3 Things To Look For When Buying Dog Food
Your dogs deserve to have the best food you can give them. That means you need to know how to choose that food. There are all kinds of food out there, and it can be really hard to decide to get the best food for them. So, how can you find the right food for your dog?
Look at the Ingredient List
Like your food, your dog's food also has an ingredient list. The ingredients of the food are listed from the ingredients used the most in the food down to those used the least. So, whatever ingredient is listed first is the one that is the biggest ingredient in the food. Look at the list to see what those things are. You should also know some of the differences between some of the common ingredients. One common ingredient is corn, which can often be the most used thing, but corn can be listed as several different kinds, so it doesn't appear as high on the list. For example, corn can be listed as flaked corn and ground corn, but since they are different forms of corn, they can each be listed separately. So, look for things like that. Generally, the fewer ingredients in the list, the more natural or organic the food is.
Age Recommendations
Your puppy is going to have different nutrition needs than a senior dog. You don't want to feed your puppy the same food as a senior dog because they aren't going to get the right balance of nutrients to do all the growing they have to do. Keeping your dog's age in mind when you buy their food can help you get what they need for their current stage of life.
AAFCO Seal
The AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. It is basically the FDA of pet food. Their goal is to make sure commercially available pet food is safe for animals and people. They test the foods and make sure that they are nutritionally balanced for the animals, depending on what animal the food is for. The AAFCO will do the tests and then list their analysis based on the food's fat, protein, and water. Look for their seal of approval on the bag.
If you have a dog, you want to give them the best food you can. It helps if you have some tips about what to look for when you are shopping. Visit a pet store to buy dog food today.
