Commercial dog food brands are in a mad dash to get a dominant chunk of the market. In an attempt to entice and convince dog owners that their product is the best for pets, manufacturers are incorporating unconventional dog food ingredients in addition to the usual ingredients in pet food rations.
Quality pet food should be formulated with the dog's daily nutrient requirement in mind. It should be noted that different life stages have different nutritional requirements. Thus, it is very important that food for your dog should be intended for his age.
You might have observed that commercial rations for puppies are priced higher than those marketed for adult dogs. The amount of the protein component of the food usually dictates the price. Since puppies and growing dogs need more protein, and protein sources are quite expensive, their rations are inevitably priced higher. On the bright side, you can feed a smaller portion to meet your dog's needs.
In an effort to cut overhead costs and make more profit, there are manufacturers that use meat substitutes and fillers. These dog food ingredients are definitely substandard and subsequently fail in fulfilling the required nutrient intake. To make matters worse, meat substitutes such as meat by-products have been linked to various health problems in dogs.
As a responsible dog owner, you should know how to read and interpret the composition and/or ingredients of pet food brands. Many manufacturers have been adding unusual dog food ingredients that may be harmful to your dog. Some of the most common ingredients that you can notice listed in dog food labels include additives, binders, carbohydrate sources, coloring agents, fat sources, flavoring agents, fiber sources, fruits and vegetables, preservatives and certain supplements.
Additives
The most common additives include Glyceryl Monostearate, Phosphoric acid, and Propylene Glycol.
Glyceryl Monostearate is an emulsifier commonly used in the foodstuff industry. It can contain butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) of more than 200 ppm.
Phosphoric Acid is often used as flavoring and emulsifying agent of inferior quality dog food.
Propylene Glycol is added to prevent semi-moist kibble from drying out. It can be toxic when added in large quantities. Countries under the European Union have not approved Propylene Glycol as a food additive.
Binders
The binders that you can commonly see in dog food products include corn gluten and wheat gluten. These ingredients are recognized as potential allergens of dogs. In fact, these have been linked to a major percentage of food allergies in dogs. Gluten meals are inexpensive by-products with low nutritional value.
Carbohydrate Sources
Brewer's rice has been used by manufacturers as a low-quality and inexpensive substitute for whole grain rice. Other non-desirable carbohydrate feed sources which are often added to pet food rations include grain fermentation soluble, cereal food fines, oat meal, maltodextrins, soy flour, and potato peels and culls.
As you can see, these are mostly by-products of human food processing and consequently do not have desirable nutritional values.
Coloring Agents
Color additives are known carcinogens. Cases of allergy reactions that have been linked to food coloring have also been recorded in dogs. The most common coloring agents found in pet foods include Blue 2, Red 40, titanium dioxide, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.
Flavoring Agents
The flavoring agents commonly found in pet food products include animal digest such as lamb digest, chicken digest, or poultry liver digest. Most of these ingredients come from animal tissues with the likelihood of "4-D animals" (diseased, disabled, dying, or dead).
Fiber Sources
A dog's digestive system is not designed for efficient digestion of fibrous feed ingredients. Although fiber is needed in small quantities for its cleansing effect on the digestive tract, high amounts of fibrous ingredients in dog food is not desirable. Many pet food manufacturers incorporate fiber sources to add consistency and bulk to poor quality food. A few of the common fiber sources you can find in dog food ingredients include corn bran, cellulose, oat hulls, peanut hulls, wheat mill run, and soybean mill run.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals however most of those used as a dog food ingredient are by-products of processing. They are also a likely source of residues from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Fruits, such as grapes, also contain a substance which is toxic to dogs.
A responsible dog owner is a vigilant dog owner. He takes time to get to know a pet food product by reading the fine lines of ingredients. The key that can unlock the mystery of whether a particular product is the best one for your dog is to know the dog food ingredients that make up the product.
Written based on input from vet Dr. Cabriles.

Senior Writer, Daily Wetnose
http://DailyWetnose.com
Ken is a dog lover (proud pet parent of 2 Min Pins) and is Senior Editor at Daily Wetnose. This dog blog is a fun and informative place for dog lovers, owners, breeders and other pet professionals to meet, greet, sniff and celebrate pooches.