Healthy dog food starts with healthy ingredients and choosing a healthy dog food starts with knowing how to read a dog food label.
Choose high quality proteins: Proteins can come from both plant and animal sources and the amount of protein level has a lot to do with how they are processed. Raw chicken meat has 20% protein. Chicken meal (cheicken with water removed) has 60% protein. Corn has 3% protein. Cornmeal (corn with water, fats, sugars and oils removed) has 56%.
Stay away from fillers: If the first couple of ingredients in a dog food include by-product meal, meat or bone the dog food is not very nutritious. This also applies to labeled carbohydrated that read oat hulls, soybean hulls, rice hulls or peanut hulls. This dog food isn't fiber it's fuller.
Look for digestible grains: After protein, carbohydrates should be the nest ingredient of a healthy dog food. Rice is on of the most digestible carbohydrates. Corn, wheat, barley, oats and soy are also very good but have been identified as ingredients that may provoke allergic reations. However vet nutritionist estimate 1 of every 20 dogs are actually allergic to any of the ingredients found in high quality dog food.
Choose health and naturally preserved fat: Look for the ingredient to be listed as specific as possible. More precise than simply "animal fat" look for the label to read "chicken fat" one of the best sources of fat for most dogs. Sunflower, canola, flaxseed and fish oils are also excellent fat sources.
The fat in dry dog food has to be preserved against spoiling. Vitamin E (tocopherols), vitamin C (asorbic acid) and rosemary extract are some of the most natural and healthy preservatives currently used.
A dog's nose
Dogs have 25% more olfactory (smell) receptors than humans do. Dogs can smell odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can! This is why we ask you to leave a old towel or piece of clothing with your smell all over it when you leave you dog with us for boarding. having your smell or your whole families smell on a piece of fabric is like perfume to your dog. It will help him/her relax and sleep better while you are away.
