Your Pet IS What He Eats

Pet Food Comparison

It is easy for a pet guardian, whether new or very experienced, to be easily
overwhelmed by the number of choices available when purchasing food for a
beloved dog or cat. With so many brands available, and with prices ranging
from cheap to very expensive, how does a pet guardian make an informed decision
about buying the best?
Here are the key indicators of a quality pet food:
1) High quality food SHOULD contain at least two sources of protein in
the first five ingredients. It should NOT contain meat by-products or
“meat” and bone meal. The Crude Protein analysis on pet food labels is only
a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food - not the quality of the
protein. Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of
human food production, such as soybean meal, to boost protein numbers.
2) High quality food SHOULD contain high quality carbohydrates. It
should NOT contain carbohydrate food fragments (e.g. wheat bran, wheat
flour, rice flour, and wheat middling).
3) High-quality food SHOULD contain healthy fats. High-quality food
should NOT contain generic fats (e.g. “Animal fat”).
4) High-quality food SHOULD contain vitamin and mineral rich herbs
and legumes.
5) High-quality food should NOT contain artificial preservatives (e.g. BHA,
BHT, Ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol).
In addition to these points, remember to look closely at the first four to five
ingredients of any pet food you are considering buying. These ingredients make
up the bulk of the food - and will tell you a lot about its quality.