by calling 1-888-676-3692.  But due to the price of gas, it's hard for them to deliver the smaller size.  So they came to us and we are as pleased as can be to work with them.  We have their Chicken & Rice, Salmon & Sweet Potato, High Protein and Feline formulas in stock.

My favorite part?  The 7.5lb comes in a re-usable bucket!  How better to celebrate Earth Day every day than by reusing containers?  And, if you buy the 7.5lb bucket here and then bring it back to be refilled, you save 15% on your food.  It's a win-win! (Plus their food comes with a money back guarantee.  If you're not satisfied, you bring it back and your money is refunded.  That's confidence in the quality of your product!)

Danielle was also kind enough to share their "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" of pet foods.  It's a great reference when you're wondering what exactly is in your dog's food and why.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good
Lamb Meal: An excellent source of protein. It is great for muscle development & overall body maintenance.
 
Poultry Meal: A good source of protein and fat that provides the essential energy component, & provides the fresh meaty flavor that dogs love. It also promotes muscle, tissue, bone and teeth development. (Please note that poultry meal and poultry by-product meal are NOT the same thing!)

Poultry Fat: Makes pet food highly palatable. Poultry Fat is high in Omega 6 (3.4%) & other essential fatty acids needed to develop a healthy skin & shiny coat. It also provides energy, and acts as an antioxidant.

Rice: Dogs and cats can almost completely absorb carbohydrates in white or brown rice.


Oatmeal: Supplies carbohydrates and amino acids, and is a good source of fiber. It is also high in iron.
 
Vitamin A: A source of natural Preservatives.

Vitamin D: Helps in the absorption of the calcium.

Vitamin E: Helps to maintain a dog's healthy immune system. As dogs age, antioxidants like Vitamin E can help reverse the age-related decrease in immune responses.

Rosemary Extract: A natural antioxidant.

Thiamine Mononitrate: Good source of Vitamin B

Calcium Pantothenate: An enzyme for energy metabolism.

Riboflavin: Promotes growth & good metabolism.

Niacin: Form of Vitamin B that helps in digestion.

Vitamin B12: A source of enzymes that aid in proper growth.


Biotin: Strengthens the claws and keeps them from chipping and cracking.


Sodium Selenite: A source of selenium that acts as a biological antioxidant.

Folic Acid: Provides Vitamin B that helps develop strong claws.

Flaxseed: Excellent source of Omega-3 (0.5%) essential fatty acids, which help to keep the skin & coat in tip-top shape & maintain lower cholesterol levels.
 
Dried Whole Egg: High in protein with superior bioavailability.

Potassium Chloride: Plays a vital role in the osmotic balance between cells and body fluids. It is the water balance in the body.

Choline Chloride: Enhances digestive system in the stomach.

The Bad
Corn: Hard to digest & far less nutrients than in rice.

Wheat: The available nutrients from wheat are poor because of the digestibility of the grain.

Soybean: Contains large quantities of natural toxins or "anti-nutrients". (For more information on the dangers of soy, see Cary's article, "Soy and Dog Food".)

Corn, Soy and Wheat are three of the biggest culprits as far as food allergies in dogs. Itchy, red, flakey skin, a dull coat and intestinal upset are common symptoms of food allergies. Soybean meal, wheat, corn glutens, corn meal, whole corn, crushed corn and ground corn are commonly used for the protein content in pet foods and are generally poor sources of protein versus meat. Corn gluten meal or wheat middlings added to pet foods are the left-overs after the grain has been processed for human use, containing little nutritional value.

Brewer's Rice: The small milled fragment of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. It is a lower quality rice product that is missing many of the nutrients found in ground white rice & ground brown rice. It is basically a waste product of the alcohol industry.

Food Colorings: Food colorings are still commonly used in pet foods despite the fact that
they are not necessary & some have been linked to medical problems.
 
The Ugly
Chemical Preservatives: BHA, BHT, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive anti-freeze), and ethoxyquin are found in many pet foods. Scientific studies have shown
that these chemicals can promote liver disease and other medical problems including seizures and cancer.

By-Products: They can consist of the internal parts of animals such as necks, heads, undeveloped eggs, feet, intestines, lungs, spleen and liver and almost all the other parts not generally consumed by humans.
 
Animal Fat, Tallow and Meat meal: Processed dead dogs, cats and other animal materials, zoo animals, road kill and 4D (dead, diseased, dying and decaying) livestock by a rendering plant. These plants are depositories for restaurant grease and garbage, meats and baked goods past the expiration dates (Styrofoam trays and shrink-wrap included). In the United States these animal parts are denaturing before rendering with substances that include crude carbolic acid (a constituent of coal tar), fuel oil, or citronella (used to repel insects).
 
Animal Digest: Animal Digest is a cooked-down broth made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. There is no control over quality or contamination.