When buying dog food and treats, do you read the ingredients?

Answer 1

Yes. I am very careful about what I give my dogs. You have to watch out for by-products and preservatives. The best diet you can give your dogs is a mixture of dry food, wet food (it is more nutritious that dry food), and "add-ins". These are things like a little bit of cottage cheese, yogurt, rice, steamed veggies, or fresh fruit. When I started this with my dogs, their behavior completely changed. They are much happier!

Answer 2

My Yorkie breeder and I use BilJac, available at PetSmart. You can read up on it on the Internet. BilJac also makes a liver treat that my Yorkies love. A friend who trains dogs uses BilJac as treats during training too and all the dogs seem to like the taste. As with any new food, mix a small amount with the old food first, then gradually increase the amount of the new food until you have all new in the bowl. That will help prevent your dog from getting an upset tummy.

Answer 3

The ingredients make me sick since I have learned how to read labels and I will not feed my dogs that crap. They deserve better. That is why we switched to Raw feeding 5 years ago and I could never go back.
Read the book called 'Foods Pets Die For' by Ann Martin and you will see just how disgusting it is. Even the the so called premium brands are not exempt from grossness!

Dogs are survivors and will eat whatever they get to be able to live. This does not make it right. There is NO species that I am aware of that eats the same food day in and day out its entire life in nature. A dog certainly would NOT.
They are meant to have raw meaty bones and organs from a variety of animals.
That is what mine eat! People tend to think for some reason that just because you can FORCE a dog to eat cereal its whole life and he does it, that it is all well and good. It borders on cruelty in my opinion.
How about if all of you kibble feeders stop eating a variety of fresh foods and just live on box after box after box of Total Cereal for the rest of your lives? Everything you need is in there. I'm sure your hair will be shiny. I mean shiny hair IS what many people tend to base a good diet on for a dog.
RIDICULOUS! A little thinking and common sense would tell people that dogs or any other living creature should not be made to live a life on synthetic vitamins and nutrients and that is ALL kibble is... A bunch of grains and other crap that has had all the original nutrients cooked out of it and synthetic vitamins sprayed on just before it goes into the bag. What it means basically is that a piece of cardboard is complete and balanced if you take it with a multi-vitamin!
Sound delicious? Sound healthy? Sound fair?
I sure don't think so.
Switching from this crapinabag to that crapinabag is NOT variety.

Answer 4

i try to avoid reading ingredients, it just will lead me to spend more money which i cant afford (did you sense the sarcasm?) Avoid foods that dont have meat as the first listed ingredient or have any meat by-products in the list of ingredients. That's the most important part of selecting a good food. It is a little more expensive than the brand names but you get more bang for your buck. Less fillers = more money.

Answer 5

yes I always do. I always notice all grocery store foods have nothing but junk. UCK . now i feed my dog Canidae. I trust them highly no more skimming over the ingrdient list like a falcon. Franky I would never even buy treats from the grocer. I mean seriously Beggin Strips! Snausages! what junk. Those have my dog farting all day. boy does it tear a dogs stomach up.

I buy my dog's treats from the Foster and smith website. They sell these different treats. i currently have in my cabinet a100% freeze dried salmon treats and 100% dried chicken breast treats.

Answer 6

No, since all dog foods meet 100% of a dog's nutrional needs. The most important thing on the lable is the statement describing how the nutrients were tested. Feed testing is superior to formulated to meet feed tested. There are pros and cons to all dog foods but the differences are more marketing then anything since the government regulations require 100% of nutritional needs to be met. Whatever you do, do not feed raw meat or bones (cooked or raw) - studies have shown this to be dangerous to dogs and their overall health.

Answer 7

Well if you're paranoid about this kind of stuff, and want only the best, you shouldnt read the so called "conspiracy" theories about dog food. I consider it rubbish, but a lot of folks believe this stuff. I dont know what to believe.

http://dogebooks.123thebest.info/2007/10/20/the-dog-food-conspiracy/

I buy stuff that I can understand the ingredients...no "mystery meat". LOL.

Answer 8

no and that's how my dog got her allergies. i felt so bad because i didn't know i rescued her from a lady that left her starving and she was so skinny. when i gave her different dog foods they all had the same thing that made her itchy and red everywhere. so now she's on a prescribed dog food its alitt expensive but that's fine and all as she's healthy

Answer 9

I read the ingredients of everything I feed my dog. (My dog eats much healthier than I do.)

Answer 10

Yes, I do, especially since my dog has allergies. I feel it's just as important to know what is in my pet's food as it is to know what I'm eating.

Kim at: http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com/natural-pet-food.html