If you are looking for good dog food it is because you probably care about your four-legged friend and you want to give him only quality food and / or that is good value for money. Today it is difficult to find someone who does not like these adorable animals, they have become an essential part of the lives of many, since they would do anything for their master, without asking for anything in return.
Today, in this guide, we will talk about proper nutrition for your furry friend. We will refer to basic criteria such as the type of dog (whether it is a breed or not), age, its physical state and lifestyle. After all the information we will give you, you will be able to choose the right type of food for your four-legged friend.
The most important things in a nutshell
- Not all dog food has the same quality. For example, there are brands Premium (high-end, more expensive and made up of quality ingredients), standard (whose ingredients are not of bad quality, but not even excellent) and generic (usually sold wholesale or by most of the supermarkets). We will provide you with more details throughout this article.
- The nutrition and health of your pet go hand in hand: the more you invest (not only economically) on its food, the better health it will enjoy and so it can stay with you for longer. If you don’t focus on this, your dog may face many problems, both in the short and long term.
- There are dry, moist and semi-wet foods. In today’s guide we will talk a little bit about it in general. If you think you don’t know which one would be most suitable for your dog, try getting advice from your vet.
The best dog food on the market: our selection
Did they give you a dog? Have you decided to adopt one that had been abandoned? We wish you the best of luck, we know that he will be happy and at ease with you. You will already know how important it is to give him good dog food. In our list you can find a selection of products that have an excellent quality / price ratio and enjoy mostly positive reviews on Amazon.
Almo Nature salmon croquettes
These Premium Shells for medium-sized dogs are made from fresh salmon (26%) and rice (14%). Its composition makes this food very digestible and ensures your pet all the nutrients it needs. It is naturally preserved and free of additives and dyes. The package contains 12 kg of croquettes and this ensures that the product has a good quality, quantity and price ratio.
Those who bought it are very satisfied and claim that their dog is crazy about these croquettes. In addition, users have appreciated the fact that the crunchies do not arrive crumbled, but almost all of them arrive undamaged. Those who use it have, in addition, noticed an improvement in the health of their pet’s coat, some claim that I can even lose less fur.
Monge dry chicken feed
This dog food from the Monge Natural Superpremium line is a dry food recommended for large dogs. It comes in a pack containing 12 kg of chicken croquettes capable of providing your pet with the daily protein and vitamin needs that its body needs.
Those who bought it are satisfied with the large size of the kibble so that the dog has to chew them and cannot swallow them whole out of gluttony. Those who use them note that the hair of their four-legged friend is shinier. Additionally, there are users who claim that their animal’s stool consistency has improved.
Natural Trainer rice and chicken
This dry dog food is made from fresh chicken and turkey and rice. To ensure greater vitality for your pet, the croquettes also contain Spirulina algae. In addition, the Yucca Schidigera ensures that the morsels do not give off bad smells. The package contains 7 kg of croquettes produced in Italy.
Those who use it say that their dog is crazy about it, and some people say that the product has helped their animal improve the condition of the dermis (minor cases of dermatitis). Many reviews point out that using this product you can see an improvement in the digestion of the dog which leads to a lower quantity of intestinal gas.
The only dry lamb-based food
This dry dog food pack contains 20 kg of kibble. Its composition is based on lamb and rice and, but also contains other ingredients that help the dog to stay healthy and full of energy. It has no added artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It contains natural prebiotics to support the animal’s digestive process.
The buyers appreciated the presence of biotin and zinc which ensure that the animal’s skin and coat remains healthy. In addition, the vitamin D present in the croquettes helps keep bones strong. Many reviews highlight the absence of soy, wheat or barley who was inside had digestion of the dog.
Monge feed with chicken and rice
This dry food from the Monge Gemon Medium line is specifically indicated for puppies and young dogs. Its composition is based on chicken and rice, which makes it perfect for satisfying the dog’s food needs, but also his taste buds. The package contains 15 kg of medium-sized croquettes.
Those who use it appreciate that there are no additives and dyes in the feed. In addition, users have seen an improvement in digestion and stool consistency. After a few weeks of use, the reviews claim that the dog’s coat not only looks shinier, but also gives off less smell.
Buying Guide: Everything you need to know about dog food
The time has come to answer the most common questions among dog owners. We will clarify the most frequent doubts, offering you adequate advice and explaining everything you need to know in order to properly feed your pet. Doing so will not only make him happier, but also increase his life expectancy.
There are some breeds of dogs that are seriously influenced by environmental changes or their owners’ behavior. (Source: Jaromír Chalabala: 60225334 / 123rf.com)
What is dog food?
Dog food is a food in the form of morsels or small croquettes. Its purpose is to satisfy the food needs of your four-legged friends in order to keep them healthy, both physically and mentally. Your dog’s health has a lot to do with the food he ingests, there are mainly three types.
- Premium feed: It is the highest quality one, so it is usually more expensive. Do you think that if you invest in its good nutrition, your pet will enjoy better digestion. The benefits that will derive from it will be: less gas, better stool quality, good health and, in addition, it will make you feel full for longer.
- Standard feed: Generally it is the most purchased, especially thanks to its not excessive price. However, even if not all the products belonging to this category are of low quality, it is quite difficult to find one with a good quality-price ratio.
- Generic feed: It is the most sold one in supermarkets. Normally offered by private brands, it contains low quality ingredients (since it is made up of cereals, which make dogs fat), and this is especially noticeable in digestion.
How many types of dog food are there?
In addition to the distinction we have already made about quality, there are other types of dog food. When we talk about feeding our animals, we cannot believe that one type of food is better than the other. The secret of a balanced and nutrient-rich diet lies in knowing how to combine different foods, your dog will be happy to try different foods. Although the dry is often more recommended, the wet is much more liked by animals, because it is tastier.
| Kind of food | Features |
|---|---|
| Dry | The best selling product. Usually it has the best ingredients. It is the basis of a healthy diet. |
| wet | Sold in cans containing a lot of water and wet food. Dirty enough and the bowl requires constant washing. |
| semi-moist | It is sold in plastic packages. Often it does not have a good balance of nutrients. |
Why is dry dog food recommended?
As you can see, we only included dry dog food in the ranking. This is because it is the most common and the most accessible in terms of price. It is also the easiest to store and has a good shelf life. Below you can consult a table where you can see the advantages and disadvantages of this type of dog food.
Advantages
- Cheaper than wet
- Remove the tartar
- Not dirty
- It lasts for longer
- Easy to ration
- Better digestion (especially if they are Premium or high range feed)
Disadvantages
- Very dry, so your dog will need constant water
- Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to find a food with a good flavor.
- It can be boring
Is wet dog food quality?
It always depends a lot on the brand. There are quality brands that make excellent wet and dry dog food. It is not easy for a person who is not in the sector to understand what quality foods are. Surely it can help you read the labels. Wet foods tend to be tastier and contain a few more insane ingredients. Also, your dog might like it so much that he doesn’t want to change the type of food.
Below, we will show you what are the advantages and disadvantages of wet feed:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Extra Hydration. | It cannot be left in the bowl for a long time, otherwise it will dry out and go bad. |
| Good products ensure quality food with a good nutritional balance. | It generates tartar and causes obesity because dogs tend to eat more and faster since it tastes good. |
| A good option for dogs with allergies or very old people. |
Is it better to take semi-moist dog food?
It is a very common question knowing that the dry is more nutritious and the moist is tastier. Unfortunately, however, in general, semi-wet food is the least convenient in the long run. Below you can understand the reason for this statement:
Advantages
- Excellent as a reward, as an alternative to snacks
- Good taste and smell, which will make your dog eat more willingly
Disadvantages
- It’s more calorie
- There are many low quality products with consequences for your dog’s health
The secret of a balanced and nutrient-rich diet lies in knowing how to combine different types of food.
(Source: Monika Wisniewska: 58817622 / 123rf.com)
Is it better to buy dog food or prepare it at home?
There are more and more owners who decide, both for the budget and for the health of their pet, to personally prepare food for their dog. There is nothing wrong with this practice, as long as you can maintain a certain balance for the animal’s diet. It is not easy to find the right balance, so especially for puppies it can be discouraged.
Below you will find the advantages and disadvantages of homemade dog food:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It is tastier than dry or wet feed. | Many owners do not control the nutritional balance and always feed their animals with meat. This leads to health problems and a lot of money spent by the vet. |
| More variety in the diet, always if it is prepared well. | More effort since you have to cook the meal yourself. |
| You can experiment with food, dividing and dividing the dishes to your liking. Which cannot be done with feed. | Need to be consumed immediately, as it does not keep well at room temperature. |
| Improvement of stools and “less smelly” gas. | It is more expensive than buying ready-made food. |
What is the right amount of dog food for your puppy?
If your dog is a puppy, you will surely know that his food needs are profoundly different from those of an adult dog. Obviously, as it grows, you will need to adjust your meal in order to gradually introduce the dog food for adult dogs. In the table below you will find a summary of how you can deal with the whole process:
| Age of the puppy | Food needs |
|---|---|
| Until 8 weeks | Breast milk. Starting from the third week, wet food can be added to her diet, so that it is easier to assimilate. From the sixth week you can start giving him food for puppies, in addition to breast milk. |
| 2 to 3 months | Eat 4 times a day. If it is a small breed (like Chihuahua), 5 times better. You will need to buy quality puppy food. If in doubt, get advice from your vet. |
| 3 to 6 months | Reduce your meal frequency to 3 times a day, since you are already used to it. |
| From 6 months to a year | Now your pet eats 2 times a day. |
Food for adult dogs: size and quantity
Unlike puppies, adult dogs are fully trained, so they can eat any type of food. It is for this reason that you will need to adapt your diet to the routines and lifestyles of each stage of development of your four-legged friend. In addition, you must also take into account that the size and weight of dogs is not the same for all breeds. Now we will tell you what your dog needs based on his size.
| Dog size | Weight | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Very small | Less than 4 kg | Calcium, to avoid constipation and tartar formation. |
| Small | Up to 10 kg | Foods with great energy intake. |
| Average | Between 11 and 25 kg | Take care of the skin and natural defenses. |
| Great | Between 26 and 44 kg | Digestible chondroprotective foods, for their joint and digestive health. |
| Giant | More than 45 kg | Cardiac health and antioxidants. |
How much dog food does your pet need daily?
This depends on many factors, as you consider the age of your pet, breed, size, physique, his health (he will not eat the same things when healthy and when he is ill) or her possible state of pregnancy. In all cases, generally, you should give your dog a portion equal to 2 or 3% of his body weight.
In this way, by weighing your pet (which we recommend you do once a month, to make sure it has no problems with being overweight or excessively thin) and calculating 3% of this value, you will get the right amount of food to give it. However, almost all dog food packages include an orientation table, which specifies the quantity and frequency of each meal.
How should you feed your dog if he is overweight?
First of all you need to make sure your dog is actually overweight. For this, we invite you to touch the area of your pet’s side. If you can feel your ribs, it means your dog is healthy. If when you touch it you don’t feel the bones, you must do everything to make your pet lose some weight. This generally happens without too much effort if you do not offer him food when he asks for it, many owners give their dogs part of their meals.
This is not good, since, for example, the pasta, containing many carbohydrates that once assimilated become sugars, causes them to be accumulated in the form of fat. For this reason it is necessary to abandon this habit and replace it with a good diet. Dogs need to eat at a certain time and to keep their feeding routine stable, as well as, of course, to eat only with food specifically designed for them.
Did you know that the dog’s “fingerprints” are on his nose, which is also called “truffle”?
Your dog does not gain weight, what dog food should you give him?
In this case, the problem is not that he has eaten badly, but that he is not getting the nutrients, or the amount necessary for his body. This may be due to the fact that he does not like the food you are giving him or to some health problems such as intestinal parasites. It won’t do anything to supercharge him or to insist on feeding him.
It could also be that this is not the reason, but that the problem is due to an emotional cause, such as nervousness. There are some breeds of dogs that are seriously affected by environmental changes or their owners’ behavior. If you can calm your dog down, he will probably go back to eating properly. Another reason could be that although your pet is eating regularly, it is not getting the necessary nutrients from its food.
If you choose foods composed of probiotics you will offer your dog some food for the good bacteria present in his large intestine. (Source: Phana Sitti: 63687978 / 123rf.com)
If this were the case, we recommend that you upgrade to the Premium range of food, since the food in this category brings many benefits to his health (better digestion and higher nutrient assimilation). He will need a food with 23% protein, as well as a better tasting food. To make his meal better, mix dry food with a can of wet feed.
Purchase criteria
Now is the moment of truth: what you need to keep in mind when the dog food purchases? We will show you some criteria to remember so that you do not confuse you because of too many products, ingredients and brands. Feeding your dog correctly is certainly not easy, but if you really care about his health, after reading this section, you will know how to choose the best product for this purpose.
- Basic ingredients
- Vitamins added
- Reinforcement of defenses
- Prebiotics
- Premium
Basic ingredients
Every time you buy the dog food, the first thing you need to check is the ingredients list. You should know that this is decisive for the health of your pet, since the composition of the croquettes directly affects its state of health, both physical and mental. In the following list a number of nutrients appear, ranked according to the percentage usually present in animal feed.
Protein
They are a basic component in the dog’s diet (they bring benefits to the muscles, bones and the immune system) so the food you choose must contain a high percentage. Similarly, we can make a list with the different types of meat protein.
Lamb: It is among the most desirable foods for dogs, since its caloric and protein intake is very high. Offering your pet a feed containing lamb causes the stool to become more consistent (especially if it is an animal with a tendency to have digestive problems).
Chicken: Helps keep muscles strong and healthy.
Salmon: It is a protein, present in dog food, very easy to assimilate, which promotes the health of the coat and skin. This type of fish also brings benefits to the teeth and bones of your pet.
Grassi
Also known as lipids or oils (and as “ethereal extract” in the scientific world) they are other fundamental nutrients for a balanced animal diet. They are the ones that give a good flavor to food and provide energy. Similarly, they maintain the body temperature and are involved in the movement of the muscles and internal organs.
Carbohydrates
They are sugars and saccharides that, with fats, provide energy. It is important to give your pet predigested cereals, so that they make sure that digestion takes place correctly in their short digestive tract. If this were not so, the dog’s body would not be able to digest the food as it passes to the small intestine and, therefore, it would amount to the large intestine raw. There would ferment and this will cause diarrhea and flatulence.
Vitamins added
Vitamins are an essential component of your dog requires each day. For example, vitamin B is the one in charge to maintain the strong and silky hair. In case of deficiency of this nutrient, you may experience other reproductive problems, nervous system or immune to that.
So vitamins and minerals are absolutely necessary. You must choose dog food that includes vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K that can provide your pet with the right amount of antioxidants, a good amount of calcium and phosphorus (two minerals responsible for calcifying the bones), antibacterial protection and able to improve its views, in addition to other benefits. Fermín SalvocheaSpanish politician
“The love for animals raises the cultural level of the people.”
Reinforcement of defenses
Dogs are not made of steel. Sometimes they get sick, therefore, as for men, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you want to avoid your pet’s health problems, you have to choose dog food that provides these protections. The immune system will protect against bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. If these defenses are not doing their job, could be behind a particular reason.
Abrupt changes in temperature, prolonged stress, contamination or nutritional deficiency could be the cause of a weakening of the dog’s defenses. In addition to the vitamins mentioned above, the adequate nutrients to solve this problem are Omega 3, taurine and lutein. This set of nutrients prevents the excessive release of free radicals.
Dogs need to have meals at a certain time and to maintain a stable routine.
(Source: Damedeeso: 42304648 / 123rf.com)
Prebiotics
They are plant-based fibers that are not digested by the small intestine and that encourage the growth of bacteria useful for your dog’s large intestine. In fact the natural food for probiotics (which are bacteria that live in the digestive tract). Unlike these, prebiotics are not alive, so they can withstand sudden changes in temperature.
So, instead of giving probiotics that can not always be appropriate, you give him nourishment for the bacteria already present in his gut microbiota, and among other things, will have a benefit in regulating the hormonal level. Prebiotics also reduce inflammation, as well as increasing the absorption of nutrients beneficial to the organism of your dog.
Premium
Lastly, we are convinced that it is the right thing to recommend Premium range dog food, even if it requires a greater economic investment, in the long run you will see its benefits on your pet, thanks to the fact that this high range food is treated differently during processing than those of the lower range and because ideal ingredients are chosen and added vitamins and minerals essential for the health of your dog.
Some good ingredients and components are the two pillars that make it so digestible premium food products, along with two other elements: their complete formulation (excellent in fiber and minerals) and their avoid over cooking. Also, ask your veterinarian if your pet needs food for which a prescription is required.
Conclusions
Buying dog food is not an easy thing. Although many supermarkets would like to sell us any product and sometimes we, for economic reasons, fall into temptation, we must remember that in those moments we are not doing the good of our animal. Probably you’ve realized alone and that is why we are informing you about proper nutrition of dogs.
If you follow our advice on food and nutrition, you can be sure that you are doing everything possible to keep your dog healthy. We know that an animal takes time, make the boss does not mean just take him out for a walk, stroke and provide water and food, but also take care of its health. Remember, health always starts from the mouth.
We got to the end of our guide on dog food. We hope you enjoyed it and, if so, remember to share it on social networks and leave us a comment below. See you next time!