[TibetanFan]

I'm confused about food because there are so many different opinions. So could you please tell me what the worst couple of ingredients are? What should I absolutely avoid when choosing a dog food - dry and canned -and dog treats. Thanks!

[RonE]

I try to avoid Melamine.

I also avoid dog food companies who have such poor production control that Melamine was included in their foods - even if was not among the listed ingredients.

That really leaves a small handful of choices - especially in canned and pouched foods.

[britishbandit]

Corn. Corn does absolutely nothing (nothing good anyway) for our dogs. And likewise with humans, it isn't digestible, comes out looking exactly the same way it did when it went in. LOL (sorry for the visual)

Meat by-products, meat and bone meal. Look for meat as a top ingredient as opposed to having by-products/meal.

Chemical preservatives. BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, propylene glycol, ethoxyquin....they can be harmful over long periods. Some are said to contain potential cancer causing agents.

Sweeteners (corn syrup, mollasses, sugar). They're usually added to low quality (junk) food to make it more appealing to our dogs. This is also why many dogs "prefer" low quality foods. Can cause obesity over long periods and has also been blamed for diabetes in dogs.

[BoxMeIn21]

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/how_d..._the_foods.htm

[meoakley]

CORN

esp. corn gluten meal

my dog is highly allergic

[TeddieXRuxpin]

Originally Posted by britishbandit

Corn. Corn does absolutely nothing (nothing good anyway) for our dogs. And likewise with humans, it isn't digestible, comes out looking exactly the same way it did when it went in. LOL (sorry for the visual)

Meat by-products, meat and bone meal. Look for meat as a top ingredient as opposed to having by-products/meal.

Chemical preservatives. BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, propylene glycol, ethoxyquin....they can be harmful over long periods. Some are said to contain potential cancer causing agents.

Sweeteners (corn syrup, mollasses, sugar). They're usually added to low quality (junk) food to make it more appealing to our dogs. This is also why many dogs "prefer" low quality foods. Can cause obesity over long periods and has also been blamed for diabetes in dogs.

Agreed!

I wont feed any corn or grains, by products, preservatives, or any kind of filler.

[flipgirl]

Wheat or soy is also a known allergen so I would avoid foods that contain these ingredients as well. Also check for hydrochloric acid - Kibbles and Bits contains this!!! Isn't that the stuff that dissolves the food in your stomach?

[MagicToller]

Here's another good listing of ingredients to avoid

Dog Food Project - Ingredients to Avoid

[AkiraleShiba]

Cellulose (wood), artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, grain or vegetables by-products (pomace, gluten, ...), unnamed meat products, low-grade by-products.

What to look especially for is "splitting" many companies are guilty of.

I.E. Chicken, brewer's rice, rice gluten, ground rice, chicken fat ...

First Chicken is inclusive of water so when processed it will probably move further down the list. Also the combination of the three rice products make it most likely the first product on the list.

Also on the guaranteed analysis corn and wheat count as proteins, although not very digestible for dogs. So be careful about where grains are in the list, the further down the best !