Are you one of those confused pet owners who wanders down the aisles of your local supermarket looking for the best food for your dog? Buying the best dog food is crucial for the health and well-being of your furry friend, and it all depends on the choice that you make. One of the common mistakes that pet owners make when buying dog food is to pick up a product based on popularity or just by reading tag lines like, ‘Complete Well-being’, ‘All Natural’, and ‘Premium’.
However, this can be really harmful for your dog in the long run, as many of the commercial pet foods contain undesirable ingredients like animal by-products and grain fillers, instead of more nutritious meat products. This was one of the reasons for the massive pet food recalls in 2007, wherein a number of food recalls were made by some major pet food manufacturers like Menu Foods.
Top 10 Dry Dog Foods
A question that always haunts dog owners is whether they should opt for canned, wet, or dry food. Due to relatively low prices and convenience, dry dog food or kibbles have always been more popular. Here is a list of the best dry dog foods.
Orijen Adult 6-Fish Dog Dry
This dry food contains salmon and salmon meal which have high concentrates of protein. Other notable ingredients include herring meal, herring, russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, salmon oil, peas and chicory roots. The high fish and meat concentrate along with carbohydrate sources like peas, make it a great kibble for dogs.
Rating: 5 ✰
Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog Food
Established in 1998, Artemis is a popular dog food brand that has a range of good dog foods. The company claims to have an all-natural product line, and does not produce dog food with dyes and chemicals. This line of dry dog food from Artemis contains an abundance of chicken meal, along with ingredients like chicken, potatoes, and tomato pomace in its ingredient list. It is grain-free, and hence, preferred for dogs with allergies.
Rating: 4.5 ✰
Innova Prime Grain Free Dog Food
Innova Prime Grain Free dog food has three flavors, beef and lamb meal; chicken and turkey, and salmon and herring. The ingredient list of the salmon and herring meal contains salmon meal, salmon, lentils, sunflower oil, peas, flaxseeds, soluble dietary fiber, and chicory root. The presence of fish and rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids like flaxseeds make it a winner in the dry dog food category.
Rating: 4.5 ✰
Solid Gold Barking at the Moon Dog Food
This Solid Gold Barking at the Moon kibble contains ocean fish, beef, potatoes, pea proteins, salmon oil, and tomato pomace, among other things. The best part about this dry dog food is that it is free of ethoxyquin, which is a rarity in fish-based meals.
Rating: 4 ✰
Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Salmon Tunalini Dry Dog Food
Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Dry Salmon Tunalini is a plant-based dry dog food, that contains meat sources like salmon, salmon meal, duck meal, sweet potatoes, chicken fat, chicory root, tomato pomace, and pea flour. It also contains whole dried eggs and dried fermentation products that aid digestion in dogs.
Rating: 4 ✰
GO! Fit + Free Grain Free Dog Food
The main protein sources of this kibble are chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, trout, turkey, and chicken. Carbohydrate sources include peas, potatoes, and tapioca. It also contains canola oil and chicory root.
Rating: 4 ✰
EVO Dry Dog Food
This brand of dog food contains a range of dry dog food formula, including red meat, red meat small bites, turkey and chicken, turkey and chicken small bites, herring and salmon, weight management and senior formula. The main ingredients include turkey, chicken, chicken and turkey meal, whole eggs, chicken fat, potatoes, and apples.
Rating: 4 ✰
Premium Edge Healthy Weight Reduction Formula Dog Food
Containing chicken, chicken meal, chicken fat, potatoes, potato protein, peas, flaxseed meal and ocean fish meal, this dog food is a great source of proteins and carbohydrates for dogs.
Rating: 4 ✰
DNA Dog Food (Dried-N-Alive)
DNA dog food contains four types of formula, including chicken, beef, salmon and lamb. The main ingredients are chicken/beef/salmon/lamb, chicken liver, dried apples and peas, dried eggs, and salmon oil. An important word of caution is that this kibble contains yeast, so if your dog is allergic to it, then you might want to stay away from this dry dog food.
Rating: 3.5 ✰
Holistic Blend Grain Free Dry Dog Food
Holistic blend grain free contains a great amount of protein-rich turkey meal and turkey. Other notable ingredients are salmon meal, sunflower oil, peas, potatoes, flaxseed meal, yeast culture, and alfalfa.
Rating: 3.5 ✰
Top 10 Wet Dog Foods
Wet dog foods also known as canned foods, and are dog food with moisture in it. Wet dog food is often considered better than kibble, because it has high levels of meat proteins, less of carbohydrates, and more natural fats. Moreover, it has lesser preservatives as compared to dry dog food, and is often more appetizing too. On the downside, wet dog food has to be stored in a refrigerator once you have opened the can.
Evo 95% Canned Dog Food
A nutritious mix of turkey, chicken, chicken meal, turkey broth, salmon meal, and herring, makes Evo Canned Dog food a rich source of animal proteins. It also contains carrots and whole eggs. This wet dog food contains carrageenan as a thickening agent.
Rating: 5 ✰
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix (Lamb, Vegetable and Brown Rice)
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult contains many flavors. This includes beef and vegetables, chicken and vegetables; beef, vegetable and barley; and chicken, vegetables, and brown rice. The lamb vegetable and brown rice recipe contains animal proteins like lamb, lamb liver, and lamb broth. Chicken, potatoes, brown rice, carrots, peas, along with garlic, are some other notable ingredients.
Rating: 4.5 ✰
Newman’s Own Organics Canned Dog Food
This canned dog food is rich in beef, containing organic beef, organic beef liver, and beef broth. Like most wet dog foods, it contains thickening agents like guar gum and carrageenan.
Rating: 4.5 ✰
GO! Canned Dog Food
Available in four nutritious and delicious flavors such as salmon and vegetables, chicken and vegetables, grain free freshwater trout, grain free chicken/turkey/duck; this food contains a host of protein sources including salmon, salmon broth, chicken liver, and egg white, along with a number of vegetables like peas, sweet potatoes, red peppers, kelp and potatoes. Other notable ingredients are sunflower oil, flaxseed meal, and egg whites. One ingredient which might detract many from the benefits of this dog food is garlic, which is often considered unhealthy for dogs.
Rating: 4 ✰
By Nature 95% Meat Dog Food
This is a grain free wet dog food that mainly contains chicken, chicken broth, and chicken liver, along with certain thickening agents.
Rating: 4 ✰
Dave’s 95% Premium Dog Food
Available in beef, turkey, and chicken recipes, Dave’s 95% Premium canned food contains chicken and chicken broth, which are extremely rich sources of proteins. This food does contain selenium yeast and guar gum for thickening.
Rating: 4 ✰
Evanger’s Hand Packed
A wet food that contains a good mix of beef, chicken or fish, Evanger’s Hand Packed canned food is available in varieties like braised beef chunks, chunky chicken casserole, roasted chicken drummette dinner, hunk of beef, and wild salmon. It also contains chicken, chicken broth, apples, peas, and potatoes.
Rating: 4 ✰
Nutrisca Canned Dog Food
Containing either turkey, chicken or salmon as its main ingredient, this wet dog food also has plant-based proteins like chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Chicken liver, chicken broth, dried eggs, peas, and salmon are some of the common ingredients used in its recipes.
Rating: 4 ✰
Life’s Abundance Canned Dog Food
This food contains two wet dog food recipes like turkey and shrimp breakfast in broth and chicken, and crab dinner in sauce. Containing mostly chicken and crab or turkey and shrimp, this canned dog food is a rich source of protein nutrition for dogs. Oat hulls and avocado oil are some controversial ingredients used in this dog food.
Rating: 3.5 ✰
Pet Tao Canine Balanced Diet
Beef, beef heart, and liver, turkey and chicken gizzard, are some of the main ingredients in this dog food. Apart from these, this wet dog food also contains white potatoes, tofu, and garlic. Garlic is one of the controversial ingredients used in this dog food.
Rating: 3.5 ✰
How are Dog Foods Rated?
✔ Based on AAFCO Standards
The rating for dog foods should ideally have products that meet the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). According to this non-profit organization’s standards for pet food, if the dog food is to be deemed as ‘complete and balanced food’, then it must undergo laboratory analysis along with feeding trials. It is then provided with the label that states that the brand meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles (as stated by AAFCO). The nutrition standard is judged for two stages, the adult stage, and the growth and reproduction stage, which refers to lactating female dogs and puppies. Brands which have had pet food recalls, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, are not included in this rating list.
✔ Ingredients
One must buy the best quality dog food that contains essential nutrients required for the longevity and health of the dog. These essential nutrients include carbohydrates, fiber sources, and protein. You need to make sure that the dog food you choose has these nutrients in required amount. This does not mean you need to include every protein source in the diet. Simple sources like chicken, lamb, and turkey, are better than some unknown protein type.
Whole grains, fruits and vegetables, named fats, natural preservatives, and chelated minerals are good for dogs, while protein fillers, grain remnants, synthetic preservatives, and artificial coloring are extremely bad for them.
Chicken meal or turkey meal refers to the meat concentrates that have higher level of proteins than fresh sources. So, a chicken meal will ideally contain two to three hundred percent more protein than chicken, and is thus very good for the dog. It is also important to note that certain ingredients like duck have around eighty percent water, which is lost in cooking, thus lowering the nutritional value of the food.
Ingredients like brown rice and white rice have modest nutritional value. Some ingredients like tomato pomace, avocado, oat hulls, yeast, and garlic are controversial, as some critics deem them as harmful for dogs, while others think of them as being of good nutritional value.
Watch out for ingredients like cornmeal, sorghum, brewer’s rice, and chicken by-products, all of which have almost zero nutritional value for your dog.
Apart from food for adult dogs, there are a number of popular puppy dog foods like GO! Fit and Free Grain Free Puppy, Orijen Puppy, Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Puppy, and Wellness CORE Puppy. These foods are formulated keeping the puppy’s nutritional needs in mind. Similarly, there are dog foods that are made especially for older dogs, like GO! Fit and Free Grain Free Senior. The pet food recalls has made people aware of the importance of reading beyond the names of the brands. Therefore, now you can see people scrutinizing the ingredients and labels properly. It is important to do so, as you can then understand the fillers and other products used in the dog food. If the dog has a specific health complication, then doing this becomes even more important. Always consult a veterinarian while making food choices for your dog if it has any health ailment or allergy. Knowing about what goes into your dog food can help you make intelligent decisions about what is right for your pet.
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