How to Choose The Best Pet Food For Your Furry Friend

 Pet food is essential not only for survival but for the general health of your furry friend. While many stores offer lots of options, choosing the right food is crucial if you want your pet to stay nourished, healthy and joyful. So, before you head up checking pet food for sale, here are the basic things you need to know.

Check for Certificates

source: i.insider.com

A simple way to ensure your pet's food is safe and nutritious is to look for a seal of approval from the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC). If the food is deemed a complete diet by PFAC, you'll find one of two statements listed under the ingredients:
•    This product is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the PFAC Dog Food Nutrient Profiles
•    Animal feeding tests using PFAC procedures substantiate that this product provides complete and balanced nutrition.
The key difference between these statements is that the second one indicates the food has undergone testing and feeding trials to confirm it meets nutritional standards, while both suggest that the food is healthy.

Ingredient Breakdown

For Dogs

Before you start searching for pet food for sale, let’s take a look at some common ingredients in dog food and their purposes:
•    Meat or poultry is a key source of protein. It’s the animal's muscle and has a high water content, which can make it heavier than other ingredients, but it doesn’t always add as much to the overall nutrient value.
•    Meat or poultry by-products also offer protein and aren’t necessarily harmful to dogs. These typically include organs and other parts of the animal, but they exclude things like hair, horns, teeth, or hooves.
•    Meals made from meat, poultry, or their by-products are ground versions of these ingredients and are rich in protein. They have less water than muscle meats, making them more nutrient-dense.
•    Animal fats or plant oils provide essential fatty acids and enhance the flavour of the food. Sometimes, you’ll see these listed as mixed tocopherols, which also act as preservatives.
•    Plant ingredients like rice, corn, soy, barley, potatoes, and peas contribute nutrients and calories to dog food. Starches help keep dry food in kibble form.
•    Dietary fibre can come from sources like inulin, powdered cellulose, dried beet pulp, dried chicory root, and fructooligosaccharides.
•    Preservatives are crucial for keeping dry food fresh and safe. You might find synthetic preservatives like BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin, while natural options include vitamin E (tocopherol), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and rosemary extract. Some dog foods use a mix of both natural and synthetic preservatives.

For Cats

•    Proteins - Cats are carnivores, which means they rely on dietary protein to stay healthy. Protein is vital for every cat's diet, supplying essential amino acids needed for growing and repairing body tissues like muscles, organs, skin, fur, and nails.
•    Taurine - A key point in cat nutrition is their requirement for the amino acid taurine. Unlike dogs and humans, cats can't produce taurine from other amino acids, so they need to obtain it directly from their food.
•    Fats and oils - Fats are the most energy-dense source for cats, offering more than double the energy per gram compared to proteins or carbs. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are essential for overall well-being, supporting skin and coat health, brain function, vision, and reducing inflammation.
•    Carbohydrates - Cats don’t have a nutritional need for carbohydrates like dogs and humans do. Their natural diet, which consists mainly of small prey, contains very few carbs.
•    Fibre - Even though cats are carnivorous, dietary fibre is still important for their gut health and digestion. Fibre adds bulk to their diet, helping to manage weight by creating a sense of fullness without too many calories. It also aids digestion by facilitating the movement of food through the digestive system, which can help prevent constipation and manage hairballs.

Food Allergies  

Food allergy is when the immune system reacts strongly to something it has encountered before. For example, if someone is allergic to bee stings, their body might show symptoms like swelling, redness, nausea, and vomiting. Food sensitivity usually involves digestive issues after eating certain foods. For instance, if you have lactose sensitivity, drinking milk or eating ice cream might upset your stomach. It’s annoying but not dangerous. 

When it comes to dogs and cats with food allergies, they often show skin-related symptoms. You might notice skin infections or hair loss around their ears, back, mouth, or rear. Luckily, food allergies are pretty rare. Only about 10% of dogs with allergies have them due to food; most are triggered by environmental factors like grass, pollen, or mould. 

If you notice these symptoms in your pet, a good first step is to change the main protein in their food. A diet trial can help pinpoint the cause of an allergy, but it can be quite a lengthy process. It usually takes about 12 weeks for an animal to recover from exposure to a food allergen, and you might need to go through several rounds of testing different foods to figure out which ingredient is causing the allergy.