Pet Food For The Discerning Pet Owner

You care about your pet, but how do you choose what kind of pet food to buy? Unfortunately, it is not always easy to discern. The most popular or recognizable brand may be the one most widely advertised but not comprised of superior ingredients. This is because companies spend millions annually to sell their product. One of the best indicators of quality is price. The cheaper brand is the surest sign of inferior quality.

You want to make sure that the adult dog food you are feeding is 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat. The protein should come from a good quality source. Some dogs such as puppies, large breeds, and active breeds have different protein and fat requirements. Make sure to discuss this with your veterinarian to ensure proper feeding of your dog.

You have to know which ingredients are better than others in order to be able to buy the right food. If there are ingredients such as human-grade chicken meal, turkey meal, fish meal or lamb meal on the pet food label, then you are heading in the right direction. It is important to make sure the first four ingredients are not grains. Meat and proteins are paramount. These ingredients are usually present in pedigree dog food.

Be sure to see if it says that chicken is the main ingredient and not chicken meal. Chicken only refers to the fact that the entire chicken goes towards the overall protein value. Chicken meal differs in that the protein is cooked down to a version that is not appropriate for your pet in that it does not have other byproducts such as vitamins and fatty acids. These byproducts are essential ingredients in dog food.

Some of the ingredients that you don't want to see on your dog food label include: Inferior protein which consists of but not limited to variations of the following: Wheat, Corn, Chicken by-products, Soy, Gluten. These ingredients are hard to digest and can cause health problems later on if used for a long period of time. Sugar is another ingredient that you want to stay away from.

Remember to always follow the recommendations on food your vet gives you, and be prepared to discuss this with your vet also. You would expect your vet to know all of this information, but the truth is many vets are not taught this in veterinary school, but receive their information and facts from some commercial pet food manufacturers. On some occasions when dogs reach a certain age or have certain health conditions they need a special prescription diet. These diets may, or may not, contain the proper nutrients that dogs need, as well as often being more expensive then other foods. The dog's health will begin to decline if owners switch to a commercial dog food brand instead of the special diet due to cost or other concerns. The veterinary staff knows what's best to keep your particular dog healthy.

There are so many types and brands of pet food on store shelves today that it can be really hard to compare, contrast, and pick the best one for your pet. In order to make the best choice, the most desirable ingredients are. On a dog food label, you are looking for these types of ingredients: Human Grade Ingredients, chicken, turkey or fish meal, lamb meal, rice, potatoes, sunflower oil, and vegetables. In quality dog food, the first four ingredients should never be grains. Meat and proteins are the desirable first ingredients. These are the main ingredients in pedigree dog food and Flint River ranch dog food.

-Melinda Smith