Picking The Right Dog Food For Your Furry Friend

Nutrition is a vital component of pet care. If you feed your dogs right, then they will grow up healthy and strong with a beautiful coat and good disposition. If you don’t, then they may become malnourished, thin, sickly, and lethargic. The good news is that there are plenty of dog food available on the market. You can make your own as well but many prefer to buy off the shelf for the convenience. The products are also specially formulated to provide exactly what dogs need. Their nutritional requirements are quite different from ours so giving them our leftovers isn’t exactly ideal. If you are wondering what you should get, then let’s discuss your options.

Budget

It is tempting to think that food for dogs should be cheap since they must be rather simple to make. However, the truth is that you can find some with soaring prices just as well as those with rock-bottom rates. The price of these products varies widely from the high end to the low end due to a lot of factors. These include the quality of the ingredients they contain, the standard of their processing, the taxes levied on imports if they came from abroad, and so on. Check out the current prices through an online search to get your wallet ready. If you have a tight budget, then use Acana dog food coupons 2018 to lower your expenses.

Age

You should also consider the age of your pet. A small puppy will have different dietary requirements compared to a fully-grown adult. Manufacturers have developed formulas for each category. While you may conceivably give puppy food to an adult dog and vice versa without incident, it is not encouraged as it will not yield optimum results in terms of their long-term health and wellness. A puppy may not grow as big as he could have, for example. If you are uncertain about this subject, then you can consult a veterinarian who can provide you with a more detailed discussion.

Type

There are two major types of pet food: wet and dry. Dry ones are cheaper and come in bulk. You can get them in large packs that are several pounds in weight. Since they only have a small moisture content, they can last much longer as well. Owners can store a great deal since these will not spoil for many weeks. However, dogs can get tired of them after a while. A bit of variety may become necessary to bring back their appetite. That’s where wet dog food comes in. Pets love this because of its smell, taste, and texture. It is very moist, however, so they won’t last long after you have opened the can.

Flavor

Manufacturers come up with an assortment of flavors to keep both buyers and dogs interested. This will usually be a known protein source like chicken, salmon, lamb, duck, and so on. The taste will reflect the main ingredient used in the creation of the product. Each of these has their own pros and cons. Study them well to find the right flavor to purchase. Sometimes, however, it may all boil down to what your dogs respond to. They might like chicken a lot and devour every meal with gusto. On the other hand, they might seem lukewarm towards salmon and not even finish their bowl.

Ingredients

You should check the ingredients list to see exactly what they put inside these products. They will be listed according to their weight. There are certain things that have gotten banned because of their ill effects on food. Read up on these and be mindful of them. These products and ingredients may have somehow slipped through the net so it will be up to you as an informed consumer to avoid them.

Source

Consider your source of dog food. Specialty pet stores are likely to be more careful about their inventory compared to large generic grocery stores. The former may offer a great assortment of products including lesser known brands and new flavors. Their staff will also be knowledgeable about dogs and their needs so you can ask them your questions. The latter will probably stick to what’s popular and stock them in massive quantities. Their staff may not be as highly trained.