Looking for Quality Animal Proteins in Dog Food

In the first of our new series of tips on reading dog food labels from canine nutrition expert Tracie Hotchner, last week Tracie discussed the importance of simplicity and how simple is better when it comes to dog food ingredients. This week, Tracie looks at another important aspect to reading dog food labels: looking for good quality animal proteins.

Good quality animal proteins at the top of the ingredient list. If a protein source is named first in a food then that is insurance that good protein really did form the foundation of the recipe. The first words you’re looking for are specified proteins like “beef,” “lamb,” “chicken,” or “turkey,” meaning that they come from a source that is identified. For example, you want to see “chicken meal” not a vague general word like “poultry” (which could have a lot of “mystery bird parts” flying around in it!) In canned or pouch dog food you want to look for whole, fresh meats also from a specific source – whole meat like beef, lamb, venison, or Chicken.

Next week: Understanding meat meal

This Canine Nutrition Tip is from Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and award-winning host of Dog Talk® on NPR station WLIU. Canine Nutrition Tips are sponsored by Proportions, the whole food custom nutrition program for your dog. Visit www.Proportions.com to get a custom 2-meal trial for your dog, or to learn more about canine nutrition from the full Canine Nutrition University classes written by Tracie.

Author photo courtesy www.traciehotchner.com; photo © Ling Li

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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