The Danger of Feeding Cheap Quality Dog Food

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     All dog foods are not created equal with regards to how nutritionally balanced and wholesome they are for your pet. While most pet owners recognize that the lowest price dog food on the shelf isn't going to be as high quality as the most expensive, they often don't realize what that actually means to the dog. Amazingly some of the most expensive dog food isn't giving your pet any more protein and nutrients than the more modestly priced middle of the line priced food.

It is important to consider more than just cost when you are thinking "cheap" dog food. Any food that is mostly filler, usually grains or grain meal is not a good option for your pet, regardless of the label that may be on the package. Premium, super or ultra premium, high energy or gourmet labels are just terms used by dog food manufacturers to attract business, they don't signify anything special in the bag. There are, of course, some manufacturers that really do make a premium food, but the only way you can tell these from the cheaper products is to actually read the guaranteed analysis and the ingredient list.

Cheap quality dog food typically has a lot of carbohydrates in the form of corn and grain. This is a low quality food for your dog but provides a lot of bulk in the mix, greatly extending how much food can be made from smaller amounts of protein. In some very cheap dog foods ground peanut hulls, which have absolutely zero nutritional value are used strictly as a bulking agent. When your dog eats these foods, especially in dry kibble, they swell up in the stomach and digestive tract. While it does make the dog initially feel full, it provides little of the required nutritional value. Your dog is likely to eat much more of the cheap food to try to get its nutritional needs met while also eating all this unhealthy fiber. Dogs that have frequent large bowel movements are typically dogs fed on poor quality, high fiber and bulk grain diets. Dogs feed on raw foods or low bulking and fiber foods typically have one bowel movement per 24 hour cycle, which is very normal.

Cheap pet foods also tend to have higher moisture levels. This is because higher water content both keeps the food more palatable but also because it increases the weight of the food. Since all dog food in any formulation is sold by weight, the more water the more it weighs. Dog food manufacturers are required to list the maximum water content on all types of food, carefully note the difference in the guaranteed analysis between a moderately priced and a cheap food, you may be amazed.

Extra water in the food also means that the manufacturer has to add more preservatives to prevent spoilage. This is never healthy for your dog as the more preservatives and additives that are found in the food the worse it is for your pet. Finally keep in mind that low quality cheap foods tend to use more artificial colors and flavors in the food to enhance the eye appeal and scent of the food, not for the dog, but rather for you as the consumer. Remember that there are ways to buy good quality dog food at lower prices on sales and via the internet, which is a much better option than going for a cheap quality food.