When you are trying to figure out which is the best pet food for your dog can be a complicated task that in the end still results in you being unsure if you made the right decision.

With pet food commercials telling you that their food is the best it can be hard to decipher who is really telling the truth.

If you plan on feeding kibble to your dog then here are 6 tips to follow.

1. Always read the ingredients. This is the most important step as ingredients may differ from what the front of the package or commercial looks like or says.

2. If the first ingredient is corn or grain then put it back on the shelf and move on. Grain and corn are not needed by our pets for proper nutrition. It's used as filler in pet food because it's cheap and - well, filling. So a good rule of thumb would be to buy a kibble with no or little grain or corn in it period.

3. Look for BHA and BHT in the ingredient list. Both of those are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries. Side note: look for them on human products that you eat as well.

4. Meat should be number one and two on the list. Dogs need meat. They are carnivores. You just have to look at their teeth which are meant for ripping and shredding meat to know that. You want a meat source that is not a by product or such. It should just say beef or venison or chicken.

5. Check the expiry date. Because it is a processed food that is preserved to keep it on the shelf it should have an expiry date. Rancid dog food is not something they should be eating.

6. Check the preservative used. If Ethoxyquin is used you don't want it. It is suspected of causing cancer and you really want a more natural preservative. Yes this will reduce shelf life but would you rather have a cancer free dog or longer lasting kibble?

This is just really scratching the surface of what to look for in your pets food but it is a really good place to start.