This thread reminds me of a conversation I had with my pet food provider, where unfortunately they don't sell betta food, concerning cat and dog food and what ingredients to avoid:
We stopped in at [Local Feed Store] today, to buy canned dog food, and the proprietors started up a conversation with us regarding what we were feeding our dogs. They asked about the dry food we use, a venison and sweet potato one we get at PetSmart, brand name Nutro. It turns out that this brand of dog food is on a list of worst offenders at feeding garbage to our pets. The folks at [LFS] told us what to look for--and avoid--in the ingredient list of pet foods:
Corn-Soy-Wheat
Gluten-Flour
Glycerin
Beet Pulp
By Products
Bone Meal
Menadione
Propylene Glycol
BHA-BHT-Ethoxyquin.
I checked our canned cat food, and most of these are in there; I'm sure the canned dog food we obtain sometimes at Costco will be found to contain these things, as well. The man at [LFS} said that they put glycerin in jerky treats, and in fact there is glycerin in the duck jerky we have been feeding our dogs. He said Beet Pulp is a fiber filler that is a byproduct of the sugar beet industry. It is very cheap to stuff into dog food but is indigestible and overburdens a dog's tiny intestinal tract. Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that has deleterious effects on the dog, because it is indigestible in its current form. Propylene glycol is related to or is antifreeze, and is used as a preservative. Basically, pet food companies know they can get away with putting all this low-quality stuff in the food, but when dogs and cats are fed more wholesome fare, their coats are shinier, their stool is smaller and less stinky (I kid you not!), and they are generally healthier and exhibit fewer allergies.
You will probably notice the presence of Menadione and Ethoxyquin--and grains--in even some of the better betta foods listed in this thread. I'm not sure what can be done about that or how significant trace amounts of these things are, but what eventuated from my conversation with LF proprietor was a chat with a neighbor who loves animals, including bettas, who said to look at our animals, they are doing fine, not to induce a crisis. Another friend told me I should take my pets' nutrition more seriously than I have. It's hard to know exactly how to proceed, but much of the food we feed our bettas probably really is "good enough," though not as good as "the best."
You're so right... Those ingredients aren't good for animals or people, but sadly, outside of live foods, there are no alternatives for fish that I've seen. They all have wheat, at the very least, to hold a pellet together. It seems like Omega One is the most minimal.
Corn, soy, beets, and wheat are all genetically modified unless listed as organic. Gluten causes an immune response and can prevent nutrients from being absorbed in the digestive system (leaky gut syndrome). And, the others are pretty self-explanatory.
Vegetable oils are another major thing that shouldn't be found in any pet food (or, besides olive oil and coconut oil or nut oils, in any people food, either). They are highly refined. Think about how many kernels of corn you'd need to produce a bottle of corn oil and the picture begins to paint itself. On the other hand, when you consume/touch an olive or coconut meat/milk, you can feel the oil.
You're so right... Those ingredients aren't good for animals or people, but sadly, outside of live foods, there are no alternatives for fish that I've seen. They all have wheat, at the very least, to hold a pellet together. It seems like Omega One is the most minimal.
Corn, soy, beets, and wheat are all genetically modified unless listed as organic. Gluten causes an immune response and can prevent nutrients from being absorbed in the digestive system (leaky gut syndrome). And, the others are pretty self-explanatory.
Vegetable oils are another major thing that shouldn't be found in any pet food (or, besides olive oil and coconut oil or nut oils, in any people food, either). They are highly refined. Think about how many kernels of corn you'd need to produce a bottle of corn oil and the picture begins to paint itself. On the other hand, when you consume/touch an olive or coconut meat/milk, you can feel the oil.
Great to see someone tht knows their stuff!! I wish it were as easy to feed dogs and Cat's high quality foods as it is with fish. My fish's food was on Sale for $6, the good food for my Cat's is $40 for 11 lbs. My parents will NOT pay for that, im 15 & have no job no way can I pay for that. I prefer to feed wet food the moisture content is good for cats. Feeding my dogs good food is out of the question 100% theyre frigging HUGE.
Great to see someone tht knows their stuff!! I wish it were as easy to feed dogs and Cat's high quality foods as it is with fish. My fish's food was on Sale for $6, the good food for my Cat's is $40 for 11 lbs. My parents will NOT pay for that, im 15 & have no job no way can I pay for that. I prefer to feed wet food the moisture content is good for cats. Feeding my dogs good food is out of the question 100% theyre frigging HUGE.
Yeah... it's really cheap to feed yourself healthfully, but not your animals, sadly. Even if you homemade their food, it'd still be far more expensive. :( Well, except fish if you have snails/shrimp.
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