{"id":2794,"date":"2016-03-01T09:34:15","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T17:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/petcarefacts.com\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2018-05-03T19:35:21","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T02:35:21","slug":"what-to-look-for-in-pet-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/health\/what-to-look-for-in-pet-food","title":{"rendered":"What To Look For In Pet Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dog<\/p>\n

Most people don\u2019t put enough thought into the nutrition they provide their pet. Usually, it is a \u201cone size fits all\u201d mentality, where the consumer will simply try to find a product that is inexpensive, or seems delicious to their pet, and then continue to use the same food for all their animals, their whole life. If the commercial is compelling, or the price is right, it is easy to fall for the false claims, pet food myths<\/a> and misleading marketing schemes<\/a> posed by many mainstream pet food brands.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be duped. Find out what to prioritize in your quest for high-quality and affordable nourishment for your cat or dog. We\u2019ve consulted with some of the most credible and integrity-driven pet food manufacturers, and have some practical and applicable tips for pet owners to apply when they are deciding what foods to give their pets. Here are some of the top tips to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

How to Find Healthy Food for Your Pet<\/h2>\n

Research the company: <\/strong> Logically, if the company\u2019s main goal is to make a profit, then the quantity of their products will be less important than the quality. As a consumer, your primary concern ought to be for the welfare of your pet, and their sustained health. If the company\u2019s leaders are guided by weak scientific knowledge about pet nutrition, or if they consider health to be a secondary issue to profitability, convenience or taste, then they are not a food manufacturer worth supporting. Your pet is far too precious to allow some money-hungry corporation to pollute them with sub-par products.<\/p>\n

Questions to ask about a pet food brand<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Does the company owner also own the manufacturing facility<\/strong>? If pet food manufacturers source their products from the same facility, but add or subtract one ingredient and then claim to have an entirely unique product, that is misleading. Find a company that manufactures their own product completely separate from other manufacturers.<\/li>\n
  • Does the company gear its products and packaging toward fads<\/strong> (i.e. \u201cgrain free\u201d \u201clow-fat\u201d etc.)? Or is it based on timeless scientific studies about what kind nutrition animals need?<\/li>\n
  • What claims is the company making?<\/strong> Do they condemn feeding pets vitamins and minerals (even though these have been found to greatly improve the health of pets when fed in balanced, rotated portions)? Do they claim that grains are the \u201crecipe demon\u201d that should be eradicated? Dig a little deeper to verify from authorities on the subject whether or not these claims are true., and avoid pet food products that believe in them.<\/li>\n
  • Do they promote raw food diets for dogs and cats?<\/strong> Since humans are the only mammals in existence that cook their food, healthy pet food should mimic real life \u201cwild animal\u201d consumption habits as much as possible. If a pet food company does not clearly support an archetypal diet, then their products are probably not based on sufficient research or concern for a pet\u2019s long-term health.<\/li>\n
  • Are their products high in proteins?<\/strong> Well-balanced foods should be rich in animal proteins (which include meat, bones, cartilage, organs, etc.) instead of predominantly starches and carbohydrates. Be wary of filler starches that do absolutely nothing for an animal. If the products do not closely reflect the food that a wild animal would naturally consume, you should avoid giving this to your dog or cat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Feeding notes
    \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Value variety.<\/strong> Imagine being served the same turkey sandwich every day for 15 years, or dining on the same bowl of stew every night for dinner. Just as you wouldn\u2019t repeat the exact same ingredients in your diet, for fear of the havoc it would wreak on your body, imagine just how detrimental the same habit is for your pet. No processed food of any kind should be fed exclusively.<\/p>\n

    Feed rotating products.<\/strong> When you find a brand of dog or cat food you know to be reputable and solid quality, feed your pet on rotation of the following kinds of products:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Dry food<\/li>\n
    • Canned food<\/li>\n
    • Raw food<\/li>\n
    • Vary the meats from chicken, to beef, to rabbit, to salmon, etc.<\/li>\n
    • Implement helpful supplements from time to time, and your pet\u2019s health and lifestyle will vastly improve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Most people don\u2019t put enough thought into the nutrition they provide their pet. Usually, it is a \u201cone size fits all\u201d mentality, where the consumer will simply try to find a product that is inexpensive, or seems delicious to their pet, and then continue to use the same food for all their animals, their whole […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[85],"tags":[19,21],"class_list":["post-2794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-cats","tag-dogs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/feed-me.jpg?fit=650%2C365&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5xKys-J4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}