In a time when more and more pet owners are concerned about what they're feeding their pets, finding a nutritious dog food can be pretty complicated. Lots of products on the market claim to offer complete and balanced nutrition for your pet, but in many cases, this is just a marketing term used to sell the product. Unfortunately, such labeling doesn't mean that every food is equally good for your dog, rather that the percentages of protein, fiber, fat, and moisture meet the minimum standards. While any food your feed your dog should have this kind of labeling, that's not all there is when it comes to nutritious dog food. When you decide what the best food is, you have to start with the label.

First, rule out the least expensive brands in the store. It's not that you have to break the bank to buy a good dog food, but that cheap foods use cheap ingredients. The lowest cost dog foods on the market will use a lot of fillers and low quality ingredients, making them a lower value, even though they don't cost a lot per bag. A nutritious dog food will be more expensive than a grocery store brand in most cases.

Secondly, pet owners need to learn to read pet food labels. Avoid foods that have a lot of corn, soy, or wheat, especially if they're high on the ingredients list. These are very cheap sources of plant protein, which are hard to digest for dogs. They've been linked to a number of health problems, like colitis and urinary tract infections. Of course, dry dog food always contains some quantity of grain. However, choose a nutritious dog food that includes grain further down the list and uses ingredients like brown rice, barley, oats, or other easy to digest choices. Some foods also include potatoes.

The bulk of any nutritious dog food should come from animal sources, since dogs are naturally meat eaters. Avoid cheap filler ingredients like meals and by products, which can come from already stripped animal carcasses. Also, if you see a generic term such as 'poultry', 'fish', or 'meat', avoid that food in favor of one that names the type of meat used. Whole, named meats are the most desirable, and should come first on the list of most nutritious dog foods.

Colorants and other additives are also problematic. They're in many different dog food brands, but they're only there to make the product appeal more to the human who's buying the food. Look for a food that includes as few preservatives, artificial flavoring agents and coloring agents as possible. These chemicals can cause allergic reactions in some dogs, and are undesirable in a nutritious dog food. While there are good foods out there, you might have to do some research to find them. However, if you care about your dog's health, it'll be worth it in the end. A nutritious dog food will make your dog happier, feel better, and live longer.