Do you know if your dog food is good for your pup?
We all know just how expensive dog food can get. However, while it is normal to not want to leave your budget with a huge hole in it due to what you are feeding your pet, it is also good to know if the brand of food you are giving them is actually any good.
This does not mean that you should go with the most expensive brand of dog food on the market, as sometimes even those can be either overpriced or just as detrimental to your dog’s health as the really cheap ones.
It means that you should not just go with the best choice for your wallet or just get whatever is on sale when you are going to buy food for them.
There are a lot of factors that play into what makes a type of dog food better than others, and we know you want to offer your furry friend the best that there is when it comes to how you provide for them.
This is why we have gathered the most important things to look out for when you are considering what brand of food to get your pup and to see if the one you have been using is actually worth spending your hard-earned dollars on!
What type of dog food are you feeding your dog? Did you know what to look for when you decided? Let us know what your answers are in the comments!
Is it nutritionally balanced?
No matter how much you pay for your dog food, you need to make sure that it is nutritionally balanced.
All animals, no matter their kind, need energy (which they get from fat, protein, and carbohydrates), water, vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals, which they get from their food. This means that you need to make sure that your dog’s food is balanced and meets all the nutrients it needs in order to be healthy.
What a lot of people do not understand about dog food is that it generally does not matter what the source or manufacturer of the food is, as long as the food that you are giving them is balanced and they can get all their nutrients from the food they receive.
Make sure that all these nutrients are available and in enough quantities so that they get absorbed and your pup can make the most of the nutrition from their food.
The important thing is to make sure you have a balance when it comes to the food they receive. This means that the food should not be too fatty or have too much or too little of a certain nutrient.
This is why the food should be from a reputable brand or one that you know has formulated the food with nutrients in mind.
Keep in mind that the most common or well-known brands are not always the best ones out there, so make sure you do your research or talk to your vet about the matter.
Was the food formulated by experts?
Making dog food is not as easy as it sounds. And whether or not we rely on kibble or wet food, all of those must have been made by a brand that has its own formulation behind the products. If you read the labels, you can see that there are different ingredients and percentages in all types of dog food.
The best and most trusted brands out there that make pet food generally employ pet nutritionists and veterinarians who know how to make and balance a proper diet for your pet.
This means that they are creating a special blend and recipe for food for that brand that is going to aid your dog’s health, in addition to being a source of proper nutrition for your pup.
If you are looking for the best brands out there and which manufacturers you can trust when it comes to pet food, make sure you check more than just if the food is formulated by experts. Some brands take the extra step and submit their formulas for feeding trials to make sure they are appropriate.
Do you know about food trials? Keep on reading to discover what they are and why they are important when it comes to dog food.
Has the dog food you chose undergone feeding trials?
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is one such entity that organizes food trials, and in the world of responsible pet owners, their feeding trials are considered the gold standard.
If the dog food of your choice for your pup has been approved after trials done by the AAFCO, then you can rest assured that they are getting top-tier food.
These feeding trials are made so that, after them, it can be observed that the food has been found to be nutritiously appropriate for the pets. This means that it has been tested under strict guidelines, and the pets that have undergone it have been seen to thrive while on a diet made out of this food.
If you want to check whether or not your food has been approved by AAFCO, look at the label of your dog food.
You should be able to find a statement that looks similar to this: “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [Name of Dog Food Company] provides complete and balanced nutrition.
Likewise, it is not a given that other types of foods are not good, but this is another safety measure to make sure your pet is getting good food.
Is it produced according to strict quality control guidelines?
When it comes to the quality and safety of your food, you should make sure that the one you are using has been made in a factory where strict quality control guidelines have been followed.
All pet food manufacturers make sure that their product is safe and of good quality before it hits the shelves, but some manufacturers go the extra mile when it comes to this aspect.
Thus, they make sure to put emphasis on the fact that their food has been made in-house, at their own facilities, and that they are not co-manufacturing or doing so off-site.
This is important and preferred when it comes to experts due to the fact that dog food that has been produced in-house by one manufacturer will not leave the factory for the shelves until it has been tested and the results show it meets all safety guidelines.
This extra precaution means that there have been extra precautions taken, and the chances of a recall are smaller.
To make sure that your dog food is appropriate, look for statements that say it was “manufactured by” instead of “distributed by” or “manufactured for.”.
Is it “appropriate” for your pup?
One other thing to keep in mind when you are choosing your dog’s food is to make sure that it is appropriate for your dog. By that, we mean that you should choose their diet (and thus food) based on their age, breed, weight, health condition, and activity levels.
Feeding them appropriately is important, as inadequate nutrition can cause a lot of harm and put your pup at risk of developing health issues.
For example, there are “all life stages” types of dog foods that may seem like a good idea (if they are approved by the AAFCO Pet Food Nutrient Profiles), but in the case of senior or even adult dogs, they can cause an excess of certain nutrients, which will, in turn, affect their health in bad ways.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed with so many types of dog foods on the market, and since we want the best for our pets, it can cause a lot of stress.
To take out the guessing aspect, you can always bring it up with your vet. They can point you towards good brands, which ones to avoid, and what to look for in quality dog food. Paying a bit extra for dog food can save you a ton of dollars in vet bills later down the road!
A lot of people have decided to forego manufactured food to raw-feed their pups. This practice has been questioned over the years, but there is plenty of evidence and research behind it. If you want to read more to see if your dog would benefit from it, we recommend this book, which you can get on Amazon.
If your pup is getting older and you want to make sure that it is going to get the best nutrition out there, you may want to switch to senior dog food. If you are not sure what it entails and if it is needed, give our article on the matter a read!
