If you've a dog or a cat, there's a good chance that you're still a bit shaken up by the pet food recall that happened recently. You may even be wondering if your new pet food is healthy. People lost their beloved creatures to something that shouldn't have done them any harm, and those of us lucky to be spared this are taking a closer look at what we're feeding our dogs. By getting a better idea of what needs to go into our pets' food, we can make better decisions about their nutrition and diet.

Many people became confused as to what exactly was in their pets’ food that shouldn’t be. It sad that some of us learned tainted ingredients were included in pet foods to make the protein content seem higher.

Chemicals and other synthetic ingredients don't belong in dog and cat food. Inferior ingredients like by – products, soy, wheat, gluten and corn should not be used as a protein source or be included in the food. These ingredients are often very hard on the pets’ digestive system and therefore do nothing nutritionally for them.

Some pet food companies will use very cheap ingredients to make their food. Diets require fiber, natural fats, carbohydrates and high-quality protein – that is made from quality meat fit for human consumption. A healthy mix is necessary towards making sure that your dog neither becomes deficient in nutrients, nor becomes obese, and by keeping a close eye on what your dog is eating, you can make absolutely sure that some very basic issues are weeded out before they become a problem. Often times we think the food we give them isn’t that bad. Unfortunately, pet food that has little nutritional value will add up after time in the form of your animals’ health. Just as humans they need healthy nutritious balance of foods to keep their immune system running at peak performance.

Food is one of the first considerations for having a healthy dog and the more you know, the healthier your dog will be! The first five ingredients are very important to the nutritional value of the food. Pet foods that list two or more grains in the first five ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein. To learn more about healthy ingredients and how to compare your dog and or cat food, please visit the site below.