Picking best dog food is a tricky topic for a whole lot of pup owners, especially for those people who only recently became canine foster parents. There are so many options in feeding your beloved pups nowadays that many owners end up dazed and confused after a trip to the shop.
However, this state is quite easy to avoid if you grasp the basic ideas behind the different feeding options and diets for canines and the most important aspects that you must be thinking about when choosing how to feed your beloved animal.
3 Top-Notch Recommendations
Before we get into the question of picking something for your precious doggy, let’s go through 3 options, which you can think of as quick and easy solutions to the problem. Every one of the items below is the top of the line in their own category. The categories are the most popular ones, but there are still many more, which you’ll get to learn about a bit later!
Best Grain Dog Food
Kinetic Performance Power 30K is on the greatest comprehensive and seed-inclusive meals for pups out there. It suits all grown pooches and small or medium breed pupsters. The main elements of this item are chicken, its byproducts and fat, 2 types of rice, and sorghum. This feeding option is quite rich with proteins and will suit many pups just fine.
Amazing Grain-Free Option
Nulo Freestyle Adult Salmon is an awesome choice if you want your pup to follow a diet without any grains. The main elements are salmon, turkey, menhaden fish, whole peas, and potatoes. This one is mainly for grown pups with other similar formulas available for various phases of life. It is another variant to make your doggie healthful and energetic.
Best Natural Dog Food
Wellness CORE is a possibility to rid your beloved doggie free of various synthetic additives. The main elements in this formula poultry, peas, and potatoes, and it is an outstanding option for all the life stages of your doggie. This option will deliver the required proteins count, nutritional elements, and vitamins, so, there will be nothing to get worked up about, because your beloved animal will be well-fed and happy.
Buyer’s guide
Although we recommend the 3 options above as your default pick, there is so much more food out there, and some things may be more appropriate for your doggie! Let’s find out what your pick really should come down to between all of the countless dog food brands.
The Necessity
It is widely known that many pet parents choose to give their beloved animals table food. Nonetheless, it isn’t optimal, because the gastrointestinal tract of our pups are quite different from ours, and some things in what we commonly eat, our pooches simply cannot digest. What’s even worse, some things that we eat are basically poison to our smaller friends.
So, our pups need high quality dog food in which each element of the general composition was specifically picked to improve and manage the healthiness of our beloved animals. Choosing to let our smaller friends eat table food will inevitably come to them becoming overweight and unhealthy. So, dog-specific food is essential to providing proper nutrition for pupster.
Grown Individuals vs. Puppy Food
Because puppies mature so much in a short period, their dietary needs differ from those of an adult pooch. There is a non-profit organization, AAFCO, that enforces manufacturers of feeding options for canines to follow specific guidelines. They’re the ones to check whether the items from certain manufacturers comply with their standards (which they developed for different life phases in canines and breeds).
With options for young doggies, you must be incredibly cautious and selective: meals for the youngling are nutritionally more valuable than what we give to the grown individuals. Apart from greater amounts of various proteins, fats, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus, especially needed are the vitamins A, D, and E. Adult pups need more calcium and fewer fats of any kind for an equally sufficient diet.
The Main Factors in Picking
A number of points should be considered before ultimately deciding on some specific company as your main source for doggie meals. Although canines can, without any harm to them, intake a big variety of foods, you still must pick out the optimal feeding options for your pupster. You can only do this sufficiently by taking your beloved animal to a vet for a consultation, and here are the main topics you should discuss with the professional:
● The daily activity. How often do you take your smaller friend outside for a run? Does it perform any kind of labor? This factor will decide the element ratios and how much you give to your pupster.
● Healthiness. Your canine’s healthiness will also be a great factor. The veterinarian can recommend some specific nutrients and elements that your doggie will require to intake in order to remain healthy.
● Age group. Senior pooches, adult pups, and puppies all require differing meals, all with different compositions. Over their life span, their needs change, and this should be reflected in the meals they eat.
● Tolerance to various elements. Not only humans have allergies and intolerances to various elements, but canines also share this trait. Of course, if they have an allergic response to a specific element, then you should remove it from their diet.
All of the Different Kinds
Based on your pupster’s state, you will be recommended one or a couple of feeding options. Here are most of the options when it comes to dog-specific foods:
● Wet. Commonly put inside cans, which you are supposed to cook, and then open it and give it to your pooch. This food is often considered a wonderful option, as it is full of tasty flavors.
● Dry. Usually sold in bags. Although it isn’t as tasty as the wet food, most pets find it enjoyable and eagerly eat it up.
● “Evolutionary”. It is a relatively recent invention: it is based on the idea that the dog’s diet should be similar to that of its ancestors. In this option, you give your pup only raw food.
● Without grains. It simply means that the food doesn’t contain any grains, which are often used by manufacturers as a cheaper protein source. Canines, however, don’t get out as many nutrients from plant-based proteins, which was a call for the creation of grain-free food.
● Vegan. Some specific health problems in your pup may lead you to buy food without any animal ingredients.
● Non-allergenic. This food is specifically for pups that have allergies and various food intolerances.
All natural dog food. When you buy this type, you can be sure that your dog won’t intake any synthetic additives and elements with the food.
Brands that You Can Trust
When you’re choosing something for your pooch, you should be confident that you’re choosing a trusted manufacturer that isn’t lying about any ingredients or food specifications. Here are some companies you can safely rely on Purina, Kinetic, RachaelRay, Nulo, Wag, Blue Buffalo, Wellness, and Nutro. These manufacturers are top of the line and produce the absolute greatest feeding options, even best dry dog food brands out there.
Long Story Short
Ultimately, there is no such thing as “the best dog food” that will suit every pup’s needs. You have to carefully consider the age, level of activity, health, and allergies of your pooch. In the optimal case, you’ll visit a vet to consult regarding the food type best suited for your pup. Also, be ready to switch up the food if your beloved doggie doesn’t enjoy the food you give it.
