dog food

The pressing question on every dog food shopper’s mind is what’s the best dog food?

Listed below are the key advantages of choosing the best dog food for your pet’s diet:

• No bad odor 

• Overall health – Introducing a balanced, raw diet and eliminating the negative effects of artificial ingredients, your pet will be in the best shape possible.

• Skin disorders – The chemical ingredients of artificial pet food can lead to adverse skin reactions in your pet.

• Avoid pregnancy complications – When your pet becomes pregnant, she needs the best diet possible – more than at any other time.

•          Foods dangerous to dogs :

chocolate solids (theobromine poisoning), onion and garlic (thiosulfate, sulfoxide or disulfide poisoning, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, as well as various plants and other potentially ingested materials.

Green tomatoes should be avoided in a dog's diet because they contain tomatine, which is harmful to dogs. As the tomato ripens and turns red the tomatine disappears, and the tomato become safe for the dog to eat. The tomato plant itself is toxic.

•          Commercial dog food :

There are many varieties of commercial dog food to choose from.Most store-bought dog food comes in either a dry form or a wet canned form. Dry food contains 6–10% moisture by volume, as compared to 60–90% in canned food. Semi-moist foods have a moisture content of 25–35%. Pet owners often prefer dry food for reasons of convenience and price, spending over $8 billion on dry dog food in 2010 – a 50% increase in the amount spent just seven years earlier.

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), animal by-products in pet food may include parts obtained from any animals which have died from sickness or disease provided they are rendered in accordance to law. As well, cow brains and spinal cords, not allowed for human consumption under federal regulation 21CFR589.2000 due to the possibility of transmission of BSE, are allowed to be included in pet food intended for non-ruminant animals. In 2003, the AVMA speculated changes might be made to animal feed regulations to ban materials from "4-D" animals – those who enter the food chain as dead, dying, diseased or disabled.

Dog treats are special types of dog food given as a reward, not as a staple food source. Raw dog food Main article: Raw feeding.

Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of an animal in the wild is its most ideal diet and try to mimic a similar diet for their domestic companion. They are commonly opposed to commercial pet foods, which they consider poor substitutes for raw feed. Opponents believe that the risk of food-borne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meats would outweigh the purported benefits and that no scientific studies have been done to support the numerous beneficial claims. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States states that they do not advocate a raw diet but recommends owners who insist on feeding raw to follow basic hygienic guidelines for handling raw meat to minimize risk to animal and human health