01/08/2026
🐾 Itchy Pets? Let’s Talk FOOD. 🐶🐱
Because sometimes the answer is literally on the back of the bag… 👀⬇️
If your pet is constantly scratching, licking paws, or dealing with irritated ears or hot spots, their food could be the culprit.
✨ Quick Pet Food Label Lesson ✨
Go grab your pet’s food and flip the bag over.
👉 Ingredients are listed in order of inclusion.
That means the FIRST ingredient makes up the largest portion of the food.
🔑 Golden rule:
The first ingredient should ALWAYS be a NAMED MEAT
(Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Salmon, etc.)
And yes… not all protein is created equal. Sigh. 😅
🚩 Red flags to watch for:
• Corn, wheat, or soy as top ingredients 🌽
• By-products (mystery parts = nope)
• “Meat meal” or “bone meal” without a named source
These are fillers used to boost protein numbers cheaply — but they often fuel yeast issues, which show up as:
🐾 Itchy skin
🐾 Licking paws
🐾 Ear irritation
🐾 Hot spots
More fillers = cheaper food to make = you feeding MORE just to meet nutrition needs. Are you really saving? 🤔
🟢 Good to know:
✔️ Chicken Meal or Beef Meal (NAMED) = actually a quality, concentrated protein
❌ Meat Meal (not named) = hard pass
✨ Quick Recap for Quality Pet Food:
✔️ Named meat FIRST
❌ No corn, wheat, or soy
❌ No by-products
❌ No unnamed meat or bone meal
Fixing symptoms is helpful… but fixing the SOURCE (the food) is where real relief begins 💛
And fun fact 👇
“Beef Dog Food” vs. “Dog Food with Beef” are NOT the same thing 😲
(Labeling matters more than you think!)
Now that you know…
🐾 How do you feel about your pet’s current food?
I’m always happy to share more label tips — knowledge is power (and fewer vet visits 😉).
Www.pawtree.com/hushpuppylove/petprofile