How To Choose The Right Dog Food

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Video Transcript

Speaker: Many of our viewers have been asking how to choose what dog food is right for your pet, good question. To get to the bottom of this dog food dilemma we talk to a number of pet food experts and then offer the advice to some dog owners in the Petside community.

There is no free lunch in the dog food world, so in exchange for the advice our lucky dog owners had to agree to actually taste dog food; a bite of dog food in exchange for a bite of expert dog food advice. Hello! What's your name?

Natalie: My name is Natalie and this is Sophie.

Speaker: Do you have a question about it?

Natalie: I do. Now I am a little curious about puppy foods and I don't know if I should be counting the calories when I am -- her serving just because she is grown so fast just now. And I also don't really know what I should be looking for in puppy food.

Speaker: Veterinarian Kevin Schlanger says a growing puppy needs more calories. So puppy food should have a higher fat and protein content than food formulated for an older dog. Although, dog food companies do use the phrase puppy food to attract shoppers, Doctor Kevin is worth trying, so you can be sure your puppy is getting enough calories. So you know how this works, in exchange for your advice you got to try a little dog food.

Natalie: Okay. Oh my goodness! It's interesting.

Speaker: Interesting can be good.

Natalie: Yeah, I suppose, if you were a dog.

Speaker 2: This is Dexter. Dexter is getting older and I am just wondering how I should change his dietary habits as he gets older and now that he is going to be a senior dog?

Speaker: Well, this stuff is formulated for senior dogs. How old are you?

Speaker 2: How old am I?

Speaker: Alright, you have to answer that. Doctor Kevin says senior dog foods are lower in calories because seniors are less active and have slower metabolism. There are other benefits, a senior diet often includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate to build in lots of cartilage joints and that helps with arthritis. They are a lot of diseases, and now there is big problem for senior dogs since owners think it's too risky to anesthetize him for a professional dental clinic. Doctor Kevin also notes that using dry foods minimizes tartar build up because chewing kibbles pushes the tartar away like a toothbrush.

Speaker 2: Can I take a small one like this?

Speaker: Well, I mean, you can but.

Speaker 2: Oh Dexter! Seriously?

Speaker: Crunchy one.

Speaker 2: It tastes like cereal.

Speaker 3: Sometimes Rosko and Roxy like eating different types of meats like beef or chicken or turkey and I don't know which one to give them. So is one better to feed them than the other?

Speaker: Wendy Nan Rees is pet lifestyle advisor and author of the National Pet Food Cook Book says it doesn't really matter which protein you choose, as long as you choose a food with a single protein source as the first ingredient. Since protein satisfies the majority of our pets nutritional needs. However, Doctor Kevin notes that while it is true that all proteins are in fact made from the amino acid. Dogs may digest some proteins better than others and in general poultry is easier to digest than beef.

Speaker 3: I will go with this little one right here. Is that good?

Speaker: That's perfect. Do you want to try a bigger one?

Speaker 3: Okay. You know it's really pretty good.

Speaker: It is? Alright, well we will send you home with some. When it comes to choosing the right pet food remember while Grover would probably shout on whatever tasty treat you put it in his bowl, it's up to you to make educated diet decisions for your dog that will keep him happy and healthy for life. Join us next time to find out what's new on the Petside.