| A lot of people ask me what I feed our dogs and | | | | like the beaks, or feet...nothing of real substance for |
| my answer is always given with a bit of caution. First | | | | your dog. |
| of all, it's important to remember that each dog is | | | | When reading the label, you should always consider |
| different. Our Labradors eat different food than my | | | | the first few ingredients listed before the first fat; |
| Chihuahua, mostly because their protein needs are | | | | remembering that each ingredient is listed in terms of |
| much different. Our Labs are working dogs and need | | | | volume, with the first one making up the most. What |
| lots of energy...my Chihuahua just needs a good lean | | | | you're looking for is any type of meat being listed |
| dog food to give him enough energy to play all day | | | | first with a minimal amount of grains. To complicate |
| inside the house. | | | | things even further, beef is not as good as beef |
| Having said that, it's really easy to learn how to read | | | | meal because they are also measuring the water |
| the labels of dog food for yourself, so that you can | | | | content, causing you to believe that it's more volume |
| make an educated decision. There are many places | | | | than it really is. Also, look for more than one grain |
| on the Internet to help you choose the best dog | | | | being listed in those first five or so; they may be |
| food. My favorite is the Pet Food Project, because | | | | separating them out to make it look as though the |
| Sabine gives the reader a clear and thorough | | | | ratio of grains to meat are low. |
| instruction of how to read dog food labels so that | | | | I have to tell you that using just these basic tips |
| you know and understand what you are looking for. | | | | have helped me quickly eliminate the majority of |
| I had no idea what dog food to feed my dog, until I | | | | major brand dog foods, and this is just the beginning! |
| came upon Sabine's website. She explains that dog | | | | Sabine has many more steps in her instruction on |
| food labels are difficult to read by design. The dog | | | | how to choose the best dog food, and her site is |
| food industry is vague on purpose, so you think | | | | really worth checking out. |
| something is good for your dog, when it really isn't. | | | | It's very important that you understand what is going |
| Take the term "by-products". This ingredient is usually | | | | into your dogs diet. A poor diet can lead to physical |
| preceded by a meat type, such as chicken | | | | and even behavioral problems. Plus, you WANT to |
| by-product or beef by-product. This term really | | | | feed your dog the best food you can buy and it's |
| describes what is "left over" after processing and | | | | important to make an informed decision. Your dog will |
| cutting; so chicken by-product actually includes things | | | | thank you, I know mine did! |