What is Human-Grade Dog Food?

Pot Watcher

Knowing what’s inside your Dog’s food is something many pet owners worry about. You want to give them something that you yourself would eat. Something with natural and quality ingredients. After all, don’t we all want our dogs to live as healthy of a life as we do? Well, human-grade dog food is the food to reach for when trying to check off everything mentioned above on your checklist.

The term “human-grade” means that the food is edible for humans. That means the dog food is made of ingredients that are safe enough for humans to consume. But not only do all the ingredients have to be up to human standards, the manufacturing and packaging of the food must meet specific federal regulations. Once both of these requirements are met, the food can then be labeled as “human-grade.” 

Now while all of this may sound great, it is still important to really look carefully at what exactly the dog food is made up of. Just like anything new to your dog, it’s important to do a little research first. The term “human-grade” is a somewhat vague term. There is no legal definition of the term. Because of that, human-grade dog foods are still allowed to contain anti-nutrients, synthetics, and sketchy ingredients. So while some dog foods may be labeled as human-grade, it doesn’t always mean it’s the safest or healthiest choice for your little pup.

Making sure that the human-grade dog food truly is something you would consume can be a bit of an intimidating task. You want to give your dog the best of the best, but it can be time consuming to comb through all the different human-grade dog foods and find the ideal one. However, there are some quick ways to find your perfect match.

One swift way to really make sure the human-grade dog food you are buying truly is something you would want to eat is to just simply read what the ingredients are. If they are all ingredients that you know of, you will know whether or not you would eat them. Seeing ingredients that include a healthy balance of protein, vegetables, and grain are usually a good sign that what you are getting is the real deal.

Another helpful hint in knowing that your dog’s food is up to your standards is to see if it is USDA organic. Those products usually have more thorough and meticulous standards than most others. That means that the ingredients are free of synthetics and are made naturally. All things we want to have our little pups consuming. 

Something else to be mindful of is that human-grade dog foods can be time consuming to feed your dogs. Many of them need time to prepare the food and cause you to clean-up once the feasting is finished. They may come frozen or in a can, so that’s something to consider when picking the food that’s best for you and yours. However, there are human grade dog foods that don’t require any preparation or clean-up. So keep your eyes peeled for that information as well.

Being a pet parent can be just as overwhelming as an actual parent. You want what’s best for your dog, you want to treat them like you would treat your own. Making sure you’re feeding them what they need to keep up with their active lifestyle is important. With so many different choices, it’s hard to know exactly what the best option is. But at the end of the day, human-grade dog food is the choice to make when it comes to keeping your pup healthy and nourished.