Dog Nutrition: Do Scare Tactics Work For You? Be Careful How You Answer
Posted: Friday, May 01, 2009
by Sylvia Dickens
Hale Publishing
If you're like most of us, you've probably become immune to scare tactics, even when they talk about dog nutrition. After awhile, how do you know when it's important to sit up and take notice? You've probably found that most scare tactics are unfounded.
You've heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. He got great joy out of scaring people with his false alarms. When there was a real danger, however, no one paid any attention. Scare tactics in advertising work much the same way.
How do you decide which dog nutrition scare tactics should be heeded?
Promoters can tell you that certain dog food ingredients are a threat to your dog's health, but where's the evidence? You know all they want to do is sell you their product. But there are some product creators who do give you the goods, but how do you tell them apart from the false threats?Here are 3 quick ways to decide what to believe about dog nutrition
1. Dogs, like humans, can have allergic reactions to certain foods and ingredients. Talk to your vet about your particular dog regarding dog allergies and what causes them. Ask specifically about dog food and what he's discovered from examining pets. Ask about your breed to see if it is more susceptible to allergies than other breeds, and what you should do to protect your dog, including his dog food recommendations.
2. Read through official sites that provide information based on facts and research. Be careful which sites you choose, however, because some organizations represent dog food manufacturers. It's common sense that they are going to take the side of their members, rather than offering unbiased reports.
Here are a few official sites to get you started:
American Association of Feed Control Officials
http://www.aafco.org
"AAFCO is composed of state, federal, and international regulatory officials who are responsible for the enforcement of state laws regulating the safe production and labeling of animal feed, including pet food."
US Federal Drug Administration - Center for Veterinary Medicine
http://www.fda.gov/cvm
"The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) regulates the manufacture and distribution of food additives and drugs that will be given to animals. These include animals from which human foods are derived, as well as food additives and drugs for pet (or companion) animals."
3. Learn how to read dog food labels. You will find tips on what to look for on the FDA site above. Labelling can be deceptive. For instance, one product might list corn first, while the other lists meat. This should tell you that the product contains more of the first product on the list and therefore which product has the best dog nutrition.
While you do want to see meat listed first, you also need to know how concentrated is the nutritional value of that particular meat to determine whether it truly is the most nutritious ingredient. From the research you conduct on the official pet food regulatory sites, you will find out the truth and understand what ingredients can pose a threat to your dog.
Determining who to believe is a challenge, but if you do your homework, your task will be much clearer on which dog nutrition alarms to observe.
Read more dog care articles on Sylvia's dog nutrition site. Discover the dog nutrition secrets that can make the difference in your dog's overall health and endurance. The "Healthy Dog Nutrition Secrets" package, just released by award-winning journalist Sylvia Dickens, explains all about the dangers certain foods pose for your dog, includes delicious dog food recipes you can make yourself, a dog food report, dog care, and much more.
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