Back after a long hiatus... Chicken? or Chicken by products?

I know its been quite awhile since I have posted anything on my blog. I can say that my dog walking business has kept me very busy! I am going to try to keep up with this so I can share my stories and also pass along any information that I come across that I think you will find interesting and or informative. And of course put a smile on your face :)

To bring you up to date, Stop! Doggie Time! has exploded over the last couple years. I can sometimes work round the clock for a few months at a time. This year I am looking to add to the business something along the lines of an air conditioned indoor dog park. I think with the summers warming up in San Diego, I think it would be a good place for people with older dogs that are unable to run around in this heat for a long time and it would keep the owners out of the heat as well! Also if you have just given your dog a bath and want to keep him clean longer than the car ride home from the dog wash, it would be a good spot. I also thought of it for doggies that have allergies. One of my clients is allergic to grass. The poor boy loves to play ball and if he goes in the grass his paws turn raw and he chews on them like they are steaks. So I am thinking this might be something that could work. I am in the process of working on my business plan and hope to be able to open something up next year. I'll keep you posted!

Since my Sebastian has passed, I have adopted a little guy. He is a dachshund / corgi mix and his name is Parker. He is as sweet as they come. He has filled my life with joy and a strong arm for throwing the tennis ball! The boy is relentless! I love him to pieces!

Parker

 

But enough about me... I did want to share some information that I recently read in a new magazine that I found on Facebook called, Dogs Naturally. It leads more towards the holistic side of pet care and that is something that I want to do with my little guy.

 

Playing Chicken - fowl play and ingredient labels

 

To start... you go into a pet store and are looking for dog food. You come across two different kinds and you read the labels. The first ingredient in bag 1 is chicken and bag 2 is chicken by products. You read a little bit more and see that the bag with chicken claims to be from USDA inspected facilities. The chicken by products claims to be from USDA inspected and APPROVED animals. Which one do you choose? Now chicken by products are usually the left overs that we humans don't want to eat, so why would you feed this ingredient to your dog? BUT.. Animal by products are excellent sources of protein and essential vitamins and minerals for pets. They provide essential nutrients that dogs need and are also a sustainable source of quality protein.

 

There is a book called AAFCO Ingredient Definitions. It's an essential guide to what the pet food industry allows and what they don't allow the manufacturers to say and do.

According to AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) the definition of poultry is: a clean combination of flesh and skin, with or without bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of poultry or combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, head, feel and entrails.

Poultry by products must consist of non rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera, free from fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts.

So the difference is poultry by products are from slaughtered animals. Poultry can be from dead chickens euthanized or that have already died from diseases. Now that is scary. Especially when you see advertisements for dog food brands and they say to make sure the first ingredient is meat. That's what I have always done and have always put down the bag with by products attached to the meat. I guess we have to look even more into our dog food to make sure our babies are getting the best. I think my sister has it right... Cook for your dog and you know what's in it! Anyone know of a dog chef?