| We all love our dogs and want to give them the | | | | remember that there are essentially two types of |
| best life has to offer. But with so many variations | | | | dry dog food on the market: premium dog food |
| of dog food in the market, it isn't always easy to | | | | and economy dog food. A smart owner will avoid |
| identify the best food for our dog. Who can | | | | purchasing the economy food, which is made |
| possibly feel confident when so many brands | | | | from lower grade ingredients (for example, |
| trumpet buzzwords that hit the human aisles not | | | | economy dog food will often substitute cheap |
| long ago, such as "rich in antioxidants," "highly | | | | corn for the more expensive meat byproducts). |
| digestible," "Omega-3 fatty acids" and "Ultra | | | | The "end" result, as it were, is that your dog can't |
| Premium Formula"?What we can do, though, is to | | | | absorb many nutrients but simply passes the food |
| conduct a simple dog food comparison to | | | | through his body. So in addition to enjoying less |
| determine which foods best fit our dog's | | | | nutrition, your dog will produce larger stools -- and |
| requirements and our personal schedule. After all, | | | | you might find yourself with more frequent vet |
| some foods offer much greater convenience than | | | | bills.Other Popular Contenders: Canned, Semi-Moist |
| the more natural, less processed types of food | | | | and More |
| which may require freezing, thawing, cooking and | | | | Other categories of dog food include the |
| preparation.Convenience aside, the best food to | | | | semi-moist type and canned food. Many owners |
| give your dog depends not on the brand or the | | | | like to mix in some canned food with dry food, to |
| style, but rather on your dog's age and any | | | | potentially cover more nutritional bases without |
| special requirements he might have. For example, | | | | taking too big a hit to the pocketbook.Semi-moist |
| older dogs require food containing a careful | | | | food is attractively convenient to owners, and |
| balance of protein, fat and fiber. Most commercial | | | | dogs love it. Unfortunately, it may cause dental |
| dog food companies address this need with | | | | problems in the mid-term and worse in the long |
| offerings such as senior dog food, containing | | | | term, because semi-moist food is loaded with |
| about 18 % protein, and food for dogs diagnosed | | | | corn syrup and other sugars, which dogs just |
| with renal failure, containing about 14% | | | | aren't designed to process.Recently, more natural, |
| protein.Dare to Compare Dry Dog Food | | | | "premium" dog food has been introduced to the |
| The vast majority of dog owners go for dry | | | | market, in which higher quantities of quality, |
| dog food. Between the supermarket and specialty | | | | nutritious ingredients are used to manufacture the |
| pet stores, owners enjoy many brands to choose | | | | food -- often human-grade, in fact. Since |
| from. Dry dog food consists of kibble typically | | | | vegetables, fruits, real meat and quality grains are |
| made from one primary ingredient such as | | | | used as the primary protein source in the |
| chicken, beef or lamb. More specifically, the main | | | | highest-quality dog foods, these foods are a fast |
| ingredient is usually a meat byproduct that's been | | | | route to healthy skin and beautiful fur. For the |
| processed, dried and sold in packs or bags for | | | | most part, they contain no artificial coloring and |
| easy dispensing. Needless to say, meat | | | | preservatives, but are chock-full of vitamins and |
| byproducts are far cheaper than meat, so this | | | | minerals instead.Although this food costs more, |
| type of dog food is not only easy to store, it's | | | | you can feed your dog less of it, because it's |
| much less expensive than other types.Hard kibble | | | | more nutritionally dense. So in terms of both |
| comes with some advantages. For example, it | | | | convenience and nutrition, a premium, natural dog |
| gives your dog's mouth some exercise, and | | | | food is one of the best choices available to your |
| kibble's less likely to contribute to plaque than | | | | dog, whether off-the-shelf or purchased online. |
| softer foods.When comparing brands, it helps to | | | | |