WHAT IS THE BEST FOOD FOR MY DOG?

INTRODUCTION

The question will eventually arise whether you’ve just gotten a new dog, or already own one. “What is the best food for my dog?” This may sound like a simple question, but many people don’t realize the importance of this topic when it comes to their dog’s health. A dog’s diet can greatly affect their health, skin and coat. Dog’s with a poor diet can experience itchy skin, coarse hair, greasy hair, flaky skin and much more. These are just the minor problems. Recently, 400 veterinarians gathered in San Francisco at the Iams Canine Nutritonal Symposium. At this symposium, veterinarians concluded that poor dieted attributed to major health risks such as diabetes, rapid aging, cancer, kidney failure and obesity. We all love our pets, so hopefully this article will inform you on proper nutritional practice to help prevent the above mentioned conditions. Please keep in mind that this article is based on my opinion. Always speak with a veterinarian for any advice regarding your dog.

I want to start by emphasizing again the importance of your dog’s diet. Like humans, a dog’s diet is probably one of the most important factors in preventing disease and illness. The impact of obesity in humans is quite considerable. It has been proven that obesity causes damage to practically every single organ in the human body. This phenomenon also applies to dogs. Obesity in dogs is a very serious problem, and can greatly reduce their life span. However, a healthy diet can help avoid many health issues. Of course, there are times that genetics take over, and certain diseases such as cancer cannot be stopped. Nevertheless, a healthy diet can greatly help, but not guarantee, a healthy dog.


WHAT NOT TO FEED YOUR DOG

So let’s get into what you should be feeding your dog. In general, large commercial dog food brands are horrible in nutritional value. They spend money on tons of commercials and ads that claim that their food is “Nutritionally Balanced” or “Scientifically Formulated” to fool you into thinking that this garbage is actually healthy for your pets. They slap on confusing labels to make you think their food is actually healthy for your dog. However, the sad fact is that many large commercial brand dog foods consist of grain with small amounts of actual meat and carcinogenic fats to make the food more appetizing to your dog. If you could only see how this stuff looks before they form it into kibbles, I guarantee you would not think twice about feeding it to your dog. This type of food only acts as a filler to satiate your dog’s hunger. They provide no nutritional value whatsoever. So now you might be asking, “Why would these large companies put so many grain products into their food if it’s so unhealthy?” The answer is simple. It costs less money.

You can easily spot these types of dog foods by looking at the ingredients. If the first item on the list is CORN or some other sort of grain stay away from this food. Also take note at the “Guaranteed Analysis” section of label. If the protein level is not at least 20% and the fat content are not at least 15%; you might want to find anther brand. Also, never buy any sort of dog food that has food coloring added. One word of caution is that extremely high protein diets, i.e. Protein levels greater than 30% are more suitable for adult dogs and larger breeds. Toy breed dogs should try to stick with protein levels of about 20% to 30%. However, always check with your veterinarian for what is recommended.
 

SO WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY DOG?

Essentially, you want to get your dog on a meat-based diet. This does NOT mean a meat only diet. Remember that you also want to avoid grain-based diets as noted above. Meat based diets are foods that have meat as the MAIN ingredient, along with other added vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E and omega fatty acids that add up for a true balanced diet. To find these types of foods, simply look at the “Ingredients” label and take note of what is listed first. If a meat ingredient is listed first such as chicken, turkey, lamb, venison etc., then it’s a good bet that this food is healthy for your dog. An even better method is to look at all the ingredients to make your final decision. Sometimes, the second or third ingredient can be some form of grain, which will make that food less desirable compared to a brand that has a meat ingredient listed for the first 3 or 4 ingredients per say. Ideally, you want to feed your dog a grainless diet. But again, one word of caution is that extremely high protein diets, i.e. Protein levels greater than 30% are more suitable for adult dogs and larger breeds. Toy breed dogs should try to stick with protein levels of about 20% to 30%. Always check with your veterinarian for what is recommended. It is not natural for canines to consume grains or carbohydrates. Some foods may contain meat as the first few ingredients, along with some fruits, vegetables or eggs further down the list. This is great, as long as the meat is the main ingredient. Next, I will give some recommendations on dog food based on their ingredients. The following recommendations are only my opinion. Always check with your veterinarian for any sort of advice for your dog.
 

MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS:

Below are my personal recommendations for Puppies, Large Breed Dogs, and Small or Toy Breed Dogs. I included several different brands in case certain ones are hard to find at your local pet shop. You probably won’t find all these brands at your local grocery store or even PetCo or Petsmart. I mostly see these brands at small specialty shops. Also keep in mind that these brands are more expensive than your usual commercial brand. This is simply because they use high quality ingredients as opposed to “grain fillers”.

Large Breeds

INNOVA EVO:

Ingredients:
Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Egg, Garlic, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Taurine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamins/Minerals, Viable Naturally Occurring Microorganisms

Guaranteed Analysis
Moisture 10.0 %
Protein 42.0 %
Fat 22.0 %
Fiber 2.5 %

 

INNOVA EVO RED MEAT (RM)
 

Ingredients:
Beef, Beef Meal, Lamb Meal, Potatoes, Egg, Sunflower Oil, Buffalo, Lamb, Venison, Beef Cartilage, Natural Flavors, Herring Oil, Apples, Carrots, Garlic, Tomatoes, Vitamins/Minerals, Cottage Cheese, Dried Chicory Root, Ascorbic Acid, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis:
Moisture 10.0 %
Protein 42.0 %
Fat 22.0 %
Fiber 2.5 %

CHAMPION PET FOODS, ORIJEN ADULT