My Pet World: New book helps owners pick the best food for their dogs

Choosing a food can be overwhelming. Some pet stores offer hundreds of options, including not only many brands, but also food for different life-stages, lifestyles, and specific breeds. Then there's the question of whether to choose moist or dry food, semi-moist or frozen?

"It's enough to make your head spin," says Case. Furthermore, you need to be able to differentiate between what's marketing and what's real. Some terms on packaging, such as "all natural," mean very little. Other key words may mean much more, such as those describing diets appropriate for a dog's life-stage. Puppy diets, for instance, are appropriate for the typically higher energy needs and somewhat higher protein needs of pups.

"If the puppy is a large or giant breed puppy (such as a Great Dane or Irish Wolfhound), there's evidence that they do best with a lean diet and moderately reduced calcium levels," says Case. "The purpose is to moderate the growth rate, in part, for skeletal health, preventing hip dysplasia or shoulder and knee problems which (can be caused by)a very rapid growth rate early in life. For all puppies, a puppy food is a good idea."

Some of the widespread fixation on pet food -- sometimes trending toward alternative approaches -- can be traced to a loss of consumer trust following the massive 2007 pet food recall. Many pets died and thousands were sickened after eating various brands of pet food imported from China that were tainted with melamine and Cyanuric acid. More recently, there have been concerns about chicken jerky treats made in China.

In her book, Case, notes that since 2007 pet food recalls have risen. In 2011, 26 pet food companies recalled 131 products, and in 2012, 24 companies recalled 67 products. If control is important to consumers of pet food, they lose control when products are recalled.

There was an uptick in sales of so-called raw diets following the 2007 recall. These diets contain raw meat, low amount of grains, and are fed frozen and thawed or dehydrated and rehydrated with water. They're available commercially or can be prepared at home.

However, while it seems there's more consumer control and safety with raw choices, that's not really true. There have been recalls of raw diets, too. And several studies point to salmonella concerns, particularly for people preparing the diets.

Case adds that the belief that raw diets best suit dogs' needs because they replicate wolf diets may not be true. Wolves and dogs have different nutritional needs as a result of being separated by thousands of years of evolutionary history.

"The fact is, there are many right ways to feed our pets," says Case. "Just like we can live well and get completely nutritious diets in Japan, (we can) also live well with balanced diets in Italy, though the two diets are very different. What's most important is that we do our homework, become well-informed and learn to see through the marketing hype."

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Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is www.stevedalepetworld.com; he also hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend.