How to Choose Safe Pet Food
54- Get your bag of food. Look for the Ingredient Statement on the label. Read the first 5 ingredients. They play a significant role in the nutritional make-up of a food.
- Look at the protein sources. The primary source should come from quality animal protein, not vegetable protein or grain. Foods that list 2 or more grains in the first 5 ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein.
- Consider grains. Grains are a cheap source of protein for pet food manufacturers, but soy, corn, corn gluten and wheat gluten can be difficult to digest, which means less nutrition and more clean up.
- Notice if there are any by-products. Although by-products including feet, beaks, bones and intestines are permitted under AAFCO rules, they are inferior sources of protein and, depending on the source, they can be difficult to digest.
- Determine the fat sources. Some fats are better than others. We believe the primary fat source in dogfood should be animal based because animal fats contain a profile of fatty acids that are easily metabolized and thus are generally more available to the body.
- Look for other health-promoting ingredients, such as: Vegetables, Beet fiber, Antioxidants, Proteinated Minerals, Bacteria cultures. These ingredients can add to your pet's health and digestion.
- You can no longer rely on the premium brands that we all used to trust, like Iams and Eukanuba, etc. When they were bought out by Proctor & Gamble, Colgate, Palmolive and others, they changed their formulas to increase profits at the expense of our pets' health! Dr Jane Bicks is the holistic vet who was involved in the orginal formulations of those brands, and she now has her own brand that she has control over for quality and freshness.
- You can compare Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams and other pet food brands online here.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
