What ingredients should I look for in my dog's food?

Every devoted dog owner is keen to make sure that they feed their four-legged friend the best possible diet they can. Good food will ensure that a dog has a shiny coat, bright eyes, good digestion, plenty of energy, and all-round healthiness. The good news is that there are lots of great quality dog foods out there. The bad news is that we can't give you a list of foods that are guaranteed to be the perfect diet for your dog, because there simply isn't one single food that will suit every dog. Just like humans, dogs are individuals. This means that just as the majority of people will thrive on a certain type of food, others may not benefit quite so much, and one or two might actually have adverse reactions to it, dogs can have similar diversity. It may be necessary to equip yourself with a list of several of the best kinds of dog food, and try your pet on several of them before you find the one that works best for him or her.

 

There are a few ways of ensuring that you rule out foods that probably won't be right for your dog, however. For example, take into account your dog's age. Puppies will need a considerably different diet from adult dogs in order to get the high amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals, and calories that they need in order to develop and grow properly. If an adult dog were to be fed this same diet, he or she would most likely gain too much weight, since they don't need the same high concentration of these nutrients. And much older dogs will need a different nutritional balance altogether to take into account their weaker digestive systems and lower activity.

The best way of choosing of dog food, therefore, is to take into account your dog's age, size, and activity, and choose one accordingly. However, don't be tempted to just opt for buying the cheapest version, even if it is the “right” formula. Economy brands of dog food are generally a no-go, because they use inexpensive ingredients which will be much more difficult for your dog to digest. This means that they won't provide the right nutritional balance even if they do include all the right ingredients, simply because many of the nutrients won't be absorbed, but will simply pass right through the dog's system as they are.

Don't choose a dog food that doesn't have eggs, meat, or fish (or meat meal or fish meal) listed as either the first or second ingredient. The ingredients will always be listed by weight, and these are the ones with the highest percentage of proteins in a usable, easily digestible form. If you make sure that your dog's food contains one of these as a main ingredient, and that the food is a high quality, recommended brand, you won't go far wrong. And if the cost of a better brand puts you off, consider the serving amounts. You need to feed considerably larger quantities of cheaper brands in order to provide the same nutrition as much smaller servings of premium food. Because of this, that economy bag of food will run out much more quickly than the premium one, and may even work out more expensive in the long run!

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