Have you stood in the pet food aisle of a supermarket facing an entire row of dog food that made you go crazy? Surely, the many brands of dog food and treats available in the market are mind-boggling and more importantly, confusing. Choosing the best dog food and analyzing dog food ingredients that are wholesome and delectable for your pet, and economical for you, is important. Here are three factors you must consider when choosing the best dog food:

The breed, age, and weight of your dog
Depending on whether your canine friend is a Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, French Bulldog, Rottweiler, Yorkshire Terrier, Poodle, Boxer, or a mongrel, the type of food you give them must vary. This is because every breed of dog has specific activity levels and health issues that need to be addressed.

The age and weight of your dog will decide whether you buy food specially manufactured for small, medium or large-sized puppies or adult dogs. This is because the size of the kibble varies depending on whether they are given to small or large dogs. Smaller dogs devour the kibbles for small breeds more comfortably without choking on them.

Similarly, puppies need to be fed frequently. As they grow into adults, the frequency can be reduced gradually to three and then two meals per day. Older dogs need fewer calories and more fiber, and a lesser quantity of food every day.

If your dog is healthy, pregnant or in need of special supplements

Depending on whether your dog is healthy or needs to be on a veterinary diet to address health conditions like liver or urinary disease, following the nutrition-related recommendations of the veterinarian is crucial.

Moreover, some dogs are allergic to grain or milk. Therefore you must provide them with a grain-free or lactose-free diet. If your female dog is pregnant or nursing, then the way they gain weight will decide their nutritional requirements. There is a drastic change in the volume of food they might need during the course of their pregnancy, lactation and weaning periods, so paying attention to the frequency and quantity of food you serve them is important.

The label and ingredients list on dog food packets
Commercially-produced dog food goes through strict evaluation of the combination and quality of ingredients used in them. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures dog food manufacturers follow basic rules while printing food labels.

Product names such as chicken, eggs, vegetables, and milk food on the pack imply that the contents contain 95% of the said kind of food, not including the water content. With water, it would be 70% of the particular ingredient. Similarly, when the package mentions it as a chicken dinner, it contains only 25% of chicken. On the other hand, a label that says ‘beef flavor’, or ‘with cheese’ contains merely 3% or lesser of beef or cheese in the product.