Dog Food

　　No matter what type of product it is, once it sells well, counterfeit goods corresponding to it will soon appear, and dog food is one of them. The market has many types of dog food with varied quality. Some dog food has even reached the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing, which is bad news for both dogs and their owners. So let's take a look at the characteristics of fake dog food, hoping to be helpful to everyone.

　　1. Appearance

　　Many owners demand bright colors when choosing dog food, expecting each kibble to have roughly the same shape and size. Actually, this view is not entirely correct. Generally, high-quality dog food looks rough and does not have smooth particle surfaces; some may even have large grain husks. Smooth-surfaced dog food is due to excessive grains in the formula and large crushing fineness.

　　Judging by color, high-quality dog food generally contains a higher content of animal protein and appears brownish or dark after processing. Low-quality dog food mostly uses raw materials like corn, so the color is yellowish or light. However, some products add artificial coloring that darkens the color, which can be distinguished with careful observation.

　2. Smell

　　Good dog food typically has a fragrant aroma, but it is generally not very strong. Many low-quality dog foods use large amounts of flavoring to mask their poor raw materials, so some low-quality dog foods smell strongly fragrant. However, dogs often do not like overly stimulating food.

　3. Texture

　　If dog food feels very light and bulky without texture when held, it is often low-quality due to low or no animal protein and excessive puffing. Further identification can be done by breaking the kibble with your hands. If it breaks apart without much effort, the hardness is moderate. Dog food that requires a lot of force to break usually has poor puffing craftsmanship and poor digestion and absorption. Observing the internal structure after breaking, high-quality dog food often shows a honeycomb pattern, while low-quality food exhibits either too small or too large honeycombs. Too small or no honeycomb means no or insufficient puffing, while too large indicates excessive starch or over-puffing.

Low-Quality Dog Food

　　4. Taste

　　Taste, or palatability, is an important factor determining whether dogs like a certain dog food. Generally, low-quality dog food is quite salty. Long-term consumption of high-salt food increases dogs’ water intake significantly and can make them reject other low-salt food, making food changes difficult. Such dog food is very unhealthy, so owners need to pay close attention.

　　5. Soaking

　　For puppies, dog food is usually soaked to soften before feeding. Low-quality dog food does not soften even after soaking for 2-3 hours and still feels elastic when squeezed. Such dog food likely contains some adhesives, causing digestive issues in puppies.

　　6. Feces

　　Observing the color and odor of dogs’ feces is also a way to judge dog food quality. Low-quality dog food results in sticky, large-volume feces with strong unpleasant odor, soft stools, or diarrhea. This is mainly because the formula contains spoiled or low-quality raw materials. Additionally, dogs digest and absorb low-quality food poorly, significantly increasing feces volume.

　　7. Price

　　We must understand there is no free lunch. If dog food is priced much lower than normal, if nothing suspicious, why would it be sold so cheaply? So never be tempted by small bargains.

　　8. Packaging

　　Many low-quality dog foods claim well-known brand names but sell inferior products. At first glance, their packaging may look no different from legitimate dog food. However, on closer inspection, the packaging is often of poor quality, and the printed barcodes and patterns appear coarse and sometimes smudge when wiped. Such dog food must never be purchased.

　　The quality of dog food directly affects the dog's health. Therefore, when choosing dog food, we must carefully select and master methods to distinguish good from bad to ensure dogs’ health and safety.