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Home » Lifestyle » Health » How to Choose Healthy Dog Food

How to Choose Healthy Dog Food

Chalabala/Deposit Photos

Healthy Food Makes Dogs Pretty

By Kami Kaminski

As you may have noticed, choosing the correct diet for your dog can be difficult with so many choices and opinions on different brands. Between the small and larger pet stores, and even grocery stores, the amount of information can be overwhelming.

A healthy dog diet, as with people, has many benefits. For example, a well-balanced diet directly influences a dog’s coat, skin, shedding, allergies and overall appearance. Your first step in locating the perfect dog food for your pet is to learn how to read the ingredient labels and decide for yourself.

How to Choose Healthy Food for Your Dog

Read the Ingredients List

Dog food ingredients are listed in order by weight. The first ingredient (or ingredients) should be a protein source, such as chicken, lamb or salmon. Keep in mind that if protein source is meat (and not meal), it will contain a fair amount of water and fat.

Protein source listed as chicken, lamb or salmon meal means the water and fat was removed from the meat. Meal is concentrated meat so there could be more protein in the food, but less moisture. Fortunately, protein content is easy to determine thanks to a pet food label’s guaranteed analysis, which lists the minimum percentages of protein, fat, fiber, moisture and ash (total minerals, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.). The U.S. Food & Drug Administration offers more information on pet food labels on its website.

RELATED: Is Your Pet Overweight?

Check Byproducts and Vitamins

In your search for the best dog food, you may come across foods that contain meat byproducts, which are typically organ meats, such as liver, heart and kidneys. Byproducts provide nutritional value and are not a bad thing for your dog. However, a well-balanced diet cannot be achieved with byproducts alone.

After you’ve found a complete and balanced dog food with a good protein source, it is then time to look at the other ingredients. Many pet foods include fruits, vegetables and grains to improve the overall nutritional value of the formula. You may also see several ingredients with large chemical-sounding names. Usually, these will be added vitamins and minerals as well as preservatives, natural or artificial colors, and stabilizers the FDA has approved for use.

Choose a Life-Stage Appropriate Food

You can also choose a dog food that is life-stage appropriate. Many senior diets (for dogs seven years and older) will add fiber as well as additional vitamins or supplements, such as glucosamine or chondroitin to help with joint and arthritis pain. Puppy diets are high in protein, fat and other essential vitamins to help in growing. Regardless of your pet’s age, a quality food will provide the minimum amount of nutrients needed for optimal health.

With a healthy diet, your dog has a better chance of having long happy lives with little to no skin or coat problems.

You may also like: 12 Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore in Your Dog

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Animal Behavior College is a private vocational school approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (www.bppe.ca.gov) under the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 and Title 5. California Code of Regulations Division 7.5. Private Postsecondary Education. The Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education approval means that this institution and its operation comply with the standards established under the law for occupational instruction by private postsecondary educational institutions. Institutional approval is subject to continual review and the institution must reapply for approval every five years.
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Please be advised that Animal Behavior College ("ABC") is the exclusive entity authorized to provide certifications and/or degrees from Animal Behavior College. Moreover, such certifications and/or degrees are only conferred by ABC following a student's completion of an ABC-administered program. No other entity or individual has authority to confer certifications and/or degrees on ABC's behalf. Any other entity or individual who attempts to do so is acting without express or implied authority from ABC.
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