A question that many dog owners often have, is “What dog food brand is the best for my dog?”. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question, as each dog’s dietary needs may be slightly different. However, there are several factors that you can consider when you’re searching for the best dog food formula for your dog. These factors may be your dog’s age, special dietary needs, the ingredients of the formula or other considerations. Here is a quick guide to help you to decide which dog food brand is the best for your dog.
Filler Ingredients
Some dog food brands commonly incorporate cheap “filler” ingredients into their formulas. These ingredients often artificially boost the protein or carbohydrate content of a formula, without adding much digestible nutrition. An example of a filler ingredient that is used in many inexpensive dog food formulas is corn. Corn is not easily digestible by dogs, and may even cause allergic symptoms in some dogs. Many pet nutritional experts agree that you should attempt to find a dog food brand that does not contain any filler ingredients. Common filler ingredients include corn, wheat, soy and sorghum.
Artificial Preservatives
Some dog food brands like to use artificial preservatives to boost the shelf life of their formulas. BHA and BHT are two examples of chemical preservatives that are contained in some dog food formulas. If you want to make the best choice for your dog’s health, stay away from brands that use these artificial preservatives! Many preservatives can cause health problems in some dogs, and some have even been associated with serious health conditions. Try to choose a dog food brand that doesn’t use any artificial preservatives in its formulas.
Artificial Colors/Flavors
Some dog food formulas use artificial colors and flavors to increase the appeal of their formulas. It’s important to remember that the bright colors of your dog’s food formula are usually only designed to appeal to the dog’s owner, and not the dog. Artificial colors are an unnecessary ingredient in many dog food formulas. The use of artificial flavoring ingredients may entice your dog to eat a food, but these artificial flavors may cause health problems in some dogs. When in doubt, stay away from dog food brands that use artificial colors or flavors.
The First Five Ingredients
One of the best indicating factors for a quick overview of a dog food formula’s contents is to read the first five ingredients. These first five ingredients will usually make up the “bulk” of the formula, since dog food ingredients are commonly listed by quantity. If the first five ingredients of your dog’s formula include by-products, grains and undesirable ingredients, stay away! A good guide for choosing a nutritious dog food formula is that the formula has at least two protein-based ingredients in its first five ingredients.
Avoiding By-Products
A dog food brand that is good for your dog will usually not include any by-products. Some examples of by-products include chicken digest, poultry digest, animal digest and poultry by-product meal. By-products are usually the “waste” ingredients of human food processing plants. This means that the by-products could contain the beaks, feathers, entrails or other waste portions of certain animals. Due to the low quality standards for by-products, it’s best to choose a dog food formula that does not include by-products.
Customer Feedback
When choosing the best dog food brand, it pays to listen to customer feedback. Reading dog food reviews is a great way to gain a better understanding of what other dog owners are saying about a specific formula. This can help you to decide if a dog food brand is right for your dog.