Pet Food Are Not Always Expensive

Some people make their own pet food or feed their dogs meals made from ingredients purchased in grocery or health-food stores; many others rely on commercially manufactured dog food. There are many different recommendations on what diet is best for dogs.

One school of thought has it that dogs have been living on leftover food a food scraps from people since the days of the cave man. Commercial pet food is a relatively recent development, they aver, noting that these foods contain lower quality meat and other added ingredients that is actually bad for dogs and does not meet dogs' nutritional needs.

It's usually less expensive to purchase dry pet food. Per pound, it is much more cost effective than its canned or semi-moist relatives. Dry food generally only contains 6-10% moisture whereas canned foods are 78% moisture. It appears that dry food which contains more actual food ingredients and less water is the better value here. Dry food is also instrumental in your pet's dental health in that it prevents the build-up of tartar. Canned foods which are opened and served at mealtimes mean fresher food for your pet. Unless you have a large, airtight container to keep your dry food in after you open the package, the canned food will provide the freshest diet.

The little pieces of dry pet food are what's known as kibble. Kibble can be produced through extrusion or baking. Kibble made by extrusion starts with a dough or raw mixture of materials being fed into a machine called an expander. In the expander, pressurized steam or hot water is added causing high pressure. This high pressures puffs up those little pellets like popcorn. After the kibble has dried, it's given a spray that contains ingredients that wouldn't stand the heating process, such as vitamins, fats, and oils.

If the extruded kibble is exposed to air or the elements for too long or not stored properly, the fats and oils added to the kibble can go bad. The vitamins and minerals in wellness dog food could be destroyed if exposed to heat during shipping or during storage. One very popular dog food is Burns Dog Food.

Many pet owners believe baked kibble is a more natural and digestible food for their dogs than foods produced by extrusion. However, baking involves a longer heating time which some people feel negates the extra values the food might have had. In the baking method, kibble is put through less pressure for extended periods of time. Instead of being sprayed on as an afterthought, fat is baked right in which means that baked kibble keeps longer when exposed to air than extruded kibble does. For this reason, opening a package of kibble does not seriously cut down on the shelf life of baked kibble dog foods.

There are a variety of recommendations concerning what the best diet is for dogs. Some people purchase ingredients from health food or grocery stores and feed their dogs pet food they have made themselves. Many other people depend on buying commercially manufactured dog food. Dry food is made by two processes - extrusion and baking. Pet owners that want a more natural food usually choose the baked method. However, the vitamins and minerals in this wellness dog food could be destroyed if exposed to heat during shipping or during storage. One very popular dog food is Burns Dog Food.

-Melinda Smith