People who love their dog see them not as a pet, they see them as part of the family. A dog enriches their lives and brings tremendous measures of joy. Any living being that is cared about deserves only the best care and attention that is available, including in food. Hence, dog lovers the world over look for dog food that really shows how much they actually care for their four legged friend. They feel that the quality has to be top notch, with ingredients that promote a dog’s health. Not just that, the taste has to be good and it has to look and smell nice.
There are a number of things that you should look for if you are buying dog food and want to make sure that your pet gets the best of the best when it comes to their food. And there are also a number of things that you should avoid at all times.
What To Stay Away From In Dog Food
There have been a number of reports that have demonstrated some highly toxic agents being present in dog food. Some of these ingredients include euthanized dogs. Dogs are euthanized at dog shelters with Sodium Pentobarbital. A rendering plant will then grind up the dog, sometimes including the plastic bag that it came in and the flea collar the dog had on. Other terrible ingredients include feathers, blood, undeveloped eggs, the 4Ds (dying, downed, dead and diseased animals), beaks, hooves, hide and feet.
One of the problems is that no manufacturer openly reports using these ingredients. Instead, you will see mention such as real animal meat, but not which animal or the state of that animal. This makes it incredibly difficult for people to buy food for their pet and know for sure that they are giving them good food.
How To Recognize Good Dog Food
There are a number of things that set producers of good pet food apart. First of all, there is the price. If you are looking for good quality dog food, you will have to pay for it. This doesn’t mean the price should be ridiculously high, but any food that is very cheap will not be good for your dogs. However, do be weary that expensive dog food is not necessarily good quality. Also, look for a company that is more interested in developing the best product and not into making the most money. Naturally, every company should be able to make a profit on their product, but what they should care about the most is the health of the animals that consume their food. Make sure that their website clearly lists how the food is produced and what sort of ingredients is sourced for the food.
These companies will also be able to explain why their food is good and what the benefits will be for your pet. The very best companies will also take a public stand against the 4D ingredients. It can be very difficult to find really good manufacturers because of the way ingredients are described. Some, unfortunately, are deliberately misleading and you do need to use your common sense.
Treat Your Dog
Naturally, one important aspect of feeding your pet is treats. When a dog has been particularly good, or it is a special occasion, they deserve a treat. It is now possible to feed your dog custom treats. These are individually made by hand, which is a very good indication of a company that makes good quality dog food. This is because the food will go through human quality control. Also, custom dog treats can look very nice, and you can have them designed in any shape that you may like. Many people, for instance, like to give their dogs a treat on their birthday. It is highly unlikely that the dog will realize it is actually their birthday, but what they will notice is the love they get from their owners on this day.
Similarly, with Christmas, your pets will notice that something special is going on. Even though they may not understand the concept of Christmas, a dog is very empathic and will understand that there is a lot of love going around and that they are part of that love. The dog food that is given to them on that day should be special – just like on any other day – but it certainly is time that they deserve that special little treat as well. Again, make sure the ingredients are sourced from ethical locations.
Photo by Marek Szturc on Unsplash.