How to choose dog food?
Traditionally, dogs are considered predators. When eating mammals, dogs consume meat, insides, bones, various minerals. In addition, carbohydrates and mineral salts. Consequently, dog food should meet this natural composition. In stores, shelves are breaking from various best dog food storage containers with dog feed, and together we will choose the best.
The first thing you need to know and do before buying food: age, level of activity of your dog. Age, the intensity of the dog’s activity determine which food to buy. Some commercial manufacturers make a note “for active dogs”, “for puppies” or even “for elderly dogs”. Next, read the label – the first five ingredients are the most important; Trust only a respected brand; Find out whether this food is approved by the Association of Official Control of food. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Can the food cost cheaply if it contains natural meat, also dehydrated?
- How much will a kilogram of meat cost, how much will we weigh if you dry it?
- Can ordinary cereals, such as corn, serve as the main food for the predator?
- Why is it better to pay: for advertising the company, for the seller of food or for meat?
Of course, for meat! So, what are the types of feed, and in which species are the most meat and nutrients?
Types of feed
The choice of what you can feed your dog is unlimited: dry feeds, canned foods, half-wool feeds, our usual human foods or a mixture of these types of feed. When choosing, many factors are important: cost, nutritional value, convenience, taste, possible allergies, accessibility, etc. What is ideal for your neighbor’s dog may not fit yours. Do not feed the dog that she does not like. If the dog does not want to eat bought food, do not starve it, experiment, buy small bags with food for a sample. The difference between good and poor food is not very noticeable in price, but this difference can add to your dog for several years of healthy life.
Dry (granular) food. Granular feeds are mainly made from corn, rice and soybeans. In the food of respected brands, meat and fish are the main ingredient, such feeds are a little more expensive, but buying them more profitable, becauseYour dog will need less food to quench hunger. The granular stern contains calories in a concentrated form, while in canned stern there is much more water. It is difficult for large dogs to satisfy the needs for calories, eating only ready-made canned food. If you have a large dog, buy granular food – this is the most practical option. There is an opinion that granular food helps to preserve the dog’s teeth in good condition. Some facts indicate that solid dry dog foods actually slow down the process of developing diseases of the gums and teeth, but does not completely stop it. Do not forget to regularly carry out your dog to brush your teeth – this will allow you to keep them in good condition for a long time.
Canned food. Some types of this dog feed have an unpleasant odor, but in most cases the dogs prefer canned food – and smell and taste. To buy the best food, inspect the label. Look for food with the main ingredient in the form of meat, fish or poultry. In low-quality canned feeds, the main ingredient is water, such feeds are more than 80% of water. Entire vegetables, not rice bran, rice flour and brewed rice are added to good canned foods.
Semi-doubled foodch feeds are sold in small packages. In most cases, such food looks good, but almost all of its components are absolutely not suitable for the dog. This type of feed is oversaturated with sugar, moreover, about 50% of the water. The dog does not need these substances, they will only contribute to the development of obesity and damage to the teeth. The shelf life of such feed is minimal.
Categories of feed
Economy. Inexpensive and low-quality dog food, it is made from second-rate ingredients. As a substitute for meat, meat-bone flour, animal fat, soy, corn, etc. Are used. The food contains various flavors, artificial additives and preservatives. In the stern of the economy category, the low content of “meat”, therefore the daily consumption rate is high, and the energy value does not exceed 350 kcal/100 gch cheap feeds are sold in all supermarkets, they are widely advertised, they are not expensive. The price is low only due to the content of cheap raw materials, as well as the savings of some ingredients. It happens that dogs pounce on them with a huge appetite, eat it faster than an elite product. This happens due to the fact that a large amount of phosphorus, sodium salts and calcium is sprayed to granules to enhance the taste.
Premium. This food is made of quite high-quality products. The composition includes fish meat, poultry, some offal, rice, plant components (for example, carrots, beets, potatoes). Plant proteins, dyes and taste additives are also contained. Permium-class feed is more consumed, and absorbed by 75%, and energy value exceeds 350 kcal/100 g.
Superpremium. Feed is of high quality. The main ingredients of this feed are fresh high-quality meat of the lamb, beef, salmon, birds, etc. Grains of flax, barley, oats, etc. Are also used. The composition is perfectly balanced and based on serious scientific research. The stabilizer in the stern is vitamin E. Dyes are absent. Digestibility exceeds 83%, and this significantly reduces the volume of its use. In feed of the category superpremium, energy value exceeds 450 kcal/100 g.
Selling feed for weightliness is a fairly slippery moment. It is more profitable for the store to purchase food with large bags. Some dog owners cannot or do not want to buy a large storage container at once, they buy a weight from an open bag. However, it is worth considering that in an open bag, food can mold, damp and completely deteriorate. The owner did not notice this, and the dog allergies appeared or digestion was upset. If there is no desire to visit the veterinary clinics often, it is worth making a choice in favor of closed best dog food storage containers of elite premium or super-premium class.
The label on the best dog food storage container is a legal document and must comply with the established rules. The main information block is located on the front side of the package, which contains the name of the brand of feed, the name of the product. In addition, it should be indicated for which stage of life the food is intended for a puppy, adult or old dog, or that it is universal food. This is followed by detailed information about the composition. If, for example, the packaging indicates that this is a feed of lamb meat (keyword – food), then this feed should consist of 95% of the lamb meat, only water is additionally added in the amount of the amount required for digestion. No dry dog food complies with such a standard. However, if the best dog food storage container has the word “lunch” or “main dish” rather than “food”, then there may be 25% of the lamb meat. If the words “with a lamb meat” are used, then in the stern there may be no more than 3% of meat at all. If the word "taste" is used, the taste of the specified product will be present in the stern. You can’t find data on the real content of products as a percentage on any on the package. In addition to this, the information block with the guaranteed composition of the food should also be present on the best dog food storage container of food. The guaranteed composition is the minimum amount of unprocessed protein and fat. In addition, the maximum moisture content, ash, unprocessed fibers are given. The minimum protein content in the dog stern is 18%, the minimum protein content, which is necessary for the growth and reproduction of the dog, is 22%. Again, the packaging does not indicate the actual amount of protein, but only its share.
Read the list of ingredients! The inscriptions "premium", "economy" or "super premium" do not display the real belonging of feed to a certain class, becauseThere are no official criteria for awarding category feed. Unless the price may correspond to the definition. The inscriptions “lamb and rice”, “chicken with rice” sometimes mean nothing, these products may not be at all in appropriate quality. The ingredients in the list follow depending on their volume in the stern. The first place is occupied by a product, which is most in the stern, followed by secondary components, the share of which is greatly reduced by the end of the list. Pay attention to the barcode to know in which country the food is made.
Meat. Well, if the first ingredients are chicken, turkey, beef. Even better is meat in the form of flour and without bones. After all, if raw meat comes first, after shrinkage, its specific gravity decreases by 80 percent, and it can be moved to fifth or even eighth place in the list. By the way, if the dog suffers from allergies, choose food with lamb, bison, salmon.
Avoid the wording "offal"! The inscription "bird" or "offal" means that the waste of mysterious birds is used in the food: paws, claws, heads, feathers. It's just a storage container of trash. Of course, by-products also include internal organs that are useful in animal nutrition. A self-respecting brand that makes great dog food won't hide a heart or liver under a vague label like "animal by-products. "
The composition of the food must include:
Squirrels. The quality of proteins and their percentage are the main characteristics of dog food. Animal protein, which is part of poultry, beef, fish and other products of animal origin, is not only useful, but necessary for the full support of the dog's life.
Carbohydrates. Their greatest amount is found in cereal products, potatoes and carrots. Here the determining factor is the variety and quality of cereals contained in the food.
Fats. During the manufacture of dog food, fats of animal origin are used, with a high content of fatty acids. Vegetable fats found in corn, soy, and the like can also be used. Try to avoid dog food with obscure ingredient names. The wording “animal fat” or “poultry fat” can mean that the food is made from downed animals, sick, crippled, etc. Remember! A high fat content leads to obesity, to diseases in dogs of the cardiovascular system, and a high protein content to various kidney diseases.
Cereals. Healthy cereals are brown rice and barley. White rice is also good, but it has significantly fewer nutrients. Oats are a healthy grain, but can cause indigestion in a dog. Beer rice is a waste of beer production. Corn – poorly digested, can serve as a source of allergies. This is the cheapest filler.
Corn gluten is a food production waste that contains the smallest amount of useful substances.
Other ingredients. Eggs are preferable in the form of a whole egg, not egg powder. It is good if fruits, berries, vegetables, herbs, yeast, algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, minerals, vitamins, probiotics are present in feed. There should be no sugar or caramel in the stern (these products besides caries will not bring anything), the shell of nuts, cellulose.
Conservatives and anti-oxidists. Natural preservatives are vitamin E and C, as well as oils and extracts of herbs (for example, rosemary). The manufacturer tries to hide information about preservatives (E320), (E321), Ethoxyquin, Propylgallat and Aspartam. They can be hidden under the designation EWG, i. E. Like additives. Synthetic preservatives often cause depression, liver damage, cramps, allergies and cancer. Note that if manufacturers used high-quality cereals and quality meat, they are unlikely to spoil such food with dangerous preservatives. The final characteristic that affects the price and quality of feed is the presence of various vitamins, trace elements and antioxidants. The quality of the food can be judged by the quantity and quality of feces: after good food, a little feces stand out. If the food has become poorly learned, the volume of digestive products is large, and the smell is strong and impulsive.
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Allergens. Nowadays, allergies in dogs become a familiar phenomenon. Without special testing, the owner is unlikely to be able to establish what his dog is allergic to. Corn, soy, wheat, chicken and beef are the most common causes of allergies. If you find a food that does not contain these common allergens, this will help solve the problem. Choose feed based on rare components, becauseDogs cannot be prone to allergies when drinking unknown foods (for example, bison or fish, oats). Ingoda Food allergies T does not pass for six months after the disappearance of the allergen, you need to wait.
What food should be avoided:
- Grapes and raisins, because Vinograd and raisins cause acute renal failure in animals.
- Chocolate. Chocolate can cause a number of deviations, violation of the normal operation of the cardiovascular system, a heart attack.
- Onion. A quarter of a glass of onions causes hemolytic anemia in dogs – a sufficiently serious, but temporary disease. Garlic also has these properties.
- Corn cobs. The cobs can damage the dog in the dog.
