Charlee BearChicken Pumpkin Apple Dog Treats - Chicken Pumpkin Apple Flavor

A staple of grain-free recipes, supplying starch, fiber and plant protein. Peas were common in the diets examined in a federal investigation into heart disease in dogs; the investigation did not establish a cause and no ingredient was banned. Pea protein high on a list can inflate the protein number with a plant source. Pea allergy is rare. Not a problem, but worth noticing when it appears in several forms in one recipe.

A legume used as a carbohydrate and plant protein, common in grain-free foods. Chickpeas supply fiber, folate and protein that lifts the number on the bag without adding meat. Legume-heavy grain-free foods were part of the FDA's 2018 to 2022 look at diet-associated heart disease in dogs, which did not establish a cause. A food that lists chickpeas or peas in the first few ingredients is leaning on plant protein.

The liver of the chicken, used both as a nutrient-dense ingredient and as a flavor. It is rich in vitamin A, iron, copper and B vitamins and most pets find it very palatable, which is why it turns up in treats and as a coating on kibble. Because it is chicken, it counts as chicken for a pet with a chicken allergy, even when it appears far down the list.

The familiar white potato, used as a carbohydrate source in many grain-free foods. Potato starch binds kibble; potato protein is a concentrated plant protein that lifts the protein figure on the bag. Cooked potato is safe and well digested. Grain-free foods built on potatoes and legumes were part of the FDA's 2018 to 2022 look at diet-associated heart disease in dogs, which did not establish a cause; the agency has not asked for any to be withdrawn.

The most common protein in pet food, and for dogs one of the most common food allergens, with beef and dairy. If chicken is what your pet reacts to, it hides everywhere: chicken fat, chicken broth, chicken meal, natural flavor. On a label, chicken listed first is weighed with its water still in, so a food leading with fresh chicken often has less chicken protein than one leading with chicken meal. Neither is better; they are different measures.

A complete, highly digestible protein, which is why formulators like it. It is also a documented allergen in about 4% of dogs with food reactions. Egg allergy does not implicate chicken meat; the proteins are different. Dried egg product is the same thing with the water removed. A good ingredient for most pets and a fine-print one for the allergic few.

A vegetable used mainly as a source of soluble fiber for stool quality, and for label appeal. Amounts in a complete food are small. Not an allergen of concern and not a meaningful protein or calorie source.

A fruit added for fiber, a little natural sweetness and antioxidants. Apple flesh is safe for dogs and cats. The seeds contain a trace of a cyanide-forming compound, which matters for a dog eating whole apples and is far below any concern at the amounts of pomace or dried apple in a food. Apple pomace is what remains after juicing and is mostly fiber. In either form it appears in small amounts and does not change the nutrition of the food in a meaningful way.

A plant fat high in medium-chain triglycerides, fats the body can burn quickly without the usual digestion steps. Those fats are the reason coconut oil appears in some senior and brain-support foods, where small studies of medium-chain fats in older dogs showed modest cognitive benefits; a food's coconut oil is a lower dose of the same fats. It supplies almost no essential fatty acids, so a food cannot rely on it as the only fat. It is calorie-dense and fine in the small amounts used.

Starch from the cassava root, used to bind kibble and as a carbohydrate source, especially in grain-free foods. It is nearly pure starch with little protein, fiber or micronutrients, and it is one of the least likely ingredients to trigger an allergy. A food that leans on tapioca for carbohydrate is getting easy digestibility and little else from it, which is fine as long as the rest of the recipe carries the nutrition.