How can we balance organic or natural foods with chemicals and preservatives? It seems inescapable.
At times I will play a game with food labels.
I deliberately pick up a carton, read only the label and try to guess what food product is in the container.
As I read the words for the preservatives and chemicals that are on the label the food is no longer recognizable.
Have you tried this exercise? As you read the labels on the dog food my main question is...
Where is the meat? And when I finally locate a dog food that lists meat first it is expensive.
The next question is...
How much meat is in the product? Maybe for you it makes sense but percentages do not tell me anything.
If meat is being stored in dry form it needs to be preserved in salt or sugar which is not recommended for dogs or manmade preservatives and chemicals are added for shelf life.
When you purchase your meats for your family they are either located in a refrigerated appliance or in the freezer units of your grocery store.
Do you trust a product to be natural because the manufacturer states it on their packaging? After adding preservatives or chemicals to keep the product fresh have you not defeated 'natural'? As a consumer trying to feed your dog good food to keep your pet healthy, surely you have noticed, or are suspect that the labeling is not totally accurate.
The pet industry lists minimum legal requirements.
There are always two sides to the story.

• The labels do give us part of the ingredients
• Companies do list meat, meat by products, corn, barley, rice, potatoes, dyes, preservatives and chemicals
• Percentage of ingredients is better than not knowing any measurement
• Regardless of what the large print on the package is saying, read the small print.
  
• Name of company and contact is on the package for more information

There is an old expression: if you want anything done right, do it yourself.
Make your own home cooked dog food for your pet.
Then you will absolutely know what ingredients to put into their food.
Organic or natural ingredients or can be located in health stores.
neighborhood grocery stores, produce stores, outdoor markets, or farmers markets wherever you feel comfortable that you are getting quality foods for your dollars.
It is recommended for more home cooked dog food information and recipes visit the pet category on the home page of Tricia Deed at http://www.
Infotrish.
vpweb.
com/ and review Dog Food Secrets.