Do you really know what is in the food and treats you are feeding your pet?

Unfortunately, most consumers have no idea what is really in their K-9's treats or food. Dog food and treat companies often hide true definitions to their ingredients. The answer is that they are filled with by-products, chemical preservatives, artificial colorings and flavorings. These ingredients are not safe or healthy for your pet.  We have listed some commercial ingredients and our ingredients.  Which one would you eat?

We make sure all of our K-9 Creations--biscuits, dog muffins, dog cakes, and dog cookies are good enough for your best friend.  That is why we only use human grade ingredients, and we do not add any artificial flavoring or preservatives.  There's no additional salt or sugar added.  Only fresh, natural ingredients go into every bite of our creations.

Definitions of Our Ingredients

We use stone-ground whole wheat flour for most of our recipes.  Whole grains like wheat are rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, protein, dietary minerals: magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium and vitamins: including niacin, vitamin B6 and E. Naturally white, unbleached flour is also used in our cake recipes.  For our best friends whom have allergies we may use rye, white rice or oat flours depending on the allergy. 

Pure honey provides the sweetness that dogs love without using sugar.  Honey has vitamins and minerals like B6, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, manganese, niacin, riboflavin, sodium, thiamine, and zinc.

Carob is a natural cocoa substitute for those who cannot eat chocolate, including man's best friends. Unlike chocolate, carob is virtually fat-free, low in calories and free from the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, which can be fatal to some dogs.  Carob is 80% protein, and contains vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, and D. It is also high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron.

We use only all-natural peanut butter with no added salt or sugar.  Peanut butter is not only rich in pure protein for your Best Friend, but it is a great source of Vitamin E which is beneficial for preventing diseases. Peanut Butter is also an excellent source of Biotin, which is helpful for a shiny coat and also good for splitting nails.

Only fresh fruits and vegetables are used, not flavor concentrates.   We use whole garlic, not garlic powder.  Garlic helps to improve digestion, helps eliminate intestinal parasites and repel fleas. Whole eggs, not substitutes,  which promotes a shiny coat and healthy skin. No powdered herbs here, our freshly-chopped herbs, like parsley is used to freshen breath.

We use certified organic, all-natural, 99% fat-free beef broth and chicken broth for flavor.

Best friends that require a low or no animal protein diet, we bake a low-calorie vegetable biscuit.

Definitions of Commercial Ingredients 

Animal By-Products: A secondary or inferior product resulting from producing a primary food.  These are ground and cleaned slaughtered meat carcass parts such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, bones, heads, intestines and a small amount of feathers in the case of chicken meat. The ingredients would basically be steamed until they become a gel-like substance.   In many cases, by-product meals are derived from "4-D" meat sources — defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled.  Meat by-products are commonly found in lower-grade pet foods and even many of the larger name brands, including Science Diet (even their prescription diet product line), Purina (both Purina One and Purina Pro Plan), Iams and Eukanuba.  Ingredients listed as "meat, beef, chicken, and/or poultry by-products" on pet food labels are not required to include actual meat, and "rendered meat" on labels can refer to any rendered mammal meat, including dogs and cats.

Meat and bone meals:  (MBM) is a product of the rendering industry, it is prepared from the waste materials associated with slaughtering operations-carcass trimmings, condemned carcasses, condemned livers, inedible lungs and bones and also from the rendering of dead animals.  These meals may consist of necks, feet, bone, blood, and intestines, ground into a usable protein source.  While containing more meat then a by-product, there is still no measurable amount of usable meat, although it is again still considered a protein source.

Animal Digest: Can be made up of all sorts of things....feces, other animal parts, beaks, feet, or contents of stomachs. The only rule regarding this ingredient is that it must be made into a soluble, digestible form.

BHT: Butylated Hydroxytoluene. A preservative very commonly found in dog food and treats. It is thought to cause fetal abnormalities and liver damage.

Ethoxyquin: Another common preservative, originally intended to be used in the production of rubber, has been known to cause all sorts of health related issues with dogs, even autoimmune disease.

Rancid Fats: While you won't see it listed as rancid, many fats used in dog food and treats are indeed bad. Often used fats are the cheap animal fats, rather then a canola, fish, or safflower oil which is rich in linoleic acids.

Sucrose: Sugar comes in all sorts of forms, such as high fructose corn syrup. Unlike humans, dogs do not turn sugar into energy very easily. Sugar should be avoided.

• Chocolate/Caffeine:     Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.  After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours. Symptoms include Staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrhythmia, seizures, coma, death.  A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.

• Onions/Chives:     Onions and chives contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate.   Pets affected by onion/chive toxicity will develop hemolytic anemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Symptoms include Hemolytic Anemia, labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, discolored urine.  The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions.

• Mushrooms:     Mushroom toxicity does occur in dogs and it can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US but other Amanita species are toxic. Symptoms include Abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.

• Grapes/Raisins:     As few as a handful of raisins or grapes can make a dog ill. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and lethargy.

• Macadamia Nuts:     Macadamia nuts are another concern, along with most other kinds of nuts. Their high phosphorus content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

• Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources:     Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

• Cat Food:     Cat food is generally too high in protein and fats.

• Fat Trimmings:     Can cause pancreatitis.

• Milk and other dairy products:     Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactose, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

• Raw Eggs:     Eggs contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin. This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

• Raw Fish/Salmon:     Can result in a thiamine deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.  Raw salmon- Dogs may be exposed to a parasite after eating infected salmon. The parasite causes gastrointestinal problems similar to parvo, and may be fatal. See a vet immediately if your dog has ingested raw salmon; ask for a fecal sample test for rickettsial organism. This can be treated if caught in time.

• Coffee:     Any beverage containing caffeine can cause a dog’s heart to race, sometimes causing seizures.

• Xylitol:     Sugar- free candies and other products containing xylitol. This ingredient is extremely harmful to dogs, with even small amounts causing liver damage and death.

• Fruit seeds:     Cherries, apricot and apple seeds, pear seeds, peach seed pits, plum seeds. These seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides which causes cyanide poisoning.

• Yeast dough:     Even a small amount can rise and cause a rupture in your dog’s stomach or intestines.