Choosing food for your dog nowadays can be extremely exhausting and overwhelming as there are so many options! Additionally, keeping in mind things like how much your pet eats, your budget, and its specific likes/dislikes. Considering all of these things you might feel overwhelmed but finding a brand and type of food your dog enjoys that fits in all of your criteria are fundamental. 

To assist us in this decision is the Association of American Feed Control Officials they have created guidelines that regulate pet food companies and what it puts on its labels. The association holds pet food companies accountable for the ingredients they advertise on labels. This can be a resource for pet owners as they can determine the ingredients in the pet food and that the labels are accurate. 

The ingredients of the food are also a big factor in what type of food is best for your dog. Reading the ingredients is a must and knowing what proteins and nutrients are best for your dog can be found on the label. Gluten and grains are other important ingredients that are beneficial carbohydrates that metabolize well for dogs. Considering some dog allergies grain-free might be a good option as many pet foods cater to dogs with allergies.

Checking your dog’s food for the nutritional adequacy statement which is a statement printed on the back of the food package indicating that food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage, such as growth, reproduction, adult maintenance or a combination of these things. Along with the nutritional adequacy statement, there should be a statement that suggests how the adequacy statement was substantiated. This may be through feeding trials or through formulation to meet a particular nutrient profile. After reading all this information it is up to you as the owner to consider all of these facts and decide what type of food fits best for your dog.