After last week’s column, I have found several foods made by reputable manufacturers with AAFCO animal feeding tests that demonstrate the food meets the requirements for my pet’s life stage. What other pieces of information can I use to choose between these foods?

Congratulations. Any of the foods you have described will be a good choice for your pet. Going beyond the information you have gathered will allow you to provide exactly the type of food you desire. The most common place to look next is the ingredient list. Here, I look at the first five ingredients and the type of preservatives used.

Generally, I look for a high-quality meat protein source in the first five ingredients. Where that source falls in the top five is less important. A diet listing the meat first followed by four grains may actually have less meat then a diet with meat sources third and fourth. Meat or poultry meals often have more protein and better nutrient density than just plain meat.

Unless your pet has a sensitivity to a specific protein, the type of meat is not very important. Years ago, lamb was considered a novel protein. It was used for pets that had developed allergies to beef or chicken. Because these pets’ skin and coats improved dramatically, many pet owners believe that there is something particularly beneficial about lamb. Now, many pet foods include lamb and it is no longer a novel protein. In fact, veterinarians are increasingly seeing pets with allergies to lamb, just like any other protein.

The type of preservative may be more difficult to find. I look for foods that use tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, as the preservative. This natural approach avoids the chemical preservatives most people want to avoid. Most premium diets offer lines that are “all natural” or that avoid artificial preservatives and colorants.

There are even some organic pet foods that have made their way to the market. Be particularly careful choosing organic pet food. Many of these smaller companies lack the resources to provide appropriate scientific backing and animal feeding tests. Also, the definition of “organic” varies widely among these minimally regulated smaller companies.

I have heard that feeding a homemade diet may be better than commercial pet foods. Is this true?

Absolutely not! Purina, Hills, Royal Canin, and other major manufacturers hire hundreds of veterinarians and scientists to study the absolute best ways to feed pets. Homemade diets turn back the calendar to a time when pets did not benefit from decades of nutritional research. The life expectancy of pets has doubled in the past 50 years in large part due to advances in nutrition.

As just one example, 20 years ago, it was common for cats to die from a serious heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy. Today, the disease has been almost completely eliminated by feeding modern pet foods. I have seen only one very sad case of this disease. That cat essentially died of a homemade diet. To keep the proper balance of nutrients in a pet’s diet, be sure 90 percent of the daily calories come from a balanced diet. Less than 10 percent should be treats or low fat table food.

A study published in 2013 found that over 98 percent of homemade dog food recipes found in books, magazines, and web sites were dangerously out of balance in at least one important nutrient. If you are really committed to the idea of a homemade diet, there are ways to help ensure it will be balanced. One of my favorite services is a website called BalanceIt.com.

Another option is to have a customized diet recipe developed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, like the ones at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg.

Your veterinarian is the best person to help you sort through your options.