I know that there are no pet owners in the world that would feed their pet something that is unhealthy for them.   In order to understand how to find the best pet food, let us go back to the very beginning and see how pet food began.

Pet food, being introduced around the time of World War II, were originally made from left-over grains and cereals. The reason for this was not for the nutritional value, but because crops had been rejected for human consumption. There was a movement against waste during this time, so these products were saved for pet food. This was also the beginning of a completely new industry. Soon it became obvious to many the these left-over grains and cereals were not enough to provide proper nutrition. This is why extra protein in the form of meats was added. This provided that beloved pets could grow up without being malnourished.

Although meat was added, it was not prime meat, but meat that had been rejected for human consumption. This meat is commonly known as meat that was either dead, diseased, dying, disabled or drugged, which is a very appetizing combination. Even though this began a long time ago, rejected animals of all kinds are still used in commercial pet food. Ground up bones, feathers and heads are still commonly used as sources of protein. Fillers that are hard to digest are still used as well as harmful chemicals.

For these reasons our pets are suffering from shortened life-spans and shortened life-spans. It is sad because dogs and cats have the genetic potential to live well into their twenties or thirties, but because of poor nutrition, they only live until their teens.

When choosing the best pet food, you should follow certain rules. You must learn to read labels on pet food packages to find out exactly what is in them. There are also things that should not be in the pet food. Corn, wheat and soy are all ingredients, specifically cereal grains that should never be included in your pet food. These ingredients are used to increase the percentage of protein, but they are all very hard to digest.

These hard to digest proteins can cause stress on the kidneys and this is one of the reasons that pets can be classified as seniors when they are only five or six. These ingredients are also known to cause allergies. Do your pets have allergies? Sometimes pets with allergies are put on drug therapies when all they need is to take the offending food out of their diet. Instead of using these grains, meats should be used as the primary source of protein.

Next you should look at by-products. By-products are similar to corn, wheat and soy in that they are very hard to digest. Intestines, chicken heads, duck bills and fish heads are parts of animals that are certainly not fit for human consumption and should not be expected to be nutritious for your pet. Unfortunately, by-products are the top ingredients in some of the most popular pet food today.

The last topic of our discussion today will be meat and bone meal. This disgusting ingredient can legally contain dead pets and animals from the side of the road or the vets office. These animals could have died from any disease, trauma or natural causes.  When your pet is healthy, they will do anything for you, so bring them in for pet portraits and you can enjoy them even at the office.

The reasons listed above, along with the fact that chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens, are used as additives in many pet food, is why you should be particularly away of what is contained in your pet's food. Think of your pet when you review the ingredients in the food you are feeding him.