Dog Food Ingredients: Why You Need to Check the Label

With so many types of dog food available on the market choosing one can be extremely difficult. This is particularly true if you want that food which provides the nutritional value that your dog requires on a day to day basis.

Feeding your dog is much like feeding your children; they are a member of the family and deserve food which is good for them. Subsequently it is always wise to check the label of the dog food to assess the ingredients carefully.

In addition whilst price is always a consideration dog food can become very expensive, especially if you have multiple dogs. It is important to ensure that you buy dog food of the highest possible quality within your budget to ensure you dog gets the best nutritional balance, and not just filler which is present n the cheapest types of dog food.

As carnivores dogs need meat so when you are checking the ingredients of canned food ensure that this is in the majority. It is also worth understanding how the meat is labelled, if it just says “animal” or “meat” then there are no assurances as to where this meat has been sourced. What you are looking for is specific meats so if rabbit, chicken, beef or pork etc. If these listed then you have better knowledge of what you are feeding your dog.

You should also be aware of “by products” these can include anything from the slaughtering process that does not make it into human foods such as hooves and feathers. Ultimately tracing the source of by products is problematic so that they are worth avoiding.  

Some foods may contain grains and these once again can cause problems as dog’s digestive systems are not designed to cope with such foodstuffs. Grains have caused conditions such as skin allergies and bloating and once again should be avoided where possible.

If you are buying canned food then also take notice of the water content. Normally water will be added to bulk up the food without giving much nutritional value. Similarly dry foods may give the meat content as a percentage before it has been dried and as such can be misleading.

Ultimately you want to try and give your dog the best food you can afford, avoiding grains, bone meal, by products and also colourings of flavourings. Better quality food will help your dog to stay healthy in the long term so can be a good investment, particularly if you want to minimise health problems (and vet bills) in the future.