Healthiest Dog Food

Pet owners always search for healthiest dog food available in the market. The health of an animal is determined by the food it eats. If you too are a worried dog owner, the following article will cover some information on healthiest dog food.

You may have seen many dog food commercials on TV, that show a cute dog, eating the dog food and suddenly becoming stronger, healthier and growing a shiny coat. These ads claim that their products are the healthiest dog foods in the market. But have you ever wondered, are these products one of the healthiest dog foods or do you choose a product based on its face value? Have you ever read the ingredients of the various dog foods and then decided whether you should buy it or not. Most of us tend to associate the commercial dog with the dog food and buy food thinking our beloved canine will too become just like the dog in the commercial. The truth is quite the contrary and one should consider various factors before selecting a particular brand, which will prove to be the healthiest dog food for your four-legged friend. You can read more on best dog food on the market.

Most of the dog foods contain just the same amount of nutrition that you would expect from a bag of chips. If your dog is not getting the right amount of nutrients and vitamins, he will tend to become malnourished and weak. Dog breeds like German Shepherds, Bull dogs, Doberman Pinscher and similar guard dogs, need to be provided with the right nutrients to maintain their physical strength. Not only guard dogs, hunting dogs and herding dogs, small dog breeds and toy dog breeds too need a healthy diet. The stamina, level of activeness, alertness, coat color, stronger immune system, etc. are all based on what the dog eats. So what are the factors that you need to look into before choosing the healthiest dog food in the market. You can read more on best dog food for pitbulls.

Which are the Healthiest Food for Dogs?

When you visit a grocery store or pet shop, you will notice a long aisle containing different brands of dog foods. You will find each and every product with words that are similar in some way, stating the product is one of the healthiest dog foods in the market. They may even be offering you heavy discounts or freebies. But a discount or freebies won't do any good to the health of your dog. Your dog needs a combination of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to be healthy. The best solution is to prepare homemade dog food recipes, but many owners are short of time and choose commercial dog foods. But there are certain brands that are high quality and healthiest dog foods in the market, but are also the most expensive ones on the rack. So, you need to choose the healthiest dog food that is not only good for the dog, but also economical. You can read more on home cooked dog food.

The next factor to be considered is the taste buds of your canine. Just as you have your own fancies and preferences regarding the food you eat, dogs too love eating foods that tastes good to them. If you find a particular taste preferred by the dog, choose brands offering dog foods in the same flavor.

The above two factors are platonic from the connection with dog health and healthiest dog foods. They are two external factors that need to be considered before choosing healthiest dog food. When you consider healthiest food for dogs, find products that offer 40% meat, 50% vegetables and 10% carbohydrates. These are the best nutritional ratios for healthy dog diet. Choose dog foods that offer similar nutritional ratio content. You can read more on best quality dog food.

Suppose the nutritional ratio is not printed on the food product. In such cases, find products that offer meat meal protein in the highest ratio. You should find products with chicken meal, lamb meal and venison meal for your dog. Many dog foods also offer chicken beaks, feet, bones, etc. But these by-products are indigestible and not many reputed brands will offer such ingredients. Brands that follow the AAFCO guidelines will contain animal head, feet and intestines. If you are concerned about the allergic reactions, then watch out for brands that offer dog foods without corn, cornmeal and wheat. You can read more on best dog foods for allergies.

The healthiest whole grains that you can feed your dog are rolled oats, barley, quinoa, millet and brown rice. Many low grade dog foods list meat as the first ingredient, but it contains more animal by-products fillers that reduce the nutritional ratio. It is very important to check out the food preservatives that are added, as many are carcinogenic in nature. You should not choose dog foods that contain BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin. Brands offering vitamin E and vitamin C as preservatives are more beneficial and healthy.

Many people consider a vegetarian diet for their dog. Though your dog will survive on vegetables, it won't help him attain the health a non-vegetarian diet would do.

Healthiest food for puppies should be able to provide twice as many calories, per pound of body weight, compared to an adult dog. Healthiest dog foods for puppies and adult dogs should contain vitamins like vitamin K, vitamin B1, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid and choline. The healthiest foods for dogs should include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium and iodine. These minerals although required in minute quantities are useful to carry out many functions of the body. Deficiency of these minerals may lead to many dog health problems. You can read more on best dog food for puppies.

You also have a wide variety of choices in the types of dog foods. Dog foods can be dry, semi-moist or canned. The dry dog food contains 6 to 10% moisture content and 15 to 30% semi-moist foods. The canned foods contain the highest amount of moisture content, about 75%. When you compare dry dog foods with canned dog foods, you will notice a considerable difference in the nutritional content. This difference is due to the high water content of the canned foods.

Similar to the organic foods available in the market for human consumptions, there are many organic dog foods also sold now-a-days. Do not confuse 'natural dog food' with 'organic dog food'. The organic dog food to be certified as organic needs to be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Natural dog foods are considerably cheaper than organic dog foods and contain food coloring agents and additives. These additives like metabisulfite, ethoxyquin can lead to dog allergy, brain damage and dog cancer. Organic foods are more filling and satisfying than non-organic foods. Organic foods are one of the healthiest dog foods as they really reduce the number of allergies, skin ailments, diabetes and cancer in dogs. Also dog treats and snacks do not count as healthiest dog foods. You can read more on top 10 best dog foods.

You should also consider the age, breed and size of the dog, when choosing the healthiest dog food. All dog owners want the best dog care for their pets. All individual dogs have different nutritional requirement and as a pet dog owner you need to find whats best for your dog. The healthiest dog foods will ensure good dog health and longer life for your dog. A healthy dog results in a happy dog, a happy dog results in a happy owner.