MYTH: Dogs must eat an all meat diet.
FACT: Dogs are omnivores, meaning they need both protein and carbohydrate in their diet. “Meat-first” ingredient diets are not necessarily superior products for this reason.
MYTH: Never feed pets by-products.
FACT: Beef, chicken, or pork liver, which are excellent protein sources for animals, are classified as “by-products” on labels.
MYTH: Animals require high protein in their diet.
FACT: Animals cannot store proteins so excess protein forces the kidneys into excess work to eliminate it. This can shorten the life span of the kidneys.
MYTH: Corn is a filler with no nutritional value.
FACT: For pets, cooked corn is a highly digestible source of carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. Information indicating otherwise is simply marketing. It is responsible for only 3% of all tested food allergies in dogs and cats. Protein sources are responsible for the remainder of the adverse reactions.
MYTH: The first ingredient of a food must be meat.
FACT: Because meat contains greater than 50% water, even if it is listed as the first ingredient, no dry pet food will contain more meat than grain once it is dried into kibble.
MYTH: Feeding a raw diet is best for my pet.
FACT: No conclusive research has demonstrated that feeding pets raw food is nutritionally superior to feeding them cooked food. They are susceptible to the same food-borne illnesses as humans and these bacteria and contaminants are often eliminated only through cooking.