There is an old saying “You are what you eat.” This saying not only applies to human beings but also pets. Better quality food constitutes better quality ingredients which ultimately leads to better quality life of pets. Quality food is made up of essential nutrients hence, if you are looking for high-quality pet food, then nutrition is one of the key components that you need to scrutinise before making the purchase decision.
By getting pet food with good nutrition, you ensure that the pet gets better quality food, thereby reducing their chances of suffering from skin conditions and ear infections, itching and inflammatory bowel disease. It also ensures that the pet has shinier coat, better muscle tone and muscling, more energy, better temperament, stronger bones and other immediate benefits of better nutritional diet. Overall, the pets feel better and healthier after eating a good quality nutritional diet.
The other benefit of having better nutrition in pet food is that it enhances the overall immune system of the pet. This results in enhanced health for a long period of time with less strain on the pet’s organs. If you do not provide a nutritional diet to your furry pals, the kidney and liver of the pet get an additional burden to get rid of the toxins, including preservatives, dyes, chemicals out of their body.
Without proper nutrition, the pet food would constitute of by-products or fillers that make the pet full but do not provide the nourishment required for a healthy body. If the body of the pet is not flourishing, the mind is disturbed by feeling uneasy. The pet overall does not feel as well as they should because their spirit has been compromised.
Let us now look at the different things that constitute a high-quality pet food:
- High-quality pet food consists of meat and/or meat meal as the primary ingredient. There is also a carbohydrate source in high-quality premium foods, but with minimal grains. It constitutes human-grade ingredients and Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Avoid fillers like corn, wheat and soy components which are the primary reason for allergy in pets that is caused due to intolerance of these fillers. The food should be free from by-products, fillers, chemical preservatives, artificial flavours or colours in the ingredients.
- High-quality pet food provides better nutrition that assists in the digestibility of the pet. Also, check the protein that is present in the pet food. There are two types of proteins used in pet food:
- Digestible protein
- Crude protein
Lower quality food utilises crude protein including goat hair, chicken beaks, cow hooves amongst others. The problem with these proteins is that they are eliminated through the stool of the pet without any nutritional benefits to the pet. Meat source of protein also considered as digestible protein in pets is important for dogs and cats in comparison to grain sources of protein since these animals are carnivorous by nature and so their digestive system is geared by meat and not corn, wheat or soy.
- There are certain low quality food brands that add artificial flavours or sugar to the food to make it more palatable for the pet. But remember, a high-quality pet food would not only have better palatability which would taste better naturally, but it will not have any artificial chemicals or sweeteners.
Remember, a single pet food is not the one-way solution for all pets. It depends on the pet’s age, medical condition, immune system, and lifestyle. Hence, the best way to choose high-quality pet food is to take the recommendation of your veterinarian. Depending on the type of pet you have, the veterinarian would let you know which type of food source is best for him/her. This includes whether the protein source should be or fish based, red meat or white meat.
The veterinarian will also let you know the percentage of carbohydrates it should have. This is particularly important if your pet is suffering from diabetes or kidney disease. Ensure that whatever food that your veterinarian suggests is of high quality and does not have any ingredients that can put an extra load on your pet’s body.
A wide array of high-quality foods are available in the market today. This is due to the increased awareness amongst pet owners to feed high-quality nutritional pet food to their furry pals. While cost is one of the determining factors while purchasing the pet food, the digestibility of the food is also very important. Since, the more digestible the food is, the less amount of food you will feed to your furry pal. So, a bag of food of higher cost will last longer.
The palatability of the food is yet another key factor. The more palatable the food is there is less likelihood of the pet to waste it. Hence, you will not have to throw the food that the pet does not eat. Hence, a healthier pet results in less maintenance costs.
In the end, it has to be said that nutrition is the key when it comes to pet food. Read the product label properly and then select the best high-quality food that contains rich ingredients excluding preservatives, by-products, chemicals and fillers. If you follow this advice your pet will have a long and healthy life.
