Finding the best dry dog food for your favorite canine can be a challenge. For pet owners who know they want to keep their dogs healthy, they should start by looking at the label. Not all dry dog foods are good for your pet.
The first priority will be finding a label with the phrase "complete and balanced" because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates that phrase for pet food labeling. Since most pets will get all of their nutrition from one source, this label assures pet owners that a dry dog food has everything required to meet a pet’s nutritional needs.
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To earn the "complete and balanced" label, the dog food has to pass the minimum guidelines of a nutrition profile approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This means your dog will get everything needed from that one bowl of food.
Take note, however: There are two sets of AAFCO nutritional standards — one for adult dogs and one for "growing" animals, including puppies, pregnant dogs, and nursing animals. So make sure you buy the appropriate food for your pet.
If you are looking for food that goes above and beyond the basics, here are some ingredients you should look for to keep your canine healthy:
Meats: Meat is the most important ingredient in the best dry dog food. A good pet owner will look for recognizable meats like chicken, turkey, duck, or fish. Pet Food Ratings recommends an important tip when looking for what kind of percentage the good meats make up in your dog’s kibble.
Meats without the word "meal" behind them have been weighed prior to the dehydration process that is necessary for creating dry foods. There might be less of it in your best dry dog food than you think. The word "meal" after a recognizable meat can be a good thing in the best dry dog food. It means the meat was weighed after it was dehydrated. If you see this at the top of an ingredient list it means the amount of meat in your dry dog food is high.
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Whole grains: Dry dog foods are usually going to have some kind of grain in order to hold the food together. Keep in mind that dogs do not have any biological need for grain, but it does not hurt them. So whole grains will at least provide some nutritional value.
According to DogFoodAnalysis.com, whole fruits and vegetables are also a good replacement for grain fragments, which you should make sure to avoid because they do not provide much nutritional value. Blueberries, apples, and cranberries are expensive, but can be a good source of vitamins and fiber.
Oils and fats: While some unhealthy animal fats can be used as filler in meats and lead to health problems for a dog, there are good fats that can indicate you have found a good dry dog food. The website DogFoodScoop.com recommends looking for chicken fat, canola oil, and olive oils in your pet's dog food. You can also look for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are the fats that come primarily from fish and vegetables — good for both humans and canines.
Good preservatives: Natural preservatives are the best choice for dry dog foods. Dog Food Scoop recommends looking for ascorbic acid, which is vitamin C and tocopherols, which are Vitamin E compounds.
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