Dog food fillers

Common fillers include maize, wheat, soy, white potato and white rice. They are popular in lower end foods because they are cheap and allow manufacturers to reduce their ingredient costs. In South Africa this even includes the more so-called premium brands like Hills and Royal Canine. We are not even talking of the brands popular because of their lower price.

On pet food labels, fillers may be listed as “maize flour”, “rice flour”, “wheat”, “potato starch”, “cereals”, “derivatives of vegetable origin”, or other similar terms.

It’s always a good idea to read the label carefully and try to understand what each ingredient is before buying a dog food.

Why Are Fillers Harmful to Your Dog’s Health?

Unfortunately, fillers don’t really bring much to the table in terms of nutrition so you generally have to feed higher volumes of filler-rich foods to make up for it. This can cause unnecessary strain on the digestive system which can lead to digestive problems.

To make things worse, starchy fillers like white rice, maize starch, potato and so on, often don’t keep dogs feeling full for very long despite providing lots of calories. This can lead to owners feeding their hungry dogs even more, further exasperating the issues and increasing the chances of their dog developing obesity and all of its associated health problems.

Furthermore, certain fillers like wheat, soy and maize can be difficult for some dogs to digest or may even cause dietary intolerance or allergic responses which can lead to more severe digestive issues and wide ranging secondary health problems over time – these includes cancer and other diseases linked to inflammation and auto-immune conditions.

How Can You Ensure Your Dog’s Food Does Not Contain Fillers?

Try to find foods where every ingredient is easily identifiable and provides a clear benefit for the dog. A high proportion of meat and bio-appropriate vegetables and fruits is a great start.

Farmina contains 64-80% meat (depending on the specific product) and 90-98% of protein from meat. This is complemented with appropriate fruits and vegetables and in the Ancestral Grain products with good anti-inflammatory grain – oats (10%) and spelt (10%). For more information you are welcome to contact Henk on 078 0653360.