How Do You Know What Dog Food to Buy?

So how are you supposed to know if a dog food is good for your dog or not? This is not something you can tell by looking at the food. The ingredients used to make the food will be one way of discovering if the food has the right combination of nutrients to keep your dog healthy. This is found on the bag itself.

Look for the first ingredient listed. The first ingredient is extremely important as this will be the ingredient that makes up the largest percentage of the dog food. If the first ingredient listed is an animal protein, such as chicken meal, you are on the right track. Keep in mind that if it says poultry protein, this is not the same thing.

Do not buy food that has meat meal or meat by-products either. The protein required by dogs is not present in these ingredients. Nutritional value can be affected by using these products as well as soy, wheat and corn. Preservatives are another ingredient you should beware of in your particular dog food. There are certain ones that can be extremely hard on dogs. This is especially true if this is what the dogs eat for an extended time period. I do recommend a premium grade food for your dog such as Life's Abundance from Dr. Jane Bicks.
One of the things you will learn is to never take the word of the manufacturer when they label their food ‘complete and balanced'. Dogs can even look outwardly healthy unless examined by a veterinarian. This is when they will notice the coats that are not healthy looking and often dry or oily skin. In addition they may have excessive itching and ear infection. The ‘complete and balanced' food they were eating contained corn as the main ingredient.