Third, you should provide a rotation of foods that you might reasonably expect the dog's forever family to provide.

Third, you should provide a rotation of foods that you might reasonably expect the dog's forever family to provide.

Here's what I mean: I, personally, am a dog food nut. I obsess over this stuff to the point of being a Saturday Night Live character. But most people are not that crazy. I cannot expect an adoptive family to go to similarly crazy lengths (although it did happen once, I'm pleasantly amazed to say). So when I have a foster dog, I rotate through the high-quality kibbles that can be purchased at PetSmart and PetCo, since those are the major retailers that most people can get to in our area, and I make notes about which kibbles seem to work the best for that particular mutt. Then I have some useful recommendations that the adopters might be willing to follow -- and I can be a little more confident that my foster dog won't spend the rest of her life eating Beneful.

Here's what I mean: I, personally, am a dog food nut. I obsess over this stuff to the point of being a Saturday Night Live character. But most people are not that crazy. I cannot expect an adoptive family to start smashing up eggshells and buying organic calf livers for their dog (although it did happen once, I'm pleasantly amazed to say). So when I have a foster dog, I rotate through the high-quality kibbles that can be purchased at PetSmart and PetCo, since those are the major retailers that most people can get to in our area, and I make notes about which kibbles seem to work the best for that particular mutt. Then I have some useful recommendations that the adopters might be willing to follow -- and I can be a little more confident that my foster dog won't spend the rest of her life eating Beneful.

== Finding A High-Quality Food ==

== When to Feed ==

So how do you identify a good, healthy food? It is exceedingly unlikely that you'll be able to find a high-quality food in a supermarket or big-box store; you will probably have to go to a specialty retailer or order online. Fortunately, even if you don't have a local pet supply store in your neighborhood, big chains like PetSmart and PetCo are rapidly expanding their stock of premium brands, and online retailers such as Amazon carry just about every good brand in the U.S. and Canada, so it's easier than it has ever been to obtain quality food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how do you identify a good, healthy food? It is unlikely that you'll be able to find a high-quality food in a supermarket or big-box store; you will probably have to go to a specialty retailer or order online. Fortunately, even if you don't have a local pet supply store in your neighborhood, big chains like PetSmart and PetCo are rapidly expanding their stock of premium brands, and online retailers such as Amazon carry just about every good brand in the U.S. and Canada, so it's easier than it has ever been to obtain quality food.

Don't rely on the price tag to tell you what foods are good. While there aren't any good cheap foods, there are some crappy expensive foods (hello, Science Diet!). Read the label and the ingredients list carefully.

Don't rely on the price tag to tell you what foods are good. While there aren't any good cheap foods, there are some crappy expensive foods (hello, Science Diet!). Read the label and the ingredients list carefully.

* '''Look for whole vegetables, fruits, and easily digestible grains.''' Again: simple labels are the best. "Carrots" and "apples" are good; "corn gluten meal" is bad (it is essentially the refuse left over by the milling of corn meal and the extraction of corn syrup -- i.e., another garbage ingredient). Grains are a little trickier, as not all grains are equal in dog food. Barley, oats, and rice are fine for most dogs. Corn, wheat, and soy are indicators of low-quality dog food.

* '''Look for whole vegetables, fruits, and easily digestible grains.''' Again: simple labels are the best. "Carrots" and "apples" are good; "corn gluten meal" is bad (it is essentially the refuse left over by the milling of corn meal and the extraction of corn syrup -- i.e., another garbage ingredient). Grains are a little trickier, as not all grains are equal in dog food. Barley, oats, and rice are fine for most dogs. Corn, wheat, and soy are indicators of low-quality dog food.

* '''Avoid "byproducts," "digests," and unspecified ingredients like "animal fat."''' A heavy reliance on "byproducts" is a surefire indication of a low-quality food. That's slaughterhouse waste. Not only is that a substandard ingredient in and of itself, but "byproducts" are often handled sloppily -- they aren't kept clean and cold, and are thus more likely to be contaminated with things you don't want your dog eating. A "digest" is even worse -- that's just chemically- and heat-treated "materials" (the FDA doesn't require them to be specified) used to create a meaty ''flavor'' with zero actual meat content. As for deliberately vague labels like "animal fat," that encompasses everything from rendered roadkill to the remains of euthanized shelter pets... yes, other dogs and cats who suffered the same fate your own foster pup narrowly escaped. Please avoid these ingredients. The "food" in that bag is literally garbage.

* '''Avoid "byproducts," "digests," and unspecified ingredients like "animal fat."''' A heavy reliance on "byproducts" is a surefire indication of a low-quality food. That's slaughterhouse waste. Not only is that a substandard ingredient in and of itself, but "byproducts" are often handled sloppily, and are thus more likely to be contaminated with things you don't want your dog eating. A "digest" is even worse -- that's just chemically- and heat-treated "materials" (the FDA doesn't require them to be specified) used to create a meaty ''flavor'' with zero actual meat content. As for deliberately vague labels like "animal fat," that encompasses everything from rendered roadkill to the remains of euthanized shelter pets... yes, other dogs and cats who suffered the same fate your own foster pup narrowly escaped. Please avoid these ingredients. The "food" in that bag is literally garbage.