Just like people the benefits of eating a balanced diet will
help your dog remain healthy and active. So what should you look for to avoid feeding
your dog a food that's the equivalent of fast food? i.e. burger and chips! Thankfully
now comparisons between competing dog food brands is easier thanks to the
internet as most manufacturers have websites that list the ingredients for each
flavour or variety of dog food they make.
Also due to new regulations regarding the labelling of ingredients
on pet food, if a manufacturer states that it contains glucosamine for joint
health there must be enough glucosamine in percentage terms to have a
beneficial effect for your dog or growing puppy, otherwise the manufacturer may
get a knock at the door from trading standards.
When selecting a food look at the typical analysis section
and ingredients list to establish what's in the food to make direct comparisons
more easily and familiarise yourself with the benefits of minerals, vitamins
and supplements in your chosen pet food. So what should look out for and what
should I really try to avoid?
Protein Source
Look on your bag of food or manufacturers website and see if
you food contains human grade chicken, lamb or fish meal found in most premium
dog foods or animal derivatives which may contain hidden unsavoury fillers like
feet, heads, feathers, hooves and wool or even bakery products.
Fats
Now you have established what protein is used in the food,
look at the type of animal fat that's used in the recipe for instance fats such
as chicken, poultry or fish oil are often used by premium manufacturers such as
arden grange, burns and wafcol. But try to avoid foods that contain ingredients
such as beef tallow and lard, that are tasty to dogs but are high in saturated
fats, low essential fatty acids and low in digestibility.
Carbohydrates
Next examine the ingredients list and see if the food
contains whole grains and if it's wheat gluten free. Cheap foods will often not
specify exactly what you are feeding and use the term cereal derivatives, that
is not useful if you are trying to avoid triggering a food related allergy or
sensitivity.
Fibre
Look at the ingredients list closely and see if a food contains
any of the following; corn bran, peanut hulls, rice hulls, soybean hulls or oat
hulls that are not good sources of fibre and best to avoid in all honesty. But
beet pulp that used by many premium brands is a good fibre source for both soluble
and insoluble fibre allowing the growth of friendly bacteria in the large
intestine, feeling of being satisfied and gastrointestinal transit helping to
avoid stomach upsets.
Vitamins and minerals
Examine what vitamins and minerals are listed on the bag of
food or website, such as Vitamin C, E and beta carotene that are powerful
antioxidants that will help provide protection against free radicals or if
chelated minerals such as copper, zinc, iron or selenium are used in preference
as they are more easily absorbed in the gut.
Supplements
Cheap foods will often exclude beneficial supplements like
prebiotics, nucleotides, cranberry extract, glucosamine, chondrotin, msm and yucca
extract or contain only enough to allow health benefits claims to be legal, so
it's advisable to look a both the levels and types of supplements used in your
dog or puppy food to make an informed decision.
Naturally preserved
The last point maybe obvious to some owners, who take more
than a parsing look at the packaging on supermarket shelves, but see if the
food is naturally preserved, free from artificial colourings and flavourings as
your dog food should ideally not be brightly coloured.
Purely for guidance, we recommend that you visit the
following pages of our website to view details of the following dog food brands
that offer value for money when compared with some premium foods, for example
Arden Grange Dog Food, Burns Dog Food and Wafcol Dog Food
