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I know it seems simple, just go to the grocery store and grab a (highly advertised) bag or can of dog food off the shelf and see if Spot likes it. Simple and easy, yes. That's exactly how I fed my dogs for years until I had a german shepherd that developed all sorts of diet-related ailments.
Then came the unpleasant discovery that not all dog foods are created equal.
When my dog had to go on a "prescription" diet for the rest of his short life, I had to ask myself some tough questions. Would he have lived longer if he had grown up on a "premium" dog food? A holistic dog food? The so-called BARF diet? I'll never know the answers to those questions but it did make me realize that, as caretakers of these wonderful and trusting companions, we really need to pay attention to what we are feeding them.
So, how do you go about choosing the right dog food? Well, there just isn't a simple answer. I think each person needs to decide which type of feeding program best fits their needs in the areas of quality, lifestyle and budget. To get you started, I have listed some articles to the left to help point you in the right direction. I hope you find it useful!
As a service to their readers and dog owners everywhere, The Whole Dog Journal periodically publishes a list of The Top Dry Dog Foods. To be listed, a dog food must emphasize healthy ingredients such as fresh, whole meats, whole, unprocessed grains and vegetables and shun unhealthy ingredients such as animal by-products, sweeteners, generic fats, generic proteins, artifical preservatives and coloring. Some of those chosen are listed below:
Wysong Maintenance Canine Diet (32 lbs.) 
Eagle Pack Super Premium Dog Food Holistic Select (16.5 lbs.; Chicken) 
Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken Adult Maintenance Dog Food (15 lbs.)
Solid Gold MMillennia Beef and Barley Formula Adult Maintenance Dog Food (15 lbs.) 
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dog Food (17 lbs.)
Wellness Super5 Mix Lamb
Nature's Variety, Prairie
Artemis, Natural 6 Mix
Natura Pet Products--
Innova and California Natural
VeRUS, GP Advantage |
