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1.
The first and most obvious
thing to look for is the
price of the dog food. If
the price is really cheap,
then there is a reason for
it. If it was made
with good quality products
the company couldn't afford
to sell their product so
cheap. This is the first red
flag you should look for.
This could mean the food is
made with animal
by-products instead
of real meat because it is
so much cheaper to use.
Animal by-products are
basically anything but
meat. This can include
necks, feathers, feet,
hooves, claws, undeveloped
eggs, and animal waste. Now
don't get the wrong idea and
think that every high priced
dog food you see must be
made from good quality
products. You still have
to read the labels, but
in most cases price is a
good indication of the time
and quality they put into
their product.
2.
Reading labels is the most
important step in choosing a
dog food. If you think you
don't know what to look for,
you would be surprised what
you will find if you
actually read the list of
ingredients.
In
fact, right in the list of
ingredients of some large
commercial dog foods I have
actually seen them list 'animal
waste' as an
ingredient. Yet on the front
of the bag they boast that
their product is made from
high-quality protein
including real chicken. They
aren't lying, one of the
ingredients listed was
chicken, but they are not
going to advertise the rest
of the ingredients on the
front of the package in big,
bright,eye-catching letters
which is why you HAVE
to read the ingredients!
If
you haven't yet, go take a
look at the ingredient list
in your current brand of dog
food. You may be shocked to
see what your dog has been
eating.
3.
Now besides looking for
obvious unwanted products in
the ingredient list, make
sure the type of meat is
listed on the package. If it
says anything like, "Meat
Meal" or "Meat
and Bone Meal" stay
far, far away.
4. Do
not buy anything with the
ingredients 'Corn
gluten meal' or 'Wheat
gluten meal'. This
is often used as a filler
and because it's not
digestible, all it does for
your dog is cause him to
produce more waste. Nobody
wants that.
5.
Avoid any products that have
chemical additives
and artificial
preservatives. The
most common ones used being
BHA (Butylated
Hydroxyanisole), BHT
(Butylated Hydroxytoluene),
and Ethoxyquin.
These have been known to
cause a number of health
problems in dogs such as
allergies, dry skin, liver
disease, cancer and general
poor health.
6. Never buy dog
food at large, commercial
grocery stores. You will not
find good quality food
there. The best place to
find quality food is at a
specialty pet food store or
online. There is a great
selection of top quality dog
foods for
adults,
seniors and
puppies right
here on this website.
A
great way to know for sure
if you are feeding your dog
the right food is to join
Petsumer Report Online,
They have detailed and
classified information on
over 1400 different pet
foods, including dog treats.
There are many things to
consider when thinking about
the what kind of dog food to
buy but if you know what to
avoid, you are on the right
path to keeping your dog
healthy and happy.
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