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There are many reviews out there with different opinions on the best dog food. Some of the opinions depend on the type of dog breed you have.
However, here are the recommended best dog food ingredients that you need to look for in choosing a good dog food brand.
Here is a list of the best ingredients for choosing the best dog food.
Whole proteins: Look for specific named meats such as chicken, beef, lamb, or fish as the first ingredient on the label, indicating a higher meat content.
Healthy fats: Dogs require Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet for various body functions. Look for ingredients like salmon oil, flaxseed, or coconut oil as a source of healthy fats, which are beneficial for the skin, coat, and overall health.
Whole grains or vegetables: Dogs also need carbohydrates for energy and fiber for digestion. Look for whole grains like brown rice, oats, or quinoa, or vegetables like sweet potatoes, peas, or carrots as a source of healthy carbohydrates and fiber.
Probiotics: Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that support a healthy digestive system in dogs. Look for dog foods that contain specific strains of probiotics like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium to promote gut health.
Vitamins and minerals: Essential vitamins and minerals are necessary for a dog's overall health and well-being. Look for dog foods that contain a complete and balanced blend of vitamins and minerals to meet your dog's nutritional requirements.
Fruits and vegetables: Provides essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Look for ingredients like blueberries, spinach, apples, or carrots to provide a diverse range of nutrients.
I would also recommend giving a Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplement to help with your dog's joints.
The best dog food provides all of these proper nutrients and supplements listed above. These are commonly needed for optimum health for your dog.
We want to do the best we can for our pets. But, unfortunately, cheap dog food brands make feeding them right hard.
Some cheaper dog foods pack in a multitude of fillers that are unhealthy and oftentimes dangerous.
With prolonged feeding of these foods, your dog will suffer from lack of nutrition and even increased risk of digestion, immune, and heart issues caused by the low-quality ingredients in their food.
Dogs, much like humans, need three main nutrients in their diets; protein, fat, and carbohydrates. There are different percentages of these nutrients necessary for the optimum health for your dog.
And of course, other factors determine the percentage as well, such as the type of breed, how active your dog is, and the current status of their health.
In addition to these three nutrients, there are vitamins, minerals, and other key ingredients that are necessary for your dog’s health, to provide the best dog food.
Protein
Protein helps dog’s grow and build and repair muscles. Protein also is a key for keeping cell functions balanced to keep your dog healthy.
Most protein should come directly from animal-based meat, such as chicken, fish, and beef. Making sure it is quality meats and not meat by-products as some dog foods have those listed as their ingredients.
Fat
One of the key energy sources is fat, as it is a concentrated energy source and helps your dog to absorb the vitamins and other nutrients in their food.
Dogs that are highly active need a higher amount of fat in their diets for more energy. Also dog’s that have kidney problems require more fat in their diet in order to help absorb more nutrients.
Carbohydrates
There are certain carbohydrate sources that should be included in your dog’s diet such as potatoes, beans, fruits, vegetables, and certain grains.
These will give your dog proper amounts of fiber for your dog’s intestinal balance, and provide proper nutrients as well.
Fiber: Beet pulp is a good example of high-quality fiber. The proper fiber source is impo for your dog’s health and this should be an important consideration for selecting the best dog food.
There are different percentages of these nutrients necessary for the optimum health for your dog.
And of course, other factors determine the percentage as well, such as the type of breed, how active your dog is, and the current status of their health.
So all these need to be taken into consideration for choosing the best dog food
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Orijen is one of the top brands as it offers a natural diet of whole prey animals with unique inclusions of meats, and supreme quality ingredients.
They get their ingredients from farmers, ranchers, and fishermen in their area, located in Alberta.
Their fresh meats go from farm to their kitchen within 3 days and into Orijen food within 2 days.
Their protein is 38% and carbs are 19% providing the top quality ratio for their healthy dog food.
They have no preservatives and include 15% vegetables and fruits in their dog food. Many people consider this to be one of the top dog food brands.
Using fresh and raw animal ingredients, including meat, organs, cartilage, and bone, ORIJEN is the Biologically Appropriate, grain-free diet that dogs have evolved to eat
The only drawback is that they are a bit more expensive. But if you are looking for top quality dog food to this is a great choice for the best dog food.
Blue Buffalo always features real meat as the first ingredient. High-quality protein from real chicken helps your dog build and maintain healthy muscles. Plus they contain wholesome whole grains, garden veggies and fruit.
This formula contains BLUE’s exclusive LifeSource Bits – a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals carefully selected by holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists, to support immune system health, life stage requirements, and a healthy oxidative balance.
BLUE contains NO chicken (or poultry) by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors or preservatives.
This dog food is another meat based dry dog food using a good ratio of protein (38%), carbs (35%), and fats (19%) ratio. They are not quite as expensive as Orijen, and offer more variety with four different lines of dry dog.
ACANA Red Meat dog food is nutrient-dense and high in protein, nourishing dogs completely with whole ranch-raised beef, Yorkshire pork, and grass-fed lamb.
With rich inclusions of quality animal ingredients, ACANA dog food uses meat, organs, cartilage, and bone, delivering the nutrients dogs need naturally.
Grain-free, with no gluten, potato, or tapioca, common in today’s pet foods, ACANA dog food is crafted from whole, quality animal ingredients for a Biologically Appropriate diet that nourishes dogs according to their natural, biological needs
What to look for in finding high-quality dog food:
Any label that says “poultry by-products” is an unnamed chicken meat, and you don't know exactly what you are feeding your dog.
Also, when it says "meat by-products" these are the ground up, internal remains of an animal. Some dog food brands might claims this is good for a dog, however, there is no guarantee of the quality of this.
Here are some expert opinions:
No Corn, No Wheat
“Corn — not appropriate for a carnivore. It is an incomplete protein, contains gluten, and is one of the more allergenic food substances, especially since pretty much all of it is GMO. Wheat — similar reasons as corn.”
Dr. Elisa Katz
Veterinarian
Manage Carbohydrates
“We feed high concentrations of crude protein and fat in dog diets in order that the complete diet fed to the dog is highly digestible. Carbohydrates are very important dietary constituents, but the amount added needs to be managed as they oftentimes will result in lower digestibility.”
George Fahey
Professor Emeritus
University of Illinois, Department of Animal Sciences
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