Many brands claim to provide the best foods for dogs; this is, in turn, confusing for dog owners. Read on for tips that will make it easier to choose the right food for your dog.
It is advisable to make a decision of buying dry or wet dog food before going to make an actual purchase. The benefits of selecting dry foods are that they come in different variations in the shelf, they do not require refrigeration hence easy to store and, they bear more nutritional benefits. Wet foods are palatable and have high water content for hydration purposes. However, the decision that you will make should be according to the age of the dog and the breed.
It is essential to take your dog to the veteran for check-ups. Through observations, you can be able to know the amount of food that your dog should feed, presence of allergies if any and nutritional needs of your dog. Through the reports given, the task of getting the right food and determining the required amount of dog food will be more comfortable.
The dog food should correlate with your dog’s physical symptoms and behavior. The age of the dog, the activities it takes part in and its breed should guide you on the most suitable kind of food. For instance, active breeds, lactating mothers and puppies require high calorie intake in their meals. Checking on the dog’s physical characteristics is vital since it determines the metabolic rate and hence the sufficient food quantities needed.
It is vital to read through the ingredients before making a purchase. It is advisable to select foods with meat meal as they contain high water content. Even though dogs are omnivorous, avoid foods that indicate vegetables or grains as the main ingredients as they have less nutritional benefits. Regardless, ensure that the meal has a balance of all the nutrients required.
While going through the information on the product, ensure that there is a statement that indicates the nutritional adequacy of the food. It is also a guarantee when the information was provided by well-known associations such as AAFCO. Before these associations approve the food, it has to go through rigorous processes to ensure it contains balanced nutrients.
Ensure that the dog food contains less filler and byproduct quantities. Fillers are non-beneficial ingredients which are added to dog food to make the heavier. Since the fillers and byproducts have less nutritional values, avoid foods that have them in excessive amounts.
After ensuring that all the above factors have been considered, get more information on the brand you would like to select. The research will help you understand where the components were outsourced.