There are many advantages to shopping for dog food online. It’s a very convenient way to get the food you need quickly without having to leave your home. You don’t have to worry about crowds and long lines at the store or how much fuel will be used by making multiple trips there. However, there are some things you should know when shopping for pet food online to ensure you are getting exactly what your dog needs to stay healthy.
1. Read the Ingredients Label
When shopping online, it’s vital to ensure that the wag dog food you choose has a full ingredient list and isn’t hiding any potentially harmful ingredients in its list of additives. You also want to look for a company that is transparent about its use of additives.
Ingredients are listed in order of weight, not by quantity. This means that if your pup has allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients, this can be difficult to decipher from reading a label alone because the source of his reaction may be buried beneath several other ingredients.
2. Always Choose Transparent Suppliers
Always choose a transparent supplier regarding their sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, quality control, and customer service processes. This will help you as a consumer to make an informed decision about the food you’re feeding your dog.
Look for suppliers proud of their products and can provide information on where they source ingredients from and how they manufacture them. They should also be able to tell you where their products are distributed and whether there are any third parties involved in this process.
3. Ensure There Is an Optimum Proportion of Fat
It is important that you ensure the fat content is at an optimum level. The recommended range is 20-25% and should balance animal fats and vegetable oils. It is also important to note that if there are too many saturated fats, it may lead to obesity in your dog. Like humans, dogs require fat as part of their diet, but too much can also harm them.
4. Protein Should Be the First Ingredient
Protein is an essential part of your dog’s diet, so it’s important that you choose foods that have a high-quality protein source as the first ingredient. You may be familiar with the term “quality protein,” but what does this mean? The food contains more highly digestible animal protein (rather than plant or grain proteins). The best quality animal proteins are meat and fish meals. You should avoid foods containing byproducts or meals made from chicken feathers, chicken feet, and other parts you wouldn’t eat yourself!
The last thing you want to do is buy dog treats online, and have your order arrive to see fillers as the first ingredient for your pup.
5. Check the Meat Meal Quality
If you want to ensure that your dog’s food contains meat, then you want to check the meat meal quality. Meat meal is a concentrated protein, which means it contains more calories than whole meat. It’s made by cooking down animal parts like blood, bone, and fat until they are reduced to an oil-like substance. This can be poor-quality material (i.e., roadkill or spoiled meat) or high-quality material (i.e., farm-raised).
6. The Age of the Dog Food
You may have noticed that dry and wet food are of different ages. This is because some companies use packaging with a best-before date, while others use a “use by” date. The difference between these dates is that the “use by” dates tell you when you should stop using the product if you want to ensure its quality and freshness, while best before means that it’s still okay to eat but will not be as tasty or valuable over time.
7. Be Careful with Pet Food Reviews and Feedback
Many pet food review websites claim to be unbiased and often have a rating system where they give the top products a 5-star or high rating. However, we recommend that you not take such sites as gospel truth. The best way to know if a dog’s food is good is by trying it yourself and observing your dog’s reaction.
With these tips, you can be sure you’re making a good choice for your dog. After all, it’s their health we’re talking about here! If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to comment below and ask us!
Read more:
