What is Dog Food Made of? Do We Really Want to Know?

Any owner would want their pet to be well cared for and wouldn't put them in any immediate danger. However, what most owners don't think about is what they are feeding their animals. How many times have you scrutinized the back of a can of dog food and asked yourself "What is dog food made of?"

If I told you that many brand names of pet food, including dog food, have been recalled over the past ten or so years due to one thing and another that have been potentially fatal to the animals that had eaten it, would you change your opinion on the question - Home-Made or Commercial dog food, which is best?

Back to the subject of recalls, I would like to take some time to mention some of the problems that have accompanied dog food. There have been several cases of both wet and dry pet food taken off the shelves, and the reasons behind this are shocking! There have been metal tags, rat poison and even increased levels of vitamin D found in pet food. Now, will you look at a can or bag of dog food and ask "What is dog food made of?"

I know that as a dog owner, I want to know what I am feeding my beloved pet on a daily basis. See, we don't all have the time or the resources to make our very own home-made dog food, but if we did, we would know exactly what our dog food was made up of. Now obviously, the make up of dog food depends on whether or not we are feeding our dog's dry or moist food.

Moist and dry dog food as been argued over many times since the beginning of the pet food industry. It is an extension of the industry that makes human food. By extension, I mean that the things that are generally deemed unsuitable for human consumption are used in the manufacture of pet food. Things like meat by-products - whatever is left of the carcass after the "human" food has been taken away. Now, if this food is unsuitable for us, why on earth would you feed it to another animal?

Go to any store where they provide dog food and ask the clerk - "What is dog food made of?" Do you think they would know? Probably not, is the answer to that, they just sell the product! What they would probably tell you is that the less expensive dog foods would generally contain less meat and more grain or cereal products.