How To Train A Dog

It’s not hard to understand why people go to big box stores and buy one of the cheapest dog foods they have. I’ll be the first to agree that times are hard for some people and they have to cut corners any and every way they can. But, let’s think about that cheap dog food and what it really costs.

Since long before I was born, some dog food companies have been working to produce their dog food at less cost with cheaper ingredients than their competitors to increase their profits. In a good example of this, they might reduce the amount of meat in their food, only to include a less expensive ingredient. This ingredient will probably be just as filling as meat, and perhaps some of the dogs that eat it won’t have problems with stuff like wheat and corn meal. Along the way, the companies might add more fat to the food to make it taste better to the dogs so they will enjoy it more.

Some dogs are not bothered by the changes made to inexpensively made foods with filler ingredients. From day to day, they can eat these foods and no one will notice any side effects. Is there really an issue?

Perhaps we can view this from another angle, what if we ate junk food for the rest of the year? Would you feel any different after eating like this for a week or perhaps even two? This is similar to what we are providing our pets when we make them eat by-products and fillers. Some dogs seem not to have any issues eating these types of foods and really like them because of the additional fats. Wow, that sounds really tasty, doesn’t it?

A majority of people may not notice the slowly building dog allergy symptoms that start after a week or two, with minor itchy areas where there weren’t any before. It could be caused by something else and the new dog food has no correlation. Eventually, that slow, steady itching can build into gnawing and licking as a dog food allergy starts.

The next thing you know, its time for your best friend to have his annual check-up at the vet, but by now he scratches on a regular basis, but you’re not really sure why. Your vet decides to give your pup a steroid in hopes of relieving the dog allergy symptoms, but they recur because this doesn’t stop the underlying cause.

I’ll admit that I’ve painted a grim picture here, but I have seen it happen with my own eyes. Sometimes, that inexpensive bag of dog food can cause dog food allergies which, a month or two down the road, you may not relate to changing your pet’s food.

Joseph Reeton writes about how the best dog food for allergies and also helping people make dog food allergies end.