by Gail Kerry

Created on: December 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 26, 2010

Pet owners must begin scrutinizing the ingredients of the pet food they are purchasing and whenever possible, purchase pet food from feed and grain purveyors. While grocery stores and even pet stores stock food from the larger pet food manufacturers, more often than not the food does not have high nutritional value and can also contain many harmful additives. The packaging can be very misleading as most of it contains phrases like "nutritionally balanced", "healthy" and "veterinarian recommended".

Most of the staff that work at grocery stores and many large pet stores are clueless about pet food contents, (although some small specialty pet stores do have highly knowledgeable staff and put a great deal of thought into this subject). The most information you can hope to get from employees there is an aisle number for locating a product. On the other hand, feed and grain dealers are very knowledgeable about pet food quality, ingredients and even where the pet food is manufactured. When feed and grain dealers stock feed from larger manufacturers, it is usually a superior level of food than the junk available in grocery stores and large pet stores.

Here's some basic information that may prove to be helpful in the pet food maze:

Many of the larger companies use ingredients from international sources which are not monitored. Your best bet is to buy from local producers and these can also be identified through a feed and grain establishment.

Stop relying on the pet food marketing information contained on the front of the package and begin relying on the ingredient list on the back of the pet food container as a deciding factor when purchasing pet food.

Look at the first ingredient of the food you are purchasing for your pet. If it contains corn, you are buying an inferior product. (The food I was previously purchasing had actually caused a food allergy in my own pet, which disappeared after I began purchasing the correct food).

Your veterinarian is not necessarily a pet food specialist and probably doesn't have as much information about pet food as a feed and grain dealer. Stay away from pet food that contains harmful additives like BHA, BHT.

Don't rely on a well known brand as assurance of quality. They are just as guilty of providing unhealthy food as the grocery store brands. Even if you don't live near a feed and grain dealer, you can still consult with them or purchase food in bulk and have it shipped to you.

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