Saturday 28 April 2012

How do I choose a dog food that's healthy?

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