The Association Of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulate and set standards for the pet food industry. AAFCO runs tests on the ingredients used in the preparation of pet food to assure that they meet certain nutritional guidelines. These guidelines have a rather wide range of acceptability due to the number of different qualities of pet foods. Therefore, having the AAFCO stamp of approval on a dog food label does not necessarily mean the food is good for our dogs.

One can quite easily get misinformed when reading a dog food label. Much of the information provided can be vague or misleading. In order for us to know what exactly it is that we are feeding our dogs, we must learn how to read what is on the label correctly. By doing so we can give our animals a more nutritious variety of foods.

Many of us are loyal to certain brands of dog food mostly because of the many marketing programs we have been subjected to. We think that we are buying a good product. However, many of us don’t know that if a product name has an ingredient in its name (beef chow,) then 95% of that products weight must be of that ingredient, if it is a dry food or 70% if it is a wet food product. If the label mentions the word dinner or formula (chicken dinner,) then 25% of the weight of that product must be of that ingredient.

Pet food labels list their ingredients by weight. Ingredients weighing the most are listed first. Taking the above example into consideration, a “dinner” labeled product will only contain 1/4 of the mentioned product. So even though the ingredient is part of the labeled product name it is not necessarily the main ingredient. Corn or bone meal is more than likely the main ingredient. Both these ingredients can be found in cheap discounted or generic brands.

Many labels don’t mention an ingredient in the product name. Instead the word “flavored” will be used. In this case there is no amount requirement for a percentage of an ingredient in the product. The product, with whatever ingredients are used, is just flavored with the taste of say chicken. “Natural” dog food is another word found on labels. All that this is stating is that no artificial colors or ingredients, and preservatives are being used. “Premium” dog food is worth mentioning because products using this word in their labels follow the AAFCO standards to the fullest and their products provide good nutritional value.

A sure fire way to find the best dog food products when reading the list of ingredients is to find the first fat ingredient such as “chicken fat.” All the ingredients before the fat source are the main part of that food product. The fewer the ingredients the better. All the other items on the list are used for flavoring or preserving the product. By finding where the fat source is listed we can then find ingredients that maybe harmful to our dogs such as corn gluten.

Because of busy schedules many of us have to feed our dogs commercial brands. By just taking a little extra time we can prevent exposing our animals to poor quality foods. If we read an ingredient that we are unfamiliar with or that we would not eat ourselves, then why would we think of feeding it to our dogs. Lets be more careful when reading those dog food labels.

As dog owners we are totally in control when it comes to caring for our dogs. Knowing what the best dog food is, what are the right dog food ingredients and what dog food nutrition they provide can sometimes be confusing. Learn more about commercial and homemade dog food recipes by visiting www.onlinedogfoodrecipes.com.

So many of the dog foods available to us today try to lure you in by telling us about the great quality of the meat, grains, and vegetables they use. Can you believe them? To find out, you have to read the dog food ingredients list. But beware, they are tricky to navigate.

What is a healthy dog food? A healthy dog food can be broken into 2 components: the right type of food for your particular dog, and the quality of the ingredients. The first part depends upon what kind of dog you have. Is he active? Does he have a medical condition? Is she nursing pups? You first need to determine the type of dog food that best suites 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.

Three Categories – What’s the Difference? The meat is rather simple – it is the meat from the animal. Meal is also straight-forward – it is the meat after most of the moisture has been removed and then ground up. By-products, confusing at first, are also rather straight-forward – it is most everything else from the animal after all the meat has been removed (necks, intestines, brain, etc.)

Which is Better – Meat or Meal? Now you look at your dog food ingredients list. Naturally, most people would assume seeing the meat listed as the first ingredient would mean the best food. But in actuality, you want to see the meat in the meal form.

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 An Unidentified Meat Mean? Any dog food that is worth it’s weight will have identifiable animal meats in it. For example, chicken, or lamb meal. But what if you see poultry? An animal class means that more than one type of animal in that class could be in the meat, such as geese, chicken, and/or turkey for the poultry class. The worst is when the manufacturer classifies his meat source as ‘meat’ or ‘meat meal’. This means it can be from any kind of animal.

So read your ingredient label and figure out what you are feeding your beloved pet. And remember, if your dog food cannot identify a specific animal source, not only is the meat questionable, but what else are they skimping on.

There are many more factors 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: helping you determine what makes a healthy dog food.

Premium dog foods are most certainly better than an economy dog food. But it’s sometimes hard to figure out the difference between a premium dog food and the rest. Do you go by price alone? A lot of companies are betting on it. Does it say premium on the bag? What makes a premium dog food premium?

A true premium dog food has better quality ingredients. This means your dog will get more and better nutrients that he desperately needs. But don’t be fooled by all the enticing bags in the market today. Don’t be lured in by the beautiful pictures of fresh foods and advertising stating how your dog needs something in this dog food. The dog food ingredients list is what you need to find.

Look at the first 2 ingredients to see if you are purchasing a premium dog food. Economy dog foods use a lot of low quality grains and meat by-products. Premium dog foods list an animal meat as the first ingredient.

Grains: Economy dog foods usually have a grain as the first ingredient, premium dog foods will not. Dogs are able to digest some grains well, like rice and oats, but have difficulty with corn and wheat.

Another problem with the type and quality of grains/carbs used by the economy dog foods is that they are common sources of food allergies for dogs. They are also usually the by-products of the grain, not the whole grain itself, and thus has virtually no nutritional value to your dog. The grains/carbs really turn out to be nothing more than a way to make your dog feel full.

A meat by-product is not a top 2 ingredient in premium dog foods. Meat by-product is just what is left over after all the usable meat has been removed. This includes the bones, head, intestines, and blood.

Like the grain by-products, these provide very little nutritional value to your dog, but do boost up the protein ratio in the dog food. The quality of the meat by-product is another big mystery that no one seems to be able to answer.

Most premium dog food brands will have a animal meat or meat meal as the first ingredient. This means the major ingredient in the food is an actual animal protein which will have the most usable nutrients available for your dog.

What about price? Is that a good indicator of the type of dog food? Not really. Of course if you see a really cheaply priced dog food, it is probably an economy food. But just because the food is expensive, does not automatically mean it is a healthy, premium dog food. Again, you need to take a peek at the dog food ingredients list to really know what you are getting.

And now there are more types of dog food, like organic and all-natural. To find out more about the different types of foods available for your dog and how to carefully choose the best premium dog foods for your beloved pet at the Healthy Dog Food blog.