The last few years it seems there have been alarming recalls of pet foods and treats, so choosing your pet’s food is a serious business if you want them to have a long and healthy life. There are some things to consider when choosing pet food for your dog or cat so that they can have the best food possible.
Learning How to Read Pet Food Labels
If you want to pick the best pet food, then you can’t skip out on reading the label to see what the ingredients are. The ingredients are listed in the order of how much of that item is in the food. So, for instance, if you see chicken or beef first, it has more of that than anything else. However, if you see a grain-based item like soy protein or some sort of by-product, this should be a warning that the food isn’t the best choice. Remember that cats and dogs are meat eaters, not vegetarians so it is important to feed them accordingly.
For instance, by products in pet food may not even have any meat at all. They could be cereal, animal parts like feet, bills or feathers and bones; or even things like corn cobs, peanut hulls, or cottonseed hulls. It may even be diseased meats from dead animals, road kill or euthanized dogs and cats from shelters. You definitely don’t want your pet eating that!
Look for Strange Chemicals, Other Words You Can’t Pronounce
You also need to be on the watch for chemicals listed that may be in pet foods, but are actually bad news for your dog or cat. These include ethoxyguin, butylated hydroxanisole, butylated hyroxytoluene, which are all additives known to cause cancer that aren’t allowed in human food, but are in some brands of pet foods.
Look for Human Grade Ingredients
To make sure you get the best quality food for your pet, look for human grade ingredients like lamb, beef or chicken or a list of vegetables, fruits and vitamins. Canned foods can also be a good choice because they provide added water, which your dog or cat needs, and they can be mixed with dry foods too.
All in all, if you want a healthy pet, be sure to look closely at the ingredients of the pet food you buy!
