Protecting Your Dog: Know What's in His Dog Food By Jeff Nenadic At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Confused by the labels on your dog's can of dog food? If so, you're not alone. When perusing the aisles of the dog food aisle, it is often difficult to figure out why some brands are more expensive or cheaper than others. While it's advisable to buy high quality food containing ingredients that are critical to your dog's good health and well-being, it is equally important to find a brand that fits your budget. Many gourmet brands are no more nutritious than food produced by other small and large dog food manufacturers. As a general rule, you should avoid the very inexpensive brands as they contain very few ingredients that your dog needs, such as protein. These brands contain filler ingredients and are often of little nutritional value.

What does the label tell you?

The ingredient label should list all additives and food ingredients found in the food. Most developed countries have federal agencies that control and monitor the ingredients found in the food. This guarantees that the food is safe to be eaten and does not threaten your dog's health. Ingredients must be determined to be safe for consumption or GRAS. This means that the food does not contain diseased meat, poorly processed meat or vegetables, or other questionable ingredients.

Ingredients on the food's label are listed according to how much they weighed at the time of processing. The list begins with the heaviest ingredient and tapers down to lighter ingredients. When meat is measured, it is weighed when it is raw and moist. Just as ground wheat or soy meal are listed on the label in their most basic and natural form, so are all other ingredients contained in the food.

Since most of the water contained in the food is removed during processing, particularly in dry dog foods, the first ingredient listed on the label may not be the main ingredient in the dry food once it is available for purchase. In actuality, most dry foods list chicken, meat, or beef as the main ingredients. However, in most foods, the final dominant ingredient is usually composed of wheat fillers. Dog foods that list meat or animal by-products as the dominant ingredient should be avoided, as they contain nearly no nutritional value.

Labels, unfortunately, are not as accurate in reflecting nutritional value as you may think. In fact, there is no real way to tell how much of the original ingredient actually made its way into the final product. The only truly accurate information found on the label is the review of the food, which reflects the nutritional value of the final product breakdown process.

The final review of the food should detail ingredients such as carbohydrates, crude protein, vitamins and minerals, and fat. On average, a dog's diet should be comprised of between 21 and 26 percent protein. This figure varies depending on your dog's age and how active he is. A dog that is active requires more protein than a sedentary dog to maintain it energy level. Puppies and older dogs should avoid diets high in protein. Large amounts of protein can actually affect bone development and cause older, sedentary dogs to gain weight.

How much should your dog eat?

If you feed your dog a premium, high quality food, you should follow a few guidelines. Poor quality foods are messy, and dogs must eat more of them to achieve adequate nutrition. Premium foods should be fed according to your dog's weight and stage of growth. It is important to feed your dog the amount recommended for his stage of growth to ensure proper nutrition.

Consult your vet if your dog gains or loses weight rapidly. Weight gain usually has nothing to do with the food, but should be a concern, as genetic conditions can develop.

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