Choosing the Best Dog Food You Can Buy

[Ann Stewart]

A lot of people ask me what I feed our dogs and my answer is always
given with a bit of caution.  First of all, it's important to
remember that each dog is different.  Our Labradors eat different
food than my Chihuahua, mostly because their protein needs are much
different.  Our Labs are working dogs and need lots of
energy...my Chihuahua just needs a good lean dog food to give him
enough energy to play all day inside the house.
Having said that, it's really easy to learn how to read the labels of
dog food for yourself, so that you can make an educated
decision.  There are many places on the Internet to help you
choose the best dog food. My favorite is the Pet Food Project,
because Sabine gives the reader a clear and thorough instruction of
how to read dog food labels so that you know and understand what you
are looking for.
I had no idea what dog food to feed my dog, until I came upon Sabine's
website. She explains that dog food labels are difficult to read
by design. The dog food industry is vague on purpose, so you
think something is good for your dog, when it really
isn't.   Take the term "by-products". This ingredient
is usually preceded by a meat type, such as chicken by-product or beef
by-product. This term really describes what is "left over" after
processing and cutting; so chicken by-product actually includes things
like the beaks, or feet...nothing of real substance for your dog.
When reading the label, you should always consider the first few
ingredients listed before the first fat; remembering that each
ingredient is listed in terms of volume, with the first one making up
the most. What you're looking for is any type of meat being
listed first with a minimal amount of grains. To complicate
things even further, beef is not as good as beef meal because they are
also measuring the water content, causing you to believe that it's
more volume than it really is. Also, look for more than one grain
being listed in those first five or so; they may be separating them
out to make it look as though the ratio of grains to meat are low.
 I have to tell you that using just these basic tips have helped
me quickly eliminate the majority of major brand dog foods, and this
is just the beginning! Sabine has many more steps in her
instruction on how to choose the best dog food, and her site is really
worth checking out. 
It's very important that you understand what is going into your dogs
diet. A poor diet can lead to physical and even behavioral
problems. Plus, you WANT to feed your dog the best food you can
buy and it's important to make an informed decision. Your dog
will thank you, I know mine did!