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When you decided to make an addition to the family, you never realized that you could love an animal so much. Dogs make loyal companions, and they extremely obedient. These are many characteristics that some people do not possess, but characteristics that all dog foods should possess are often overlooked.
Your canine family member deserves the best, but sometimes we, as pet owners, do not know what characteristics to be looking for. Most brands claim to use top ingredients, while others are grain free. The process can be somewhat intimidating for those not familiar with the situation, however, we are going to attempt to remove that intimidation.
VIDEO: Dr. Karen Becker Describes The Best To Worst Dog Foods
Quality Ingredients
There are some important characteristics of a brand, and formula, to take into account when choosing your dog food.
The brand should use quality ingredients, it should provide nutritional value, and it should promote a healthy diet.
All of these characteristics will help to provide your pet with a balanced diet that will promote health, happiness, and exercise.
Quality ingredients refers to the types of ingredients being used. Quality is always better than quantity. A bargain brand possess more ingredients, but the quality of the ingredients should always be the determining factor. Quality ingredients can usually be determined by words such as…
- All natural
- Specific listings of meat sources (Chicken, Buffalo, etc.)
- Complete and balanced nutrition
- Grain free
- Holistic
These are only examples of words that may be present with ingredients, and brands of higher quality. The list can go on, and on. depending on preferences of the dog owner, but one thing is for certain, quality ingredients are an important characteristic that all dog foods should possess.
Nutritional Value
As humans, we count calories, diet, and we are capable of choosing our own health foods. Dog foods do not have this benefit, instead dogs rely on us to provide them with the nutritional value that they need. Certain ingredients provide more nutritional value than their counterparts. This nutrition gives our dogs the energy, health, and diet that they deserve.
Healthy muscle development is promoted by protein. Pay special attention to the first few ingredients listed. Real meat, is often used to promote a top quality ingredient that provides nutritional benefits. Cheese, eggs, and fish are also ingredients used as sources of protein. Higher quality proteins may cost a little more, but the extra cost is nothing, compared to your dog’s healthiness.
By-products also provide high nutritional value to your dog’s diet. These are parts of animals that are not normally consumed by humans. Fillers are also included in many ingredient lists. These take place of higher quality ingredients, and they can include items such as corn bran, rice bran, or even cereal by-products. Make sure these types of ingredients are towards the bottom of the ingredient list, to ensure that your dog is receiving the best nutritional value.
Promote A Healthy Diet
It can be hard to promote a healthy diet within our own lives, but we still try. It should be just as important for your dog to receive a healthy and balanced diet. Artificial preservatives are present within some ingredient lists, and do not promote much in the way of a health diet. Some of these preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), propyl gallate, and ethoxyuin. Healthy equals happy, so attempt to avoid products with artificial additives.
Obesity is a problem within many dogs. A healthy diet can help to overcome this issue. Energy levels can be raised, which promotes exercise, that will allow your pet to maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle in your pet will help reduce the risk of disease, such as diabetes. Proper diet and exercise can lead to a long, enjoyable life for your dog.
Promoting a healthy diet not only attributes to a happy life for your dog, but it will make you happy as well. Knowing that your dog is healthy and happy is reward enough, but you will also benefit from the added energy of your pet. Valuable bonding time will be gained due to your dog’s new energy levels. They will want to play more, which will make you be more active, and it will promote a healthier lifestyle for yourself as well. Who does not want added energy, and a more active lifestyle?
Have The Best Interest Of Your Dog In Mind
Dog foods that you choose should have the best interest of your dog in mind. A lower price does not mean that the consumer is getting a better deal, it just means that there is a cheaper alternative to eating healthy. It is much the same as human food consumption. The fast food burger may be cheaper, but you know that it is unhealthy for you. Brands that have a dog’s best interest in mind, tend to use higher quality ingredients.
It always comes back to the ingredients. Quality ingredients make a world of difference in all aspects of life, so why should your dog foods choice be any different? Take care of your best friend, and they will take care of you. Perhaps that old dog of yours that lays on the couch all day, will turn into that spry young pup that you remember. Allow the new pup, that you were so eager to add to your family, the opportunity to grow up healthy, happy, and strong.
