Not all dog food is created equal

6 March 2015

A working dog is an athlete. They cover up to 100 kilometres a day, much of it at 20–30 kilometres per hour. Like any athlete, working dogs are very susceptible to muscle injuries and even the best dogs will inevitably experience injuries.

The result is that your dog, a key tool on your farm, will not be performing to its potential. Imagine if another machine on your farm was only working at 50% efficiency. Ultimately, reduced efficiency means reduced profit for farmers. Like any high performance athlete, working dogs need protein to rebuild and repair their muscles after a hard day’s work in the field.

Dog food ingredients are listed on-pack in order of proportion. The ingredient making up the biggest proportion of the product is listed first, and the smallest is listed last. If the first ingredient is ‘cereals and cereal by-products’, this means that cereals make up the biggest proportion of the food.

The ingredient listed first for PEDIGREE® Working Dog is real meat, and this is the key source of protein in the food. So not only does PEDIGREE® have a higher percentage of protein, but the protein comes from real meat to assist in muscle recovery and deliver peak performance.

While it’s important to consider the percentage of protein in your dog’s food, it’s not the only consideration. The digestibility of the protein also plays an important role. Protein comes from different sources, including animals (meat) and plants. Although proteins sourced from meat and plants are both classed as proteins, they are digested differently by dogs. One way to measure the digestibility is by looking at the daily feed guidelines on pack. Usually, the lower the ‘grams per day’ figure, the more digestible the product is. Feeding according to the guidelines ensures a dog is getting the right amount of nutrition and energy to work longer and harder.

Dog food pricing differs greatly and the cheapest bag is not always the cheapest option.* Next time you consider buying dog food, look at the feeding guides on pack. The less you have to feed per day, the longer the bag will last, saving you time and money. With a cost per day of less than a $1, PEDIGREE may also deliver on your bottom line **

PEDIGREE® has been formulated based on research from the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. For nearly 50 years, WALTHAM® has been the leading authority in the field of cat and dog nutrition and the hub of the global research activities of PEDIGREE®.WALTHAM has identified the four universal needs of dogs; Digestibility, Skin & Coat, Oral Care and Immunity.

At PEDIGREE® we are committed to making the world a better place for pets. Not only are we providing your dogs with complete and balanced nutrition but we are also supporting those less fortunate. In 2009 PEDIGREE® set up the Adoption Drive Trust and has raised $220,000 to date for shelters and dog charities around the country. 100% of money raised from online donations or PEDIGREE® products sold go directly to the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Trust.

Please help support the Adoption Drive Trust and watch out for some great PEDIGREE specials in store.

* Based on feeding guidelines and pricing of 20-25kg bags in the rural supplies market.

** Based on pricing analysis for a 20kg dog carried out on June 2014.

Article supplied by Mars NZ Ltd