| ing pet owner will always want to give the best for | | | | liver. |
| his dog. If you have a pet dog and want to give him | | | | Like any other food, artificial preservatives should be |
| the nutrition that he deserves you need to know the | | | | avoided at all cost. BHT, BHA, and Ethoxyquin are |
| ingredients that make up the best dog foods around. | | | | just some of the preservatives that are used in dog |
| The choice for a dog food is not solely based on the | | | | foods. Dog foods that contain these preservatives |
| brand the claims to be the best. You have to be | | | | are deemed to be of low quality. Ethoxyquin is |
| diligent enough to look at the ingredients that are | | | | commonly used in a fish meal so if your dog food |
| used to make the dog food. If you see the term | | | | contains fish meal, contact the manufacturer for your |
| animal fat being used as an ingredient, don't go for | | | | concern. |
| that product. Animal fat is a generic term that says | | | | Other ingredients a good dog food should not have |
| something about poor food quality. Instead, look for | | | | are sugars, artificial colors, propylene glycol, sucrose, |
| actual named sources like chicken fat or beef fat. | | | | corn syrup, and other sweeteners. Grains, on the |
| Dogs aren't human but some manufacturers use | | | | other hand, are inevitable in a dog food but you have |
| human grade ingredients for their dog foods. This is | | | | to make sure that they are kept on a minimal level. |
| okay as long as they are using human grade meats. | | | | Look out for splitting as some manufacturers tend to |
| Some terms to look for are hormone-free and | | | | list grains separately. When this happens, the grains |
| antibiotic-free meats as these kinds of meat make | | | | can add up to a greater quantity than the primary |
| the dog food even more nutritious. | | | | ingredient. |
| Proteins are something needed by your dog and | | | | Nowadays, taurine has been added to most dog |
| some manufacturers tend to use wheat gluten, corn | | | | foods because of the recently discovered link |
| gluten, or rice protein concentrate. These are the | | | | between taurine deficiencies and heart problems in |
| worst sources of protein you can give your dog so | | | | dogs. Yet since taurine is sensitive to heat, you |
| stay away from dog foods that contain these. Soy | | | | cannot really find an adequate amount of natural |
| protein is also taken in the same manner. | | | | taurine in processed foods. Nevertheless, the dog |
| The best dog foods will have no meat by-products | | | | foods that are made up of more meat will have |
| or the like. A meal is acceptable but their source | | | | more taurine content in them. |
| must be identified specifically. Dog foods can list meal | | | | The best dog foods are regulated by certain |
| or whole meat as the first ingredient and both are | | | | specifications so you have to know if the dog food |
| okay to feed to your dogs. The only time that a | | | | you are interested in meets these specifications. |
| by-product becomes suitable is when they are labeled | | | | Doing so will ensure that your dog will have the |
| as sourced from human-grade organs like kidney and | | | | balanced nutrition he needs. |