We all want to be able to feed our dog’s healthy food that we know will only promote good health both inside and out. However, not many dog food companies provide optimum dog food, but most dog food available is of a decent quality. Before you purchase dog food, you will want to take a close look at the ingredients label. This will be the main thing you look at to make your decision on whether or not you are feeding your dog healthy dog food. After looking at the ingredients, you can always compare two different foods and decide which one is best.
Below are a few tips and ideas for you to keep in mind when looking for dog food. Remember, no dog food is perfect, but you will want to at least find a dog food that meets these criteria.
1. When looking for dog food, make note of the ratio. A dog’s diet should consist of about 50% meat, 40% vegetables, and 10% of carbohydrates like grains, bran, rice, etc. you will want to find a dog food that is close to matching this ratio so that you know your dog is eating a well balanced diet.
2. Keep an eye out for preservatives. Even though some preservatives may be necessary to keep the food fresh while it is on the shelf, the dog food shouldn’t include artificial chemicals, as these are usually harmful and sometimes even carcinogenic. You will want to avoid preservatives like BHT and BHA, as both of these are said to cause cancer in humans. Look for Vitamin C and E.
3. Look for the meat. A meat product should be the first listed ingredient on the list. This means that the dog food is mainly made of meat, which is a good thing as it is the best source for healthy fat as well as protein and other nutrients. Look for things such as beef meal, chicken meal, lamb meal, etc. All of these are great meat sources that are healthy. Make sure the meat source listed is specific, not just “poultry” or “animal.” This goes for all meat ingredients.
4. Take a look at the ingredients right after the meat. If you notice a lot of grains, corn, rice, and others after the listed meat, you won’t want to purchase this food. This means that most of the food is made up of fillers in order to make the food seem more nutritious than it really is.
5. Watch out for corn, soybean, and other ingredients. These can sometimes cause allergies, so it’s important that if your dog vomits or seems to have an allergic reaction after eating a certain type of dog food with these ingredients that you find a new type of food.
