Your dog deserves a healthy pet food. Unfortunately, whether purchased in a grocery store, pet store, or veterinarian's office, pet food may contain animal by-products. While many laws exist to regulate our food, the same assurances do not exist for pet food.

Animal by-products are meats from animals considered unsuitable for human consumption. This can also be known as rendered meat. They can be found in all pet foods, from store brands to brand name products. If you wouldn't want to eat rendered meat, why would you want to feed it to your pet?

Sources of rendered meat include animals already dead on arrival to the slaughterhouse, or animals too sick or diseased for human consumption. Even euthanized cats, dogs, horses or other animals could be used. If this meat is so bad for us, why should these same sources be appropriate for your dog?

Another thing to look out for is the preservatives used to keep the pet food from going bad. Specifically, the preservatives ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA, are toxic. The preservatives that are better for your four legged friend are Vitamins E and C.

Conventional wisdom suggest a dog's diet should contain 50% vegetables, 40% meat, and 10% grain or carbohydrates. However, price and value are are important to consider. Although cheaper brands may seem attractive, low-price alternatives often have less quality ingredients than Healthy Dog Food.

Holistic pet food is a better alternative. Holistic pet foods are both natural and nutritious. Ingredients are fit for consumption by both humans and dogs, and won't contain chicken beaks or toxic preservatives. Instead, you'll only find ingredients you yourself would enjoy.

The most assured way to know what you are feeding your dog is to make the pet food yourself. Books can be purchased with delicious Healthy Dog Food recipes for your companion. Your veterinarian can also tell you the vitamins and nutrients your pet needs.

Keep in mind that not all human foods are suitable for animals. Grapes and raisins are known to cause damage to your dog's kidneys. Feeding your dog mushrooms can result in death. Raw, cooked, or powdered garlic and onions can damage red blood cells and may cause anemia. Regular feeding of raw fish can lead to a thiamine deficiency. Being deficient in thiamine can cause your dog to lose its appetite, have seizures, and may even cause death. There are many more human foods that can harm your pet. If you want to give him something you should always ask the veterinarian first.