High Protein Dog Food -

How to Make Sense Out of Dog Food Labels   

High protein dog food is the major cornerstone of a dog's diet.  But what good is a high protein dog food, if the protein itself is subpar?  High quality protein is not the only necessary ingredient that you should be looking for in your dog food.  When buying dog food, you need to know what type of protein is in your dog food, and you need to know where on the dog food label the protein is listed.  I'll give you several tips for how to read a dog food label, what ingredients you should look for in a high protein dog food, and what to avoid in commercial dog foods. 

Click Here For Guide to Dog Food Nutrition Ebook

What Do Dog's Like?

Dogs are carnivores.  That means they are meat eaters.  Their digestive tracts are designed to break down protein and fat.  Their teeth and jaws are designed to tear into flesh and swallow whole chunks of meat.  So when looking for a dog food, you first have to make sure the first ingredient on the label is protein.

Not All Proteins are Created Equally

In your search for the best high protein dog food it's important that you know the source of the protein.  Since quality protein is extremely high in cost, many dog manufacturers use fillers such as meat by products as the main source of protein in their dog food. By skimping on the quality of protein in their product, manufacturers can save money - at the expense of your dog's health.

Avoid dog foods whose labels either do not list the specific name of the protein (such as veal, lamb, chicken, etc.) or a specified meat name followed by the word "meal" as its main source of protein  For instance, if the ingredients say "animal meal, meat meal, fish meal, or poultry meal" in the first four ingredients, stay away from it.  Meal is not a high quality protein. 

Say Goodbye to Meat By Products

Nothing could be worse than a dog food that lists "meat by products" on the package no matter where it's listed in the ingredients.  Meat by products consist of what the pet industry calls the 4 Ds - dead, dying, diseased, and disabled animals.  In addition, hooves, feathers, beaks and other non-edible ingredients are frequently added to low quality dog foods.  Usually the low to mid-priced dog foods have these ingredients in them.  So say bye bye to meat by products on any dog food label. 

Stay Away from Artificial Colors and Preservatives

If at all possible, stay away from any dog foods that use artificial preservatives and colors and other artificial ingredients.  These ingredients are used to please you, the dog owner, just to tempt you to buy the product.  Other than that, these artificial colors and flavors are potentially toxic and unnecessary.

Essential Ingredients to Look for In Dog Food for a Healthy, Well Nourished Dog

Look for high protein dog food which lists duck, chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, beef, fish or eggs as the main ingredient.  Also, a dog food's source of fat is very important in considering which dog food is high quality.

Fats

Just like dogs need high quality protein, they also need excellent sources of fat in addition to their high protein dog food.  Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids maintain the health of your dog's skin and coat.  It makes the skin healthy and the fur coat shiny.  Sources of these fats can be found in chicken fat, cold water fish and ground flax seed.  Either look for these ingredients on the label, or you can add these into the dog food yourself.  Fat, especially chicken fat is most often used in high protein dog food because dogs love the taste of it and it is a ready source of energy for them. 

For a more comprehensive dog food guide and more tips on how to find high protein dog food, read The Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition, an information-packed, high quality, downloadable ebook by Sharda Baker.