Meal means reduced in size by removal of water.
Ground Corn / Corn Meal – The entire corn kernel ground or chopped, it must contain no more than 4% foreign material. The problem with corn of any kind is that it passes right through the dog just as it passes right through us. Corn is used as filler.
Meat By-Products – Clean parts of slaughtered animals, not including meat. These parts include: lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, spleen, bone, blood, stomach, and intestines freed of their contents. It does include hair, teeth, hooves, and horns.
Poultry By-Product – Clean parts of slaughtered poultry including hearts, lungs, liver, kidneys, feet and heads. It cannot contain feces or foreign matter except which is unavoidable during processing and then in only trace amounts.
Poultry By-Product Meal – Made up of clean ground rendered slaughtered poultry such as undeveloped eggs, neck, feet, and intestines. It cannot contain feathers except what is unavoidable during processing.
Soy – Is used as a protein instead of meats – can sometimes cause gas problems in dogs

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

Lecithin – protects cells from damage caused by oxidation
Taurine – essential amino acid necessary for the proper development and ongoing health of the heart and eyes – dogs can make taurine through the digestion of protiens
Fish – includes all essential amino acids and is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vit A, K &E, and also contains iodine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper and fluoride.
Omega 6 – essential fatty acid found in plants such as FLAXSEED, evening primrose, black currant. (good for skin and coat)
Linoleic Acid – found in safflower plants and fish oils (sometimes used in place of Omega 3 & Omega 6 sources) (good for skin and coat)
Omega 9 – found in olive oil (good for skin and coat)
Biotin (AKA Vit H) – Biotin is a water soluble vitamin that is a member of the B-complex group; helps body use protein & other B vits & helps synthesize & oxidize essential fatty acids (good for skin and coat)
Folic Acid – aides in cell development and preservation
Chelated Minerals – minerals bonded with amino acids (protein) that aids in absorption into the animals system.

Now…how is dog food made?
In 1957 Purina Laboratories invented the extrusion process and introduced the first extruded hard kibble “Purina Dog Chow” and life in the dog food industry has never been the same! Most dog foods are extruded foods which mean that they were prepared by steaming it under extremely high temperatures as quickly as possible, usually less than 3 minutes, then extruding it under pressure through a metal die. This process expands the food with air creating a uniform shape that is then sprayed with oils (some companies use leftover restaurant grease or fats) to make it palatable for the dogs. This is why your dog food bags are greasy on the inside and sometimes smells funny.

Most of the major pet food companies in the US are subsidiaries of major multinational companies : Nestle (Alpo, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog and Ralston Purina products such as Dog Chow, Proplan & Purina One); Heinz (Nine Lives, Gravy Train, Kibbles-n-Bits, Nature’s Recipe); Colgate-Palmolive (Hill’s Science Diet Pet Food); Proctor & Gamble (Eukanuba & Iams); Mars (Kal Kan, Mealtime, Pedigree and Waltham’s). With the large buying power of these parent companies comes the risk of a dip in quality.

I was turned onto a holistic food a few years back and it has been included in the top 10 dog foods in several nutrition books for dogs as well as Whole Dog Journal. It is called Flint River Ranch and it is made fresh and shipped straight to your doorstep via UPS. You cannot buy this dog food in any pet stores. This dog food is Oven-Baked, not extruded. Oven baking changes the hard to digest molecules of “raw” starches into easy to digest dextrines. This process acts as a pre-digest on the food resulting in less strain on the dog’s digestive tract. It has no artificial colorings or preservatives. The grains are purchased from General Mills and Pillsbury – reducing the risks of mold or toxins and they have added probiotics and digestive enzymes to further enhance the food for your pets. Plus, it is delivered right to your doorstep and because this food is a premium dog food, you’ll use a lot less of it. You’ll feed about 20 – 25% less to your dog, making clean up a lot nicer too! If you do decide to make the switch, remember to do it slowly!

If you have a dog that bloats after eating, do the bloat test with your dog food and FRR. Place ¼ c FRR in one bowl and ¼ c of yours in another and add warm water to both bowls, cover and shake. Keep the food covered by adding water as needed. At the end of the day you should find that the FRR food has not broken down or expanded, reducing the possibilities of bloat.

With the pet food recalls these days, there are a few things that you will want to keep in mind as you feed your pets their foods.

• Always try to store your dry foods in their original bags inside an airtight container or at least make sure to cut and save the lower part of the bags that have all of the packaging information with the date codes on it for future reference if you need it. Pet food companies will need that information from you when trying to track down any problems with the food.
• Rinse and keep any canned food cans for about a week for the same reason.
• Don’t feed your pet anything that looks or smells funny to you. Watch out for molds and mildew. Extruded foods have oils sprayed on them for flavor and can go rancid.
• If your pet suddenly stops eating his food LISTEN to him! Even if the bag is now half empty and all was fine the week before. You never know what happened to the bag during the week or during packaging.
• Feel confident to contact the food company and report the issue.
• Try feeding your dog from a new bag to rule out bad food or upset tummy issues.


The official Flint River Ranch website is www.frrco.com and you will need my Distributor Flint River Number 1JPP to use when placing your order on line. After you become a customer of Flint River Ranch, you will be assigned your own FRR # and can use that number when reordering. Please feel free to contact me directly if you would prefer me placing your orders for you. I am happy to help out and I am sure your pets will be happy with their new food as well!