1. CORN, WHEAT & SOY are:

- 3 top causes among pet allergies
- a great indicator of a low quality pet food brand
- cheap fillers with no real nutritional value to help make your pet feel full
- hard to digest and should never be replaced for whole meat proteins

2. Dogs and cats are carnivores, and do best on a meat-based diet.

3. Dry kibble does NOT clean or maintain your pooch’s teeth.

4. ALWAYS read the ingredient label and be sure that the food is of quality human grade. Ignore packaging (ex. Premium, Natural, Veterinarian Recommended, etc.). Packaging can legally mention anything it wants.

5. The first 5 ingredients in pre-cooked weight sequence on any pet food or treat label are what prominently make up that pet food product.

6. Avoid any dog food made with animal by-products. By-products are nothing more than slaughterhouse waste that is deemed unfit for human use.

7. Try to avoid generic terms such as poultry or fish – You can’t be sure what the source of the meat is. Instead, look for specific sources of protein, such as beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, salmon, turkey and venison.

8. Avoid “Digest” ingredients: Such as, chicken digest, animal digest, etc. Digest is a polite term for waste.

9. Avoid artificial color or artifical preservatives. Some of these artificial ingredients have been known as carninogenic for some time, but are permitted in pet food (BHT, for example, an artificial preservative). Instead look for natural preservatives such as Vitamin E and mixed tocopherols.

10. Never feed your pet chocolate, grapes or raisins as they are toxic to dogs and cats.