Choosing a pet food from among the many cans, bags, and boxes stacked on store shelves can be a daunting experience. Which formula of food is best? What's the right food for puppies, adult dogs, or weight maintenance? So how can pet owners choose the right food for their pets?

When making your choice, it's recommended that you examine three parts of the pet food label: the life stage claim, the contact information for the manufacturer, and the list of ingredients. This, however, does not guarantee a good food, it just means that the food meets the standards.

The ingredients list on the label is often an area of consumer preference and subjectivity. Pet owners who do or do not want to feed a pet a certain ingredient can look at the list of ingredients to make sure that particular substance is included or excluded.

Some people prefer to pass up animal by-products, which are proteins that have not been heat processed (unrendered) and may contain heads, feet, viscera and other animal parts not particularly appetizing. However, the protein quality of by-products is sometimes better than that from muscle meat.

Continue reading about cat and dog food labels.