For new parents who have just adopted a pet, whether it is a dog or a cat, you may be confused about choosing food for them because nowadays, there are not only many formulas and brands, but also grades based on quality. In today's article, Talingchan Animal Hospital will introduce you to different grades of food, what grades there are, and how each grade is different.
But before we start with the first grade, I must first say that this grading is based on the quality of the ingredients, the amount of nutrients that pets can use, and the long-term health effects, which are divided according to international standards.
Economic grade animal feed
It is the cheapest food grade, suitable for those who save money. However, most of the ingredients used are made from grains such as peas, corn, wheat, etc. There is rarely any meat in the food. If it is not really necessary, it is not recommended to buy food in this grade because the nutrition or protein that dogs receive from this grade of food cannot be used because there is no meat protein in the food as the main ingredient.
Standard Grade Animal Feed
This is the most common grade. We often see it in advertisements on various channels. It is inexpensive, widely available, easy to find, and produced by factories with standards and certified by the Department of Livestock Development. Most of the raw materials used are by-products from various animals, such as chicken/cow scraps, bones, organs, feathers, crests, etc., which are not pure meat. In addition, it also contains other grains such as corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, etc. Another ingredient that is often found in this grade of food is sodium, flavoring agents, coloring agents, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and animal feed preservatives that are added to improve the quality of the food.
Premium Grade Pet Food
This grade has a variety of nutritional calculations and is separated into specific formulas such as fur care formula, hairball elimination formula, indoor formula, etc. It uses higher quality raw materials than the standard grade, making it more expensive. It is also food that has been certified by international agencies such as AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), but it is still found that plants such as corn, wheat, and animal by-products are used as ingredients.
Super Premium Grade Pet Food
This grade of food uses slightly better ingredients than the Premium grade. No by-product ingredients are used as ingredients. The main ingredient of this grade of food is chicken meat. It also uses synthetic minerals, making it easy to absorb and adding good fatty acids. It is suitable for people who are looking for food that specifically addresses the nutrition that our pets should receive or for good overall health.
Holistic Grade Pet Food
Currently, it is very popular because it is good for the health of pets in the long term. However, it is quite a bit more expensive than Premium Grade because it is food that uses the same quality ingredients as human food, does not contain synthetic substances, and has very little added flavoring and taste, which reduces the risk of pets getting sick in the future. Examples of meat used in this grade of animal food include turkey, lamb, and salmon. As for plants, they use plants that contain nutrients that pets can use, including various amino acids that help build muscle and develop dogs to make dogs healthier. Some brands may also contain DHA fatty acids. In addition to the quality of the ingredients, Holistic Grade animal food also calculates the nutritional value according to various formulas, just like Premium Grade food.
Ultra-Holistic Grade Animal Feed
It is considered food that is close to the holistic grade, but the difference is that the ingredients of this grade are more premium because only the most valuable ingredients of each are selected and combined. There are no ingredients from animal by-products or grains, making your little one's body healthy and reducing the chances of getting sick.
Grain Free Pet Food
It is a grade that is further developed from Holistic. It still uses the same quality ingredients as human food, but is free from grains that are harmful or may cause allergies to pets. This results in the highest quality food, which of course has the highest price among all grades of pet food.
After we know the grades of various types of pet food, the question that comes to the mind of pet parents now is the necessity of various grades of pet food. How necessary is it to feed our pets Holistic or Grain Free grades? Because the price is quite high. Some brands have an average price of 1,XXX baht per kilogram.
From the information above, it can be seen that more expensive pet food comes from better ingredients and has been well-calculated in terms of nutritional value, resulting in better health. Many pet parents are therefore willing to pay for their pets’ health, to be healthy, rather than letting them get sick and spending money on medicine and treatment. However, that does not mean that eating expensive food will not make them sick, or that they will neglect various matters, because there are many other factors that can make them sick. Food is only one factor, but it is considered one of the most important factors.
Therefore, to summarize, if we are willing to adopt another life, we should give him the best, but it must be based on the fact that we will not suffer from adopting him. If buying Holistic or Grain Free grade pet food will exceed the budget, Premium grade pet food is still sufficient for the good health of our dogs and cats.
But what I don't recommend at all is animal food that is very colorful. Sold in general pet food stores without a clear manufacturer's brand because we don't know what the pellets our pets eat are made from. It means that instead of taking care of them, adopting them is indirectly hurting them.
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