What to Look For

Dogs and cats are usually considered part of the family, and their owners want to give them food that's as healthy and wholesome as what the rest of the family's having for dinner. So how can you wade through the flood of pet food on the market to find a product with the best ingredients? Here are a few things to look for.

Consult Your Vet or an Animal Nutritionist: It’s difficult to make blanket recommendations on what to feed your dog or cat. Each pet has different nutritional needs, and the best person to provide food recommendations is your vet.

USDA Organic: For environmental reasons, organic pet food is a better choice than conventional pet food, since it's produced without the use of petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers and uses meat from animals raised without antibiotics and growth hormones, which can pollute waterways.

No Animal Testing: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has compiled a list of companies that have claimed in writing that they don't test their products on animals. If your pet food is not listed, call the company and ask them if the product, or any of the products ingredients, utilize animal testing.

Shopping Tips

• Whichever food you choose, verify with your vet that it has all the right nutrients at the right proportions for your particular pet.

• Some vegetarians prefer that their pets also abstain from eating meat. This is a controversial choice, since dogs and cats may not receive all the nutrients they need to thrive on a vegetarian diet. Cats, especially, need a nutrient called taurine that can only be obtained through foods of animal origin. The ASPCA recommends against vegetarian or vegan diets for cats.

• Don't feed dogs cat food or cats dog food, and avoid feeding them an abundance of "people" food. Dogs and cats are both carnivores but their nutritional needs are very different. The ASPCA has compiled a list of ten people foods that you shouldn't feed your pets.

• If you want to switch your pet from his or her existing food to a new organic product, mix the new food with the old for several days to get pets used to the taste and to avoid stomach upset.