Feeding Buddy commercial dry food

Your first option is, of course, feeding Buddy a commercial dry kibble diet that you buy at the pet store or grocery store. Dry kibble has been the staple of the dog food market. It is now being challenged by many of the natural or organic foods on the market. You have a huge variety from which to choose.

On the back of every dog food package is information that helps you decide which food is right for your dog. The information lists the ingredients in order of weight, in descending order. The package contains the guaranteed analysis for crude protein, fat, fiber, moisture, and often calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium ratios. The label also may state that the food is nutritionally complete or provides 100 percent nutrition for the dog. To make this claim, the food has to meet the nutrient requirements of the Association of American Feed Control Officers (AAFCO) — a guarantee that some form of testing, anywhere from two to six weeks, has been done on the product.

  If Buddy doesn’t eat the amount recommended on the package for his weight, he’s not getting the minimum daily requirement of known nutrients that are necessary on a daily basis for good health. If Buddy is turning up his nose at his food, we recommend you change his food to something he’s more tempted to eat. If you can’t find a dry kibble that works for him, try one of the other options in this chapter.

A dog food company also must list its name and address and give its telephone number, plus provide the date of manufacture, the weight of the prod-uct in the package, and the life stage for which the food is intended. The life stage can be puppy, maintenance, adult, performance, old age, or lite food for overweight dogs. Some breed-specific foods are now popular, including Labrador food, Dachshund food, and so on. Some foods are designed specifically for those dogs with health-related issues, such as hip dysplasia. Organic and natural kibbles also are available.

The most important information to know is that you have to choose a kibble that lists two to three meat-based ingredients (animal proteins) in the first five ingredients on the label. This is true for dogs in all life stages, including overweight and less active dogs. You’ll find foods that advertise “grain free,” which isn’t necessarily a good thing (see the earlier section “Going easy on the carbohydrates”). Select a food that contains some grain (preferably oats, barley, wheat, or brown rice or one that has a large number of root vegetables), up to 25 percent of the total ingredients.

The levels of protein vary from 16 to 47 percent. Some of the newer brands of kibble have far too much protein in them, and dog owners are now seeing the result of long-term feeding of this food in the form of kidney problems because the kidneys get overworked trying to break down too much protein. Kibbles that are too low in protein, often advertised for senior or overweight dogs, cause your dog to get fat, don’t provide enough protein to rebuild cells and maintain health, supply too many grains, and often contain soy, which isn’t digestible by dogs. Choose a kibble that has 26 to 34 percent protein in it. Stay away from foods that contain corn, rye, soy, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, trans fats, soy oil, artificial coloring and preservatives, or genetically altered grains. These are cheap ingredients with little, if any, nutritional value. Some actually stop the digestive tract from working properly. Most of these items can’t be digested and make Buddy’s digestive tract work too hard for no benefit.

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