There are so many types and brands of pet food on store shelves today that it can be really hard to compare, contrast, and pick the best one for your pet. Don't try to evaluate the quality of a brand of pet food just from the advertising. All the ads tell you is how much money was poured into advertising, which does not indicate anything about the quality. Really, the best clue that a pet food is good is the price. Low price typically indicates a lower quality.

The best adult dog food is comprised of 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat, with the protein coming from a high quality source. Large breed dogs and dogs who are active will need different protein and fat requirements, as will puppies. Be sure to consult with your vet to ensure that you are feeding your dog properly.

To determine which pet food is best for your pet, you need to know which ingredients are better so that you can make a good choice. You should be looking for human-grade ingredients, such as turkey, fish, lamb, or chicken meal, rice, potatoes, sunflower oil, and vegetables. Grains should not be among the first four ingredients in a quality dog food. Proteins, especially meat, should be present in the largest quantities. Pedigree dog food and Flint River Ranch dog food satisfy all of these criteria.

You also want to make sure it says chicken meal and not chicken as the primary ingredient. If it says chicken only, this means that the manufacturers are counting the entire chicken toward protein value. This includes beaks, feathers, and feet. With chicken meal, they are only counting the cooked down version of the protein. This will ensure that your dog is getting the appropriate kind of protein and not byproducts. Vitamins and fatty acids are also good ingredients in dog foods.

There are many ingredients that are difficult for dogs to digest which can cause health issues if used for an extended period of time. Check your dog food label to make sure none of these ingredients are listed: inferior protein made up of, but not limited to, variations of wheat, corn, chicken by-products, soy, and gluten. Sugar is another ingredient you don't want to find on your dog food label.

You should always follow your veterinarian's recommendation on food as well, but be prepared to discuss this issue with your vet. Although you would expect your vet to know best, it is a fact that the majority of veterinarians are not taught nutrition in veterinary school, and they receive most of their information from certain commercial pet food manufacturers. Occasionally dogs of certain ages or with certain health conditions need to be on a prescription diet. While these diets are often expensive, they may (or may not) contain the proper nutrients that dogs in these categories need. Many times owners will switch to a commercial food because of cost or palatability concerns and the dog's health will go in to a decline. Your veterinary staff knows what is best for your particular dog.