Pomeranian (Detailed Introduction)

       Some owners may only look at the formula when choosing dog food, but processing technology is also an important factor affecting dog food quality. So if you want to pick your ideal dog food, there are quite a few things owners need to understand! Today let's take a look together at what kind of impact processing technology brings to dog food.

       1. RENDER, say no!

       RENDER is a process for processing meat meal and fats. There are two undesirable issues with products from this process: first, the processing temperature is close to 150 degrees Celsius, which basically causes nearly 100% loss of enzymes and vitamins, while also causing denaturation of proteins and fats; second, the source and quality of the meat raw materials has always been a subject of suspicion.

       The API (American Pet Association) has been skeptical of this RENDER process for many years, believing that the low-cost products from RENDER cannot use truly fresh meat fit for human consumption.

       How to tell if RENDER is used?

       The selection principle is simple: the more fresh meat listed upfront, the less RENDER protein there is; the more plant oil listed ahead in fat components, the less RENDER fat there is. We cannot avoid products made by RENDER, so we can only try to choose dry food with low RENDER content.

       2. Preservatives, colorants, and other additives, you know!

       First, top-grade food is absolutely free from preservatives like ETH, BHA, BHT. Note: If the ingredient list includes fish meal or fish oil, then that dog food must contain preservatives, as North American raw material manufacturers add them by regulation, which has nothing to do with the dog food manufacturers, so they usually do not specifically indicate this on the ingredient list. However, theoretically, using fresh fish meat intended for human consumption is safe.

       Second, if the ingredient list contains Added color (Red 40) or Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity) (VK3, the so-called Vitamin K3, a cheap and harmful synthetic food additive), then such dog food does not qualify as top-grade dog food.

       Third, beware of sweeteners. Dogs, like humans, like sweets. Sweeteners can effectively induce dogs to eat foods low in healthy animal protein and mainly composed of grains.

       3. About the shelf life

       The effective date should be at least more than 6 months. 10-11 months is ideal, which means the food was produced recently. Note: Food using synthetic preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin) may have a shelf life of two years or more.

       Related reading:

       The Importance of Formulas in Choosing Dog Food

       The article content is for reference only. Readers are welcome to share your opinions with us.