Should I Feed Premium Dog Foods?
Premium dog foods are definitely better than your garden variety economy counterparts. But how do you tell the difference between the two? Is price the only indicator of how healthy the dog food is? Does a premium pet food have a different kind of label? How do you know what is premium?
The quality of the ingredients in the dog food is what differentiates a premium dog food from an economy one. Dog food companies will try to lure you in with great advertising about how great their food is for your dog. Many now show delicious pictures of food on the bags. Don’t be fooled though. The only way to really tell a premium dog food is by looking at the dog food ingredients.
Before you purchase a premium dog food, check out the first two ingredients. Look at the actual ingredients listed on the ingredients label. They tell you a lot. Premium dog foods will have a meat listed first - dogs need animal proteins. Premium dog foods also use a better quality of grains.
Grains/Carbs: Dogs are better able to digest certain grains better than others. Rice, oats, lentils, and barley are all easily digestible for dogs. Corn, soy, and wheat are not. This means less nutrients for your dog. And since economy foods list grains as top ingredients, this means the dog food as a whole is less nutritional than premium dog foods.
Some grains, such as soy, wheat, and corn, are also common sources for food allergies in dogs.When utilized as by-products, such as corn wheat gluten, they are nothing more than cheap fillers. Their main purpose is to fill up your dog’s stomach so that he feels full. It’s kind of like human junk food - fill your tummy with no nutrition.
Animal meat by-productsare another top 2 ingredient that just are not found in the best premium dog foods. Meat by-products are what is left from a slaughtered animal after all the human-grade meat has been removed - bones, feed, heat, lungs, brain, etc.
Like the grain by-products, these provide very little nutritional value to your dog, but do boost up the protein ratio in the dog food. The quality of the meat by-product is another big mystery that no one seems to be able to answer.
Most premium dog food brands will have a animal meat or meat meal as the first ingredient. This means the major ingredient in the food is an actual animal protein which will have the most usable nutrients available for your dog.
Will the price tell you if it is a premium dog food? Premium dog foods are not inexpensive - they just can’t be, the quality ingredients used will cost more. Where the consumer needs to be careful is where some dog foods imply they are premium with their price and fancy advertising. If you want to know if you are looking at premium dog foods, you must read the ingredients.
And now there are even more types of dog food, like super-premium and all-natural. Learn more about the different choices available for your dog and how to carefully choose the best premium dog foods for your beloved pet at the Healthy Dog Food blog.
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