We searched high and low for a manufacturer that we could trust with our formula. It was not an easy task. You see, when it comes to the foundation of a dry feed, the meat products come in a wide array of qualities. We knew that we would not accept any meat by-products or mby-product meals, but there was a lot more to it than that.

Meat meals come in about 20 different grades, depending on how much protein or meat is actually in the end product. We manufacture with only the top two grades that money can buy, which means our meat is:

• From a USDA-inspected facility
• Free of both antibiotics or hormones

In fact, these are the only products that our manufacturer will even work with. For them, and for us, it’s the top two grades or nothing. That’s how it is and always will be.

Next on our list of requirements was EU certification. This means that the meat products used in our dry feeds are not only the highest quality,  but that they also meet the European Union’s standards.

Europe has much tighter restrictions on the quality of meat products in their dog foods, which is why meeting this requirement matched our standards perfectly.

All of our protein sources are also low ash, which refers to the unusable or left over parts of protein after it is processed. Typically, this refers to the bone material that is in protein meals.  We keep the ash down, and out of our feed and your dog.

Then, we needed to make sure the fat quality was as great as the protein. Learn why this fat from meat matters to your dog.

The use of plant-derived fat sources as a major dietary source can disrupt the natural process of digestion in dogs. It can also challenge their immune system and lead to less than optimal performance.

When fats are absorbed in the small intestine, they must be structurally compatible and balanced with proteins. This ensures a healthy intestinal environment and the best opportunity nutrient utilization. That’s why we use only animal-based fat sources from clear waters and farms with high standards.

Here’s a fat fact: fats are the main energy source of canines. It’s what gives them their get up and go. Offer your dog the best forms of that essential energy. It’s what fuels them. That’s what our formulation is all about.

Next, we started to look at carbs: an overused element of canine nutrition. Check out our post on High-Quality Carbs.

Here’s something you might know already know: our dogs don’t need carbohydrates. In fact, the National Research Council states that compared to protein and fats, zero carbs (yes— zero) are needed for a healthy canine diet. Turns out dogs don’t share our human carb cravings.

Since dry feed sprouted up in the middle of the last century, manufacturers fell head over heels for carbohydrates. They were cheap, abundant, offered a long shelf life and were essential for the manufacturing process of dry dog food.

Now, carbohydrates are not necessarily bad for dogs. The problem lies in both the quantity and quality of them. In Advance, we use the smallest amount of high grade carbohydrates necessary. No main ingredients or fillers come from carbohydrates in Canine Health Forward’s products.

However, we do use carbohydrates to some extent, with quality and function being our goal. We looked for the right sources and the most usable carbs. As you know, corn is a carb. But even slow cooked, corn is just over 50% digestible. That won’t do.

We then looked at complex carbohydrates or parts of carbohydrates to see if they could offer what we were looking for. We decided to use a grain, but never as-is. When you see grain ingredients on our label, we’re actually using a certain layer or part of the grain that provides the best nutrient profile for our intended result.

For example, in our Advance food, we use rice flour as the main carbohydrate source. Rice flour is derived from the best part of the brown rice kernel. It is then made into a flour to ensure the greatest absorption rate for your dog. Rice flour is a quickly usable energy source that meets our high standards.

You will find that we never use the subpar parts of the rice product, or a by-product of the ingredient. Using poorer quality carbohydrates or by-products are tricks commonly used by other companies to disguise their ingredient list. We avoid such gimmicks by using only the heart of the finest carb sources to increase our transparency. We want to create a bond with you just like you have with your dog, and we can only do that by being straightforward and honest.

Next, we’ll show how Advance’s joint support goes above and beyond—just like your dog does for you. All Natural Joint Support.

Natural compounds that grease the squeaky wheel.

Research has shown that some all natural products, derived from a highly concentrated source, can greatly increase synovial fluid in the joints. At Canine Health Forward, we believe in a preventative, therapeutic approach to maintaining healthy joints. We want to make sure that the joint works properly every day, so that injury or joint breakdown does not occur.

Think of synovial fluid as a liquid with the consistency of an egg white. This fluid is naturally produced by your dog to cushion and aid in lubrication of the joint, as well as the articulation or movement of the cartilage in the joint.

By helping your dog produce more synovial fluid naturally with daily food, you’re keeping joints healthy without expensive supplementation.

AAFCO guidelines prohibit us from adding a substantial amount of glucosamine or chondroitin, which is needed for repair. Competitors will add these to their feeds, but they are limited to insignificant amounts and are there for marketing purposes only. We won’t go there.

Our natural compounds for synovial fluid production aren’t just off the shelf at the local drugstore. They are specific plant products handled a certain way from the moment they are picked to ensure the molecular breakdown of the plant does not occur. Like many ingredients used in Canine Health Forward’s formulas, we test these periodically to ensure the greatest quality control.

While we’re talking quality control, let’s talk antioxidants. Specifically, our unique, Cutting Edge Antioxidants.

Because the competition would never go this far.

We include good levels of antioxidants to cleanse the body of free radicals. Antioxidants flush out the junk. An incredibly effective and relatively new antioxidant that we have been using for some time is one called Astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is a fat-soluble nutrient that has a very unique molecular structure, which makes it a superior antioxidant. Its structure means that it can clean out free radicals, or waste from cells in your dog’s body. It is an all natural material that is found in microalgae grown on the Kona coast of Hawaii. The extract of this algae is the most highly concentrated, compared to other sources of Astaxanthin.

Microalgae contains over three times the concentration than traditional sources such as Salmon and Crustaceans. Astaxanthin is known to protect cells from free radical oxidation, enhance immune support, improve breeding as well as health and longevity.  Astaxanthin is proven to be 500 times stronger than vitamin E, and 2000 times stronger than vitamin C as an antioxidant.

With powerful properties like these, we absolutely had to include it in our feed formulas. Along with good levels of other antioxidants like vitamin E and C, as well.

Really, it’s all about balance. Another thing we balance in our food? The Ratio of Omega-3 & Omega-6.

From the right sources, in the right amounts.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are so commonly discussed in your dog’s food. But why are they so important and where do they come from?

The simple definition of that they are unsaturated fatty acids that occurs chiefly in fish oils, with three double bonds at particular positions in the hydrocarbon chain.

It may seem complex, but it’s really not. Simply put, omega-3 and omega-6 are fats that provide crucial functions in your dog’s body system. We find they play a critical role in joint health as well as eye and heart health.

We also find the absolute best sources of these omega-3 fatty acids to come from oils derived from marine fish. We obtain these oils from clean, ocean-harvested fish and ocean fish oils to achieve the correct amounts.

On the other hand, omega-6 supports your dog’s health skin and coat. Since your dog’s largest organ is its skin, it is very important that we provide the correct omega-6 building blocks. A dog’s skin is the first line of defense.

We source this critical omega-6 from key plant seeds and oils. Then, after we found the best sources possible, we determined the correct, balanced amounts that would result in the highest maintenance of your dog’s body.

All of this is great. Until you consider how these ingredients are prepared. And for that, we have the truth about our Slow Baked Process.

Cool and easy does it.

Another essential requirement in our manufacturer selection was that the facility would need to slow bake to our standards.

Now let me tell you, very few facilities will even talk to you about a slow baked process. There are even more that say they will, but are not truly slow baking for one simple reason: it costs money. That is the bottom line for almost all manufactures.

Luckily, we were able to get in contact with a small, family-owned operation in the heart of the midwest that has vowed for decades to never compromise quality. That has been proven by the products they produce. And that’s exactly what we were looking for.

There are several steps and reactions to consider when choosing a baking process. First, baking at a lower temp prevents damage the profiles of the ingredients. It allows us to fully complete an important process that pertains to the carbohydrates, or starches. As starches are baked, they begin to “gelatinize”. Gelatinization is the breakdown of starches when in the presence of heat and water. This process creates a starch that is much more usable for your dog. Research shows that the higher the gelatinization percent, the more usable the starch source becomes. Therefore, our slow baked process makes our carbohydrate sources (starches) to be of the most usable form known to man.

Now we acknowledge that a longer bake time takes more energy, which increases the cost of the final product. We were okay with that because it ensures the highest standard in quality for your dog. We can’t say we do what’s best for your dog if we aren’t willing to do everything we can.

Speaking of doing everything we can, we’d like to introduce you and your dog to Kennel Keeper.

A unique level of defense.

We’ve learned a lot over the last decade of working with dogs and advanced canine nutrition. Over that time, we noticed an increased awareness regarding the topic of both single cell parasites and pathogens. Some of these single cell parasites include coccidia, cryptosporidium and giardia. Common pathogens that can affect our dogs are salmonella, clostridium and Campylobacter.

Any of these examples can cause substantial harm to canines. The fact is, many of these bad bugs are naturally present in our dog’s body, primarily in the digestive tract. When your pet’s immune system is compromised, like when your dog is stressed, there is a sudden increase in these bad bugs. They begin to establish a greater presence and will then take hold, which can be catastrophic in dogs. So how does this happen?

We all know how prone our dogs are to picking up things in their mouths. They live for it.  Unfortunately, this habit sometimes means picking up a dead mouse or rodent that can carry extremely harmful parasites and pathogens.

Another mode of transportation is through fecal matter. And as you know, unfortunately, some dogs are happily attracted to sniffing, playing and sometimes ingesting other dogs’ fecal material.

The traditional approach to curing this problem is a sulfur-based treatment which is very caustic. Through scientific formulation, Canine Health Forward has identified methods to reduce the risk of such a hostile takeover in your dog’s gut. We have incorporated a special blend of natural ingredients that not only strengthens the intestinal tract to withstand an attack of this type, but also helps fight off such nasties.

We take an everyday therapeutical approach to canine health by adding our one-of-a-kind Kennel Keeper to our feed. This ensures the ultimate protection for your companion.

No matter if you kennel consists of one dog or 20 happy retrieving labradors. Keep them all protected with Kennel Keeper.

There’s no detail too small for us. That’s why we even consider the best when it comes to Proteinated Trace Minerals.

Absorb it all. Lose nothing.

We used proteinated trace minerals in our food formulas to increase bioavailability—or your dog’s ability to absorb.

You see many manufactures use incredibly useless or non-absorbable trace mineral like oxides or sulfates in their formulas. On a good day, an oxide is only 10% usable by your dog. Sulfates, on the other hand, are better—but only 60% usable at the very best.

Using such low grade trace minerals often times prompts formulators to add much higher amounts of oxides or sulfates in anticipation of poor absorption rates. High amounts of trace minerals that are not bioavailable can cause a reaction in the intestinal tract.

The intestinal tract senses an overload or possible toxic level of a certain trace mineral, which is when the body begins to secrete mucus on the inner surface of the intestinal tract. This mucus then protects the intestinal tract form what the body perceives as a possible threat.

However, when this occurs, it also prevents the fullest potential of absorption of anything else that passes through the gut. This is a bad cycle to get into. That’s why we have formulated with the correct amounts of only proteinated trace minerals to avoid this vicious cycle.