What Are Some Ingredients That Can Be Found In Animal Feed
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You wouldn’t eat food that contained chemicals and potentially harmful additives, so why should your pet? Your pet’s diet is just as important as yours. In fact, it is arguably more important than yours, because an animal’s body is a lot more susceptible to pollutants and additives than ours.
Some of the things found in animal food are downright disgusting. In order for you to figure out what you should feed your pet, you need to know what not to feed them. This post will tell you about some unfortunately common ingredients found in animal food, as well as some desirable ones.
Protein
Before explaining some harmful ingredients that you should always watch out for in your pet’s food, it’s first important to mention protein. Your pet needs protein. It is also important to give any livestock that you feed a diet that’s rich in protein, too. If the feed does not contain protein, then your livestock or pet’s bodies won’t be able to repair and make new cells. It is also worth noting that protein is essential for building muscle, so if you are fattening livestock up to eat them, then animal feed with protein is vital because excess protein is stored as fat. Similarly, if you are a pet owner, then protein is essential in your pet’s diet because it will help them to build muscle and stay lean.
Vitamins
Another desirable ingredient in animal food is fortified vitamins. Unfortunately, most pet foods are unable to deliver one’s pets (or one’s livestock) with all of the vitamins that their body needs, due mainly to the fact that the base ingredient in most pet foods is grain. So, the manufacturers of pet food have to fortify these feeds with vitamins that your pet wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. Make sure that the feed you buy has been fortified with vitamins so that your pets or animals get the nutrients that they need.
Minerals
Minerals are also absent from most grains. Because of this, pet food producers have to fortify foods with minerals, as well. Make sure that the feed that you buy has so that your pet gets lots of nutrients. The more nutrients your pet or animals get, the healthier they will be. You should do a little bit of research before buying a specific food into what minerals your pet needs, so you can buy food that offers that.
Artificial colors
Moving away from desirable ingredients and onto ones that could hurt your pet or animals, the first of note is artificial coloring. Unfortunately, it is very common for the manufacturers of pet food to use artificial colors in the food that they produce. Some of these artificial colors can produce allergic reactions in pets. Others are just downright harmful. Make sure that you take the time to research which artificial colors are most harmful, so you know what to avoid most of all. If it is possible for you to, however, just avoid all artificial colors.
Preservatives
Preservatives like sulfites should be avoided, too. It is common for preservatives to be added to wet pet food. For this reason, it is a good idea to avoid it. Many experts claim that dry food is a lot better for pets, mainly because it contains fewer additives and basically no preservatives. However, if you can’t feed your pet dry food, then at least try to find organic wet food that doesn’t contain any harmful preservatives or colorings. Organic wet food will probably cost you a lot of money.
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Meat meal
If you feed your pet wet food, then avoid anything that contains ‘meal meat.’ Meal meat is just meat from a variety of different sources. It could be a little bit of pork belly, some ground beef, and some chicken livers. You probably wouldn’t eat an assortment of mystery meats for dinner, so don’t expect your pet to. The healthier your pet’s diet is, the longer it will live. Similarly, if you are breeding livestock for the purposes of slaughtering and eating them, their diet will impact the flavor of their meat and their taste.
Corn syrup
Corn syrup is an ingredient that’s found in animal and human food. Unfortunately, it’s very bad for you (and bad for animals). Never under any circumstances buy food for your pet or your animals that contains it. It is a cheap ingredient that’s usually given to add volume, flavor, and texture. Corn syrup can be very bad for diabetics, because of the large sugar spikes that follow its consumption. It can also contribute to diabetes. It is especially important not to feed livestock corn syrup, because it could lead to them developing diseases that could then render their meat unusable.
Animal fats
Animal fats are often sprayed onto grains and other pet foods in order to make them more appetizing to animals. However, they are very unhealthy and should be avoided. There are some fats that are very good for pets, like omega-3 oils. Unfortunately, animal fats that are sprayed onto cheap pet foods rarely contain omega-3. Instead, they are just pure fat derived from slaughtered animals. When you are shopping for food for your pet or your livestock, try to find food that is rich in healthy oil and that has not been sprayed with a random mix of animal fats.
Adding salt
The last thing that your pet needs in their diet is excess salt. Unfortunately, a lot of people’s pets live on diets very rich in salt. Animal treats, for example, contain massive amounts of salt. The high salt content in treats is, in part, why cats and dogs get so addicted to them. Salt can cause some serious problems for your pet’s heart and general health. Avoid any food that contains added salt. And, make sure to check out the amount of salt present in food that hasn’t had salt added. This is so that you can monitor your pet’s salt intake.
Some ingredients found in animal feed can be very bad for your pet or livestock, while others can be very good. You should always read ingredients before buying feed so that you can ensure your animals are getting a balanced and healthy diet, free from harmful preservatives and nasty additives.
