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Commercially Canned Meats For Dogs

from: Kyle Besser

There is a wide variety of commercially prepared canned meat in the dog food market. Commercially available canned meats for dogs are usually lamb, poultry and beef. Lamb is the most easily digested meat, then poultry, then beef. The best products developed as complementary additions to dry dog food are made from meat and meat by-products. The dog food ingredients list should show little or no cereal content, and no food coloring additives.

Make certain that the meat you feed is low in fat. Whether fresh, frozen or canned, meat should always be fed lean, not fatty. Place the meat in a bowl, allow it to stand until it reaches room temperature, then knead it as if mixing a meat loaf. You have a good quality meat if the residue on your fingers is only slightly oily or fatty, just enough to give your fingers a little "shine." If there are actual large globules of fat on and between your fingers, the meat contains too much fat, and you should change your brand of dog meat.

Commercially canned and some fresh and fresh-frozen meat for dogs contain additives. Usually charcoal, which is a natural ingredient aiding digestion, is found among these additives. Meat purchased directly from the butcher is normally meat alone, meat scraps and meat trimmings. In less reputable establishments, floor sweepings are included. The meat you add to your dog's diet should be a balanced product by itself. Even a mediocre canned dog food will contain a higher nutritional value than bad, fatty meat.

Dogs living in very cold climates require additional fat in their diet to produce a high caloric output. Calories processed by the body produce heat.

Check the color and odor of your dog's meat. Whatever type of meat, fresh or defrosted from frozen, it should be moderately bright in color. It should not appear darkened, black or crusty. Nor should the meat appear weakly colored or look as though food coloring had been added, which makes it artificially red. Place the meat on a dish and check the "blood" collected at the bottom. The meat should be richly dark in color with an invitingly fresh scent, not a rancid odor. If the meat you feed does not meet these standards, find another brand.

Just because a canned dog food is expensive does not necessarily mean it is good. Meat should be palatable and nutritious. Some readily available dog food products have little nutritional value. Foods that look palatable to you, and that your dog relishes, are not always the best to feed.

Some of these canned products list, for example, carrots, peas and corn, which are completely undigestible when not processed. Cooked or raw, these vegetables exit your dog's system in the same recognizable form by which they entered.

Also try to avoid those dog food brands that have a high amount of cereal content, artificial food coloring and water. Some canned dog foods are approximately 70% water! Generally select the commercially prepared dog foods packaged by reputable companies which are available nationwide.