What Makes For A Premium Dog Food?

There are so many ‘categories’ of dog food out there. Premium dog food, super-premium, organic, holistic, all natural, …. So what should you feed your dog? Is a premium dog food good enough?

If money was of no issue, I myself would go for a holistic and organic dog food that is freeze-dried. I think that as far as food quality, this is the next best thing to a healthy, homemade dog food. But money is an issue for me. And with one 50lb dog and another 110lb dog (not to mention 2 cats and a bearded dragon) the amount of pet food that we go through is quite a lot.

That is why I had to learn about reading the dog food ingredients label. Some food that you pay a high price for is not worth it at all! Others, you are getting exactly what you paid for.

So back to the original question – what makes for a premium dog food? There is no official definition of premium or super-premium. Truth be told, there is also no legal definitions for holistic or all natural either. There are guidelines and such, but dog food is just not as regulated as well as human food.

Most people agree that a premium dog food has better quality ingredients than your run-of-the-mill brand. Things that a premium dog food does not usually have in the first 5 ingredients (which make up most of the dog food): animal by-products and cheap grains. They also usually do not contain artificial coloring, flavoring, or preservatives.

Super-premium dog foods are premium dog foods with different animal meats, and superior grains, fruits and vegetables. Many are also certified organic with free-range meat sources.

If your dog has dog food allergies, you may find a lot of relief for your pet just by switching to a premium or super-premium dog food and getting away from the common sources of allergies in dogs that are found in low-grade dog foods.

With better quality ingredients, premium dog food, will be more expensive than low-quality (store brands/conglomerate brands). But always beware – the companies know you think more expensive equals better food and some will try to jack up their price and label themselves as premium or super-premium. Always make sure you read the ingredients on the dog food label to verify what you are buying!