As a pet owner, you may have asked the question – which dry dog food is best? Well, the answer may differ based on many factors. However, you can generally separate the good from the bad ones by reading the tips below.
Plenty Of Protein From Various Animal Sources
Typically, the weight of each ingredient will be specified. High-quality animal protein should rank high on your priority list. A “named” animal protein should come first on the list of ingredients.
An Animal Protein With A Clearly Identified Name
You’d want to look for dry dog food with lamb, beef, chicken, and the like. Avoid the term “Meat” because it’s a generic term for protein sources of questionable quality. Any “meals” containing animal protein should come from specifically identified species. Look for “beef dinner,” but steer clear of “meat meal.”
A Supporting Animal Protein Meal- Which Dry Dog Food Is BestÂ
This is meant to increase the overall amount of animal protein consumed. Keep in mind that water is heavy, and frozen or fresh meat is full of it. Therefore, if fresh meat is included as the first ingredient, there should be another animal protein source that should be added.
It is not possible to only use fresh or frozen meats as animal protein sources because of their insufficient protein content. Water makes up as much as 65%-75% of their composition, leaving you with protein of just 15%-25%.
In contrast, the protein content of animal-based “meals” may reach as high as 65%, while the moisture content seldom exceeds 10%. These meals may come from dried and rendered protein sources from connective tissues, skin, bone, or meat.
Gains, Fruits, And Whole Vegetables- Which Dry Dog Food Is Best
The nutrients in fresh and unprocessed ingredients are present in their whole, unaltered natural condition, including all of the vitamins, antioxidants, and enzymes.
It’s not necessary to avoid dog food because the ingredients contain food “fractions” as long as it’s in suitable amounts and it doesn’t represent a large percentage of the total mix. Food fraction just means a part or byproduct of an ingredient like rice bran or tomato pomace.
The “Best by” Date Should Be 6 Months Away At Minimum
Ideally, the “best by” date should be at least ten or eleven months out. This indicates that the dry dog food was recently manufactured. However, be careful of dog foods with a “best by” date that is more than two years. They may have synthetic preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT, or BHA.
Avoid Labels With “Generic Fat” Or “Animal Fat”
This may be any fat generated from an animal, including used grease from restaurants. In comparison to “animal fat,” “poultry” fat is a little safer. Nonetheless, chicken or duck fat is still preferable (and traceable).
Avoid Too Many Sweet Ingredients- Which Dry Dog Food Is Best
Sweet flavors are very appealing to the canine palate. Many dogs are persuaded to consume meals high in unhealthy grain byproducts and low in nutritious animal protein, thanks to the addition of sweeteners to these products.
Wrapping It All Up
So that’s it for now. With the tips mentioned above, you should know which dry dog food is best and which ones to avoid.
