Common Dog Food Ingredients

With all the ingredients used to make dog food today, picking the right one for your pet can be an uphill task especially if you are not aware of the combinations that make a well balanced dog meal. There are however specific ingredients that should be a part of healthy dog diet. Below is a list of the common ingredients and their benefits when it comes to your pet's nutritional needs.

1. Meat
Offered referred as meat meal, this is one ingredient that will rarely miss in any food. The meat that can either be chicken or beef is cooked and dried and then it is added to other ingredients. Meat meal may include the flesh skin and bone of either chicken or beef.

In some cases, meat by products can be added to the food. These byproducts include blood, spleen, liver, intestines and fat tissue just to mention by a few.

The cost of dog food will differ depending on the quality of meat meal among other ingredients used to make the dog food. Quality meats will provide quality proteins and this is very important in a dog's diet.

2. Corn and Rice
These two are the major energy source in most dog food brands. When used in the right proportions, the provide the much needed energy dogs need to play and stay healthy. Rice and corn however can be detrimental to a dog's health especially where the dog in question is restricted with no much activity or the percentage in the diet is too high.

3. Food additives
Common food additives include MSG, corn syrup and molasses. These ingredients are added to food for two main reasons, one to improve the taste of the food and two to enhance on texture. Most dogs prefer moist to semi moist treats and foods and the food additives ensure this is possible regardless of the ingredients used.

4. Artificial colors and dyes
There are different types of dogs' feed and treats available in different colors. Even where the food contains the same ingredients, the color difference could be huge. These differences are attributed to the colors and dyes added by manufacturers to make the food look more attractive. The appearance of the dog food in this case is enhanced not for the dogs but for the dog food buyers. This means that addition of color is more of a marketing thing that has nothing to do with the dog nutritional needs whatsoever.

5. Food preservatives
Food preservatives just like in human foods are added to ensure that the food remains safe for consumption by limiting the rate of bacterial growth. Common preservatives in dog food include sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite.

The five ingredients discussed above form the biggest percentage in any dog food. Some manufactures omit additives and dyes while others add other ingredients. It is the responsibility of the dogs' owners to choose the brand that best work for their pets or get different types of feed to ensure that the end product meets all their pets' nutritional needs at a price they can afford. It is however important to remember that dogs have other needs and these needs have to be met for them to lead a healthy live.