Ash

So what is ash?

Ash is a measurement of non-organic mineral content, including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, and other essential minerals. It is a food composition test in which producers determine how much fat, carbohydrate, and protein is in a certain food by burning each organic element out of it at different temperatures, all that is left after a test like that is ash.

Is ash safe to feed my dog?

Ash is not a bad word in the pet food industry, in fact it's a measurement of minerals that have to be in foods, to some extent, since your pet needs calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and a plethora of trace minerals. In general, dry dog food is always going to contain ash content the lower the Ash the lower the quantity of quality meat. Ash is a generic term for a compilation of important minerals. As dog owners, it is better for us to know how much calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and iodine there is in dog foods. Millies Wolfheart supplies these amounts separately and list them in our ingredients. Ash contains some or all of those minerals but it isn't necessary to give the breakdown but Millies do.

Why do dog foods have different amounts of ash?

Ash can be produced through the incineration of any organic substance. Millies Wolfheart contains higher quality meat and fish from both fresh and meal than many of the other brands available and this results in higher ash content. Since meat and fish meals often contain bone in them (which contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus), adding more of these meat and fish meals result in the ash content of our food being higher than the lower meat higher carb grain filled lower quality foods. Although, ash seems to be perfectly harmless from a scientific point of view, it still used as a selling promo for low quality foods who promote their low ash content but forget to explain the reasoning behind this which is low meat inclusion and usually high vegetable proteins. Many dog owners have expressed their opinions that, more than anything ash is mostly filler and takes up space where more healthful ingredients should be included. Which is totally incorrect. There is an essential amount of ash required by the AAFCO to meet nutritional requirements.

To Conclude

Ash is safe and even beneficial to most pets in appropriate amounts The easiest way to ensure your dogs nutritional wellnessis to serve a well-rounded diet of different quality protein foods and treats. Which is why Millies Wolfheart was produced to provide your dog with every building block for development maintenance and repair.