Instructions
How to Choose Good Dry Dog Food
Shop at a local pet store rather than a grocery store or large pet chain. Local pet stores typically stock a wide variety of high-quality dog food brands, whereas grocery stores and large pet-store chains often carry only lower-quality commercial brands.
Read dog food labels. Avoid foods that contain corn, wheat, meat byproducts, preservatives or dyes. Dogs can't digest any of those foods. They are cheap fillers that indicate a low-quality food.
Select a food with protein or high-quality grain in the first three ingredients. Pet food labels are required to list ingredients by weight, so the first three ingredients make up the bulk of the food. Ideally, these foods should be high-quality protein, such as chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit, etc. Chicken meal, turkey meal, etc. are also good. High-quality grains include barley and oats.
Select a food particular to your dog's life stage. Puppies should eat puppy food, which is higher in the fat and proteins they need to grow. Senior dogs should eat senior dog food, which reduces calories to keep weight off and adds supplements that can reduce pain in joints.
Discuss any health problems with your veterinarian. If your dog has allergies, you may have to choose a certain protein or try a grain-free food. If it has any other medical challenges, a specific diet may be required.
How to Choose a Good Dry Dog Food
Just like its human, a dog's health is affected by what it eats. Feeding high-quality food can improve your dog's health, coat, teeth, digestion and energy level. However, higher-quality foods cost more money. This is because they contain better ingredients that your dog's body can digest and use, whereas many of the ingredients in cheaper foods are indigestible. The advantage to more expensive food brands is that you can feed less than recommended, and improved health means fewer veterinary visits. Thus, through the course of your dog's life, you may actually spend less by investing in high-quality food.