Video:Tips for Buying Dog Food

Transcript:Tips for Buying Dog Food

Hi, I'm Dr. Ellie Shelburne for About.com, and today, we'll talk about tips on buying dog food.

Tips of Buying Dog Food

To start with, it is important to choose a brand that is not generic or big box. What you'd like to do is find a reputable brand name that has a strong history of science behind it.

Good premium brands will have less filler in the food, and more nutrients that can be absorbed by your animal that promote growth and good health. You actually need less food to feed them, so they're often very cost-effective. Over the past five years, we have faced some serious food recalls. Dangerous bacterial infections have come through the pet food industry. A premium brand name will help prevent these kinds of problems. Companies that are reputable will be very quick to tell people about recalls - and are also less likely to have problems with their foods.

The next question that many people might have is do I feed canned or dry food to my dog? Canned food is certainly a nice little treat that you can feed to dogs that are in good health. But dry food has the advantage of breaking off tartar on the teeth.

Another important thing is to pick a food that's appropriate to your pet's life stage. For example, if you have a puppy, a puppy should be fed a puppy diet. One thing that's actually very true, and held up by science, is that it's important to use a large breed puppy diet for large breeds. Those breeds are growing at a fast rate, and if they slow down that rate of growth with a large breed diet, then you help prevent many of the orthopedic problems and arthritis problems that can develop.

More Tips of Buying Dog Food

Another common problem that we see in our veterinary clinic every day is pets that are obese or overweight. It is important to choose a diet that is low in fat if your pet has gained weight. Only diets that are reliably low in fat have the label lite on it - either LITE or LIGHT.

The final tip that we have for you today often comes into play when your animal is a senior pet. Prescription diets are designed for specific problems in mind. For instance, if your dog has kidney failure, a prescription diet alone may extend that dog's life as long as two years.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com.