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Dog & Cat Food

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, says Dr. Stephen Hansen, a board-certified veterinary toxicologist with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A good second step, he adds, is to schedule a consultation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist; find one through the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. (Hansen notes that this can be difficult, but consultations are worth it if you have the time and patience to schedule one.)

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 meat-based ingredients have been raised without antibiotics and growth hormones, which can pollute waterways. Certified organic pet food is also made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which reduce biodiversity, and does not undergo irradiation to kill bacteria, a process, which at least one study has found, can create chemical byproducts that speed the growth of tumors and colon cancer in lab rats.

No Animal Testing
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has compiled a list of companies that have claimed in writing that they don't test their products on animals. Companies not on the list may, or may not, engage in animal testing. 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. (Note: not all the products listed on this page met our standards for ingredients, so not every product here is listed on our Product Comparisons page.)