Since we choose for our dogs what they get to eat, we should know what exactly is in that can of dog food we bought from the grocery. Since we all believe that the key to a good life is a healthy diet, then that should also go for your dog. And natural dog foods may be the way to ensure their well-being.

Recent studies have shown that many of the diseases that beset us - heart problems, diabetes, excessive weight - are directly linked to diets with low nutritive value. This goes the same for dog food: much of what is on the market is heavily processed stuff - designed less for Fido's health than for longer shelf-life and low production costs, with cheap ingredients.

The most infamous of these ingredients that you'll read on the can is "meat by products." As defined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), these are "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents."

Now as if that weren't bad enough, there is currently no strict control over where these by products come from. The AAFCO doesn't specify exactly what animals are used in he extraction process, and there are many horror stories about these sources, most of them documented: roadkill, 4D farm animals (Dead, Diseased, Dying, Disabled), and even euthanized dogs and cats from pounds!

Thankfully, public outcry has significantly lowered the processing plants that accept that last ingredient. But if you really want to be sure, get rid of all your dog food that has meat byproduct as an ingredient, and instead, opt for natural dog food. There are varieties, like Lifes Abundance dog food and Flint River dog food, that use only natural ingredients: meat from free-range chicken, or lamb, or fish caught off the North Atlantic coast like menhaden.

In addition to its health benefits, natural dog food also represents a good bargain: the prices may be higher than your usual dog food, but because of their nutritional value, your dog will need to eat less of it. And of your dog is eating less junk, then he's be making less of a mess a few hours afterwards!

Natural dog food is a great way to make sure that everything you're feeding you dog is good for him, and not just inexpensive but overprocessed, unhealthy junk food. Brands like Lifes Abundance dog food and Flint River dog food contain only the essential ingredients for nutririon, with meat from chicken, lamb and fish, along with grains and other healthy ingredients.