Premium Dog Foods: Are They Worth The Price?
Premium dog foods are definitely better than your garden variety economy counterparts. But how do you tell the difference between the two? Is price the only indicator of how healthy the dog food is? Does a premium pet food have a different kind of label? How do you know what is premium?
The main difference between premium and economy dog foods is the quality of the ingredients and the amount of actual nutrients digestible by your dog. Ignore any of the fancy wording or delicious looking pictures on the bag of food. Look, instead, at the dog food ingredients first.
The first 2 ingredients tell you a lot about the dog food you are about to purchase. The difference between an economy and premium food are the quality of the grains and meats used. Premium dog foods list an animal meat as the first ingredient. Economy dog foods, and premium dog food impostors, will list grains and meat by-products as the first two dog food ingredients.
Grains: Premium dog foods will use better grains (rice, oats) than economy foods (corn, soy, wheat). Why are these better? Because your dog can digest and metabolize the nutrients from these grains better. Grains are top ingredients in the economy dog foods, not in premium ones.
Some grains, such as soy, wheat, and corn, are also common sources for food allergies in dogs.When utilized as by-products, such as corn wheat gluten, they are nothing more than cheap fillers. Their main purpose is to fill up your dog’s stomach so that he feels full. It’s kind of like human junk food – fill your tummy with no nutrition.
A meat by-product is not a top 2 ingredient in premium dog foods. Meat by-product is just what is left over after all the usable meat has been removed. This includes the bones, head, intestines, and blood.
Again, like cheap grain by-products, meat by-products are just not an equal substitute for real animal meat for your dog. They are used to boost the protein percentages in the dog food and make pet owners feel like they are feeding their dogs animal meat.
Premium dog foods almost always have a meat or meat meal as the first ingredient, unless it is a special need dog food. This is because dogs need animal protein – plain and simple. Meat by-products just don’t cut it.
Will the price tell you if it is a premium dog food? Premium dog foods are not inexpensive – they just can’t be, the quality ingredients used will cost more. Where the consumer needs to be careful is where some dog foods imply they are premium with their price and fancy advertising. If you want to know if you are looking at premium dog foods, you must read the ingredients.
And now there are more types of dog food, like holistic and organic. Learn more about the different choices available for your dog and how to carefully select the best premium dog foods for your particular pet at the Healthy Dog Food blog.
