Fillers In Dog Food

Why are these ingredients used if they don t offer much benefit.

Fillers in dog food. These ingredients fill out the food but they offer little in terms of nutrient value. Beneful s wet dog food products are made with wheat corn and soy ingredients as well as artificial flavors. Though it is a more complex carbohydrate it does very little in way of nutritional value. But don t just take our word at face value let s break down the description and see if each of these filler ingredients fits the mold.

Beet pulp tomato pumice the fiber in beans potatoes sweet potatoes and vegetables are true fillers. The tomatoes blueberries and raspberries present in the formula will also help supplement these effects by providing your dog with valuable antioxidants and vitamins. But many are made with grain substitutes that can upset the nutrient balance of the finished food. The only ingredients in pet food that fit that requirement are fibers.

When a dog food contains filler that means that it contains ingredients that have been added for dietary fiber. By definition a filler is an ingredient that adds bulk to a diet without adding any nutritional value. There are also numerous artificial colors and flavors in their dog foods. Brewers rice is especially cheap and is missing many nutrients contained in whole ground rice and brown rice.

What is a dog food filler. This formula is free from grain corn wheat filler artificial flavors colors or preservatives. The ingredients typically thought of as dog food fillers corn wheat soy rice etc don t actually fit the description of fillers. That s because the 2 most common ingredients used to replace the corn rice and other cereal grains found in other dog foods include.

Premium dog food will include meat for protein vitamin packed vegetables and fruit and omega fatty acids for a shiny coat freeman told nbc news adding it s also likely to have fewer fillers. For example the benefuls originals with real beef dry dog food lists beef as the main ingredient but it also contains five fillers or by products. Some higher end brands even go as far as selecting only locally sourced or organic ingredients. Be thoughtful when it comes to purchasing natural dog food.

When it comes to such a hotly debated topic here s our argument. The best dog foods should contain quality ingredients such as whole meat fresh vegetables and quality grains or other sources of carbohydrate such as sweet potato. The best grain free dog foods typically contain more protein than those made with grain.