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By Tripp Wood
“Dog food will have the single largest impact on the health of your
dog “
Nutritional Demands of Labradors and Goldens
Labradors
and Golden Retrievers have special demands when it comes to
nutrition – not just because they are active dogs, but because
of the chemical makeup of their bodies. Feed the incorrect food,
for example, and they will not be able to synthesize vitamin c,
which is the molecular glue for calcium. (It is a strongly held
belief that the lack of ability to produce vitamin c can lead to
hip dysplasia. Indeed, a number of studies certainly lead
credence to this latest theory). Feeding a product containing
growth hormone, or a high protein/calorie diet, can lead to OCD
of the upper humorous. (Osteo Condrosis Dessicantus). This
occurs when cartilage growth cannot keep up with bone growth,
and the cartilage begins to splinter. Feeding a product devoid
of proper nutrition can cause allergy like symptoms, leading the
Retriever owner down the path of allergy testing, shots, and
expensive formulas, all of which generally fail.
Assuming you pick up your Lab puppy at the eighth week of life,
he will have been consuming regular food for at least five weeks
– a full 60% of his life. His body will have blue printed itself
as to hormone and chemical production. Therefore, it is
imperative that both he and his mother were fed the proper food
from the beginning. Puppy foods, even large breed puppy foods,
can be dangerous to health.
It is not a good idea to skimp on food to save money. You will
spend much, much more on vet bills than you can ever possibly
save by purchasing cheap brands. Just the danger of Vomitoxins
and Microtoxins in grains and wheat gluten is not worth the
risk. True, the occasional dog
sometimes squeaks through life on a cheap food, but the odds are
not in the consumer’s favor. Figure on spending about $1.10 per
pound plus shipping for a proper Labrador food. Your full grown
Lab will consume approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds daily. Due to
cost and profit structure, you will not find a true Labrador
food in a pet food store or grocery store.
A
million “experts”
When you first take your new Lab puppy home, everyone and their
grandmother will begin giving you advice – from how to train to
what to feed. People you have not seen for years will appear out
of the woodwork to push you into their beliefs. Neighbors turn
expert, with their “experience” usually based on what their
friend or trainer said. Never has there been such an extreme
circumstance of the blind leading the blind when it comes to
nutrition, and most of it is fueled by very successful
advertising campaigns.
This leads to a complex dilemma – who do you believe?
Veterinarians have been unfairly placed on a pedestal by dog
food companies, and are expected by their customers to know what
a truly good formula is. However, nutritional training for
veterinarians is short, and covers many different species. The
nutritional class is typically taught by a major dog food
company salesman. Carnivore nutrition carries an entirely
separate degree. Even if a veterinarian receives this diploma,
it is not likely he has actually gained experience in this
field, due to the heavy demands of his practice.
Dog trainers, many breeders, groomers, pet sitters, and salesmen
in the pet food aisle are turned to and viewed as experts by
many Labrador owners. It is likely that not one of these people
has ever set foot into a dog food manufacturing or mixing
facility. This can lead to disaster, but where does one turn to
get sound advice?
The reality of Dog Foods
The dog food production world is very small. All the formula
owners and their nutritionists would fit into one small room. This is the only group of people that could truly tell you about
dog foods and their effects. Because formulas cannot be
patented, there is a necessary veil of secrecy surrounding
formulas.
(Editor’s note – the author of this article is a Custom formula
owner, and therefore privy to this information).
How to identify a good Labrador food
First, gain an education from either an experienced carnivore
nutritionist, or a formula owner that has hired one to produce a
super premium food specifically for Labradors and Goldens. (www.JaxMax.com)
Just because a bag proclaims it contains Labrador food does not
necessarily make it so. Usually only the shape or color of the
kibble has been changed. Below is some basic information
regarding types of formulas. When you finish reading this, you
will already have more knowledge than most of the population –
even most professionals.
Commercial Formulas
Commercial dog food started around the turn of the century, and
provided a ready to eat meal. Although it may have lacked a
complete balanced diet, it was fast and easy. As competition
between companies grew, palatability became a key issue. How
does a company entice a dog to eat their food over another? One
way is through the addition of sugar, or high fructose corn
syrup. It’s cheap, readily available, effective, and usually
does not end up on the ingredient panel. It isn’t good for the
dog to have added sugar, but this is where an ethical rub comes
into play. Instead of using higher quality ingredients,
companies began adding taste enhancers to filler materials.
These foods can be found on pet store and grocery store shelves.
Some formulas that are owned by human food production companies
use waste from candy bars, snack cakes, crackers, pasta, etc. as
fillers and attractants. The sugar also acts as a preservative,
much like salt. These formulas tend to sit on the shelf for
months at a time, and typically need more chemical preservatives
to maintain “freshness”.
Private label Formulas
Independent dog food manufacturing plants rely on a network of
dog food resellers to purchase their products. These private
label formulas are owned and produced by the dog food factory.
This type of pet food is bagged in the re-sellers own bag and
distributed to stores or breeders. The resellers have no
ownership or control of the formula, and are at the mercy of the
pet food manufacturer. These types of formulas tend to change
often, depending on price and availability of ingredients.
Nearly all breeders selling foods rely on private label foods,
as they do not require immersion in education, nor layout of
funds for a Custom Formula, and they carry the biggest profit
margins. This sets up a distrust of breeder recommended foods by
veterinarians.
Custom formulas
These are special formulas created by the owner of a dog food
company. The owner will employ a factory to produce the food.
The factory that manufactures this food has no ownership or say
so in materials or production methods, nor can they provide any
other company with this product. They simply produce what the
owner dictates. The holders of these formulas have direct
control and knowledge of their products. They tend to use higher
quality ingredients than private label or commercial foods, and
make smaller runs to ensure true freshness. Due to high startup
costs, very few of these companies exist, and only one breeder
is known to own custom formulas. (www.Labpups.com)
Feeding Labs raw vegetables, meats, and other human foods
If your Lab is on a proper formula of scientifically created dog
food, you have nothing to gain and everything to lose by feeding
human foods. A dog cannot digest carrots, asparagus, green
pepper or any other raw vegetable. All they can do is to
interfere with proper absorption.
Raw meats carry their own risks. If you do not own a Wolf out of
the wild, leave the raw meats to the buzzards.
Feeding Labs Treats
It is quite possible to feed a perfect food, and cause harm by
feeding a treat that is not meant to go with that food. Treats
are usually packed with sugars. A proper food and treat
combination will work together to add benefit, as in free
radical elimination. There should be no added sugars. The same
rules that apply to dog foods apply to treats.
Feeding Labs vitamin/mineral supplements and toppings
Assuming your Lab is eating a proper food, nothing is more
dangerous than supplementing your dog’s diet with calcium,
vitamins, phosphorous, or other additives. Even pregnant and
nursing Labs do not need these supplements. They may even harm
her offspring. Remember, just because you hear a particular
additive is good for Labs does not give scientific basis for the
claim. Lots of ingredients are good for Labs, but at what
levels, and combined with what other ingredients? When you
supplement, you turn your dog into a science experiment.
The only exception to the above rule is vitamin c. This is
because dog foods do not contain vitamin c, even if it’s on the
label. Vitamin c oxidizes rather quickly, and acts only as a
stabilizer as the food cools after manufacturing. Another reason
is because vitamin c is synthesized by the Lab’s body, and
therefore declared unnecessary. However, the ability to
synthesize vitamin c depends not only on what the Labrador or
Golden eats, but its genetic predisposition to doing so. It is
possible for the dog’s body to temporarily quit this process
during sickness or distress. It’s fine to supplement a small
amount of vitamin c on a daily basis, through tablets. Keep in
mind that there is a difference in vitamin c brands. Most is
chemically manufactured ascorbic acid, containing one or two
molecular structures. Your Lab needs a type of c that contains
all four molecular structures. You will not find this at vet’s
offices or pet stores. The only proper vitamin c I have found is
manufactured by the Nutrilite company in California at
www.Nutrilite.com. It is not a good idea to supplement more
than 125 mg daily, or to begin prior to the 16th week
of life. If you never supplemented vitamin c, kept your Labrador
on a proper diet and parasite free, chances are he would remain
healthy even without this addition.
(Parasites eat vitamin c, so it is extremely important to keep
your Retriever parasite free, especially of Roundworms).
Reading Dog Food Labels
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein - The first item most people look at is the protein.
Let’s say that 26% is listed on the bag. This tells you almost
nothing, as it is listed as crude protein. This is the
combination of digestible and indigestible proteins. It is
possible that of the 26% listed, 15% may be indigestible, and
therefore useless. Indigestible proteins may consist of horse’s
hoofs, hair, feathers, beaks, rice hulls, inferior corn or
chicken, etc.
It is illegal to place the actual amount of digestible proteins
or the quality of ingredients on a dog food bag. This levels the
playing field, and makes the venture more profitable for large
companies.
Ash – The lower this figure, the better. Ash is created by
several factors, such as the quality of the meat used, and the
cooking methods. Take, for example, the majority of chicken used
in dog foods today. These chickens are used as egg layers, until
the quantity of eggs begins to decline. These hens are fed less
and less on a daily basis, until they sometimes die from lack of
nutrition. This not only leads to a breakdown of proteins, but a
high ash level as well. Cooking imparts its own level of ash,
therefore making cooking methods critical. Low ash chicken is
the best, but used by very few dog food companies.
Moisture – Some moisture is necessary to keep the kibble edible.
10% is an accepted norm. More than that and you are buying
expensive water.
Ingredients
Chicken
- Chicken makes the best dog foods, as it is the most tasty and
nutritious.
Lamb
- Lamb is not desired by canines, due to the overpowering scent.
It is usually necessary to mask lamb with sugars or flavors.
Lamb is used as an ingredient to attract humans, not dogs.
Corn
- If corn is the first ingredient on your bag – Consider
returning it.
Rice hulls, peanut shells, etc. These are fillers, and
not desirable due to their abrasive nature and lack of
digestibility
Let’s start with the main source of meat. Take, for example,
fresh chicken, which sounds healthier than chicken meal at first
listen. Keep in mind that the ingredients are listed in order of
weight at the time of mixing. Fresh chicken is 70% water,
which gets cooked out during the manufacturing process. However,
as the water adds weight, it is considered the first ingredient.
Properly placed, it would really come in fifth or sixth on the
list.
Chicken Meal is chicken with the water
removed. When it is listed as the first ingredient, it stays in
first place all the way through the process. Therefore, it is
better to have chicken meal in a food. Fresh chicken is good in
high quality treats.
Beet pulp
(sugar removed) – This is an excellent product to help keep the
intestinal tract clean.
In Summary
-
Keep your Labrador or Golden on a Custom Formula meant for them.
-
Avoid any food that has a first ingredient of corn – go for
chicken meal.
-
Don’t be swayed by uneducated “experts”.
-
Feed only what your Lab needs, and stay away from human foods or
supplements.
-
Freshness is key to usefulness of product.
Article written by:
Tripp Wood
email (704) 975-2598 |
