There are just so many dog foods out on the market now, it is getting increasingly difficult to choose a good, high quality dog kibble that suits your dog or puppy. Almost all dog food companies (no matter how low quality their product) market their dog food as "all natural," "complete nutrition," and even with "made with love" -type slogans attached to their brand. Dog owners then use these products and see health issues arise in their pets - some minor, but long lasting. Here are just some of the issues owners see in low quality dog kibble.

Issues Related To Low Quality Kibble
1.) Poor feces quality (runny, diarrhea, bad odor, mucus)
2.) Numerous bowel movements
3.) Gassy, bloated, belching (indigestion) and vomiting
4.) Itchy coat, rough coat, fur loss, scabs, skin infections, yeast (especially in dilute coated breeds such as link or other blue or liver coated dog breeds).
5.) Obsessive licking or chewing of feet, ankles, tail, tail base, etc.
6.) Chronic ear infections
7.) Lowered immune system
8.) Diabetes
9.) Kidney/organ function issues or failure and even death

Cost to treat kibble related medical issues: $200 to $4,000 depending on severity.

Now let's talk about how to select the right food for your dog, without all the bad stuff.

First, I would say stay away from department store and grocery store dog kibble. These are the brands that market excellence, but deliver junk food. I'm not saying that some of the grocery stores don't carry a real good quality dog kibble, but if they do it's only one. You don't have as many options. Here's what to look for and also some things to take into consideration:

How To Choose A Good Dog Kibble

I would say first go to a good pet store chain Like Petco, Petsmart, Tractor Supply Company, or Pet Supermarket. These stores have the most options for high quality kibble. Give yourself an hour or took to read labels. Find whatever store is the most convenient to your home, because you are probably going to become a regular customer. Unless they have experience in dog ownership and choosing a good kibble, staff may try to innocently push popular marketed dog kibble or "on sale" dog food onto customers rather than what is best. I would leave questions to staff similar to "where is the grain free dog food?," etc.

Usually the fronts of the bags of food will have the statements such as "grain free, soy free, corn free, gluten free," "limited ingredients," or "free range meat and poultry." These are the foods you really want to focus on.

Basically, unless your dog is allergic to a specific meat - choose a food where one of the first ingredients in a meat, poultry, or fish. None of the ingredients should contain the word "by product". Those are "scraps" of tissue such as organ lining, feet, beaks, hooves, bone, snout, anus, etc., and equivalent to a McDonald's meal. This is not what you want to feed your pets long term.

Corn, corn gluten or corn meal should not be on the ingredient list. Wheat, or wheat gluten should also be avoided.
Some foods market "grain free," but remember - corn is a grain and one of the hardest to digest by dogs. Wheat is also a grain.

It's okay to see a couple of vegetable ingredients in food such as kale, carrots, or spinach, or sweet potato. Peas are okay too, and not considered a grain. Rice, however is a grain. Rice is not bad IF your dog can tolerate it. Otherwise, choose a food that does not contain white, brown, brewer's, etc rice. A pet allergic to grain will show sensitivity in almost any grain.

If your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy or you don't want to risk them developing an allergic reaction, search for a kibble whose meat/poultry is free range fed or a fish based kibble. Animals used in dog kibble that are grain fed can also cause the same reaction as having a kibble containing grain. Sometimes owners switch to a grain free food, and the symptoms don't subside. This is usually why, although some dogs may have a sensitivity to poultry.

Here are a few more things to avoid when choosing a food. These items can be toxic to dogs, and cause major health issues, especially when fed long term:

1.) BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)
2.) BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
3.) Ethoxyquin
4.) Food dyes (Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, 4-MIE)
5.) PG (Propylene Glycol)
6.) Rendered fat

I hope this article has been helpful. I would also like to add, a raw diet is the best diet for your dog. If at all possible, consider choosing a raw fed diet over a high quality kibble.