Alaskan Malamute

　There are many varieties of dog food on the market, but the more choices there are, the harder it often becomes. What kind of dog food should your dog eat? Perhaps many dog owners are also confused. Dogs with sensitive skin can choose dog food with a high chicken content, such as chicken and rice flavor. Usually, these flavors have low irritation and will not cause allergies; while muscular dogs can choose dog food with a high beef content to enhance strength.

　　There is a principle to the order of ingredients

　Many dog foods have flavor distinctions, such as "beef flavor," "chicken flavor," etc. In professional pet food, the ingredient list is arranged in descending order by weight. If chicken is listed first on the label, it means that chicken is the main ingredient in the dog food, and its content is higher than other ingredients. Therefore, when purchasing, you must pay attention to the proportion of each ingredient in the ingredient list. If a brand of dog food says "chicken flavor" but chicken is not listed first on the ingredient list on the back of the package, it proves that the dog food’s chicken content is not very high.

　Dogs with sensitive skin can choose dog food with a high chicken content, such as chicken and rice flavor. Usually, these flavors have low irritation and will not cause allergies; while muscular dogs can choose dog food with a high beef content to enhance strength.

　Good dog food will inject safe nitrogen into the bag to replace preservatives.

　　Meat ingredients can be identified

　Meat is the main ingredient in dog food. Although every brand indicates it contains meat ingredients, there are still differences. To distinguish the "purity" of dog food, you can do a small test: first, prepare several brands of dog food, several bowls filled with water, and a microwave; then soak the dog food in water in the bowls and heat them in the microwave for two minutes; after heating, opening the microwave door you can smell some dog foods giving off a meaty aroma. People with good sense of smell can even detect whether it is the scent of beef or chicken. However, some dog foods’ meat aromas are not pure and even a bit pungent. Through this small test, you can accurately choose foods your dog likes.

　Food is about color, aroma, and taste, and dog food is the same. Usually, dog food comes in multiple colors such as green, yellow, and red. These colors can be natural pigments or artificial pigments. Try to choose dog food without pigments; if natural pigments are present, that's acceptable. You can tell whether the pigments in dog food are natural by observing the color of your dog’s stool.

　　Recognize dog food ingredients in English

　The raw material list should contain at least one type of fresh meat, preferably fit for human consumption. Pay particular attention when reading this part—for example, "chicken" means chicken meat, while "chickenmeal" means chicken meat meal. Some distributors deliberately mistranslate meat meal as meat to confuse quality. Meat meal is dried animal tissue after oil extraction and is essentially different from fresh meat.

　Try not to choose dog food with unclear raw material descriptions, as it means the variety or source of raw materials is unstable or unknown. According to the American Feed Control Officials standards, the highest grades are Meat (pure meat) and Poultry (poultry meat), followed by MeatMeal (meat meal) and PoultryMeal (poultry meat meal). When selecting, the first ingredient must be MeatMeal or PoultryMeal or above, not grains, because protein provided by meat far exceeds that from grains. Avoid dog food containing meat by-products (By-product), as these might be waste materials.

　　Hygiene when buying bulk dog food

　Many people choose bulk dog food because it is cheaper. However, buying bulk dog food has some caveats.

　First, bulk dog food should not be purchased in large amounts at once. Considering dog food must be fresh to keep dogs healthy. Bulk dog food lacks packaging, so its production date is impossible to confirm. Moreover, during sales, dog food often contacts air, accelerating spoilage. Therefore, it is recommended to buy little and often, and pay attention to the smell and glossiness of the dog food when purchasing.

　Second, pay attention to the container. Many small shops casually use bags or large buckets to store dog food. These containers are poorly sealed and unhygienic. If choosing professional bulk containers with strong sealing, the freshness of bulk dog food will be better preserved.

　　Feeding precautions

　1. Feed dogs until they are about 70% full; do not overfeed. It is best when the dog is still a little eager for more.

　2. Wash the bowl immediately after feeding to avoid residues attracting flies, cockroaches, and ants. Especially in summer, food spoils easily. Cleaning residues can prevent diarrhea after dogs eat.

　3. Dogs should not run and jump immediately after eating, as this can easily cause vomiting.

　4. Provide plenty of clean water during feeding. It does not have to be distilled or boiled water, as their digestive system does not care about that.

　5. Dogs kept in cages all year usually see feeding as their rare entertainment, so they may beg like "starving ghosts." Don’t be fooled; they are not truly hungry.