What Should I Feed My Dog?

Posted on December 5, 2007
Filed Under General |

Simple question, lots of choices. What we’re going to do here is simply highlight what we have found to be the healthiest dog food options for your pet. Much light has been shed on the pet food industry of late, thanks in large part to a recent scare involving contaminated pet food coming out of China. Rice gluten, wheat gluten, communist dog food production – a serious international incident affecting not only the canine world, but the entire population of the planet. Your dog’s food is the number one responsibility if you’re looking to provide a healthy, active, enjoyable life for your pet. Gone are the days of grabbing a 50lb sack of kibble from the local supermarket, no now we have pet Supercenters! And you know what, our pets are better off for it. Let them eat cake I say!!

When considering food options, one thing we should not do is use price as the differentiator. It’s important to keep your pet’s diet consistent, and with that you have the responsibility to feed your dog the best food available. Easy, just ask your vet. For reading purposes, we’ll list a few brands below that seem to be amongst the top consumer choices.

Premium Dry Dog Food
Innova EVO is widely recognized by breeders, and veterinarians alike, as a high quality, premium dry dog food. From the high-grade protein, the whole fruits, vegetables, this is a can’t miss when it comes to quality nutrition for your pooch. I’m getting hungry from reading the ingredients.

Dry Dog Food
As with most so-called store bought brands, most contain ground yellow corn as their main ingredient, something not essential for the well-being of your dog. Not harmful mind you, just not essential. A good choice that is a little less expensive than the premium brands is Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul. Yeah, truthfully I think the same thing. What does the book have to do with dog food?? Actually a lot of the ingredients are of a higher grade than the run of the mill types, and the cost isn’t as prohibitive as the premium brands…

Premium Canned Dog Food
Most sources say the best nutritional plan for your pooch is a mix of quality canned and dry food. Canned food is generally believed to be higher quality – with less fillers, unneeded grains, and preservatives. A good option many dog owners stand behind is the Canidae brand. They boast human-grade ingredients free of hormones and chemical preservatives. Nutro MAX is another less expensive option, with a slight drop off in quality of ingredients.

Canned Dog Food
Here’s a name we’re all going to know; Pedigree. Why do we know it so well? Because we have all seen the commercials! Let’s just hope they put the same care into their dog food, as they do their marketing and advertising. But seriously, Pedigree is a good budget option when considering nutritional options for your dog. Considerably less expensive than the Nutro MAX, Pedigree provides quality beef and poultry protein. In fact, it contains a lot more meat than most other store bought brands.

As with any health concerns (and nutrition should be number one), please consult your veterinarians before heading off to the local pet depot and grabbin a sack of ‘Ol Roy.

Muttspace Connects: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.