4 tips on picking a nutritional pet food

Stand in any pet food store or the pet food aisle of a supermarket and it's easy to become overwhelmed by all the choices.

To help sort through the choices, here are some tips for finding a nutritional food at the best price from Iveta Becvarova, a veterinary nutritionist with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

• Stick to the correct life stage. Both dog and cat foods will be labeled for life stage. Puppies and pregnant animals need extra calories and fat for growth. Becvarova warns pet owners to stay away from food labeled "for all life stages," because those blends often include too many calories for a healthy adult dog or cat.

"Obesity is such a problem for animals now. Normal adult dogs really don't need the same nutrient and calorie intake as puppies," she says.

• Look for wording about feeding trials. Every pet food package will have an American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement. This regulatory group tells consumers how the food is formulated. The statement on preferred foods will include wording about feeding trials, which means that the food has been tested on animals for digestibility and nutritional balance.

• The order of ingredients matters. Labels are required to list the ingredients in weight order. The first ingredient is the one that constitutes the most weight in the formula. Becvarova says the first or second ingredient should be a protein source — water will always be first for canned foods. Quality protein sources include whole meats and chicken byproduct meal. Organ meats, such as liver, are also good. Pet owners should stay away from foods that list meat and bone meal and meat meal tankage as main ingredients.

• Be careful when making your own pet food. Homemade pet food is a growing trend, but Consumer Reports experts and Becvarova warn that it's difficult to plan a balanced diet.

"There are 40 specific nutrients that your dog needs in order to have a balanced diet. Making your own food is very elaborate. It takes time, and the food is harder to store because there are no preservatives," Becvarova says.

If you would like to make your own dog or cat food, you should work with your veterinarian and a veterinary nutritionist to set up a balanced plan. Becvarova warns that simply consulting Internet and magazine sources can be dangerous because the recipes may not contain all of the nutrients the animal needs.