Sodium Chloride / Salt.
Knowing how much salt is in the processed dog treats and the pet food you may be feeding your dog or cat is of importance to their health.
On a raw meaty diet, they would naturally get all the salt they require, about o.4 percent. However, some processed pet foods can have elevated levels high as 3 .0 percent.
Salt Water is around 2.6 percent.
As a preservative, salt is sometimes used by manufacturers and will not label it as such and then declare their products to be chemically free.
Check food labels. Usually, Ingredients are listed by weight. Because dry food is lower in moisture, it may seem that it should have less sodium than wet food does, but this is not necessarily true. Whichever processed pet food you feed your furry pal, make sure that salt is never in the first five ingredients listed. Be suspicious of the packet or can that suggests you have a bowl of fresh water next to the feed bowl; this is usually an indication of a high salt content.
Pet food regulations have an established minimum for salt – but regardless of health concerns, there is NO set maximum of salt content in pet foods. And because there are no regulations holding manufacturers accountable, there is no consistency to the amount of added salt in pet foods.
At Zoe`s all our raw ingredients are salt-free. We do not add salt before or during any processing of our home-made gourmet dog treats. That is why we can honestly declare our products to be preservative free and why they have a very short shelf life compared to commercially made dog treats and pet foods and the reason refrigeration is required to keep them in good condition while maintaining their maximum nutrients.
It is worth checking the ingredient labels on commercially made dog treats and foods you feed your dog, and if there is more than 0.4 percent, the salt content is too high.