These days there are hundreds of dog foods on the market. The presence of the internet increases the availability of a huge amount of choices still more. How do you know which one to choose? Anybody who has looked into the issue knows that there are all kinds of questionable and often very unsuitable products included in pet foods. Large pet food companies use byproducts of all kinds that are of dubious nutritional benefit and may even contain ingredients that are genuinely bad for your pet's health. Buying just any dog food that has shiny and attractive advertising is clearly not the right course of action.
Your best bet is to follow a series of criteria for a good and healthy dog food and a reputable dog food manufacturer. If you simply look into the options available clearly, you will be able to arrive at a choice of dog food that you can really feel confident about.
The following are some tips on knowing how to select the right dog food for your dog:
First Know what Not to Buy
Unfortunately most large dog food manufacturers use ingredients that would open your eyes and turn your stomach at the same time. Such items as road kill, diseased animals, byproducts of little nutritional value, rancid grease, spoiled grains, blood, pus, cat and dog parts, and even plastic packaging have all been found in dog foods by manufacturers that advertise their products as pure and healthy. Byproducts like Heads, brains, beaks, bones, intestines, and so forth are the main source of protein in these foods. So first of all, you obviously don't want to buy dog food that has items like those mentioned above in it. This essentially means that you can eliminate most of the really large multinational pet food manufacturers. What you want are small to midsized pet food sellers that have a certifiable reputation for quality.
Go for Purity as much as Possible
Though simple byproducts of animals processed for human consumption are a fairly inevitable part of most pet food, at least you should know that they implement these ingredients in a pure manner - from healthy animals in clean and sanitary conditions. The oils and grains should likewise be fresh and of some nutritive value. Finally, try to find foods without a lot of artificial preservatives and colours. Do whatever research you need to do to be sure of this. Simply reading the ingredients is a first step, but it is not enough if you wish to be thorough. Look into the company's background and find out if there is any in depth information on their manufacturing process.
Avoid Soy and Gluten
Soy products have no place in dog food. Dogs are carnivores and would not eat soybeans in the wild. In fact, they do not have an essential amino acid that is necessary for digestion of the compounds of which soy is composed. Most soy found in these pet foods is used as filler only. Thus if you buy and feed your dog products with soy, you're paying for non-nutritive food bulk that may even be unhealthy for your dog. Corn Gluten is also often used in dog food mainly as a stabilizer and humectant, preventing oxidation. However this substance has the effect of binding water molecules and making them stick to dogs' colons, promoting constipation and creating an increased cancer risk.
Dog Health
The most important goal of any dog food is your dog's nutrition. You need to be aware that there are many ingredients routinely used in dog food and other pet food this is bad for dog health or at the very least non-nutritive. Then you can work from this recognition to find alternative dog foods that will really promote your dog's nutition requirements and well being while supporting ethical and pure industry standards.
