Dog Food Ingredients - The Not So Healthy Ones

Title: Dog Food Ingredients - The Not So Healthy Ones
Author: Lori Matthews

If you are purchasing dog food from your local grocery store,
you may be in for a big surprise. The one who ultimately pays
for this is your canine. You may save some money upfront but
the cost might be to your dog's health. It is important that we
are aware what we are feeding our animals. Their wellbeing
definitely depends on it.

Popular and well known dog food manufacturers cover up brains,
beaks, eyes and other things with the all too familiar nick name
of bi-products. Do you know what your pet is really eating?

Artificial ingredients are also used by well known dog food
brands. This may be harmful to their health. Kibble shouldn't be
"colored" with artificial dyes like yellow # or red # or any of
the dye "numbers".

Chemical preservatives are often used in popular kibble for
dogs. BHT, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), also known as
Butylhydroxytoluene and BHA, Butylated hydroxyanisole and
Ethoxoquin are used as a preservative to keep the foods from
going rancid. These are chemical compounds that may wreak havoc
on your canine's immune system A natural alternative like
tocopherols is what you should be looking for.

Unfortunately wheat and corn are used as cheap fillers in dog
food. Some manufactures actually use these as protein sources.
They are often very hard for the animal to digest and can cause
such allergies leaving your canine suffering with itching their
ears, licking paws, hot spots, skin and coat issues and just
plain old misery. These ingredients can be found in treats as
well.

Large manufactures also make food in such large batched that
you may never really know when the food was made or worse how
fresh the food is you just purchased.

Like humans dogs are what they eat. Artificial ingredients,
poor protein sources, lack of fruits and vegetables all play a
part in the immune system of you canine to fight off free
radicals. When food is made of poor ingredients a whole list of
things can affect your dog from allergies to disease.

At first when you feed your dog inferior foods there may or may
not be visible reasons to think there are issues. As time goes
on scratching may appear or constant ear infections or something
of that nature. Luckily you will have the choice to search for a
better nutritional food in order to alleviate these issues. If
left untreated your pet's immune system could be compromised and
a host of issues like kidney problems, urinary tract issues, and
joint issues, lack of energy and behavior changes could start to
manifest.

It is wise to start your dog as young as possible with a
natural premium food to build a strong immune system and
foundation for solid health. If that isn't the case then it is
never too late to get on the right track of great nutrition.

Healthy food along with pure water, plenty of exercise and lots
of love all play a vital role in the health and longevity of
your dog's life.

About The Author: Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and
wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people
and pets. Please click here if you would like more information
on http://www.premium4pets.net

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Dog Food - Important To Keep Your Pet Healthy

Title: Dog Food - Important To Keep Your Pet Healthy
Author: Eirik Comm

You are what you eat. This saying has been heard so many times.
It can even be applied to our dogs. A dog that eats a healthier
diet will definitely be healthier.

However, it is asked what a healthy diet for a dog is? Many of
us might have no idea. You will find a great number of choices
when you walk into a store to buy dog food. Therefore, you have
to read the label to pick the best one for your dog.

The most information necessary to determine what your dog is
eating is on the label. People normally wouldn't think to read
the label ingredients. Nevertheless, if you have done research
into this and want the healthiest food for your dog, you may
start from reading the label carefully and you will learn a lot
about foods.

Firstly, you need to see the type of meal listed in the
ingredients. The food which is easiest to digest is chicken and
considered the best choice. You have to remember that good label
should inform an actual meat name not only saying meat meal.
Whole meat without meal is mostly water. Also, make sure a
variety of vegetables and fruits are included in the
ingredients.

A lot of filler ingredients are what you don't want to see.
Grains should be at the end of the list. Some dogs may have to
avoid corn. Soy and wheat are sometimes common allergens and
irritants. You may have to avoid labels with chemical
preservatives. Food should be preserved with mixed Tocopherols,
that is Vitamin E.

As well, you need to look for AAFCO (Association of American
Feeding Control Officials) and feeding trials. This means the
food was actually given to dogs for their proper nutritional
needs this is to make sure the food is complete and balanced for
adult dogs. You need to be aware that a manufacturer has up to
six months to inform the consumer that it has made a change in
its ingredients. So, even though you have been using a
particular brand for a while don't forget to keep checking the
label. If you see your dog is having problems with the food,
there should be as a result of a formula change.

If your dog is obtained from a breeder, then this is your best
source of information regarding the healthiest food to feed your
dog. If your dog is not from the breeder, then you have to find
the best food for your dog on your own. At first, buy small bags
when you feel you have found a right dog food. You may test it
on your dog and see what happens to him. If it doesn't suit him,
then you just have to throw out only a small package which
doesn't cost much. Since you are sure that you have found the
appropriate food for your pet, avoid switching to different
brands. Dogs need time to adjust their systems to new foods and
this will ruin their digestions.

Expensive dog foods are not always the best. Bear in mind that
the best foods have real whole familiar ingredients. Avoiding
foods that contain many by products and preservatives is
recommended. A dog food company is not required to list
preservatives they did not put in. Finally, the best indicators
of what is healthy and nutritious for you pet are to study
labels, trial and error.

About The Author: Eirik Comm is the professional freelance
writer. He's also the webmaster of http://Manbestfriend.net

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