What about familiar name brands like Purina and Alpo? Are the premium brands that advertise specially formulated ingredients like IAMS, Science Diet, or Eukanuba really being truthful in their advertising claims? Will they qualify for the Top 10 Dog Food List? Are they really worth the extra money? Are generic or store brands suitable for a dog? We are now more aware than ever, with last years recall, that not all dog foods are created equal and even the higher priced brands should not be taken at face value.

Become an educated consumer and learn what a healthy dog food diet should be. Learn to read those labels!

In the research that I have been conducting over the last year, IAMS, Science Diet, and Eukanuba are still not on the top 10 dog food list. These three brands are actually poor quality food that sadly, are charging premium prices.

Pet owners beware. I have discovered that IAMS pays hefty commissions to veterinarians that are willing to recommend and sell their dog food to trusting dog owners. Personally, I don't want a vet taking care of my animals that cares more for the "almighty dollar" than the health of my dog. If your vet is recommending this dog food, I recommend that you find a new vet.

I have a friend who is an AKC certified dog breeder who was also contacted by IAMS and offered a substantial amount to advertise their poor quality dog food on her website. I am pleased that she politely turned them down.

When I first created this lens over a year ago, Dog Food Secrets
couldn't find 10 top dog food brands that qualified for the top 10 dog food list. They could only find 9 that fit the standards.

A year ago there were ONLY nine commercial dog foods that we would recommend. A few of the things that must match our criteria is that the dog food must be chemical and preservative free, they may not contain any animal by-products, and meat must be the first two ingredients listed, not corn. Corn is difficult for dogs to digest. Brown rice is better, however, beware that brown rice hulls are only a filler. See the difference?


They also must not contain any of these five ingredients:

1. Animal fat

2. Meat by-products and bone meal

3. Fish by-products

4. Liver meal

5. Poultry fat or poultry by-products

I know these ingredients sound harmless and they are meant to. They've been carefully named so as not to raise any alarms or suspicions when you see them on the ingredient list on the side of the can or on the back of a bag...

but when you know what they really are..

Alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear.

Any time there is a generic listing, steer away from the food. By generic I mean i.e. poultry by-product. It needs to specify what type of poultry. If it says chicken or duck, for example, you are fine. Poultry is a generic term to cover anything from turkey feathers to chicken feces.

Get this Confidential Dog Food Report as a Free Bonus when...Click here

Note:
Again, the answers to your dog's nutritional needs can be found at
Healthy Dog Food Diet and Are You Poisoning Your Dog?

Both of these lens that I have created will help you to recognize what is and what is not a healthy dog food and will help you to select the dog food that is best suited for your dog breed, the age of your dog, your dog's physical condition and what is affordable for your budget. You will learn the essential ingredients for your dog's optimum health, and discover the secrets that the dog food manufacturers do not want you to know. They will help you to decipher the ingredients on commercial dog food and keep you from being sucked in by the advertising hype.

Anyone that has read any of my Squidoo dog lens knows that I am a real advocate for making healthy dog food at home. I do realize that it is a time constraint for a lot of people so I often suggest to, at the very least, try to add some raw food to your dogs diet and to make at least one homemade meal a week.

Keep in mind that you can make a batch and freeze it so if you make one batch you might as well make enough for a week to add to the commercial dog food that you are already purchasing, and if you haven't quit purchasing IAMS yet, you should.

Anyway, I found some really neat videos on YouTube that are from the Expert Village website. They don't allow anyone to put them on their Squidoo lens or websites so here is the link to the YouTube page where you can select the ones that you would like to watch. How to Make Dog Food

I just found this blog post about the pet food class action law suit for the liability settlement of pets that had been harmed by last years contaminated pet food. I thought that any one that was personally affected by the contaminated pet food would be interested in reading this post.
http://www.petfoodsettlement.com/

I an very excited about this dog food. It is healthy, full of nutrients and free of grains, pesticides, preservatives and other harmful chemicals.

This information was recently posted in answer to Top 10 Dog Food and Health Dog Food Diet on The Healthy Dog Food Diet Blog by Jeffrey Brill, the CEO of the company.

"Paw Naturaw uniquely sources live animals for its organic meats as locally as possible from certified organic and documented family farms, humanely transports the animals to federally inspected processing facilities, processes the animals for human consumption, and produces each diet in its own, newly erected, USDA certified organic, FDA registered, manufacturing facility built to LEED green specifications in Lake Mills, WI."

To read the rest of the article:
The Healthy Dog Food Diet Blog

I went to the Paw Naturaw website and this is the list of ingredients in their

ORGANIC BEEF DIET

Ingredients: Organic Beef, organic beef liver, organic cucumber, organic broccoli, organic carrot, organic kale, organic beet, organic flax seed, organic green snap beans, organic bok choy, organic parsnip, organic safflower oil, tricalcium phosphate, organic beef hearts, organic blueberries, organic wheat grass, organic beef kidneys, organic parsley, organic cranberry, organic lecithin, sea salt, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, calcium iodate, and vitamin D3 supplement.

USDA Certified Organic Free-Range Beef - Each diet contains a blend of Grass Fed Organic Beef (51%) and Grain Finished Organic Beef (49%).

100% Human-Grade Ingredients

Bone Free :

1. While bone is considered a good source of calcium it may also double as a cheap filler ingredient added in some frozen raw diets in levels of three or more times higher than optimal calcium needs

2. Bone chips and fragments from dense bones such as with beef bones may be difficult for canines to digest, and in highly active or working dogs these undigested free floating chips could cause internal damage to the walls of the stomach.

100% Grain Free

Single Protein Source

Four varieties healthy dog food diets available:

ORGANIC BEEF DIET

GRASS FED, ORGANIC, BISON DIET

ORGANIC CHICKEN DIET

ORGANIC TURKEY DIET

To see the rest of the breakdown:
Paw Naturaw and click the link of the individual diet.

The company is also concerned about the environment which is an added plus! These are folks that not only care about the health of your animal, but care about the health of the planet too!

PLANET: Green Minded Pet Food

Environmentally Friendly Diets:

1. Contain meats raised in support of cruelty free practices and with biologically appropriate feed.

2. Support sustainable organic agriculture

3. Minimize use of packaging materials

4. Boxed in recyclable materials
5. Labels made of PLA (polylactic acid); a film made entirely from corn kernels

6. Solely support domestic certified organic ingredients.

They listed 19 more environmentally smart ways that they operate to conserve energy and protect the planet in their production!

I am giving this company a thumbs up for both the quality of their dog food and the quality and responsibility they take in their production!





Trade Up for a FREE Coupon

Simply peel off or cut out your old dog food label with the bar code attached and send together with your contact information (full name, mailing address, and email address) to Paw Naturaw, 911 American Way, Lake Mills, WI 53551.

When we receive your old pet food label and contact information we will send you an upgrade coupon for a chance to sample the finest food available for dog companions.
This coupon is not accepted with online purchases.

It has been almost a year since the dog food recall scare and I have noticed a lot more advertisements for "all natural dog food" or "holistic dog food" coming out and I thought that perhaps it was time to take another look and see if any of the well know dog food companies had smartend up and changed the formulas on their dog food.

First let me say that I order my dog food online and have it delivered to my door. I have several pets that have different diets because of their breed and their ages. I am not being paid to write this article or promote any of the dog foods listed in it.

I went to a local pet food store in my neighboorhood and started reading labels. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that some of the petfood companies had wised up and had come up with new formulas.

One company in particular, Merrick, has not changed their formula, but does make a high quality dog food that really impressed me as it does qualify for the top 10 dog food list. I like it the best for a commercial, over the counter dog food. When I got home with my list several hours later (this store is a large store and had a lot of different brands of dog food) I looked the company up online. The company has been in business for 20 years, and makes it's own, holistic pet food, nothing comes from a rendering plant or a dog food manufacturing plant. This is an excellent dog food. If you can't find them in your area you can visit their website. Merrick Pet Food They will ship free if you do not have a store in your area. (I am not an affiliate, nor is this an affiliate link. I am not promoting any of the food on this report. I am just reporting my findings, as I see it, for my love of animals and the health of yours.)

I still recommend adding raw foods and homemade foods to supplement your dogs diet if using this food.

Wellness and Old Mother Hubbard are still using quality ingredients and are a very good choice of dog food.

Purina has changed it's formula for the Purina Pro Plan "Select". They are using quality ingredients in this line of dog food. Do not get it confused with the other Purina Pro Plans. They remain just a good, but not great, middle of the road dog food that must be supplemented with raw food, homemade food and nutritional supplements. Purina One in a can was fine, but the dry was still middle of the road. Not the best, but not the worst.

Eagle Pack makes a very good dog food called Holistic Select, in both the dry and canned categories that I saw. Meat is the first ingredient and they do not use corn in their products.

Nutra Ultra is the last one that I found to be a high quality dog food, but again read the labels as not every single "flavor" in the canned variety did qualify.

IAMs, Science Diet, and Eukanuba still have NOT changed their formula. Corn is still the first two (2) ingredients, however, you wouldn't know it by their advertisements!

There are quite a few new brands with very pretty packaging with "natural", "organic" and "healthy" splashed all over the packages. They have beautiful, colorful images of meat, vegetables and fruit on the packages. NOT! Again, I just can not stress enough to read you labels! Meat must be the first two ingredients and dogs have a difficult time digesting corn!

I hope this updated report helps you to make educated decisions on how you feed your dogs.

Product Features

* Case of 12 12-ounce tubes of frozen, raw dog food (total of 9 pounds)
* Made of family-farmed organic chicken meat, bone, and organs
* Organic chickens raised on documented family farms in the continental United States
* Zero grains
* Processed in an FDA-registered and USDA/ MOSA-certified organic manufacturing facility built to LEED green specifications in Lake Mills,WI

Paw Naturaw Dog Food

Important Information:

Safety Information
Please handle raw diets with caution and care. Paw Naturaw diets should remain frozen until needed. To thaw before feeding, remove package from your freezer and store in the refrigerator overnight. Once contents thaw do not refreeze. Use all opened products within 3 days. Thoroughly wash and disinfect your hands and other surfaces after handling Paw Naturaw organic frozen raw diets.

Ingredients:
Organic Chicken and Ground Organic Chicken Bone, Organic Chicken Liver, Organic Broccoli, Organic Carrot, Organic Celery, Organic Apple, Organic Squash, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Chicken Gizzard, Organic Flax Seed, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Kelp Seaweed, Organic Chicken Heart, Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Parsley, Organic Cranberry, Organic Lecithin, Sea Salt, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, and Vitamin D3 Supplement.

Paw Naturaw Dog Food

Directions
On average, canine companions require roughly 5 ounces of Paw Naturaw diets per 10 pounds of dog companion's body weight each day or 3.2% of total body weight. Paw Naturaw suggests feeding half of this amount in the morning and half in the evening. Please keep in mind that each dog companion is unique. Breed, size, age, gender, genetics, physiological state, activity level, and environmental differences may require feeding more or less than recommended amounts. Feed puppies and lactating or gestating females 4% to 8% of total body weight. Puppies may require 5% to 8% between 4 weeks and 14 weeks after birth. After 14 weeks and through the year puppies may require between 4% and 5% of their total body weight. Divide the total feeding amounts for puppies into 3 or 4 meals per day. Feeding Paw Naturaw Diets as a Supplement: Add one tablespoon of chosen Paw Naturaw organic, frozen, raw diet per 10 pounds of companion canine weight at each meal.

Why Feed Raw?

Switching your dog companion's diet to Paw Naturaw, organic, frozen, raw diets often leads to revitalizing and compelling results, such as:

* Shinier, softer, and healthier hair or coat
* Brighter and clearer eyes
* Cleaner ears
* Improved skin conditions
* Freshening or elimination of bad breath
* Naturally improved and sustained hydration
* Stools reduce in size and become more biodegradable
* Energy and vitality increase
* Innate senses sharpen and tone
* Heart and muscle mass strengthen organically
* Immune system functions improve its ability to fight off diseases and infections
* Visits to the veterinary clinic may diminish as the body holistically corrects itself and may reduce medical expenses over the course of your animal companion's life

Paw Naturaw Dog Food

Do you have something on your mind about the care of your dog that has really been bothering you?

Don't put it off any longer. You can ask away right here, just click the image or click the the link, right now.

Ask Your Dog Question Here.

1. The 95% Rule:

If the product says "Beef Dog Food," 95% of the product must be the named ingredients. A product with a combination label, such as "Beef and Liver for Dogs," must contain 95% beef and liver, and there must be more beef than liver, since beef is named first.

2. The 25% or "Dinner" or "Entrees" Rule:

Ingredients named on the label must comprise at least 25% of the product but less than 95%, when there is a qualifying "descriptor" term like "dinner," "entrees," "formula," "platter," "nuggets," etc. In "Beef Dinner for Dogs," beef may or may not be the primary ingredient. If two ingredients are named ("Beef and Turkey Dinner for Dogs"), the two ingredients must total 25%, there must be more of the first ingredient (beef) than the second (turkey), and there must be at least 3% of the lesser ingredient.

3. The 3% or "With" Rule:

A product may be labeled "Dog Food with Lamb" if it contains at least 3% of the named ingredient. The "Flavor" Rule: A food may be labeled "Duck Flavor Dog Food" even if the food does not contain such ingredients, as long as there is a "sufficiently detectable" amount of flavor. This may be derived from meals, by-products, or "digests" of various parts from the animal species indicated on the label.

To Answer About Healthy Dog Food:
Healthy Dog Food Diet

Source: Animal Protection Institute

There are many pet owners that still just don't get it. Your dog needs to have raw meat at least once a week. If you have read my lens on Healthy Dog Food Diet you would know what the nutritional needs of your dogs are.

Some people think that it is too time consuming, you know, "too much hassle", to feed their dogs a well balance diet. These are the same people that are living on fast food, are over weight and don't give a hoot about their own diet, let alone a dog's diet.

Making food at home doesn't have to be a huge chore. It only takes a couple of hours to make up a big batch. This can then be frozen in separate containers and fed once a week at least.

Depending on the size of dog, it is so easy to throw together a couple of pounds of raw chicken breast with some left over brown rice (2 2/3 c.) with a tablespoon of safflower oil a little lite salt (1/4 t.) and the same amount of iodized salt. Mix it together with about 3 grams of calcium carbonate (regular Tums size) and freeze it in separate containers. Pull one out say Thursday night and by Friday morning it's thawed and you can feed it to your best friend Fred the dog.

What's so hard about that. You are already mixing dry with wet food any way. This isn't any more difficult. Our dogs need that raw protein.

Do you add a couple of raw eggs into the mix every now and then? No? Why not? Dogs don't get salmonella poisoning like humans do.

Are you adding supplements to their food at meal time? No? If you aren't feeding them correctly, you should be.

Take a few minutes extra to make a difference in your dogs health and the pay offs will be great. Your bud will live longer and you won't have to go to the vet as often.

"Discover The Nutrition SecretsThat Will Keep Your Dog Healthy and Disease Free For A Lifetime... and Add Years To Your Time Together"

This Is A Complete Toolkit For Dog Owners, Providing Information And Advice On Dog Nutrition, Things Every Dog Owner Should Know, And Nutritional Dog Food Recipes.

Do yourself and your dog a HUGE favor and give this gift to each other. You both deserve it!
Click the link below:
Heathy Dog Nutrition Secrets

1 c. oatmeal - uncooked
1/3 c. bacon grease, butter (or margarine if nothing
else)
1 T. beef bouillon granules (Knorr is fine)
5 1/2 c. water
1 T. garlic powder
3/4 c. powdered milk (health food store brands are
the best)
3/4 c. cornmeal
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 egg, beaten

1. Pour hot water over the oatmeal, bacon grease and bouillon; let stand for 6 minutes.

2. Stir in powdered milk, cornmeal and beaten egg.

3. Add flour, 1/2 c. at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Knead dough 3 - 4 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to make a STIFF dough.

5. Roll or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

6. Place parchment paper on cookie sheets.

7. Cut dough into your choice of shapes using a cookie cutter and place onto parchment lined cookie sheets.

8. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes. Remove from oven.

9. Allow to cool and dry out on wire racks until hard.

10. Store in air tight containers.

Note: I always use bacon grease and they love them.

60 Natural Dog Food Recipes
My Dogs Love Them!
Click Here!

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If you are sick and tired of feeding your dog the same old crap that you get from Supermarkets and Pet Stores then you will love this ebook. You can take charge of your dogs diet and make sure you only provide Natural and Healthy Dog Treats.

Just click on the Dog Treat Recipe link, and fill out the form to get Justin's FREE ebook and newsletter. Justin will email you about once a month with a free recipe, too.

My dogs love these treats and they are so much healthier because of it. Their coats are shinier and fuller than they have ever been.

Learn More Here...

The Dog Home Veterinary Reference HandbookYou will find everything from A to Z about the health care of your dog, but the best part is having the information you need right at your finger tips when there is an emergency.

Information, remedies, everything from Abdominal Pain to Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis can be found here.
Click This Link to get the special sale price. This complete informational handbook is a "must have" for anyone that loves their dog.

While you are there, read the reviews of other readers too.

Even at the regular price, this book will more than pay for itself with the savings you will acquire from vet bills and with the peace of mind you will gain from knowing you now have the knowledge and resources to comfort and care for your loving friend.

Read below what other's have said about Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.

Any one that is the proud owner of a dog really needs to become familiar with the ingredients that go into process dog food in order to make knowledgeable decisions as to what they are feeding their dogs.

Take a look at the ingredients on your packaged food and write them down. Then do the research so that you know exactly what the terms mean and what the side effects are on the animal that you love so much.

Dogs should be fed a combination of fresh and dried foods. The fresh food that is fed in the home is usually much healthier than the processed food that comes off of the shelf.

Fresh foods that are fed at home can include any type of meat such as poultry and beef, or even eggs. Foods such as cranberries and blueberries (or the juices); sweet potatoes or yams are also beneficial to a dog's diet.

Preservatives in the dog's food is usually not beneficial to the animals health; however, they are a necessity for prolonged shelf life. Manufacturers are required to make a profit so the shelf longevity is a must, for them.

Asorbic acid is a food additive that is used as a preservative that will not harm the dog, as it is only another form of vitamin-C. Many manufacturers will not use it as a preservative and will instead choose to use a less expensive method that can have diverse effects on dogs.

Dog owners need to take responsibility for their pets. They need to write down the ingredients that are on the packaging of the food they are using for feed. They need to do the research to find out what, exactly, they are feeding their animals and what the side effects are of the products their animals are ingesting.

Many dog allergies these days are are a result of the product the dogs are consuming. Skin allergies are very high on the list, as are kidney failure and cancer. These are all resulting from the chemicals that the dogs are being fed in the processed dog food.

Some premium types of processed dog foods will include essential fatty acids, carbohydrates with adequate fiber contents, vitamins like A, D, E and B complex vitamins; however, many will not.

Minerals such as zinc, are an essential ingredient to keep the skin healthy. Calcium, is another essential ingredient for both bone growth, and tonicity of the muscles. These minerals should be enriched in the processed foods; however, the cost of doing that is much more expensive and cuts into the bottom line profit.

Although it may be better for your dog's health, many companies will not add the nutritional essentials to the garbage they process as it is not cost effective!

As was already stated, write down the ingredients, do the research, and determine what your dog needs for optimum health and what will make your dog ill. The animal is no longer in the wild, responsible for his own survival. The dog is a domesticated creature that relies on his human master to care for him responsibly.

Did you know that dogs have a genetic lifespan of 27 years? Find out how you can help your dog live well into it's teens or 20's. Download your FREE copy of the Long Life Dog Book by clicking this link:
Download Free Long Life Dog Book

To see more cool dog food bowls Click Here ! & Scroll Down to Bottom of the Page! Any one of these bowls will make an excellent addition for every dog lover.

With all of the new technology in DNA testing it is now possible to find out what breeds your pup really is.

Mars Veterinaryhas developed sophisticated genetic tests that will allow pet owners, veterinarians and care providers to gain insight into the genetic make up of their individual dog.

Mars Veterinary will launch a DNA-based test that will analyze your pup's DNA against more than 19 million DNA markers across more than 13,000 dogs and 100 breeds.

They will provide a report between 2-3 weeks after a sample has been submitted that includes the dog's breed analysis and information on the appearance and behavioral characteristics of the detected breeds.

The following comes from Mars Veterinary website:

The first and only vet-administered mixed breed analysis test

Available September 2007

* Detects over 130 AKC-recognized breeds
* Proven to be on average 95% accurate
* Represents over 99% of purebred dogs
* Proprietary analysis of more than 300 distinct genetic markers
* DNA from over 13,000 dogs analyzed in the development process

Comprehensive results report to enhance owner and veterinarian insights

* Customized reports for each dog offer valuable breed-based profiles
* Helps guide owners' understanding of their dogs' physical attributes
* Provides insights about breed-driven dietary, exercise, and training needs