Dog food

There are many in's and out's of the pet food industry which many consumers do not realize. It can be a jungle to sort through everything there is out there. I have a degree in pet nutrition, and I can tell you that marketing can make some products seem to be better than they really are. 1)Just because meat is the first ingredient listed does not mean that there is more of it than any other ingredient. In many cases pet food companies will put in 2 or more types of grain, this makes the amount of each individually small, and therefore appear further down on the ingredients list. However when you add them together they can consitute a much larger portion of the diet. 2)You can get alot of hints about how much of a certain ingredient is in the food based on the name. If a brand has the ingredient name in the food (ex. My brand beef dog food) then this ingredient must constitute 90% of the total mass. If the ingredient is present in 25-90% of the total mass then the name is allowed to contain words such as supper, stew, dinner, and formula. When you see the word 'with' in a name this means that the ingredient is present in 3-25% of the total mass of the food (ex. Dog food with Beef). Foods containing less that 3% of an ingredient use the word flavor (ex. my brand beef flavor dog food). So just because a name sounds good there is alot of variation in each category, and you should take this into account. 3)Always look for the AAFCO label (Association of American Feed Control Officials). This means that a food meets the requirements of the lifestage of the animal. It is important to know that no company is required to test their food under AAFCO (or any other group for that matter) therefore it is generally the better companies which voluntarily do this testing. 4)Just so you know, even if a food claims to contain 'human grade food'once a food enters a facility that makes pet food it can no longer legally be considered human grade. Just because a food is a by product does not mean it is bad. There is alot of meat left over once all of the human consumption products have been made. It is these leftover meats, tendons, fats, bones, and organs that are considered by products. They are a good source of protein, and in the wild these products would naturally be consumed. 5)I recommend using the internet to research ingredients. In many cases a word that looks unfamiliar may just be the scientific term for a common nutrient. For example tocopherols are used to make sure that fat does not break down and become rancid. Many people assume that these are synthetic. But tocopherols are actually naturally occuring forms of vitamin E. Now that said tocopherols are not the best perservative. Some of the best perservatives are extremely safe synthtic molecules and should not be dismissed. 6)You take a risk by deciding to feed human food instead of commercial diets. It is important that nutrients be provided in the correct amount to prevent deficiency or toxicity. Some breeds are prone to specific problems which can be exacerbated if not fed the correct diet. For example owners of large breed dogs have to worry about the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the diet to accomodate the large amount of growth these dogs undergo. Certain dogs can be affected by zinc malabsorption (causing skin problems). The list goes on and certain problems tend to be specific to certain breeds. Overall if you decide to feed any diet you should do your research, discuss it with an animal nutritionist if possible, and finally discuss it with your veterinarian (although most do not have much training in the field of nutrition). In my research walthams creates some of the best diets on the market, Iams also produces some excellent products. Your lower end products would be things such as Alpo and Kibbles n bits. I hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else that you need to know to help your decision.

I feed my dogs in variety, In the morning I gave them rice with veggies and at night dry dog food. they're happy with that they don't want the same thing everyday.

My dog eats James Wellbeloved, it's a good quality hypoallergenic food without artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. I try to stay away from bad ingredients like that as much as possible and I feel my dog should be able to eat good food as well, even if it costs more than junk food brands like iams, purina and pedigree.

The dry food I feed my pup is the Kibbles n bite mini bites. He is small so he will only eat food that has little pieces. But i also once a day feed him this meat that has veggies and rice in it that I got from petco. My vet said it was good for him.

Hi I live in Australia, so we don't have the same brands as you. I have four dogs and I have always believed in feeding a mixture of dry and wet food. Whether it be cans, pet mince available or cold rolls etc. Just imagine eating dry food all the time, how boring. I even change the dry food around for variety. The natural food is good but it's just another sale pitch. Just look at the different dry food available and check out the info on the side. They are all different. I know alot of people say they are only dogs but my 3 girls and boy are my family and as you can imagine are spoiled rotten.

I feed my dog Canidae. It doesn't have any preservatives or ingredients I can not pronounce. I don't eat all that processed food and I don't like my dogs to eat it either. After I put them on this food there coats are shinier and they have tons of energy. Not saying its the right thing but it is the only food I have found that hasn't acted up some kind of allergy in my dogs, skin or digestive.

I feed my dogs Diamond Lamb and Rice. By rating it isn't the best (I believe it is a B), but it is supposedly better than those grocery store brands such as Kibbles 'N Bits. You can find out how your dog food rates by going to this link: http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/ratingpetfood.htm And if you want to learn what is in some pet food you can check out this link: http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/truthaboutpetfood.htm

We feed him a combination of dog food, fruits, veggies, rice and meat. If he is on dog food for the longest time, chances are that he will get bored eating it. We feed him dog food once a day and whenever he seems to look hungry, we feed him fruits, rice and meat in moderation. The brand we use is "Alpo". I think in a way they are all natural but we really can't tell for sure. If your dog seem healthy there is nothing to worry about.