The best start is to check out the website of your preferred dog food first and foremost.
Most manufacturers making a high quality, premium dog food will have easily accessible ingredient lists on their websites.
I found some web sites almost impossible to find an ingredient or nutritional analysis on, and I would suggest this as a warning that they have something perhaps to hide.
Look for locally grown food in their manufacturing process, and a list of what they don’t use is a nice easy way to determine if the food is healthy.
(EXAMPLE: produced without the use of herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilizers, no irradiation used, does not contain chemical additives or preservatives, colors or dyes, hormone and antibiotic free)
This is an indication of a manufacturer that is responsible and really does put your pet’s health and nutrition first.
INGREDIENTS TO LOOK FOR:
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SPECIFIED MEAT or FISH SOURCES: Chicken as opposed to poultry by-products. Any named meat or fish is desirable such as chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, beef, herring etc. Chicken meal as opposed to meat meal. Meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product which will be more concentrated with the good qualities of the meat. This applies to any protein source such as chicken meal, turkey meal, venison meal, buffalo meal, herring meal, salmon meal, etc. Having two different meat sources is the best product to look for. An example of an excellent protein based food has deboned turkey, turkey meal and chicken meal as the first 3 ingredients (Wellness Core). The meat will be human grade which means it is clean and free of bones, blood, feathers, heads, feet, hooves, entrails etc., and also fresh and edible as opposed to rotten or spoiled. CARBOHYDRATES: Whole grains as opposed to the highly over processed mill run and flours. Grains such as brown rice, barley, oatmeal, or if the product is grain free, then potatoes, or sweet potatoes would be choices of excellent carbohydrates. Avoid corn and wheat and any of their derivatives in any dog foods. They are not nutritious, cause allergies and illnesses and are usually used as cheap fillers. FRUITS/VEGETABLES: Whole fruits and vegetables as opposed to none in some dog foods. Look for any of the fresh fruits and veggies that we eat such as carrots, peas, spinach, greens, apples, berries etc. FAT SOURCES: Named fats from quality sources such as chicken fat, sunflower oil, canola oil, salmon oil, or lamb fat, etc. NATURAL PRESERVATIVES: Mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E), is the most common natural preservative. A dry dog food with natural preservation will have an expiry date, which is what you want to look for. A kibble that will last indefinitely is over processed and way to synthetically preserved with harmful chemicals. HEALTHY VITAMINS/MINERALS/SUPPLEMENTS: Premium Vitamins such as Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, Vitamin B6, Probiotic Microorganisms such as Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product for digestive health. Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids sourced naturally from ingredients such as flax seed, a specified fish oil and canola oil. – Supports healthy skin and coat. Glucosamine and Chondroitin to help support long term bone and joint health. Salt is also a necessary mineral and should be iodized or sea salt. |
MY TOP 7 RECOMMENDATIONS : All of these products are highly recommended. They are my picks, after doing a lot of reading, research and comparisons. There are other excellent choices of dog food available today also. Choose by process of elimination. ORIJEN DOG FOOD – ADULT GRAIN FREE (THIS IS MY # 1 DOG FOOD PICK) by CHAMPION PET FOODS. INGREDIENTS: Fresh deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, fresh deboned pacific salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), herring meal, sweet potato, peas, fresh deboned lake whitefish, fresh deboned northern walleye, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E and citric acid), chicken liver, salmon meal, fresh deboned turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil (Natural source of Omega 3), chicory root, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Botanicals and Guaranteed analysis here. INGREDIENTS: Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Canola Oil, Chicken Liver, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, INGREDIENTS: Natural Chicken, Organic Brown Rice, Chicken Meal, Organic Oats, Organic Millet, Organic Barley, Organic Sorghum, Organic Potato, Organic Peas, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (Naturally stabilized with Mixed Tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Organic Carrots, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Phosphate, Sea Salt, Mixed Tocopherols, Organic Spinach, Organic Cranberries, Organic Tomato, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Organic Parsley, Organic Rosemary, and Vitamins, Minerals with complete guaranteed analysis here. INNOVA EVO TURKEY AND CHICKEN by NATURA PET PRODUCTS. INGREDIENTS: Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Egg, Garlic, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Taurine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamins/Minerals, and Viable Naturally Occurring Microorganisms. KARMA ORGANICS by NATURA PET PRODUCTS. INGREDIENTS: Organic Chicken, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Organic Rye, Organic Pea Protein, Organic Flax Seed, Yeast Extract, Organic Carrots, Organic Beets, Organic Sunflower Oil, (naturally preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Calcium Carbonate, Organic Broccoli, Organic Cranberries, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Herring Oil and Vitamins/Minerals INGREDIENTS: Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, roasted quail, roasted duck, smoked turkey, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, vitamins and minerals here.
Blue Buffalo does contain:
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