| All dog lovers want the best for their companion, and | | | | food, and used as filler only. Dogs are known to be |
| starting with proper nutrition you will give your pet | | | | highly allergic to wheat and corn. |
| the basis for a long healthy life. There is no one best | | | | If there are any by-products at all on the ingredient |
| dog food on the market today, but many extremely | | | | list, pass this dog food by. |
| ultra premium or high quality organic dog foods that | | | | There should not be any fillers. |
| are excellent choices. Also beware that there are | | | | Carcinogenic preservatives do not need to be used, |
| more really bad, low quality, low nutrition, and | | | | and if they are don't buy the product. (They will be |
| chemical filled commercial dog foods. The cheaper | | | | listed as BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.) |
| brands are generally available in the grocery store. | | | | Artificial colorings are also cancer causing, and |
| The better organic dog foods are usually ordered | | | | completely unnecessary. You'll be surprised to see |
| directly through the company, or offered at high end | | | | how many products still contain this dangerous |
| pet stores. | | | | ingredient. The dyes will be marked as such - e.g. |
| Increasing your dog's life span is easily achieved by | | | | Red, Blue and Yellow dyes. |
| feeding a properly balanced healthy organic dog food | | | | No added sugars or corn syrup should be in the |
| or high premium diet from puppy hood. An all natural | | | | ingredient list. |
| healthy diet is as beneficial for your dog as it is for | | | | The more organic ingredients listed, the better. |
| yourself. Improper or poor nutrition can cause | | | | Added glucosamine, chondroitin, pro and prebiotics, |
| diseases, allergies, obesity, and shortened life spans in | | | | flax seed oil, barley, oats or oatmeal, and sunflower |
| your dogs. | | | | oil, are a good thing. |
| There are many commercial grade dog food | | | | Slowly baked, not extruded, retains the minerals, |
| products available at the grocery store, and care | | | | vitamins and essential goodness of the food. |
| must be taken when choosing one. After the recent | | | | Hormone free, antibiotic free, pesticide and herbicide |
| pet food contamination scares and recalls because of | | | | free, chemical and preservative free would indicate a |
| toxicity and disgusting additives being found in the | | | | high quality premium organic dog food. |
| manufacturing process, many pet owners are | | | | And finally, no mystery meats should be in the list. |
| becoming much more aware of what they feed their | | | | Mystery meat will be listed as simply meat or poultry, |
| pet. | | | | rather than chicken or venison. The mystery meat |
| Here are a few general guidelines to follow when | | | | will probably be some horrible rotten road kill, old |
| looking at the ingredients on a dog food bag: | | | | euthanized animals, and parts of animals that are not |
| Choose a food with high meat content. The first | | | | edible. |
| ingredient must be a specified meat. Another one or | | | | Although the higher quality food might seem more |
| two meats or meat meal listed in the top 5 | | | | expensive initially, it will work itself out and become |
| ingredients is a bonus, but not necessary. (Meat meal | | | | cheaper in the long run. The savings in vet bills alone |
| is meat with the moisture removed.) | | | | over the life of your pet will pay for the food. |
| If the same grain ingredient is used two or more | | | | I use a lazy homemade dog food tactic of using a |
| times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown | | | | high end organic dog food, and add just a few |
| rice", brewer's rice", "rice flour", are all the same | | | | ounces of poached chicken, or broiled venison every |
| grain), this is not a well balanced, nutritious product. It | | | | day. The best of both worlds is then achieved for |
| is loaded with "filler" and made to look like it is | | | | my dogs. |
| healthy by separating the one ingredient into sub | | | | Always be aware, educate yourself and know that |
| categories, but rice is rice so it should be listed once. | | | | the big business of dog food manufacturing is in it for |
| Using high quality grains has become the standard for | | | | the profit, not the health and welfare of our pets. |
| the premium quality dog food manufacturers, such as | | | | That is up to us. Just do the absolute best you can |
| barley, brown rice and oatmeal. If the grains are | | | | for your pet and it will be returned with more doggie |
| organic, then all the better. Wheat and corn are | | | | love, which is never a bad thing. |
| inferior and useless as a nutritional element in dog | | | | |