It is well worth getting to know the ingredients list and information on the dog food bags/tins in order to make an informed choice about your dogs diet
These are the sort of things that are worth looking for:
Some foods contain a lot of (EU permitted) additives - these can lead to behavioural problems, a bit like giving children E numbers
Some contain a lot of grain fillers (maize, wheat etc). The more "filler" the food contains, the bigger the recommended portions are (as the dog needs to eat more of it to get the nutrients they need), and the bigger the waste produced (poo).
A lot of dog food contain meat which is referred to a "meat derivatives" - these are the "leftovers" from the abattoirs which are not suitable for human consumption (so worse than the content of turkey twizzlers) and if the dog food is produced abroad, it can contain meat-derivatives not commonly eaten in the UK, such as horse
Dog food produced abroad will also use meat produced under European (not British) rules for animal welfare (European standards are far lower than the UK). Dog food from the US will contain meat that has been medicated differently to the UK, too.
All dog foods (even the cheapest ones) provide a dog with a nutritionally balanced diet; but some have a lot of added extras which many consider to be linked to medical and behavioural problems ranging from skin and digestive complaints, through to lethargy or hyper behaviour
Different dogs thrive on different foods, and not all households can afford to feed their dog the food they would ideally like to - but armed with the information about what the labels mean, we can make informed choices about what we are prepared to compromise
