Dog food is often food specially designed and meant for daily consumption by canines and other similar domesticated canines. Dogs are classified as carnivores, which mean they eat meat and other animal-related foods. The word ‘man’s best friend’ came from the German word ‘mensch’ which means ‘companion’. In fact, it was in 1491 that the first edition of the Standard Catalog of Dog Food was released as a reference for pet owners.
There are two classifications of foods for dogs: dry and wet. Dry dog foods are manufactured by using water as the only main ingredient or by using meat as the primary ingredient and using either corn wheat or soy as an ingredient. Wet food on the other hand, are made by using water as well as a variety of grains such as oats, barley and rice. In terms of taste, both types of foods are usually equally popular. It is often difficult to determine which one is the best dog foods, however, based on some of the advantages and disadvantages listed below, you can usually discern which is the best dog food for your pet.
Pros and Cons For the most part, the advantages of dry kibble over wet are that there are fewer ingredients in comparison. This means less things to get sick of, less things to get your dog worried about and generally better digestive health. Meat-based diets may be known to cause certain kinds of allergies, such as atopy in dogs or celiac disease in humans, but the ingredients in dry kibble are much easier to digest than meat-based diets. Also, meat-based diets tend to have better absorption rates, higher protein contents and higher antioxidant contents than dry kibble.
But it can’t be denied that there are many factors that affect your dog’s health and which must be taken into consideration before choosing the right food. So here are some of the top picks when it comes to dog food for dogs that you can find in the market today. Most adult dogs will do fine with a mix of meat and vegetables. The important thing to remember though is to consult with your veterinarian first regarding this so that you won’t inadvertently cause damage to your dog’s health.
If you want to see first 5 ingredients listed on the label of any food, the one that will give you an idea of whether the product is healthy for your dog is the beef heart meal. This product line comes in both canned and dry form and it contains high levels of vitamins and minerals. The best feature of this product line is that it is the only one among the top pick of the dog food manufacturers that come in a complete package with other health-care supplements like enzymes, probiotics and glucosamine. The manufacturers of this product line also offer kibble recipes included in our review of the best dog food.
Another product from the beef heart product line that you may want to consider is the BSE grade. This product does not come in canned form but in dry form, which make it convenient for those who want to feed it to their dogs the same way they would a cat. You can get this kind of dog food at any pet store in the country. The first five ingredients that are found in this dog food are high grade beef heart, chicken meal, poultry meal, fish meal and corn meal. High prairie cranberry extract is also featured in our first five ingredients list. This cranberry extract has been proven effective in preventing cancer and it also helps prevent kidney stones.
If you want to see first 5 ingredients listed on the label of any food, the one that will give you an idea of whether the product is healthy for your dog is the Chicken Meal Dog Food. This product line comes in both canned and dry form and it contains high levels of protein, fat, calcium, potassium and fiber. The first five ingredients found in the dry recipes included in our review of the beef heart diet include: beef heart, chicken meal, chicken broth, brewers yeast, potassium and sodium hydrochloride. The total amount of calories in these dry recipes included in our review of the beef heart diet is 7 grams for each serving.
The cheapest and one of the best dog food brands that offers a comprehensive dog feeding program that is nutritionally balanced is Purina. Although many people have given the Purina name a bad reputation because they do not use any candidate grain-free or whole wheat in their dog’s meals, if you do a careful reading on the Internet and find some great information on the website, you may decide to switch to this brand instead of your other options. There is a detailed buyer’s guide that gives you all the information that you need to make a well informed decision when buying pet food. This buyer’s guide can be printed on a single CD and you can carry it in your pocket or carry it with your dog while riding the subway or bus. Anyone who is serious about their dog’s health should certainly consider giving the candidate grain-free and whole wheat brand a try, since it offers much better nutrition and cost effective dog food.