When you look at the shelves of your local store, you will often see aisle after aisle of packaged pet foods. What criteria should you use to decide among these varieties. It is most important to remember that advertising tells you nothing about the quality of pet foods. As with human food, one way to sell "junk" is with a catchy jingle repeated endlessly. A truism that many people do not wish to hear is that there is usually a direct relationship between quality and price. The cheapest food is quite often entirely filler.

It is crucial that the food products you choose for your fully grown dog include 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat. The protein should also be of superior quality. Nutritional needs vary for young dogs, especially big ones, and ones that are particularly active. Be certain to talk about this with your dog's doctor to insure that your pet is getting the right nourishment.

You have to know which ingredients are better than others in order to be able to buy the right food. If there are ingredients such as human-grade chicken meal, turkey meal, fish meal or lamb meal on the pet food label, then you are heading in the right direction. It is important to make sure the first four ingredients are not grains. Meat and proteins are paramount. These ingredients are usually present in pedigree dog food.

While examining the packaging in your local pet food shop, you want to guarantee the food you choose includes the words "chicken meal", not simply "chicken". Products that indicate they contain "chicken" include extraneous bits like bone, sinew and beak. Conversely, the term "chicken meal" refers only to the actual protein derived from meat. Less extraneous material will lead to better nutrition and less waste. You should also look for vitamins and fatty acids among other ingredients.

There are ingredients that you should make sure are not present in your dog food. Wheat, corn, soy, gluten as well as chicken by-products are all types of inferior proteins. They are difficult for your pet to digest properly and they can cause long term health problems if they are used for a long period of time. You should also stay away from sugar if it is present in the food.

Remember to always follow the recommendations on food your vet gives you, and be prepared to discuss this with your vet also. You would expect your vet to know all of this information, but the truth is many vets are not taught this in veterinary school, but receive their information and facts from some commercial pet food manufacturers. On some occasions when dogs reach a certain age or have certain health conditions they need a special prescription diet. These diets may, or may not, contain the proper nutrients that dogs need, as well as often being more expensive then other foods. The dog's health will begin to decline if owners switch to a commercial dog food brand instead of the special diet due to cost or other concerns. The veterinary staff knows what's best to keep your particular dog healthy.