Do you ever worry about the state of the dog food that you feed your favorite pet? Did you hear about the millions of pet food recalls a few years back and speculate if perhaps you should make your own homespun dog food? You're not the only one. There are so many products on the market, all boasting something special and at different price ranges, it's hard to know which ones are best for your dog.
There is no doubt that there are many of dog food choices out there for us to choose from, but now and then it might just come down to price. Often the lesser priced, no-name or store brand may not be of the same state as the higher priced brand name or specialty products. Even though you may be saving bucks on dog food, if your dog is not all right you will be paying for vet bill in the future.
Like most things in life, you only get what you pay for, and unfortunately this goes for commercially purchased dog food too. Store brands and generic dog foods are naturally of lower state and frequently are made up mostly of fillers and "meat by-products" with little in the way of nutrition. Before you buy your next batch of popular dog food, you should check it against other higher quality foods.
You should stay away from dog food items that don't even tell you what kind of animal they used in the making of the food. I'd like to know if it contains say, chicken or seafood or veal. I have never heard of the "Meat By-Product" animal and don't really want to know what they taste like. A meat by-product can be just about anything and may have no nutritional advantage whatsoever. The initial item on the list of ingredients is the most common item in the food. When the first ingredient is some type of "meal" like corn you will be getting mostly filler and little nutrients.
Don't be fooled by the great enthusiasm with which your dog may eat the lesser priced food. He has no knowledge of how much you paid, and he is after all, a dog. Often the lower the quality of the food, the more chemicals and additives are present in order to make it more palatable for your dog, it doesn't mean it's good for him.
When you drop by your local or online pet store you'll find so many specialized types of premium brand dog food, your head will spin. Most of these foods include the highest grade ingredients without damaging chemicals or additives and are genuinely good for your dog. There is a wide range and array, all claiming to be the best, and most come at a premium price. Sometimes it seems the dogs may eat better than us, but are you willing to pay the price?
If you've ever thought about making your own dog food at home, you should be aware that some groundwork into the proper balance of nutrients, proteins, fats and carbs is required. A diet of table scraps is very bad for your dog as they have separate digestive systems than ours and require separate ingredients. A properly made homemade diet is the only way for you to control what does into their bodies.
If you have the time, and would like to attempt making and feeding your dog healthy, nutritious food from home, the "BARF" diet may be the way to go. The BARF diet is attributed to Dr. Ian Billinghurst and stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Even though this diet is quite different from retail dog foods, both will provide your dog with a complete nutritional harmony and the best ingredients available. The BARF diet is made up of whole foods, in a way that their ancestors would have eaten. This includes muscle, bone, organs and vegetable materials, the type that would have been ingested by dogs in the wild.
Although there are numerous great things to be said about the BARF diet, the biggest drawback of it is the time it takes to research and prepare it. As with everything else, there is great information available online and in books to teach you the correct methods for preparation, so it need not be difficult, just time consuming. With this diet your dog will get all the nutrients he needs and you will have the peace of mind of knowing for certain what goes into his food.
The major thing you need to know when it comes to feeding your dog is that not all dog foods are created equal. Some dog food items will keep them full but give them little in the way of nutrition, and others may cost an arm and a leg, and be no better than a common commercial brand. It's up to you to control what your dog eats, and by simply looking at the ingredients and AAFCO standards, you will be an educated buyer and help your dog live a longer and healthier life.
There is an old saying - Good food is better than medicine - this applies to our pets as well.
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