Get to Know 5 Common Dog Food Ingredients
Dog food products are made from a combination of ingredients that creates a nutritious meal for your dogs. Each ingredient plays an important role in meeting their dietary needs.
Get to know the 5 most common dog food ingredients so you know what you’re feeding your dogs.
1 – Protein
Protein in dog food comes from various sources. The most common ones include meat, poultry, chicken, beef, fish, gluten, and soybean meal.
Protein gives your dog amino acids, promoting healthy hair, skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. They also promote hormone production.
If you see the term “meat meal,” it means they are from animal by-products such as the heart, liver, or bone (usually from cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry). But they should never include animal hair, teeth, or hooves.
These materials may sound unappetizing, but they are processed to make them edible. Fat and liquid are separated from the meat and bones. Then they are cooked, sterilized, and dried. This process extends its shelf life.
Other protein sources include vegetables and grains. The most common ones are soy protein, gluten, and corn.
2 – Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins promote bone growth and energy production. They also prevent blood clotting and protect your dog from disease. Minerals aid your dog’s skeletal growth, muscle contractions, and nerve transmission.
A large percentage of dog food ingredients lose their inherent vitamins and minerals while undergoing the necessary processes of production. This is why dog food makers need to add vitamins and minerals to the product after being processed.
These vitamins include vitamins A, B complex (riboflavin, biotin, thiamine, pyridoxine), C, D, E and K. Some of these vitamins also act as natural preservatives.
Minerals added after processing the dog food include sodium, calcium, zinc, and phosphorus.
3 – Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in dog food come in the form of beans, rice, soy, oats, wheat, barley, and vegetables.
Whole grains and whole vegetables are the healthiest sources of carbohydrates because they go through minimal processing. This means they still have their natural vitamins and nutrients in place.
Carbohydrates give your dog energy.
4 – Fats
Not all fats are bad. In fact, they are an important part of your dog’s diet. Fats regulate body temperature and manage inflammation. Animal cell membranes are made of fat. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can keep your dog’s hair and skin healthy.
Fats usually come from fish, meat, poultry, vegetables, and flax.
Fats can provide your dog with two times more energy than protein or carbohydrates.
5 – Preservatives and Color
Most dog foods are made with preservatives to extend their shelf life.
Color is added to make the food appealing — not for the dogs, but for the paw parents who will pick the dog food product to buy. (Dogs don’t really care about the colors in their food.)
Tip: When you buy a dog food, choose one with an expiration date that’s at least six months away.