All pet owners agree pets’ nutrition plays an important role in their overall health and well-being. When feeding our pet commercial brand dog foods, do you consider the nutritional value of a prime brand dog food and a bargain brand dog food?
It can be really tempting to buy a cheaper brand of dog food considering the price difference but do we really know what ingredients are inside your high priced and low priced brand dog food?
Here we will discuss the nutritional value of the 2 types of commercial dog food.
Quality of ingredients
The higher priced brand dog food has ingredients that your dogs can easily digest and are healthier. You just need to feed less and scoop less whenever your pet poops.
While the low priced brand dog food is made from meat, soy protein, fillers and bone meals; these products are considered cheaper ingredients. This dog food uses artificial flavors to make it tastier. It also has shapes and colors. All of these components are not needed for your dog’s health. In the end, you end up spending more because you need to buy more to feed your dog enough to get the right amount of nutrients.
When buying commercial dog food, pet owners should look for the most important ingredients in a dog food. And these are vitamins, minerals and fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
You can check the nutritional value of the dog food at the back of the container. The ingredients are printed in descending order by weight. You will know which one to choose just by checking if the protein source is at the top list (beef, chicken or lamb). Dry food (Kibble), Wet food (canned food) and burger type food (semi-moist) are the different kinds of commercial dog food.
Kibble is the cheapest commercial dog food but the least palatable. Canned food is a bit palatable but it is not crunchy enough to help your pet’s teeth and gums. Burger type foods are equivalent to junk foods because they are full of preservatives and sugar.
Some research shows that canned dog food is healthier than a dry dog food. It is because the canned food is kept “fresh” by canning technique. And if you compare a dry dog food preparation, this needs plenty of preservatives once they are opened in order to stay fresh. Dry dog foods are cooked and then placed in a high level of heat and this procedure takes away the nutrients of the food. While canned foods retain more nutrients because they are canned fresh. But it is also important to consider canned dog food may not be a complete balanced meal.
Factors to consider when choosing appropriate commercially prepared pet foods
- Age of the dog – since puppies need growth formula food until one year old at least
- Weight of the dog
- Is your dog active?
- Is your dog a hunting dog or a sled dog?
- Availability and palatability of the dog food
Puppies should be given food according to their activity level and weight. If they are younger than 6 months old, they need to eat 3 to 4 times per day. Adult dogs must eat 2 to 3 times per day according to their weight as well as their activity level. If you have a senior dog, check if they are inactive and gaining weight before giving them a senior formula.
If you still have concerns about the proper nutrition of your dog you may consult your vet or a pet nutritionist. Choosing the appropriate commercial dog food can definitely improve your dog’s health and longevity. Not only that, you will save yourself plenty of money!
