Creating the best food diet for your pets can sometimes be a challenging task. Especially for all the dog owners out there, you might be wondering what's the healthiest dog food. Raw dog food is often a popular choice for feeding your dogs. But it is essential to know what are the pros and cons of raw dog food.
If you are a dog owner, you may have found yourself wondering what are the best raw dog foods. After all, your dog deserves the best food available for their overall health. Especially, if you are a new dog owner, it is important to understand- is raw dog food worth it.
Before you introduce a specific diet to your dogs, make sure you learn all about it. Otherwise, the consequences may be adverse. You might eventually end up hurting your pets. In this article, we will help you understand more about the healthiest dog foods. So, next time you are browsing a pet supplies store Scottsdale Arizona, you will know what to pick.
WHAT MAKES HEALTHY DOG FOOD?
Over time, new information on a dog’s diet and health unravels. So, it is always important for pet owners to keep up with the newest findings and research before they select food for their dogs. The range of food options available for dogs is ever-increasing in the markets. While many commercial dog foods work fine, you still need to pick a healthy diet.
Before we dive deeper into what makes healthy dog food, we must first learn about the nutritional requirements for our dogs. After all, when we can ensure a balanced diet for them that covers their daily needs, we can call it a healthy diet. Below is a chart showing the daily nutritional requirements for adult dogs.
Ingredients |
Functions |
Adult Dogs Need |
Kilocalories/ Calories per day |
Daily energy requirements and sustain the normal activities of their daily lives. |
922 to 2,100 |
Crude Protein |
Building and repairing muscles, and other body tissues, forming new skin cells, growing hair, building muscle tissue, and more. |
25g to 35g |
Fat |
Provides energy, producing prostaglandins, the function of the body cells, nerves, muscles, and body tissues. |
14g to 21g |
Vitamin A |
Vision, growth, immune function, fetal development, cellular differentiation, transmembrane protein delivery |
379 µg |
Vitamin D |
Phosphorous balance |
3.4 µg |
Calcium |
Bone growth and teeth, blood coagulation, nerve impulse function, muscle contraction, cell signaling |
1 g |
Iron |
Synthesis of blood components, energy metabolism |
7.5 mg |
Sodium |
Acid-base balance, regulation of osmotic pressure, nerve function and transmission |
200 mg |
So, when we can ensure these requirements are met through the dog’s food or diet, we can call it a healthy food option. Additionally, healthy dog food also needs to be fresh and hygienic. Otherwise, the food will end up compromising your dog’s overall health. The food must be free from artificial enhancers, toxins, and harmful contamination.
Healthy dog food ensures that your pet is getting the necessary nutritional supplies to regulate its daily activities. From fighting off diseases and protecting their health to staying active, a healthy diet should cover it all. And for that, healthy food options step in. They are those nutritious and necessary ingredients that will support your dog’s overall health.
In summary, the right ingredients and nutritional values present in them make healthy dog food. Additionally, the food should be fresh, and free from toxins, chemicals, and unhealthy enhancers. It should be able to support your dog’s immune system, protect against diseases, and keep the dog active. Healthy food and diet will benefit your dog in every way possible.
THE HEALTHIEST DOG FOOD OPTIONS
Now that we know more about what makes a dog’s food healthy, we can dive deeper into available healthy food options for them. It is important to note that dietary needs may differ from one dog to another. It may depend on their physical needs, daily intake requirements, and various other important factors.
As a result, what is healthy for one pet may very well be unhealthy for another one. So, make sure you are consulting with a veterinarian before picking a diet for your dog. Some of the healthiest dog food options are given as follows.
RAW DOG FOOD
The first dog food option to make it to the list is raw dog food. Commonly, many dog owners wonder what are the pros and cons of raw dog food. It is also normal to wonder- is raw dog food worth it? And if so, what are the best raw dog foods that you should pick? Here, we will be going through it all.
Firstly, yes, raw dog food is worth it. They bring multiple advantages to your dog’s overall health. For starters, feeding raw dog food can ensure an improved immune system for your dog. It will help with their digestion by improving their digestive health. Raw dog food is also good for your dog’s dental health. However, make sure that you are not relying entirely on a raw dog food diet.
The best raw dog food includes muscle meat, bone, organ meat, vegetables, fruits, and so on. These food options will help your dog to regulate and maintain its health.
Pros
- Minimal processing
- Enhance immune system
- Provides hydration
- More suited for their digestive system
- Makes their coat shiny
- Nutrients remain intact
- No additives
- No fillers
- Better for dental health
Cons
- Hard to store
- Risk of food poisoning if you’re not careful
- Pricey
FREEZE DRIED DOG FOODS
Freeze dried foods are nothing new. And dog foods when freeze dried add an extra layer of convenience to your daily life. Freeze dried foods need no special storage requirement. That means no freezer. So, you can just keep them in a cool and dry place, for a long time without worrying about spoiling them.
They are also fairly easy to prepare. Just add water to rehydrate them and serve. Freeze drying also concentrates the flavor and smell of the food. This makes the dog food much more appealing to your furry buddy as well.
Pros
- Minimal processing
- Nutrients are preserved
- Easy to store
- No additives
- Less chance of food spoiling
- No fillers
- More appetizing to dogs
Cons
- Pricey
- Sold in small quantities
CANNED OR WET DOG FOOD
In the age of dry dog food and easily available Kibble diet, wet dog food is a crucial component in your dog’s diet. Wet dog food carries multiple health benefits for your dogs. One of the prominent advantages is that wet dog foods can help your dog avoid urinary-tract problems. This would otherwise be hard to achieve to protect your dogs from dehydration issues.
Many dog owners believe that dry dog food contains more health benefits for dogs than wet dog food. However, it is an entirely false idea. In fact, according to some sources, wet dog food contains just as many health benefits and nutrition as dry dog food. Moreover, if your dog is a picky eater, wet food will be more appealing than dry ones. This is highly advantageous for dog owners.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Very long shelf life
- Relatively cheap
- Good source of hydration
- Low on carbohydrates compared to Kibble
- More palatable
- Provides hydration
Cons
- Slightly less nutritious
- Greater chance of wastage
- Expensive compared to kibble
- Has some levels of additives
KIBBLE
While not the most nutritious or healthy, kibble does shine when it comes to price and convenience. Storage is also much easier compared to wet or raw foods. But that’s where their positive side ends.
To speak the truth, veterinarians unanimously agree that kibble or dry food is in fact harmful to your dog. These are high in carbohydrate and low in protein. So, your dog is filled with grains that he or she really can’t process all that well. This leads to less nutrition.
The worst part about dry food is that it is devoid of any moisture. And not only that it also dries out your dog. This causes your dog to suffer from mild to severe dehydration which may lead to kidney diseases. So, it is best to avoid giving your dog kibble as much as you can.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Easy to store
- Very long shelf life
- Easy to control food portions
- Can be used with automatic feeders
- Does not spoil easily
- Almost no chance of wastage
- Crunchy texture is appealing to some dogs
- Very cheap
Cons
- Low in protein
- Can cause dehydration
- Contains coloring
- High in carbohydrate
- Additives
ORGAN MEAT
Organ meats are becoming an increasingly popular food option for dogs. And rightfully so, as they contain multiple necessary nutritional components. Organ meat in the form of liver, pancreas, kidney, heart, etc. are some of the best options to feed your dogs. You can choose chicken, cow, turkey, and so on organ meats to feed your dog.
If you are dubious about feeding organ meat to your dogs, no need to question further. Organ meat helps your dogs to maintain a healthy heart, build strong muscles, keep a shiny coat, and many more. You can prepare organ meats for your dog occasionally as a treat. This will allow your dogs to enjoy one of the most nutritionally dense food options available for them.
Pros
- Very nutritious
- Improves coat
- Rich in essential vitamins and minerals
- Rich in iron
- More suited for their digestive system
- No additives
- No fillers
- Provides hydration
Cons
- Hard to store
- Can spoil easily
SOME HIGH-QUALITY PET FOODS SHOULD YOU GET FOR YOUR DOG
Picking the right pet food for your dog is never an easy task. When you are picking dog food, you must be careful of certain factors. For example, you must make sure that it is healthy and free from harmful chemicals and toxins. At the same time, the food should not create any health complications for your dog. That is, the food must support your dog’s health.
To help you in selecting pet food for your dog, here is a compilation of some of the best and healthiest dog foods available in the market.
STEVE’S REAL FOOD
Steve’s Real Food brings you multiple dog food options to best fit your dog’s dietary requirements. It has frozen foods in both chicken and beef options for your dog. This will provide multiple nutritional requirements in your dog’s diet.
Additionally, you can get goat milk yoghurt dog food from their list. This can be one of the best ways to add probiotics in your dog’s diet.
OC RAW DOG
If you are looking for a wide range of dog food options, OC Raw Dog is here for you. They have some of the best dog food options available in the market. Starting from produce patty to pure and simple goat’s milk, the options are numerous.
If you are looking for a specific produce patty to introduce to your dog’s diet, make sure to look into their list. This way, you can ensure some essential nutrition into your dog’s diet.
FROMM DOG FOOD
Fromm has dog food available in multiple options. They ensure a proper diet for your puppies as well as for the adult dogs. So, if you are looking for specific dog food for your puppies, make sure to look more into their list.
One of the best features of Fromm dog foods is that they cover a versatile set of options. You can choose specific combinations for your dogs like pork and peas, whitefish formula, and so on. From puppies to large breed dogs, Fromm can meet the dietary needs of all of your dogs. Which is why they are one of the best options to pick your dog food from.
BONES AND CO
Bones & Co dog food
Bones and CO are the perfect option for the dogs that need a high fat-diet. If your dog is suffering from weight loss or malnourishment, make sure to look into the dog food options from bones and CO.
One of the best features of Bones and CO is that they offer a 1:1 fat to protein ratio. As a result, you can select dog food from them with confidence. It may help your dogs to fight various ailments and recuperate.
CONCLUSION
There are no perfect answers to what is the best dog food. Every dog may require different nutritional requirements. That is why you must provide a healthy balanced diet to your dogs.
So, next time you are looking in a pet supplies store Scottsdale Arizona, make sure to pick dog foods that will make your dog healthier and stronger.