Best Dog Food and Dog Food Brands

Dog Food Market Guide

The dog food industry is worth millions, with many companies competing against each other for your business. Suppose you are not averse to commercially prepared foods. In that case, you probably find brands, like Nutro dog food, Wellness dog food, Diamond dog food, and Innova dog food, familiar.

They are only a few of the more popular dog food brands available in the market today.

Many dog food companies are working hard to provide your dog with the best source of nutrients in one convenient, commercial package.

However, some manufacturers have the primary intent only to squeeze the money from your pockets.

The dog foods they are selling contain chemicals that have harmful effects on your dog, like increasing the danger of developing disorders like kidney disease, arthritis, liver disease, and allergies. There are also dog foods with misleading labels that could easily fool consumers who don't know better.

To prevent the same thing from happening for you and ensure that your dog is getting the right dog food, here are some tips:

Tip #1: Choose Dog Food That Is Appropriate For Your Dog's Age

There are dog foods specifically formulated to meet your dog's needs in each stage of its life. You can't really expect a puppy to have the exact nutritional needs as an adult dog. Neither can you expect that an active dog at the prime of its life would have the same dietary needs as an old dog. Thus, life stage appropriate dog foods are made.

Corollary to this, avoid dog foods with label that states "complete nutrition for all life stages." These types of dog foods cannot provide the proper nutrient level that your dog requires in his stage of life.

Tip #2: Look For "Fixed Formula" Dog Food Companies

When choosing dog foods, make sure to select a product made by a company that uses a "fixed formula." This usually means that the company has tested the formula and has been found to be effective. On the other hand, companies that do not use a fixed formula use whatever ingredients they can get cheap. They do not bother with testing their products. And you never know whether they are still using the same chicken protein source they used a month ago. Remember that dog food companies can change the formulation of their products and only change their label to reflect the new formula within a period of six months.

Tip #3: Buy Dog Foods That Meet The NRC Requirements

This is usually displayed prominently in the product's label. NRC requirements serve as the standard for the minimum amount of nutrients needed. However, note that the NRC requirements are only for the minimum amount of nutrients and set no limit for the maximum. Thus, a portion of dog food that exceeds the minimum limit may be too excessive. Ensure that the product you are inspecting only meets the minimum requirements without going overboard.

Tip #4: Study The List Of Ingredients

Again, you can find this on the dog food label. But remember that manufacturers can easily manipulate the list of ingredients to make you think that you are getting the right nutrients for your dog than you really are.

For instance, you might find one dog food containing the following ingredients: chicken, corn, soybean, etc. And then, you pick up another one with the following contents: chicken, corn meal, cracked corn, whole corn, shelled corn.

Both of these dog foods have chicken listed among the top three ingredients. Note that chicken is listed first. This means that chicken is the predominant nutrient content of dog food. But also note the other ingredients. The second dog food has four corn ingredients. Notice how they are listed separately? That's one way of making you think that corn is present in much smaller amounts.

Dog Food Brands

Each dog has different nutritional needs. For instance, an adult dog needs other nutrients than a puppy. A lap dog has different dietary needs than a working dog. Active dogs need dog food brands guaranteed to keep their energy levels at an optimum. In contrast, slower dogs do not require as much energy-boosting foods.

What your dog eats can affect his disposition, how his coat looks, and his overall well-being. It, therefore, becomes very important for you to choose the right dog food brand for your furry companion.

But with so many dog food brands and labels available, how do you know which one is best suited for your dog?

In this article, we give you some advice on how to find the best brand of dog food for your furry friend, as well as a short list of dog food brands to jumpstart your search:

• Innova Dog Foods
• Welness
• Purina

Read the Label

Okay, grab the nearest bag of dog food brands and take a look at the label, especially the part that shows you a list of all the ingredients used. Study the first five items as they pretty much make up a significant part of the overall nutritional make-up of those particular brands of dog food.

Protein Sources

Now, remember that your dog is a carnivore. It has been for hundreds of generations now. Little change has occurred since man domesticated the first dog. Your dog has the same instincts and characteristics as dogs of days long passed.

As a carnivore, your dog's main nutrient requirement should be protein. Dog foods that claim to provide lots of protein for your dog should be thoroughly evaluated to check if they contain animal protein or some other substitute, such as soy, corn, corn gluten, or wheat gluten.

Ideally, your dog's primary source of protein should be animal protein because it forms part of its natural diet.

By-products

By-products are something of a controversial topic for dog food. Many oppose the use of by-products, such as feet, intestines, liver, and other internal organs in dog food. However, some say dogs and their wild counterparts have been eating these parts for thousands of years.