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Why feed a premium pet food? They cost more money, and my pet is doing just fine on the budget pet food I get from the grocery store. An important factor to keep in mind about premium foods is that your pet will usually not need to eat as much of a premium food as they do of a cost-cutting brand. Therefore, although the actual price of the bag may be more expensive, per feeding it will often times end up being the same or less in price than their current food. This also means less waste to clean up! Also, although your pet may look fine from the outside, you don’t know the kind of damage internally you could be causing them in the long run. By offering them a healthy, high-quality, premium pet food you are offering them the best chance to live a long, healthy, happy life…and don’t they deserve it?
What determines if a food is premium and healthy for your pet, or whether the manufacturer is just meeting the minimum requirements? The determining factor between whether a food is premium or not is the QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS! This is where knowing how to read an ingredient panel becomes very important!
Super Premium Food 75 lb adult dog eats
2-3 cups per day
Grocery Food
75 lb adult dog eats
4-8 cups per day

However, protein can also come from other inferior sources such as corn, wheat, gluten, or soy. One of the first two ingredients in a quality pet food should be a meat source. Keep in mind that whole meat (i.e. Chicken or Lamb) is a healthy food for pets; however, ingredients are listed by weight on the ingredient panel and whole meats consist of a lot of water.

Therefore, if a whole meat is listed first, another additional whole meat or a meat meal (i.e. Chicken meal or Lamb meal)
should be listed within the next few ingredients. Otherwise, it is likely that the food contains a lot more grain than meat. Meat meals are dry and are more indicative of the actual percentage of meat in the food. Cats require higher levels of protein than dogs do, so be very careful when looking at the protein sources in your cat’s food.

If a grain is split into several fragments it is possible that the

manufacturer is trying to make the food look like it's higher in meat that it really is and/or just using a cheap, less healthy substitute for a whole grain. Each ingredient must be listed separately by weight on the ingredient panel; therefore, a food that contains “rice flour, rice bran, and brewer’s rice” probably contains more rice product than it actually does of the meat protein source. For example a food that is 35% ground wheat and 20% chicken meat could be listed as 20% chicken meat, 20% wheat flour, and 15% whole wheat. Thus by splitting the ground wheat into two separate listed ingredients the company could make chicken meat appear on the ingredient listing as the number one ingredient.

BHA, BHT, and/or ethoxyquin are preservatives that are commonly added to pet foods to make them have a longer shelf life. Natural preservatives (i.e. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, or oils of rosemary, clove, or other spices) are a much better and safer choice for your pet. Propylene Glycol is a chemical that is added to keep “chewy” foods moist…avoid this chemical! Pets do not care what color their food is, and some artificial dyes have been linked to medical problems. Make sure that no artificial colors or dyes are present. Pets like sweet things; however, added sweeteners are just as bad for your pets as they are for us. Corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, and other sweeteners are not healthy for your pet.

Pet’s specific needs vary…the protein and fat content of a food will work well for some pets, and not so well for others. Some pets have an allergy to certain ingredients. That is why it is important to try a few different formulas and monitor closely how well your pet does on them. Give a specific formula 1-2 months to determine if it is a food that will agree with your pet or not.

Once you find a food that works for your pet, don’t settle for just one. It is important to alternate your pet’s food every 3-5 months to ensure that they don’t develop food allergies, intolerances, or nutrient imbalances. That is why it is a good idea to find a few formulas from different manufacturers that suit your dog and rotate them regularly.

A good food will help your pet maintain a healthy coat, an even temperament, excellent energy level, and great health! If you aren’t sure where to start, stop by your local Complete Petmart and speak to one of our knowledgeable staff members about what premium food to start your pet on!

“Animal fat” could be anything…recycled grease from restaurants or a by-product of industrial use. Make sure that the source of the fats or proteins is listed (i.e. Chicken fat or Beef protein). “Poultry protein” is another source to watch for, a much better ingredient is “Chicken protein”. By-products also fall into this category, make sure that the source of the by-product is listed (i.e. “Chicken by-product” is acceptable, “Animal by-product” is not). Animal by-products can vary from batch to batch but usually contain necks, heads, feet, intestines, and other internal organs. By-products are usually less expensive and are not a very high quality source of protein in a food. Therefore, if a food contains by-products they should be somewhere in the bottom half of the ingredient panel.