There are many dog owners who are interested in knowing about the best dog foods that they can feed to their pets, or perhaps they are interested in finding out how to select such foods from the multitude of what is already available.
A basic answer to that question is that they need to feed their pets a diet that is species appropriate for carnivorous animals, such as dogs.
In the recent past, dogs were reclassified as a subspecies of the grey wolf, which means they need a diet high in protein, and not a diet loaded with carbohydrates and grains, as is common to find in most dog foods.
Unless a dog has very special medical condition, it is not advisable to keep a dog on a vegetarian diet.
Most producers of dog foods sold in grocery stores add carbohydrates, in the form of grains, as well as many other fillers, to their brands, in order to make food production cheaper.
Here are a few very basic guidelines to help you pick the best dog foods for your dog: -- Try to select foods that have at least 30% protein and 18% fat -- The first ingredient should be a good named source of meat -- Less is more, a short list of quality ingredients is often a better choice than a food with a long list of ingredients you can't pronounce.
-- Avoid food with preservatives such as BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin.
They have been linked to liver damage among other issues.
-- Avoid dog food with obscure ingredients.
Companies hide cheap and toxic fillers in this manner.
-- Avoid food with coloring, as that only adds to the overly processed nature of the food.
-- Avoid food with unnamed sources of protein or fat (meat meal) because nobody knows what sort of disgusting meat sources are hidden in there (could be road kill, other euthanized pets, etc.
) This list is by no means all inclusive, but it should give you a good start to narrow down most of the foods that are downright harmful for your pet to be consuming.
A basic answer to that question is that they need to feed their pets a diet that is species appropriate for carnivorous animals, such as dogs.
In the recent past, dogs were reclassified as a subspecies of the grey wolf, which means they need a diet high in protein, and not a diet loaded with carbohydrates and grains, as is common to find in most dog foods.
Unless a dog has very special medical condition, it is not advisable to keep a dog on a vegetarian diet.
Most producers of dog foods sold in grocery stores add carbohydrates, in the form of grains, as well as many other fillers, to their brands, in order to make food production cheaper.
Here are a few very basic guidelines to help you pick the best dog foods for your dog: -- Try to select foods that have at least 30% protein and 18% fat -- The first ingredient should be a good named source of meat -- Less is more, a short list of quality ingredients is often a better choice than a food with a long list of ingredients you can't pronounce.
-- Avoid food with preservatives such as BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin.
They have been linked to liver damage among other issues.
-- Avoid dog food with obscure ingredients.
Companies hide cheap and toxic fillers in this manner.
-- Avoid food with coloring, as that only adds to the overly processed nature of the food.
-- Avoid food with unnamed sources of protein or fat (meat meal) because nobody knows what sort of disgusting meat sources are hidden in there (could be road kill, other euthanized pets, etc.
) This list is by no means all inclusive, but it should give you a good start to narrow down most of the foods that are downright harmful for your pet to be consuming.