| How can we balance organic or natural foods with | | | | As a consumer trying to feed your dog good food to |
| chemicals and preservatives? It seems inescapable. At | | | | keep your pet healthy, surely you have noticed, or are |
| times I will play a game with food labels. I deliberately | | | | suspect that the labeling is not totally accurate. The pet |
| pick up a carton, read only the label and try to guess | | | | industry lists minimum legal requirements. |
| what food product is in the container. As I read the | | | | There are always two sides to the story. |
| words for the preservatives and chemicals that are on | | | | - The labels do give us part of the ingredients |
| the label the food is no longer recognizable. Have you | | | | - Companies do list meat, meat by products, corn, |
| tried this exercise? | | | | barley, rice, potatoes, dyes, preservatives and |
| As you read the labels on the dog food my main | | | | chemicals |
| question is...Where is the meat? And when I finally | | | | - Percentage of ingredients is better than not knowing |
| locate a dog food that lists meat first it is expensive. | | | | any measurement |
| The next question is...How much meat is in the | | | | - Regardless of what the large print on the package is |
| product? Maybe for you it makes sense but | | | | saying, read the small print. |
| percentages do not tell me anything. If meat is being | | | | - Name of company and contact is on the package |
| stored in dry form it needs to be preserved in salt or | | | | for more information |
| sugar which is not recommended for dogs or | | | | There is an old expression: if you want anything done |
| manmade preservatives and chemicals are added for | | | | right, do it yourself. Make your own home cooked dog |
| shelf life. | | | | food for your pet. Then you will absolutely know what |
| When you purchase your meats for your family they | | | | ingredients to put into their food. |
| are either located in a refrigerated appliance or in the | | | | Organic or natural ingredients or can be located in |
| freezer units of your grocery store. | | | | health stores. neighborhood grocery stores, produce |
| Do you trust a product to be natural because the | | | | stores, outdoor markets, or farmers markets |
| manufacturer states it on their packaging? After | | | | wherever you feel comfortable that you are getting |
| adding preservatives or chemicals to keep the product | | | | quality foods for your dollars. |
| fresh have you not defeated 'natural'? | | | | |