Things To Keep In Mind Before Buying Dog Food
Following the saying, you are what you eat, one should choose the food for his/her pet wisely. The pet food industry in the market has grown to a large scale; however there are many renowned brands that do not offer proper nutritional value as they claim to offer. This has led to a huge rate of canine diseases and premature death of dogs. Hence, one should ditch the low quality food now and embrace the ones that can offer health benefits to your dog.
What to look for?
When you are visiting the pet shop, you need to keep in mind that the products having massive advertising banners may not ultimately be the best choice for your puppy’s health. There are certain aspects that you need to keep in mind before buying dog foods and qualities that best puppy food should have:
- Always look for fresh meat and the animal fat must be avoided. The fresh meat has 65-75% water and 15-25% protein. However, the meat meal is just opposite to the fresh meat which has more meat in it. You can go for the meat and bone meal but you need to keep in mind that the manufacturers try to dupe you by mixing other impure components in the meal. This can lead to ill-hygiene of your pet and make you think that the meal may not be the best puppy food around.
- Try to get the food that has high level of protein. Choosing among pork, turkey, chicken, lamb, bison and venison can be better options. If your dog is fond of fish, then you can get salmon for it.
- Before buying a food product, you can do little research on it. By researching thoroughly, you can understand what it is made of and whether it includes any animal fat or grease. This can even give you an idea on what type of food packaging the product has.
- Read the entire product information while buying to know whether your canine is allergic to any of the ingredients.
Food ingredients to be avoided
As your mongrel is a living being, it must not be fed whatever is available in the market. You must look out for these ingredients in the best puppy food to keep your puppy’s health safe and sound:
- Beef tallow
- Animal fat
- Processed meat
- Hydrochloric acid
- Brewer’s rice
- Wheat bran
- Soy flour
- Chemical coloring and preservatives
- Sweetened treats
- Corn
- Sugar
- Flavoring agents
- Animal digest
- Whole wheat flour
Factors to keep in mind
Comparison and assessment is the solution to every problem and even for choosing the best puppy food, you should compare following these factors:
- If your puppy has a thin physical structure, you can think of adding more fat to its diet.
- If your mongrel is of heavy weight, you need to add lean and Omega-3 and 6 fatty-acid in its food.
- To avoid the diet being mundane, you can rotate the food products routinely. You can feed fish one day then the next day, you can feed it chicken or turkey.
- In case of digestive problems, you can offer food with other protein source or grain-free elements.
- Often it is seen that your pet is never fully content even after having a heavy meal. In this case, you can offer it foods enriched with protein and fat.
Recommended food products
As the US market is now being filled with low quality dog foods, it is high to time to embrace the best puppy food that are actually healthy for your canine. Here is a list of food that your mongrel can try out:
- California Natural Dog Food
- By Nature Dog Food
- Bravo Raw Food
- Artemis
- Acana Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food
- Natural Planet Organics Dog Food
- Natural Balance Dog Food
Henceforth, it is your duty to feed your dog with the best puppy food and maintain its health. However, before purchasing puppy food, taking proper consultation with the vet is needed. Buying food by looking at an advertisement can lead to ill health of your dog.