| ||
| ||
|
Best Pet Articles | |
|
|
|
Pet Food Label Secrets Revealed! Know What You Are Feeding Your Dog And Cat
Reading a pet food label, how difficult can it be? You just pick up your regular brand and look at the variety on the front, right? Not so fast! Reading a pet food label isn't as easy as you may think. It's not just ingredients and feeding suggestions. There's also a "secret code" you should know about. The code helps you separate the Chicken Formula from the Chicken Dinner and the Beef and Bacon from the Beef with Bacon. You may be thinking "Aren't they all the same?" and the answer is no. While pet food labeling is regulated at the federal level, some states have their own labeling laws. Many follow the Pet Food Regulations established by the AAFOC (Association of American Food Control Officials). The secret of pet food descriptions are dictated by four AAFCO rules... 1) The 95% Rule - The products that fall under this regulation have simple descriptions such as "Chicken Cat Food" or "Beef for Dogs". These foods must contain at least 95% (not including water) of the named ingredient. In this case, chicken or beef. If a food description contains more than one meat, poultry or fish ingredient such as "Chicken and Liver Cat Food" , then both ingredients combined must equal 95%, with the first named ingredient being the highest percentage of the two. The 95% rule does not apply to grains and vegetables, so "Chicken and Rice Dog Food" must still contain 95% chicken. 2) The 25% or "Dinner" Rule - If the named descriptive ingredient falls between 25%-94% of the total product (still not counting water), then the description must include a qualifying word such as "Dinner", "Platter", "Formula", etc. As in the first rule two listed ingredients must have be at least 25% of the total weight combined. So, "Chicken Dinner" only has to contain 25% chicken, while "Chicken and Liver Dinner" only has to contain 25% of the two combined. (Minimum of 3% of any named ingredient.) Unlike the first rule, the 25% rule applies to all food, not just meat sources. 3) The 3% or "With" Rule - This is where things get a little sneaky. Any ingredient on a label proceeded by "with" must equal at least 3% of the total weight (minus water). That might sound all right if the food is "Beef with Chicken" (95% beef, 3% chicken), but how does it sound in this form..."Dog Food with Beef"? Yep, that tells you that it only has to contain 3% beef! (Makes you wonder what the other 97% contains doesn't it?) 4) The "Flavor" rule - There is no percentage attached to an ingredient described as a "flavor". There only needs to be an amount sufficient enough to be detected by test methods. As you can probably guess "Chicken Flavored Cat Food" may contain very little chicken. In this case it doesn't even need to be chicken as we normally think about it, but instead can be chicken meal or chicken by-products. Premium Food - Looking down the pet food aisle you may be attracted to foods listed as "Premium" or "Gourmet". These descriptive words have no requirements attached to them, so while a "Premium" food may sound like it's higher quality food, in reality it doesn't have to be any better than anything else on the shelf. Now you know the secret of pet food descriptions and can be confident that the next time you're scanning the different varieties of food for your best friend you'll be able to tell the difference between "Beef for Dogs", "Beef Dinner", or "Dog Food with Beef". Jill Richards is the Owner/Operator of"Have Leash, Will Travel - Pet Sitting" in Aurora, CO and offers t-shirts, sweatshirts, and stickers to Pet Professionals, Animal Rescue Workers, Anti-Breed Ban/BSL Fighters, and Pet Lovers throughUSPetPros.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Meet Your Match boosts puppy love (and kitty love) by matching people and pets ... - Washington Post
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Love of Horses My love of horses began at the age of 11 when I worked every summer at a ranch. My twin brother and I would walk about ten miles a day in circles taking children on pony rides. How To Get Your Horse To Obey You and Look To You For Instruction In the animal kingdom there is a pecking order. Richard Shrake points out that it's a lot like the military. Quality Dog Food Is Essential For The Health Of Dogs Dog food is very important for the health of dogs. It is easy to overlook it, but it is essential to pick the right dog food for your pet dog. Broken Trust The large animal organizations and the public money.It is said that in America, anything the imagination can conjure upcan be attained with persistence. The Dreaded Vet Visit: 5 Ways to Comfort Your Dog Uh-oh, it's that time again. The dreaded vet visit, and Barkley will be whimpering all the way. How to Start a Pet-Sitting Business Everyday someone asks me, "How do you start a pet-sitting business?" I try to answer their question succinctly. But the truth is, starting a pet-sitting business, or any business is not always a succinct process. How to Train Your Puppy to Sit Bringing home a new puppy, ushers in a wave of joy and excitement in the old and young alike. The innocent eyes and cute antics of this new member of the family immediately starts attracting a lot of love and affection from all quarters. The Background and Use of Clicker Training For Dogs Presently, and throughout the 1990s a phenomena swept through the dog-lover's community. It was called "Clicker Training," and was implemented to teach dogs (along with horses and cats) that certain behaviors would be awarded, while others were not. Pet Identification Tags And The Internet The greatest fear of most pet owners is that there is a chance the family pet will get lost, and not be returned. But many of these same pet owners fail to take the necessary precautions needed to safeguard their pets. How to Choose the Right Bird Cage If the "tweet, tweet" of little beaks is in your future, bird cages are undoubtedly on your mind. Bird cages are available in every price range. Puppy Training that is Safe for Your Puppy Puppy training can and should begin the day you bring your puppy home, but only if it's approached in a safe manner for your puppy and his sensitivities. Housetraining your puppy can be a rewarding and non-stressful experience when you shape behavior from a series of positive experiences, instead of attempting to correct unwanted behaviors before your puppy has a chance to learn what you DO want. Why Should We Get Kittens as Pets? Kittens are and have always been adorable creatures. Of course, these youngsters are also playful, naughty and mischievous as well. Kids and Pets, Will it Work? How can my child benefit from having a pet?1.Social skills and self-esteem. Ten Tips for Cats Who are Forced to Relocate with Their Owners For realistic tips for humans who are moving with cats, read Making the Big Move: How to transform relocation into a creative life transition and visit other relocation resources on this site.1. Down On The Farm As I listen on my long drive to my grandpa's farm, I begin to hit that little corner that always takes me back in time. I now live in town or the city, but my roots run deep, back in time I go to that little community I once lived in, where I grew up, where I was raised. How To Choose A Dog - There Is A Lot To Consider, But A Lot Of Help Too Choosing a dog is a fun adventure. The search for a new familial addition is exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Biting & Nipping Behavior Can Kill Your Dog! Dog bite injuries are alarmingly the most common condition that we human suffer from as a result of contact with dogs. In the United States alone, there are between 1-2 million people bitten by dogs each year. How To Find a Lost Cat Losing your cat is a worrying experience, use these 'How to find a lost cat' steps, and try to stay calm. Remember that most lost cats have not run away from home, we all know about cats and curiosity. How To Be A Good Pomeranian Dog Owner Opening your heart to a Pomeranian can be fun, but you must be willing to take on the responsibility of dog ownership. When you become a Pom owner, it's up to to do everything in your power to make your pet's life a happy one, the proper care, environment and companionship. Providing The Best Care For Your Goldfish Goldfish care is critical for the health of your goldfish. Unfortunately, goldfish are very vulnerable to disease, with young goldfish even more so.
|
| home | site map | SubArticle |
| © 2008 |
