Best Dog Food For Your Dog: What You Need To Know                                                                                    When buying dog food from the store, it’s important to first check the label for ingredients. The ingredients will be listed in the order of the amount from highest to lowest. Ideally, you’ll want a meat to be listed first, such as chicken, lamb, or beef. Eggs may also be high on the list. Grains such as wheat and flour should be low on the list or not appear at all. Check the bag to make sure the food is formulated for your dog’s age, breed, and weight, and ask your veterinarian about appropriate serving sizes.

Unfortunately, reading the label may not be enough to determine if a dog food is healthy. Many manufacturers know how to manipulate labels to make food sound more healthy and appealing. They don’t, for instance, have a good way of indicating whether the food has more meat protein than grain protein. Also, terms like “human-grade” and “70 percent organic” don’t have legal definitions. They’re basically meaningless.

One of the so-called benefits of store bought food is that it is cheap, though there are several homemade dog food recipes that can be made just as cheaply as store bought food. Also, because you don’t really know the ingredients quantities or where they are sourced from, it’s hard to tell exactly what’s in your dog’s food. Pet food recalls happen all the time, and dogs do get sick when ingredients are contaminated.

If you must feed your dog store bought food, consult your veterinarian and make sure it is the best quality you can find. Keep in mind that there is no reason you can’t add certain healthy human foods to your dog’s store bought food, as well. These can provide a much-needed health boost.