There are so many commercially available dry dog foods on the supermarket shelves, making shopping for the right dog food a bit of a challenge. Often, the best dog food is the one that your pet loves to eat. But there are a couple of considerations that you have to make before you head to the checkout counter.
Choosing the Best Dry Dog Food
Price - The best indicator for quality dry dog food is the price. More often than not, cheaper dog food contains inferior ingredients and fillers that may be difficult to digest and have little or no nutritional value. Cheap dry dog food often contains too much preservatives, which may cause serious digestive problems in the long run. Good quality dog food is essential for your dog’s health and longevity. But besides price, what other indicators of quality are there?
Ingredients - Quality dry dog food should contain superior ingredients like chicken meal, turkey meal, lamb meal, potatoes, sunflower oil, and rice. It’s important to make sure that the main ingredient on the label is “chicken meal” and not “chicken”. The ingredient “chicken” is quite literally the entire chicken—beak, feet, and feathers. “Chicken meal”, on the other hand, is the cooked protein, which is what your dog needs. Some dog foods also contain soy protein, which is just as good as animal protein and serves as an excellent source of amino acids. They complement cereal grains very well since the latter provides carbohydrates needed by your dog to run and play. Additional ingredients you should look out for are vitamins, Omega 3, and other fatty acids, which will give your dog a healthy coat.
Age and Breed - Finally, look carefully at the label to make sure that the type of dry dog food you’re getting is appropriate for your dog’s age and breed. There are as many varieties of dry dog food as there are breeds—there is dry puppy food, dry adult dog food, even dog food for those recovering from surgery or lactating bitches. Specialty dry dog foods are more expensive than the average one, but your dog will be guaranteed the right amount of nutrients it needs for that point in its life.