HOW TO CHOOSE A DOG FOOD



HOW TO CHOOSE A DOG FOOD

It can sometimes be difficult to find a good quality food to feed your dog. Sticking to better quality foods will help maintain the health and life of your pet. The benefit of a good quality food is your dog will eat less of the food and will have less fecal output. It will also help extend the life of your dog by putting less stress on the kidneys and liver having to process the artifical ingredients in lower quality foods.

When you are looking at the ingredients of the food, make sure that the first ingredient is a protein source (meat). There are differences in the quality of the protein source as well. If you were looking for a food with chicken as the primary protein source, you may see the following things listed: chicken, chicken meal, or chicken by-product meal. A food with “chicken” as the protein source is going to be of higher quality than one with “chicken by-product meal”. “Chicken by-product meal” could be any part of the chicken like bones, feathers, skin, or [if you’re lucky] meat. Sticking to whole chicken is better for your pet.

Here is a list of high quality foods that can fed on a daily basis and can also be used for allergy trials if your dog has allergies to certain foods. These are in no particular order and all are of high quality. Keep in mind that each dog is individual and may do better on one food than another. Your goal is to find the food that works best for your dog. The foods listed below are a little more expensive than the grocery store brands but are worth the extra money - especially if your dog has allergies because you will save money on veterinary visits for itchy skin! You will also feed less of the food to your dog.

Super-Premium Dog Foods (These foods can be purchased at Petco, Pet Food Warehouse, Animal Crakers, or Petsmart)

• Natural Balance - Duck and Potato

• Wellness - Fish and Sweet Potato, Lamb and Rice, or Chicken and Rice, Venison, Duck

• Natural Blend - Holistic formula

• Solid Gold - Lamb and Rice, Holistique Blendz

• Nutro Natural Choice- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

• Eagle - Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice, Holistic Blend Chicken or Fish, Duck and Oatmeal

• California Natural- Chicken and Rice, Lamb and Rice

• Innova- Adult and EVO

• Canidae

• Healthwise- Chicken and Oatmeal or Lamb and Oatmeal

Premium Dog Foods (These foods can be purchased at Petsmart, Petco, or Pet Food Warehouse. Iams can be purchased at the grocery store and Walmart.)

• Hill’s Science Diet

• Iams- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

• Eukanuba- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

Middle of the Road Brands (Can be purchased at Petsmart, Costco, and the grocery store.)

• Purina O.N.E. -Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

• Purina Pro Plan- Chicken and Rice, Turkey and Barley, Lamb and Rice

• Authority (Petsmart brand)- Chicken and Rice, Lamb and Rice

• Kirkland (Costco brand)- Lamb and Rice, Chicken and Rice

Here are a few low quality foods that you will want to avoid. A dog will probably get by on these brands, but certainly won’t thrive. Their coat may be dull, dry, and itchy and their stool will likely be loose and malodorous. You will also have to feed more of these foods to deliver the same amount of nutrients as a higher quality food would deliver in a smaller portion. Your dog may also defecate more due to the lower quality ingredients. More of the food comes out in the feces rather than being assimilated into energy for your pet.

Low Quality Foods (These can be purchased at the Grocery store, Walmart, or the Grain store)

• Blue Seal

• Purina - Puppy Chow Benifuls

• Poulin

• Come and Get It

• Kibbles and Bits

• Ol’Roy

• Dad’s

Your food type should also depend on the type and age of the dog you are feeding:

• Large breed puppies (> 40 lbs. adult weight) should be fed a large breed puppy formula. This food is specially formulated for them so that they don’t grow too fast and decreases the incidence of joint or bone problems.

• Smaller dogs have an easier time eating the small bites formula of a dog food.

• Senior dogs (8 years and older) benefit from the extra fiber and lower fat content of a senior or geriatric diet.

• Overweight dogs can benefit from a “lite” or “less active” formula to help them shed some pounds. But don’t forget to exercise them adequately as well!

It is important to wean a dog onto a new food slowly, over about 1-2 weeks. Mix the new food into their old food a little at a time until they are eating only their new diet. If your dog vomits or has diarrhea soon after eating the new food, you may have switched them too quickly. Take them off the new food and put them on a bland diet (cooked white rice and cottage cheese works well). Keep in mind that if your dog has skin problems that are potentially relating to their diet, it may take up to two months to see changes in their skin and hair coat. Be patient and give the skin time to heal. Ask your veterinarian if you have any more specific questions regarding choosing a food for your dog.

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