This is a definition I found.
"Holistic foods use the highest quality, "human-grade" ingredients and never any artificial colors or chemical preservatives. Additionally, holistic foods never contain cheap fillers such as corn, wheat, soy, glutens or animal by-products. These fillers are hard to digest, contain little nutritional value and are known to cause health problems in dogs and cats. "
But very wary when you see this word on ' Holistic Dog Foods '.
ALWAYS read the ingredients. And always get Grain Free versions. And price has nothing to do with anything. Don't let a pretty foil bag fool you into buying either very expensive dog food or not that great a dog food. I really think the pet food industry is actually not that well regulated with quality or terms usage.
And a reminder on grain free...
If you have dogs with uncontrollable itching and there's no fleas involved, it's definitely the food you're feeding him/her. Do some research and you'll find that grain based kibble can cause itchiness, hot spots, yeast infections, and reoccurring ear infections. Grain-free kibble is the best way to go. It's worth a little extra money to avoid vet costs.
Another reminder, just because it's grain free doesn't make it low carb. Just about every grain free, even though it is higher protein and less carb than the usual suspects, doesn't make it low carb. Dogs need high protein, medium fat and low carb. They were built this way....carnivores...
There is a bacteria colony that lives where the stomach dumps into the small intestine and this bacteria has a tendency to foam when it comes into contact with grain or white potato. This can cause acid indigestion or burping, or even cause the dog to throw up a bit. Try switching to a raw*, raw*/kibble mix or a kibble that is grain and white potato free to see if it clears up.
*Dogs with cancer should not have raw foods due to their compromised immune system.
Here is a video on protein, fat, and carb myths exposed by a vet
