Selecting a commercially made food for your pet can be a confusing and confounding process.  AAFCO is the human equivalent of the USDA for labeling of pet foods, however, AAFCO has not moved into the “truth in advertising” labeling that USDA requires for human food labels.  Therefore it pays you as a pet food buyer to know what to look for in your pet food labels.

For the best human health, every human nutritionist with creditability advocates eating a balanced diet of top-quality foods.  There is no biological reason to expect dogs (or any other animal) to be any different!  A balanced diet of healthy ingredients is optimum; a commercial diet made with healthy ingredients is far better than one made with cheap fats discarded from restaurants, inexpensive carbohydrates produced as waste from the brewing industry, and plant proteins such as corn gluten meal (animal proteins have a much more complete amino acid profile than plant proteins).  Ingredient quality is the key to a dog food’s quality as well as the criterion that is easiest for the average consumer to judge, based on a simple review of the ingredients listed on the label.   Here are some suggestions for what you can do as a consumer advocate for your pet’s better health:

!!!Read Product Labels!!!



-  Look for foods containing whole meats, vegetables, and grains.

       

-  Remember that the more ingredients a food contains (barring the vitamins and minerals), the         
   less of each ingredient the food contains!

-  Expect to pay dearly for quality! 

-  Look for foods that contain a lot of high quality animal proteins.

-  Reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products as it is almost impossible to
   ascertain the quality of by-products used by a food manufacturer.

    

-  Reject food containing fat or protein not identified by species.  “Animal fat” is a euphemism for a
   low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin.  “Meat-meal” could be practically anything.

-  Eliminate all food with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives listed on the ingredient panels.

-  Eliminate all food with added sweeteners.  Sugars for dogs are like sugars for humans, a 
   source of empty calories.

   

-  Look for an easy to find and read date or production code.

  

-  Look for more than just the required nutrients (fats, protein, fiber, moisture) listed on a product
   label’s “guaranteed analysis”.

-  Look for the caloric content of the food listed on the label.

-  Look for all of the food maker’s contact information listed on its product labels.

 Visit The Healthy Pet and check out the full line of
                                       Solid Gold Pet Food, Treats and Supplements
                                                     

We think you will find that Solid Gold Foods and supplements will meet and exceed all of the above criteria for a balanced diet for your pet’s health.  Solid Gold has been producing an all natural, preservative free pet food since 1974.  A long and healthy life for your pet is our number one goal.