What is the best dog food for my dog?
It's not the easiest finding the best dog food for my dog... can you guys give me suggestions?
5 Answers
I have a few key things I always look at when deciding if a food is good or not. Obviously every dog is different and has different needs, small breeds need different percentages of protein vs. fat. vs fiber etc. than medium breeds and large breeds. Younger dogs have different needs than older dogs.
First thing is age-depending on breed size, they may need to remain on a puppy formula until they're 2 years old. There's 3 major age groups-puppy "growth" formula, adult "maintenance" formula, and senior "weight loss" formula. If your dog falls into the adult category but is underweight, a puppy formula may be fed to help gain weight. If they're overweight, a senior formula may be fed to help lose weight. However if they're so severely underweight or overweight a vet visit is best before just changing their diet.
Then the things I like to focus on is ingredients. When looking at meats, you never want to see "by-product" after the meat. Chicken by-product can include anything from good whole meat to bones to beaks and feathers to feet to non-delicacy organs like the intestines. You just don't know what you're going to get and it's almost never the actual meat. Beef by-product can include hooves and fur. Basically by-product is what's left over when the good meat is used for something else. You also want to watch out for non-specific meat ingredients like "meat meal," "poultry," and "fish." If it's not a specific source, even though it's the actual meat and not by-product, it's inconsistent from batch to batch. One batch with poultry may have mostly chicken with a little bit of duck, then the next batch has mostly turkey with maybe some duck and chicken. If that's the primary source of meat, your bags of food will always be slightly different, which is why brands like iams and purina have such a bad reputation for making dogs sick from bag to bag. Then you have to know what exactly ingredients mean. "Chicken" means chicken meat with it's water weight. It isn't as solid of a protein source as "chicken meal." It's a common misconception that "meal" is bad. It's not. What it means is that the meat is dehydrated and ground up. There's no water weight. It's solid protein.
Then for grains-avoid corn, wheat, soy, and sorghum. As for rice, generally rice is good, but there's definitely different quality. The best rice is going to be whole ground brown rice. If you're adding rice at home, standard white rice is a great addition to their food. Anything else is going to be medium-low quality rice. Generally with good brands of food you won't have an issue with low quality grains.
Another thing to think about is if you need grain free. Grains can be a huge allergen, and a grain free option is always ...
The type of food you feed your dog should depend on a handful of things: your dog's age, your dog's size, your dog's health, and, honestly, what you can afford. Age groups are usually split into the following - puppy, adult, and senior. If you have a smaller dog, you probably want to buy food that comes in smaller pieces versus larger dogs that can handle larger pieces. When you consider health, it varies from dog to dog. Some dogs are overweight and need a weight loss diet. Some dogs have sensitive stomach or allergies and need a diet without certain ingredients. Some dogs have diseases that can be managed or improved by eating a certain diet, like kidney disease, bladder stones, liver disease, etc. If your dog does have health issues, I would talk to your vet to get suggestions on what they may recommend. Then, finally, it really depends on what you can afford and what you prefer (dry, wet, raw, grain-free, etc.). In all honestly, all dog food is regulated and should have the appropriate ingredients depending on the life stage and needs of the dog (http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/p...). A lot of dog food that is being sold is advertising to the desires/biases of people and what they believe is best for their dog based on their beliefs. If you have certain brands in mind or tell us a little more about your dog, maybe we could be more specific in our suggestions.
Trial and error. My dog does not do well or grains, or even sweet potato, which is in most hypoallergenic dog foods. Also, when changing foods, do it gradually to not upset their stomachs. Once the new food is subbed in, do not give them ANY other food for two weeks to see how they thrive on that food. Also, be careful of serving sizes , as most manufacturers tell you to give too much which will lead to overweight dogs. Try and find a food with less ingredients and more percnetage of one ingredient. Good luck!
The "best" dog food for your pup will definitely depend on your individual dog's health concerns, needs, and tastes. However, as a general practice I tend to look at https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ and see the overall analysis and rating of a dog food. The main thing to keep an eye on is the ingredient list - anything that starts with an animal byproduct, is of lower quality (ex: poultry byproduct). Additionally, it's always good to see the % protein of the food as well, as cheaper brands typically fill their kibble with carbs and fillers.
Obviously, another thing to consider is your budget. Sure, you can get a 5 star food but it could cost you $100/bag. I've found that Eagle Pack Small Breed (4.5/5 stars $35 for 30lbs) is a nice balance between budget and quality. I put a pump of salmon oil and mix a tablespoon of Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain (5/5 stars $0.83/can ) and my pup loves it!
The best biologically appropriate food is a raw diet. This can be researched and discussed with your vet. Alternatively, a homemade slow cooker meal plan is also better than kibble for dogs. It has living, nutritional value.
Comments
I am in agreement 100 percent with the raw diet, however, most vest will attempt to discourage it. Many of them are NOT pet nutritionists and will go with what they've found to work in their own pets. They are also sometimes influenced by their "food suppliers" which affects their bottom line.
