Things You Should Know About Choosing Dog Food

Choosing the right food for you dog is critical. Possibly, the most important factor in choosing dog food is knowing what is and is not in it. Here is a guide to knowing what should be in the food you choose for your dog, and what is best to avoid.

Things that should be in the dog food you choose-

• A great source of protein-One of the most important things that should be in your dog food is either whole, fresh meats or single-source meat meal (for example, chicken meal rather than poultry meal). A whole meat source should be listed as one of the first two ingredients. Ingredients are always listed in the order of what they contain most. This means that a meat source that is in two of the top three ingredients also helps indicate the food is high in meat. However, you should also keep in mind that all ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, (the ingredient responsible for the greatest amount of weight in the bag is listed first). If a label reads, "beef, ground yellow corn, rice, corn gluten meal," it can appear that there is more beef than anything else in the sack, but the total weight of the ground yellow corn plus corn gluten meal may outweigh the beef.


• Whole unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods-This is because, whole unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods have a great chance of having its nutrients and enzymes intact. You should also look for foods that have whole meat (listed simply as lamb, chicken, beef, etc.) in the top three ingredients. Savvy pet owners also know to look for whole foods like rice, wheat, eggs, and foods, that are kept fresh with natural preservatives like vitamin C and E (often listed as mixed-tocopherols).

Things that should not be in the dog food you choose-

• Meat by-products-These are considered "second-class" products, and are not handled as carefully as whole meat. Meat by-products are defined as the non-rendered, clean parts, (other than meat), that are derived from slaughtered mammals. This can include, but is not limited to: lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, stomachs and intestines.


• Poultry by-products-These consist of non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera.


• Poultry by-products meal-This is defined as the ground, rendered clean parts of the carcass, of slaughtered poultry. This can include necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.


• Animal by-products meal-This is the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, and stomach and rumen contents. This ingredient definition is also intended to cover those individual rendered animal tissue products that cannot meet the criteria as set forth elsewhere.


• Fats or proteins that are named generically-This includes such labeling as: animal fat, poultry fat, or meat meal, as opposed to the better quality beef fat, chicken fat, or lamb meal. This generic term indicates that the ingredient is actually a mixed bag of ingredients that is coming from a number of sources.


• Artificial preservatives and colors-Preservatives are used to prevent food from turning rancid and sweeteners are added to attract dogs to unappealing food. Neither of these items should be a part of your dog's food.

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