Holistic Foods
Choosing a good holistic dog food for your dog doesn’t always seem easy. The labels on the packages can be confusing, and beyond identifying whether a food is chicken or lamb-based, people often come away feeling they need a science degree to decipher the rest. While an ingredient may sound good and conjure up images of plump juicy meat parts, you need to be aware that the definition of what constitutes that ingredient (if it even has a definition) can be quite different. While we can’t change the labeling laws here– we can give you an overview of what we think you should be looking for in a good quality dry dog food.
First and foremost, dogs are carnivore/omnivores – a good proportion of their diet needs to be from meat protein. Plant proteins tend to be more difficult for dogs to digest, are less palatable and offer less nutrition. Grains are lower than vegetables on the digestibility and nutritional adequacy scale.
So, look at the top five or so ingredients – these will be the most abundant ingredients by weight in the food. So that means that the first ingredient in the list has the greatest volume in the food. You want this to be a named meat source, e.g.; Chicken, Beef or Lamb, you NEVER want an unidentified “meat” or anything listed as a “by-product”. Since the list runs in order of weight, it is better to see “chicken meal” than “chicken” at the top of the list. “Chicken” includes a high degree of water content, “chicken meal” does not – so with “chicken” it is quite possible that once the water content is removed, it may actually be the fourth or fifth ingredient, not necessarily the first as suggested. This is OK as long as the second ingredient is another named meat protein, especially if it is in a “meal” form.
So, look at the top five or so ingredients – these will be the most abundant ingredients by weight in the food. So that means that the first ingredient in the list has the greatest volume in the food. You want this to be a named meat source, e.g.; Chicken, Beef or Lamb, you NEVER want an unidentified “meat” or anything listed as a “by-product”. Since the list runs in order of weight, it is better to see “chicken meal” than “chicken” at the top of the list. “Chicken” includes a high degree of water content, “chicken meal” does not – so with “chicken” it is quite possible that once the water content is removed, it may actually be the fourth or fifth ingredient, not necessarily the first as suggested. This is OK as long as the second ingredient is another named meat protein, especially if it is in a “meal” form.
We have gotten all of our Pet food and treats from WAGS for a few years now. The service and quality of food are excellent. Ken is great in recommending food choices for our Golden, Henry. Susan is a wonderful trainer who provided insightful tips and tricks to better obedience. We highly recommend WAGS to anyone trying to provide a healthy, happy lifestyle to their furry family members.
Wholesome Pet Food, Supplies, Healthy Treats, Dog Training, Supplements, Dog Food, Cat Food, Raw Diets
Monday 10.00 am–6.00 pm
Tuesday 10.00 am–6.00 pm
Wednesday 10.00 am–6.00 pm
Thursday 10.00 am–6.00 pm
Friday 10.00 am–6.00 pm
Saturday 10.00 am–4.00 pm
Sunday 11.00 am–2.00 pm
Love WAGS! Have been a customer for at least 5 years now. I have two dogs and when I first started going I had 3 dogs. That store is purely organic. The food they sell is THE BEST. My dogs are healthy. My breeds get ear infections. I told Kenny & Susan about the problem and they gave me a probiotic last year to use everyday on the boys and no more ear infections! Very convenient to access and park.