Food Guidelines
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Guidelines to Selecting a Top-Quality Pet Food
The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no “right” or “wrong” answer to the question
“Which food is best?” There are many opinions on how to feed our pets, from grocery store
kibble to the all-natural Bones and Raw Food (BARF) diet. For most people, the answer lies
somewhere in between.
You have to determine what your priorities are. Do you require chemical-free food? One
without byproducts? One without corn? Do you need to be able to purchase it at a certain
location? Is price the primary factor to be considered? Does your pet have allergies? With
commercial pet foods, in most cases you truly do get what you pay for. The high-quality foods
that use premium, human-grade or organic ingredients do cost a little more, but you are
undoubtedly getting a healthier product. By feeding a high-quality diet, you can head off many
health problems, giving your pet a longer life and saving yourself money in the long run.
According to Whole Dog Journal, a leading source of information regarding natural canine health
(and this would apply to cats and their food as well), quality foods should contain superior
sources of protein, either whole fresh meats or single source meat meal (ex. chicken meal rather
than poultry meal, which is vague), as one of the first two ingredients, also whole and
unprocessed grains, vegetables, and fruits. Nutrients and enzymes are more likely to be found
in unprocessed foods.
Quality foods should contain a minimum of food fragments. Food fragments are lower-cost by-
products of another food manufacturing process, such as brewer’s rice or wheat bran. Most
manufacturers, even those of super-premium diets, usually include at least one food fragment
to help lower costs. Avoid any food that contains several fragments. Another ingredient to be
avoided is meat by-products. They are not handled as carefully as whole meat, and are likely to
contain contaminants and meat from undesirable sources. Any food that contains a by-product
as one of its major protein sources should be considered an inferior quality food.
High quality foods should not contain fats or proteins named generically, such as animal fat or
poultry meal. Instead look for specific things like chicken fat or lamb meal. There should be no
artificial preservatives (examples: BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin), artificial colors, sweeteners
(examples: corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin), or propylene glycol (a potentially
toxic substance sometimes added to “chewy” foods to keep them moist).
Another factor to consider is your dog’s individual needs. Many dogs develop food allergies,
which can be noted by red, itchy skin, chronic ear infections, or a tendency to lick the legs or
paws. One of the most common food allergens is corn, yet the majority of grocery store pet
foods consist mainly of corn. Some dogs are also sensitive to wheat. A lamb and brown rice
food, or a food that uses unusual proteins (examples: duck, venison, rabbit) and grains
(examples: oatmeal, barley, quinoa) are suggested. A food that can show an organic,
hormone-free, preservative-free meat source is highly desirable. When reading labels, beware
of “splitting” or “batching.” A food label may list a great meat source as its top ingredient, but
then the next three or even more ingredients are low-quality grain sources, divided into their
components so they can be shown in lesser quantities than the meat. An example would be rice
gluten, brewer’s rice and rice flour. If you add up the collective weight of all these rice
fragments, they amount to more than the meat ingredient listed ahead of them, making it the
primary ingredient.
Prescription diets, sold by your veterinarian, are in a different category of foods altogether.
These foods are produced with very specific ingredients and nutritional makeups to treat
particular medical conditions. If your veterinarian puts your pet on a prescription diet, there are
definite reasons for that. It might be possible to locate a super-premium diet that will meet
those needs, or you may choose to feed a home-made diet. Ask your veterinarian for
recommendations and guidelines if you want to try alternatives.
The accompanying list is some recommended super-premium foods. It is by no means every
high quality food available, and the market is changing and growing at a phenomenal rate. Use
this list to look at ingredients found in high quality foods, to go to the manufacturer’s websites
to learn more, and to track down local availability of products you are interested in. Don’t
overlook online or phone ordering as an option! Many of these manufacturers make the food
fresh and will ship right to your door. Spend some time reading food labels, evaluate your
personal needs and priorities in a pet food, and make the decision that is best for you and your
pet.
(c) 2005, Central Bird & Animal Hospital. All Rights Reserved.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no “right” or “wrong” answer to the question
“Which food is best?” There are many opinions on how to feed our pets, from grocery store
kibble to the all-natural Bones and Raw Food (BARF) diet. For most people, the answer lies
somewhere in between.
You have to determine what your priorities are. Do you require chemical-free food? One
without byproducts? One without corn? Do you need to be able to purchase it at a certain
location? Is price the primary factor to be considered? Does your pet have allergies? With
commercial pet foods, in most cases you truly do get what you pay for. The high-quality foods
that use premium, human-grade or organic ingredients do cost a little more, but you are
undoubtedly getting a healthier product. By feeding a high-quality diet, you can head off many
health problems, giving your pet a longer life and saving yourself money in the long run.
According to Whole Dog Journal, a leading source of information regarding natural canine health
(and this would apply to cats and their food as well), quality foods should contain superior
sources of protein, either whole fresh meats or single source meat meal (ex. chicken meal rather
than poultry meal, which is vague), as one of the first two ingredients, also whole and
unprocessed grains, vegetables, and fruits. Nutrients and enzymes are more likely to be found
in unprocessed foods.
Quality foods should contain a minimum of food fragments. Food fragments are lower-cost by-
products of another food manufacturing process, such as brewer’s rice or wheat bran. Most
manufacturers, even those of super-premium diets, usually include at least one food fragment
to help lower costs. Avoid any food that contains several fragments. Another ingredient to be
avoided is meat by-products. They are not handled as carefully as whole meat, and are likely to
contain contaminants and meat from undesirable sources. Any food that contains a by-product
as one of its major protein sources should be considered an inferior quality food.
High quality foods should not contain fats or proteins named generically, such as animal fat or
poultry meal. Instead look for specific things like chicken fat or lamb meal. There should be no
artificial preservatives (examples: BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin), artificial colors, sweeteners
(examples: corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin), or propylene glycol (a potentially
toxic substance sometimes added to “chewy” foods to keep them moist).
Another factor to consider is your dog’s individual needs. Many dogs develop food allergies,
which can be noted by red, itchy skin, chronic ear infections, or a tendency to lick the legs or
paws. One of the most common food allergens is corn, yet the majority of grocery store pet
foods consist mainly of corn. Some dogs are also sensitive to wheat. A lamb and brown rice
food, or a food that uses unusual proteins (examples: duck, venison, rabbit) and grains
(examples: oatmeal, barley, quinoa) are suggested. A food that can show an organic,
hormone-free, preservative-free meat source is highly desirable. When reading labels, beware
of “splitting” or “batching.” A food label may list a great meat source as its top ingredient, but
then the next three or even more ingredients are low-quality grain sources, divided into their
components so they can be shown in lesser quantities than the meat. An example would be rice
gluten, brewer’s rice and rice flour. If you add up the collective weight of all these rice
fragments, they amount to more than the meat ingredient listed ahead of them, making it the
primary ingredient.
Prescription diets, sold by your veterinarian, are in a different category of foods altogether.
These foods are produced with very specific ingredients and nutritional makeups to treat
particular medical conditions. If your veterinarian puts your pet on a prescription diet, there are
definite reasons for that. It might be possible to locate a super-premium diet that will meet
those needs, or you may choose to feed a home-made diet. Ask your veterinarian for
recommendations and guidelines if you want to try alternatives.
The accompanying list is some recommended super-premium foods. It is by no means every
high quality food available, and the market is changing and growing at a phenomenal rate. Use
this list to look at ingredients found in high quality foods, to go to the manufacturer’s websites
to learn more, and to track down local availability of products you are interested in. Don’t
overlook online or phone ordering as an option! Many of these manufacturers make the food
fresh and will ship right to your door. Spend some time reading food labels, evaluate your
personal needs and priorities in a pet food, and make the decision that is best for you and your
pet.
(c) 2005, Central Bird & Animal Hospital. All Rights Reserved.