Food is the foundation of your pet’s health. You can give your dog all the supplements you want, but if you’re not feeding him healthy, high-quality food that contains the necessary building blocks in biologically correct amounts, you can’t expect your pet to be truly healthy.
A decade or more ago, it was near impossible to find consistent sources of free-range, ethically sourced meats. Even if you could, they were too expensive to feed your pet on an everyday basis, especially when most people could barely afford 100% grass fed meats for themselves.
Thankfully, things have changed. Supplies are more plentiful and we have a whole new appreciation for clean food.
Today, many rightly view food as medicine. What you eat can make a profound difference in your health, and it’s no different with your dog.
After years of searching for the perfect ingredients, our team has formulated a balance of wholesome, ethically sourced nutrients to offer your dog the highest quality food. But before I tell you all about it, let’s take a look at why most of today’s pet foods may not be meeting your dog’s nutritional needs.
Today’s Pet Food Diets Ranked
With all the different pet foods available today, it can be difficult to know which one is best for your dog.
After taking a look at the types of foods being sold in commercial pet stores, I’ve created a list, from best to worst, to help you better understand how the quality of pet food varies drastically:
- Balanced raw, fresh homemade diet
Adding Meal Mix for Adult Dogs to ensure homemade raw and cooked diets are nutritionally balanced
- Balanced cooked, homemade diet
- Commercially available balanced raw food diet
Found in the freezer section of your small, specialty pet store
- Dehydrated or freeze-dried raw diet
- Commercially available cooked or refrigerated food
- Human-grade canned food
- Super premium canned food
Typically found at big-box pet supply stores or conventional veterinary clinics
- Human-grade dry food
The label must state human-grade so it won’t contain low-quality or rendered unidentified proteins
- Super premium dry food
Found at big box, pet supply stores and conventional veterinary clinics
- Grocery store brand canned food
Usually contain high levels of grains and therefore glyphosate and GMOs, and synthetic preservatives
- Grocery store brand dry food
Same issues as store-brand canned food and lacks adequate moisture
- Semi-moist pouched food
Contains propylene glycol, a preservative closely related to antifreeze
- Unbalanced raw or cooked homemade diet
While many of these types of foods may be convenient to feed to your dog, they don’t necessarily provide the biologically appropriate, food-based nutrients needed to maintain.
The Unsavory Truth About Low Quality Pet Food
Most owners have little idea of what they are actually feeding their pets when they buy ultra-processed pet food (kibble and canned food).
If they knew, they might think twice about buying it.
Low quality ingredients are essentially waste products of the human food industry and include the unwanted parts that are unsuitable for humans to eat.
These AAFCO-approved waste products come from various sources, including:
- Meat slaughtering and processing plants.
- Dead animals from farms, ranches, feedlots, marketing barns, animal control agencies and other facilities.
- Fats, grease and other food waste from restaurants and stores.
All of the ingredients are combined and put through a “rendering process” to make different types of meat meals, which are not approved for human consumption, but common ingredients in pet food.
First, the rejected tissues and approved waste material are combined in large containers where they are ground down to chips or shreds.
The mixture is then cooked at 220°to 270° F for up to an hour to separate the meat from the bone. The grease, or tallow, that rises to the top is skimmed off and added later as one source of “animal fat” you see listed on pet food labels.
Finally, the remaining product is put into a press to squeeze out all the moisture and to crush it into a powder. Screens separate excess hair and large bone pieces from the rendered powder.
Keep in mind, the pet food rendering industry exists for one reason only – to turn animal and food waste, not fit for human consumption, into ingredients pet food manufacturers will buy.
Is that really what you want to feed your animal?
As you can see, deciding what to feed your dog isn’t just about what you want in the food. It’s also about what you are trying to avoid.
Why Your Pup Needs Clean, Quality, Species-Appropriate Food
Most low quality pet food contains 30 to 60% carbs and other biologically inappropriate fillers. Even so-called ‘grain-free’ diets are full of potatoes and tapioca.
Just take a look at the first 10 ingredients by weight in one of the top-rated dog foods sold online, in big-box stores and even some veterinary offices:
Brewers Rice, Brown Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal Corn, Natural Flavors, Powdered Cellulose, Dried Plain Beet Pulp
How could these ingredients possibly meet your dog’s nutritional needs? They don’t, and here’s why these and other inappropriate ingredients shouldn’t be in your pet’s food:
- Rice, wheat, corn, “ancient grains” and tapioca are high-glycemic carbohydrates. Dogs do not have a carbohydrate requirement, so these fillers provide unnecessary calories from starch that your pup doesn’t metabolically require.
- Chicken by-product meal is not the same as whole ground chicken. Not only is it not approved for human consumption, it contains the rendered parts of chicken carcasses, including necks, feet, intestines and “unavoidable” feathers.
- Corn gluten meal is used to increase the protein content on the label and isn’t organic, so we can assume it’s most likely genetically modified and contains excessive glyphosate.
- Corn, corn gluten meal and wheat gluten are major sources of mycotoxins and aflatoxins that typically aren’t measured when included in pet food, and can cause acute toxic illness and cancer.
- Powdered cellulose is an inexpensive plant fiber that, in large doses, can inhibit your dog’s digestion and absorption of other nutrients.
Over the last century, the pet food industry has conditioned owners into feeding their pets a lifetime of ultra-processed, high-carb diets (the equivalent of fast food) that can only sustain life, and not without potential metabolic consequences.
Most dry foods on the market don’t provide healthy macronutrient ratios for dogs or cats because the bulk of calories come from inexpensive carbohydrates.
Because carbs aren’t nutritionally required by either species, their metabolic machinery functions most optimally when carbs are restricted to less than 20% of overall caloric intake.
High Standards Help Ensure Your Dog’s Food Is Safe to Eat
Safety should always be one of your top concerns when choosing a dog food. Unfortunately, with today’s commercially prepared, low quality pet foods, pet food that you can trust is becoming increasingly hard to find.
That’s why we’ve chosen to team up with a trusted manufacturer because we’re not cutting corners when it comes to your pet’s safety. Their four-point quality control standards are second to none:
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs): Written cleaning procedures ensure employees are consistently using the correct cleaning and sanitizing procedures, ensuring their product is produced in a hyper-clean and well-maintained production environment.
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs): This system ensures the product is consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.
- Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) Program: This detailed program analyzes their production process from start to finish, including raw material production, procurement and handling, manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product for any biological, physical or chemical hazards. Scientifically validated controls are implemented where hazards have been identified.
- Food Defense Program: This plan is implemented to protect their food products from contamination or adulteration intended to cause harm.
The combination of quality control standards like these with high-quality ingredients, including 100% grass fed beef and free-range organic chicken from small, independent Midwestern family farmers, organically grown vegetables and fruit, and high-quality vitamins and minerals helps ensure your dog receives food that is not only bountifully nutritious but also safe to eat.
Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée for Dogs of All Ages
Dogs do best when they derive the vast majority of their nutrient requirements from fresh, whole-food sources. Excellent quality meat that provides all of the essential amino acids and organic, fresh fruits and vegetables that offer the bulk of vitamins and minerals are necessary for your dog’s optimal health and vitality.
We have finally been able to source the raw materials for a species-appropriate diet for dogs that contains humanely raised and sustainably farmed ingredients.
In contrast to the popular low quality dog food that we just talked about, let’s take a look at the top ingredients by weight in our Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée:
Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Bone, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Spinach, Organic Beets, Organic Blueberries
Dramatically different, isn’t it? Instead of low quality mystery ingredients, it’s made with high-quality 100% grass fed U.S. beef and organic vegetables and fruit.
Our Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée is:
- Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, so it’s appropriate for puppies and any size dog, including small, large and giant breeds.
- Made with 100% grass fed beef humanely raised on Midwest family farms without antibiotics, added hormones or grains.
- Made with sustainably farmed, organic vegetables and fruit, including butternut squash, spinach, kelp, beets and blueberries.
- Fortified to nutritional standards using high-quality vitamins and minerals.
- Carefully dehydrated with state-of-the-art technology.
- Tested for quality and stability.
- Free of antibiotics, added hormones, grain, gluten, glycerin, sugar, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée is crafted to meet canine nutritional needs.
This grain-free and filler-free food can replace your dog’s current food entirely, or you can use it as a tasty meal topper, a nutrient-dense meal several times a week, or a treat or snack.
Add Variety to Your Dog’s Diet With Our Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrée
Our Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée is such a hit, we’ve added an additional canine-pleasing entrée to our line of dog foods.
Designed as a species-appropriate diet for all ages of dogs, including puppies and large size dogs, Healthy Pet Essentials Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrée is made with wholesome organic chicken, vegetables, fruits and superfoods, including:
Ground Chicken (including bone), Chicken Heart, Chicken Liver, Chicken Eggs, Green Beans, Red Bell Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Flaxseed, Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil and Kelp
Just like Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée, our Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrée is fortified to nutritional standards using high-quality vitamins and minerals.
This shelf-stable formula is free of grains, GMOs, soy and gluten.
You can feel confident feeding our Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrée to your dog or puppy. The first ingredient is real organic ground chicken, not the questionable rendered poultry or meat meals you find in many low quality commercial diets.
Stock up Today on Healthy Pet Essentials Dehydrated Entrées for Dogs
I wanted to create food that was not only nutritious and safe for your pet but also easy for you to store and feed.
Just add water, and our shelf-stable Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée and Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrée are ready-to-feed straight from the bag. There’s nothing to prepare or thaw. Simply add water, wait five minutes, stir and serve. These entrées don’t require refrigeration, making them perfect for traveling, camping and boarding.
Bark & Whiskers® Beef & Veggie Entrée and Dehydrated Free-Range Chicken Entrées are the perfect nutritionally balanced food you can feed with confidence as a complete meal, a nutritious topper or the ultimate treat. Order your supply of both today.