Dog Food Buying Tips for Owners

Trina

There are many important factors to consider when it comes to buying dog food. There is a wide variety of dog foods that are on the market and it can be very challenging to choose the best brand for your particular breed of dog. When it comes to choosing the right dog food you’ll want to consider the requirements of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to keep your pet healthy.

 

There is a huge ongoing debate on what dog food is the best for your pet. There are a lot of different opinions that don’t help make the decision any easier. The best thing that a person can do is to select the best possible diet for their particular dog. You’ll want to choose a dog food that works well with their particular system and their dietary needs and requirements.

 

To make it even easier, we’ve compiled this guide with key information to help you in your quest. Here are some things that you’ll want to consider when you’re choosing the right dog food.

Dog Food Buying Tips

 

Premium Vs. Budget Dog Food

 

It’s well worth the investment in selecting a higher quality dog food. The premium brands of dog food use a higher quality of ingredients in their recipe. If you’re selecting a lesser quality it’s going to be much lower on protein. The higher end brands have anywhere from 40 to 60 percent protein and the lesser options are far more likely to drop that percentage down to 10 or 20 percent of protein. Cheaper quality dog foods also use more fillers and cheaper ingredients that help to bulk out the food, this makes them a far inferior product.

 

Wet Vs. Dry Dog Food

 

One important thing to consider is wet vs dry dog food according to this pet shop Glasgow. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of wet vs dry dog food.

 

Wet

 

Wet is more palatable for dogs. Dogs are likely to choose wet dog food over dry dog food if given the choice. The aroma and the taste are far superior to their palettes.

 

Wet dog food is composed of 80 percent moisture that means that your dog is only getting 20 percent of the goodness. It’s more costly when this is taken into consideration.

It may also contain other derivatives of animals and can be messy.

Dry

• Dry dog food offers you more bang for your buck.
• It’s not as messy as its wet counterpart.
• It’s very easy to transport and far easier to buy in bulk.
• It’s easy to measure out for servings and lasts longer.
• Many dry dog foods offer more nutrition than some of the brands of wet dog food.
• Dogs may not enjoy their dry dog food as much and some of them may be fussy about it.

 

Combination Diets

 

This is where both wet and dry foods are used. Many owners will combine the two and still, others will toss in some home cooked foods into the blend. This combination diet is fine as long as you are getting the right balance of nutrition into the diet. It’s easy to over-feed your dog with some of the foods and then they may be lacking in other components of their diet. If you’re using a combination diet, you’ll want to ensure that you do the proper research and tailor the meals to your dog’s particular needs and requirements.

 

Age Appropriate Diets

Just as humans go through different nutritional requirements, so do dogs. Younger puppies will require a different diet than their older counterparts. As dog’s age, they will benefit from ingredients that will offer them joint care. You can find a dog food that is formulated for the various stages of their lives.

 

Dog Food Flavors

 

Each kind of dog food offers a specific type of protein. This will be labeled on the packaging of the dog food. It can be challenging at best with so many options out there. There are three considerations to make when you choose the flavor of dog food for your dog. The first one is whether or not your dog likes that particular flavor. The second is whether or not that particular flavor is easy for your particular dog to digest. And finally, you’ll want to choose a flavor that your dog can easily digest and has no serious health consequences with.

 

Chicken is quite popular and works very gently on a dog’s digestive system. It’s ideal for dogs that have sensitive stomachs and it gets on quite well for them. Turkey is easy to digest as well and many dogs like it. Lamb, game, salmon, and duck all help to round out the options.

 

While each flavor has its own particular benefits, oily fish is ideal for a dog’s coat and the duck will have plenty of Omega 3s and Omega 6s. It will all depend on the particular flavor and benefits that the dog food can offer for your particular dog breed.

 

Overfeeding

Let’s take a moment and consider canine obesity. Many dogs will eat until they can’t take another bite. They don’t seem to have an “off” button when it comes to getting full. Owners mistake this for thinking that their dog is still hungry. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s vital to feed your dog the proper amount of dog food or you’re going to have an obese dog. You’ll want to read your label and measure out the correct amount of food on a daily basis.

 

Dog Food Ingredients Listed By Weight

 

When you read the list of ingredients in your dog food, it’s important to understand that the ingredients are listed by weight. The particular ingredient that is predominant in the dog food will be listed first. Understanding this can be very helpful when you’re trying to determine which dog food will offer your dog the best nutrition. This is especially true if you’re looking for a dog food that is high in protein.

 

What’s your dog food buying tips?

 

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