High Quality, Nutritious, Healthy Dog Food is the Key to Your Dog's Long Term Good Health

Did you know that dog food you buy in a grocery store or pet supermarket is probably very low in nutritional value? Even if the food was somewhat nutritious when it was placed in the bag, that nutrition has deteriorated because the food is several months old by the time you purchase it at the store. So when you buy dog food in a store, you may be slowly killing your dog.

Think about our own health and nutrition. Eating fast food or other unhealthy food is not good for our own health. That type of food will lead to disease and a breakdown in our bodies over time.

It's no different for our dogs. An unhealthy diet will result in degenerative diseases and other health issues for them as well.

Veterinarians are treating dogs for heart disease, kidney failure, cancer, and other degenerative diseases. These ailments were much less prevalent before the introduction of commercial dog food.

You are probably like me. I want my dog to live a long, happy, and healthy life. He gives me unconditional love. He is completely dependent on me. I owe him the very best nutrition.

The picture of me and my dog, Romeo, is on a lot of the articles I write. He is 6 years old and just a mutt. He has been fed high quality, nutritious, healthy dog food ever since he was a little over one year old. I know I am biased, but he is the sweetest, healthiest, and happiest dog we have ever owned.

You possibly don't believe me when I say that, "you may be slowly killing your dog." I encourage you to read the article, "What's Really in Pet Food" which has been prepared by the Animal Protection Institute. You will find some "eye opening" information in this article.

According to this article, much of the food we give our dogs is "unfit for human consumption."

This includes both meat and grains. Is that what we want to feed our dogs - food that is unfit for human consumption?

Here's something to keep in mind. You can't rely on the ingredient label or the wording on the package to make your dog food selection. Just because the package describes the food as "high quality" or "premium," doesn't mean that it is a quality, nutritious, healthy dog food.

When you look at an ingredient label, it may appear that the bag contains a quality, nutritious, healthy dog food. But if the food is bought in a store, it could be 6-18 months old.

If you are told by a pet product store owner or employee that the food is fresh, they are probably being dishonest or don't know what they are talking about.

The dog food may be sold fairly soon after it arrives in the retail store. But the store owner has no control over how long the food has been in one or more warehouses. The nutritional value of the food is reduced as it ages because of heat, mold, bacteria, and many other reasons.

When selecting a quality, nutritious, healthy dog food to buy, you should consider the cooking method used. In general, the food should be cooked at low temperatures and for a short time. If not, the nutritional value of the food is destroyed.

Here are 4 recommendations in selecting a high quality, nutritious, healthy dog food:

1. The food should contain a high percentage of meat. Completely disregard any product that includes by-products.

Don't be concerned if you see chicken "meal" or fish "meal" as one of the ingredients. Chicken meal and fish meal are great ingredients as long as they comes from high quality chicken or fish.

For example, water is removed from the chicken to form chicken meal. So if you see "chicken meal" as the first item on the ingredient label, you know that there is a lot of chicken in the product. If "chicken" is listed as one of the top ingredients, it may be much lower on the list of ingredients when the water is removed. The manufacturer may be trying to mislead the consumer to think that chicken is one of the top ingredients.

2. Make sure that the food is very fresh. I have found that the best and freshest dog food comes from an online source that delivers a very fresh, nutritious, healthy dog food to your doorstep.

High quality chicken, chicken meal, fish, fish meal, lamb, and venison are excellent meat ingredients.

4. This is critical. Avoid any dog food that contains corn, wheat, artificial preservatives and colorings, steroids, and hormones.

Feeding your dog a high quality, nutritious, healthy dog food is critical to ensuring that your pet lives a long, healthy, and happy life. You are probably like me. I feel I owe that to my little dog.

Scott Hubbard is a avid pet lover. For the last 40 years, dogs have been a major part of his family. He has devoted more than 5 years to selecting the best products for pet health. You can click here to learn more about the high quality, nutritious, healthy dog food that he recommends. You can reach him directly by calling toll-free 877-878-4036 or by emailing him at Scott@ScottHubbard-Consulting.com.

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Written by Scott Hubbard using tags: dog food, healthy dog food, nutritious dog food, Pets, products for pet health, quality dog food

There are literally hundreds of different types of dog food in the market, and almost all of them boast that they are a healthy dog food full of fresh meats. But are they? Only the dog food ingredients label can tell you how what kind of meat is actually in there - if you know how to read them.

First, what really constitutes a healthy dog food? The fact is a healthy food differs for each pet. Dogs may be allergic to certain ingredients, have different levels of activity, medical conditions, and different stages in life. All of these factor into what type of dog food is healthiest for your dog.

Now you must figure out the quality of the ingredients used. The proteins are a very important part of a good, quality dog food. They are also a good source of confusion when looking at the ingredients list. Animal proteins can be stated in different ways. Meat, meal, and by-product are the three main categories.

What is the difference between a Meat, Meal, and By-Product? An identified animal meat, chicken for example, means the clean flesh from a chicken. Meal is simply the ingredient that has be dehydrated and ground. So chicken meal is dehydrated, ground up chicken meat. By-product is what is left over after all the usable meat has been removed (like the neck, feet, intestines, etc.) Chicken by-product would be processed and ground up chicken necks, feet, and who really knows what else.

Animal vs. Animal Meal? Which one first? Although most people think that having an animal meat as the first ingredient is a good indicator of a quality dog food, it is very misleading. Yes, you want an identified meat in the first ingredient, but listing a specific meat meal is the best.

Ingredients must be listed in order of weight. Meat still has water in it, meat meal has been dehydrated. Therefore, one pound of meat meal will have more protein and nutrients in it than one pound of meat. When actually making the dog food, the meat will be dehydrated. If they listed the meat after this dehydration, it would fall much lower down the ingredient list.

What Does a Generic 'Meat' Mean? All animal meats must be identified on the label. If the food is from a specific animal, such as salmon, it will be stated as 'salmon'. If the food is from an animal class, like fish, then more than one type of that animal could be in the meat - like salmon, tuna, cod - and will labeled as 'fish'. A generic 'meat' or 'meat meal' is the absolute worse - it means the actual animal meat cannot be even identified. You could have some cow, goat, fish, geese, etc.

A general rule of thumb for a healthy dog food is if the animal source can't be identified, this is usually a good indicator to stay away from that dog food. 'Meat' is a definite clue for stay away! A class of meat, like poultry, although not as bad as just 'meat', still makes one question the source of the meat. A specific animal meat is best.

There are lots of things to take into consideration when determining what is a healthy dog food for your dog. Learn more about how to read your dog food ingredients list at the Healthy Dog Food Blog - assisting you in figuring out what makes the healthiest food for your dog.

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Written by K.C. Jones using tags: dog, dog food, dog food ingredients, dog food ingredients list, healthiest dog food, healthy dog food, nutritious dog food, pet food, Pets