Dog food labels

A healthy dog food does not equal a cheap dog food, no matter what the manufactures promise you. One of the best things you could do for your dog’s food before you buy it is read the dog food labels. You will learn so much about the food you are buying if you only just read the dog food labels. The first ingredient you want to see on the label is some sort of meat like chicken, or lamb. If the label says regular own meat is can be anything.  

Do not get turned off if the dog food label has some by products included such as heads, necks or stomach contents.  This is ok.  Truthfully your dog would eat this stuff if it was out on the wild.  By law meat by products can not include hair, horn, teeth or hooves or even manure.  But it can include organs, liver, head and feet.  These are very high in natural vitamins and minerals so if a dog food contains them, they are probably fairly high in vitamins and minerals.

Soy in dog food

Check your dog food labels for soy. You want to make sure there is no soy in your dog in your dog  food. Dogs tend to have a real problem with soy and most are allergic to it. You are betting off avoiding any product that has soy in it. The result could be really uncomfortable for your dog.

Calcium in healthy dog food

Make sure there is calcium in your dogs diet but you do have to be very careful about how much calcium your dog has.  Calcium will help your dog’s teeth and bones grow strong but too much and you could wind up giving your dog bone abnormalities.  If you dog has too little calcium and your dog could develop rickets or softening of the bones that bend under the pressure of your dogs weights. Check your dog food labels for optimum calcium content.  

Protein in healthy dog food

Make sure your dog’s food has plenty of protein in it.  For a puppy it is recommended that there is at least 28% protein in their food.  For an adult dog, it is 18% and for a pregnant or nursing dog the number goes back up to 28%.  It is possible for your dog to get to much protein.  Usually this will not do them any harm and the extra protein will come out in their urine.  However if you have a dog that has kidney problems, to much protein could be a problem for them and might possibly cause kidney failure. 

Fiber in healthy dog food

Check you dog food labels for fiber. Fiber is also a good ingredient to make sure your pet’s dog food has.  A good amount for the food to contain is about 2 ½ % and 4 ½ %.  Too much fiber might upset your dogs stomach. It can cause loose stools, and some accidents.  Usually in an overweight dog,  your vet will recommend a diet high in fiber to help your dog feel fuller or if your dog has diabetes or hyperglycemia.

Chemical preservatives in dog food

Make sure there are no chemical preservatives listed on the dog food labels. Look for words like ethoxyquin, BHA or Propyl Gallate. If you see these on the label, take heed. Ethoxyquin is usually used as a preservative in many pet foods it might be hard to avoid it. Ethoxyquin can have toxic effects. There is still much debate as to whether Ethoxyquin is dangerous or not. Though it is listed as a hazardous chemical by OSHA Hazard Communication Standards some the FDA are still saying it is harmless. Do your research to determine how you feel about Ethoxyquin as an ingredient. You can find tons of information on it, on the internet. Also note that Ethoxyquin can also show up on labels as just E.   

Human grade dog food labels

You will also notice on some foods it might say “human grade”.  Again this is a debatably phrase.  Some people feel that if it says human grade on it, it is to be interpreted as being good enough for humans.  While others feel that human grade means that the food that goes into the dog food came from the same places which also sell food to humans.   

When looking for a good dog food, beware of gimmicks. Gimmicks can range from anything such as Specially for Large Breeds or even dental/teeth cleaning formulas.