Choosing the Best Pet Food: Nutrition, Quality, and Safety Tips from Your Veterinarian

When choosing a pet food, it's crucial to prioritize quality, nutrition, and safety. It is also important to consider your pet's age, health and lifestyle when shopping for pet food. For example, if your cat has kidney disease, your veterinarian might recommend renal health prescription cat food, or if your dog has allergy issues, then your veterinarian might recommend food that is designed to support a healthy skin barrier or have limited ingredients to prevent food allergy flare-ups. Obviously, as your pet ages, their needs will also change. We recommend transitioning from a puppy or kitten food at about 10 months old for a cat or small breed dog, to 16-18 months old for a giant breed dog. Here are the top 5 things to consider when selecting your pet's food:

1. Nutritional Balance

• Look for food that meets AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) and FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) standards, ensuring complete and balanced nutrition.

• Check that the food is appropriate for your pet’s life stage (kitten/puppy, adult, senior).

2. High-Quality Ingredients

• Look for named protein sources (e.g., "chicken," "salmon," not just "meat by-products").

• Avoid artificial additives, fillers, and excessive preservatives.

• Consider whole-food ingredients like sweet potatoes, blueberries, and flaxseed or other ingredients like animal fat, animal protein, beet pulp, brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, ground whole corn, ground whole wheat, meat and bone meal, meat or chicken by-product meal, vegetable oil and wheat gluten to provide a  balanced diet and support overall good health.

3. Protein vs. Carbohydrate Content

• Cats are obligate carnivores, so their diet should be high in animal protein and low in carbohydrates.

• Dogs thrive on a balanced diet but generally benefit from a higher protein content with digestible carbs like brown rice or pumpkin.

4. Brand Transparency & Recalls

• Choose brands that disclose sourcing and manufacturing information.

• Research any history of recalls or lawsuits related to pet food safety.

5. Special Dietary Needs & Sensitivities

• If your pet has allergies, opt for limited-ingredient diets (LID) or novel proteins (like duck, venison, or rabbit). There are many prescription limited ingredient diets from Purina, Hills and Royal Canin that can minimize your pet's exposure to protein or carbohydrate sources that they may be allergic to.

• We do not recommend grain-free diets since there is no scientific proof that our pets are allergic to grains and grain-free diets have been linked to a potentially fatal heart disease in some dogs.

Top 4 Pet Food Brands for Quality & Nutrition

1. Purina Pet Foods – Purina has been making pet food since 1926 and offers well balanced diets and prescription diets for all life stages and medical issues. 

2. Iams and Eukanuba – Offers well balanced diets for all life stages.

3. Hill’s Science Diet – Veterinarian-recommended, backed by research, and designed for specific health needs.

4. Royal Canin – Excellent for pets with specific dietary needs, offering breed-specific formulas.

Please be sure to call our clinic, Animal Hospital of New Albany, to speak with our veterinary team about the brands and types of food we would recommend for your specific pet.