Maximizing Your Dog s Health The Role of Gain Pet Food

How to Choose a Dog Food: 5 Vet-Approved Tips & Advice

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As crucial as it is for your pets health, picking the best dog food is rarely easy. Several exceptional products are available, but wading through the complicated labels, brand messages, and marketing tactics can leave even the savviest consumer confused and doubtful.

If youre wondering which products supply the most value and how to make sense of the information, we have tips and perspectives to help you choose the right dog food for your pet.

Top 5 Tips on How to Choose a Dog Food

As the only thing theyll eat daily, the dog food you choose must be nutritionally complete and balanced to fuel your pets activity and promote their overall health. Ingredients are an essential consideration, but nutrients are the central concern.

Dogs are omnivorous and can eat numerous meats, veggies, fruits, and grains. Your pet can enjoy diverse formulas and flavors if they receive the required proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Commercial dog food is often the easiest and surest way to ensure adequate nutrition. Manufacturers work with nutritionists to formulate safe and healthy foods.

The consumers role is to read food labels correctly, assess their dogs needs, and follow the feeding directions to provide the most benefits with every meal.

1. Check For an AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy Statement

The AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement is the quickest way to ensure that a dog food provides complete nutrition. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) establishes nutrient standards for dog and cat foods.

Although it doesnt do the testing, manufacturers can put an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on their products if they have third-party feeding tests or laboratory analyses to verify they meet the AAFCO nutrient profiles.

Dog food that meets the AAFCOs nutritional requirements is considered complete and balanced. It has at least the minimum requirement for the essential nutrients, each in the proper proportion, giving you confidence that youre fulfilling all your dogs dietary needs.

2. Choose Based on Life Stage and Body Type

Dogs need varying nutrient profiles based on their developmental stage and breed. For instance, growing puppies need more nutrients like protein, fat, and calcium to complement their growth and development, while senior dogs may need less fat and protein to prevent weight gain. Larger breeds will need less calcium and phosphorus to promote healthy growth, while small breeds may need fewer calories. Foods will have clear labels like Small breed formula, For large breeds, or Adult stages to help you decide.

Talk to Your Vet to Choose the Right Dog Food

Generally, you want dog food designed for your dogs breed and life stage. Timing the transition from one life stage food to the next can change depending on the breed of dog and any health conditions.

You can talk to your vet to help you decide when to change which lifestage to feed and when.

3. Check the Guaranteed Analysis (and Do the Math)

Ingredients, guaranteed analysis, and feeding instructions are the other essential details on the label that deserve your attention. Guaranteed analysis breaks down four broad details:

• Maximum moisture
• Minimum crude protein
• Minimum crude fat
• Maximum crude fiber

These numbers will be displayed as a percentage of the total weight of the food, including the moisture. Looking at these percentages on a dry matter basis by removing the moisture can significantly affect how much each nutrient stacks up in the formula.

How to Calculate Dry Matter Percentages

Calculating the true nutrient concentration on a dry matter basis lets you compare foods more accurately. To calculate the dry matter concentrations, subtract the products moisture percentage from 100. Then, divide the nutrient percentage by the dry matter percentage and multiply by 100 to get the rough percentage of that nutrient on a dry matter basis.

Consider a dry dog food product with 10% moisture and 24% protein:

• 100% 10% moisture = 90% dry matter
• 24% protein/90% dry matter = 26.67% protein on a dry matter basis

You can see that the percent protein is higher on a dry matter basis than it is as a percentage of the complete weight of the food.

4. Check the Ingredients

The ingredients include everything that is in the dog food, listed by concentration in descending order based on weight. Look for high-quality protein sources as the primary components while avoiding sketchy ingredients like the following:

• Generic ingredients like fish meal or poultry by-product that dont define a species
• Meat by-product as the first source of protein
• Non-animal ingredients as the top protein
• Refined grains like white flour

The preservatives and additives toward the end of the ingredient list can be tricky to judge. Though manufacturers add them in amounts determined to be safe, this is one of the most crucial areas for many pet owners to consider when feeding their dogs the healthiest diet possible.

When youre unsure about any of the ingredients, research the risks online and contact your vet.

5. Decide on the Food Format (Dry, Wet, Etc.)

Manufacturers provide more food options than ever and strive for the most natural, healthy, and palatable products.The dog food formula that you choose can significantly impact your dogs eating habits, your finances, and everyones overall satisfaction.

Dry Dog Food

Dry dog food is the most cost-effective and popular dog food. Ingredients are mashed together and extruded (cooked and shaped), a process that can reduce nutrient quality and palatability. Regardless, dry dog food that meets AAFCO standards will be as nutritious as necessary, so you can be confident feeding it to your pet.

Dry dog food encourages chewing to help prevent dental disease and is easier to portion to multiple dogs according to varying schedules.

• Our Pick: Open Farm Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food

Open Farm Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food comes from a company focused on sourcing and sustainability. Responsibly raised meat sources combine with wholesome grains in various GMO-free recipes to supply a rich blend of high-quality proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Wet Dog Food

Wet dog food is a little pricier and less convenient than dry food, but its an excellent way to hydrate your dog and offer them a more tantalizing meal. Canned foods are gentler for dogs with dental problems and typically have a stronger smell and taste.

• Our Pick: Honest Kitchen One Pot Stews

The Honest Kitchen One Pot Stews boast human-grade ingredients to supply complete and balanced nutrition in a highly palatable format. There are no feed-grade components, meat meals, artificial preservatives, or low-grade fillers. The product is kettle-cooked in small batches, retaining maximum flavor and health benefits to satisfy dogs and their owners.

Freeze-Dried Dog Food

Freeze-drying dog food removes moisture without heat, making it an excellent way to add shelf life to raw diets. Though pricey, these formulas retain crucial nutrients that traditional commercial preparation can degrade.

Theyre highly nutritious and digestible, maximizing the foods benefits, and you can feed them as a meal or topper.

• Our Pick: Vital Essential Freeze Dried Raw Mini Nibs

Vital Essential Freeze Dried Raw Mini Nibs is a meat-heavy raw food featuring limited ingredients with no fillers or artificial additives. Ethically sourced components work together in a complete and balanced blend, promoting strong muscles, improved GI function, and healthy skin, teeth, and coats.

Final Thoughts

Every pet is different, and although checking labels and researching brands is critical in choosing a dog food, your dogs response to it will be more significant than anything. You can monitor your dog for an appropriate body condition, a healthy hair coat, upbeat energy, and healthy digestion and stools while ensuring they enjoy the taste of the food and dont show any allergic reactions.

You have plenty to consider when choosing the best dog food, and several brands will likely work well for your dog. By following these tips and working with your vet, you can easily find a trustworthy product.

Featured Image Credit: BearFotos, Shutterstock

How to Choose the Best Dog Food

In an ideal world, all dog food would be created equal. Instead, dog owners are presented with an overwhelming array of options, all claiming to be the best dog food on the market. Wading through these choices to find a dog food brand that is healthy, affordable, and appealing to your pet is often frustrating. Weve compiled expert advice to help you narrow down your options.

What Makes a Dog Food Good?

Most people feed their dogs dry kibble or canned wet food. These processed foods might not be appealing to us, but they contain all of the nutrients dogs need to stay healthy. Quality commercial dog foods are highly regulated and have undergone rigorous testing by veterinary specialists. So what exactly is in these dog foods?

Dogs, unlike cats, are not strict carnivores. While meat makes up the majority of their diet, domestic dogs can also derive nutrients from grains, fruits, and vegetables. These non-meat foods are not simply fillers, but can be a valuable source of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A good dog food will contain meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits. The best dog foods contain high-quality versions of these ingredients that are appropriate for your dogs digestive system.

Dog Food Nutrition

The best dog food for your canine companion should meet his nutritional needs. While most commercial dog food brands are specially formulated with at least the minimum nutritional requirements for dogs, it is important to remember that not every dog has exactly the same nutritional needs.

Dogs require a wide range of nutrients in different quantities over the course of their lives. The nutritional needs of a puppy are different from an adult dog, which is why it is a good idea to feed a puppy formula or an all life stages food to your young dog. If you are unsure about the differences in nutritional requirements between puppies and adults, the Merck Veterinary Manual lists the recommended nutrients for dogs, along with the recommended amount by weight and age. Large breed dogs and puppies have different nutritional requirements than small breed dogs and puppies.

Dog Food Myths and Misinformation

There are plenty of dog food myths and misinformation about dog nutrition on the Internet. You can sort through it by following one simple rule: check your sources. Many well-meaning individuals make claims about dog nutrition without backing them up with scientific evidence. As you do research, always check to see if the information is supported by a credible source, like a veterinarian, canine nutritionist, or scientific study. It never hurts to be skeptical, either. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Many people have questions about grain-inclusive orgrain-free dog food, pea-free dog food, or dog foods containing animal byproducts. If your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy caused by grains, you may choose a grain-free diet under the guidance of your veterinarian. For most dogs, grains are actually a source of wholesome nutrients. Quality animal byproducts are also nutritious. These include organ meats and entrails, which often contain more nutrients than the muscle meat consumed by humans. Regulated byproducts do not include hooves, hair, floor sweepings, intestinal contents, or manure. As with any pet-related inquiry, feel free to discuss your concerns about your dogs food with your veterinarian.

How to Read a Dog Food Label

One way to decipher a good dog food from a bad dog food is to read the label. This is easier said than done, as labels can be hard to read, both due to the small print and just plain awkwardness of handling big bags of dog food in the store! But labels can also be misleading, as the Merck Veterinary Manual explains. Dog food labels are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to tell you eight key pieces of information, and individual states may also have their own labeling requirements:

• Product name
• Net weight of the product
• Name and address of the manufacturer
• Guaranteed analysis
• List of ingredients
• Intended animal species (i.e. dog or cat)
• Statement of nutritional adequacy
• Feeding guidelines

Product Name

The product name alone tells you a lot about whats inside the can or bag. The term beef means that beef must make up at least 70 percent of the entire product. The terms beef dinner, beef entre, or beef platter, on the other hand, only require that beef makes up at least 10 percent of the entire product. With beef only requires that 3 percent of the total product be beef, and beef flavor simply implies that there is enough beef in the product to flavor it (less than 3 percent). The same holds true for other named ingredients like chicken.

Ingredients

The ingredient list on a dog food label will not tell you the quality of the ingredients or where they came from, and some manufacturers split up the ingredients to make the distribution more equal. For instance, different types of corn, such as flaked corn, ground corn, or kibbled corn, can be listed separately. This bumps corn down on the list of ingredients, even though the actual content of corn in the food is high. Meat is another tricky ingredient. Whole meats contain a large percentage of water weight, which means that the overall percentage of meat after processing is lower than it appears. Meat meal, on the other hand, sounds less appealing to people, but actually contains more meat than whole meats, as there is no water weight to throw off the calculation.

While the ingredient list might not tell you the quality of the ingredients, it does tell you what is in the food. This is especially important for dogs with special dietary needs or allergies and is also useful for owners who wish to feed their dogs specific sources of fiber, protein, and carbohydrates.

Complete and Balanced Dog Foods

One of the first things you should look for on a dog food label is the statement (Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. This isnt just an advertising slogan. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has strict requirements to make sure that a product is in fact complete and balanced for dogs (or cats). Complete and balanced diets must contain the minimum amount of all of the nutrients necessary for dogs, which is also indicated in the guaranteed analysis. This analysis gives the minimum amount of crude protein and fat, along with the maximum amounts of water and crude fiber. The analysis does not, however, give the exact amount of these components, which means there is room for considerable variation. The manufacturers average nutrient profile is often a better tool for evaluating a product.

You can always contact the dog food company directly to get more information about its product. A reputable company that has your dogs interests at heart should be happy to answer your questions and in many cases will give you more information than what is available on the website or product label. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has a helpful sheet with questions you can ask a company representative.

Best Dog Food for Small and Large Breeds

Small breed dogs and large breed dogs have different nutritional needs. Large breed dogs are more prone to musculoskeletal problems than smaller breeds, and so they often require large-breed dog food with different balances of certain nutrients to promote musculoskeletal health, especially as puppies. Small breed dogs, on the other hand, can choke on large-sized kibble and have their own nutritional requirements that can be accommodated with a small-breed dog food. Research your dogs breed to find out if there are any additional nutritional requirements you should be aware of.

Best Dog Food for Puppies

The nutritional needs of dogs vary throughout their life. Puppies have different nutritional needs than adult dogs, and senior dogs have their own nutritional considerations. Most dog food companies carry specially formulated puppy foods for each stage of a dogs life, making it easier to narrow down your choices. If you are concerned about which is the best dog food for your dogs life stage, consult your veterinarian to see what stage food is appropriate for your dog.

Your puppy requires a different nutrient balance than an adult dog. This is especially true for large breeds. Feeding a large breed puppy food can help, as their growth needs to be monitored carefully to prevent bone and joint problems. Other puppies do well on both puppy food and food labeled for all life stages. The best food for your puppy depends on your puppys size and breed. Always consult your veterinarian for recommendations on puppy feeding, and advice on how to switch puppies to adult dog food.

Best Dog Food for Senior Dogs

Senior dogs, usually considered 7+, vary in their individual nutritional needs. Younger senior dogs may struggle with being overweight and older senior dogs may struggle with being underweight, which is why there is such a variety.

Choosing the best senior dog food may come down to what your dog finds palatable. Many older dogs prefer wet food while others may need their food warmed up to enhance the aromas. Ultimately, your vet can help choose the best dog food for an older pet.

Best Food for Dogs With Special Dietary Needs

Allergies, sensitive stomachs, and dietary restrictions affect dogs, as well as people. Feeding dogs with special dietary needs can be tricky. Your best course of action is to consult your veterinarian for advice about the dog food that best helps with their condition.

Best Dry Dog Food

The most widely available and affordable dog food is dry dog food. Dry dog food does not require refrigeration, which is its main advantage over wet dog food, as it contains approximately 90 percent dry matter and 10 percent water. This makes it easy to store. Dry dog food is made by combining and cooking ingredients like meat and grains. This process converts the starches in the food into an easily digested form, while also destroying toxins and flash sterilizing the ingredients. There are many different varieties of dry dog food on the shelves. The best dry food for your dog depends on your dogs dietary needs. In general, a higher quality dry dog food that contains the appropriate ingredients for your dogs life stage and breed is the best choice, but talk to your vet or veterinary nutritionist about the healthiest choice for your pet.

Best Wet Dog Food

Wet dog food, or canned dog food, is a perfectly viable alternative to dry dog food. While generally slightly more expensive, wet dog food is more palatable than dry food and can help stimulate the appetite of picky eaters. Wet dog food contains many of the same ingredients as dry dog food, but not in the same quantities. Wet food contains higher amounts of fresh meat, poultry, fish, and animal byproducts, along with more textured proteins derived from grains. Canned dog food has a long shelf life, however it must be refrigerated once opened. The best wet food for your dog, just as with dry dog food, depends on your dogs life stage, breed, and any special dietary needs or allergies. Talk to your vet about the wet dog food that he recommends for your pet.

How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

Dog obesity is a growing concern in the veterinary community and has been linked to many health problems in dogs. Luckily for our pets, we are usually more disciplined about controlling their diets than we are about controlling our own. Knowing how much to feed your dog and what healthy dog weight looks like can be tricky. Many owners accidentally overfeed their pets, which is why it is important to take your dog in for regular checkups and to talk with your vet about appropriate portions. The guidelines on the back of the bag are just that guidelines. Some dogs may require more than the recommended amount, whereas others require much less. Activity level, time of year, nursing, illness, and more factors can all impact how much a dog needs to eat. Dog people will often advise that you should feed the dog thats in front of you instead of strictly adhering to dog food serving size guidelines that may or may not be exactly what your dog needs.

Choosing the Best Dog Food

The best dog food for your dog is ultimately up to you to decide. As an owner, you are the one who sees your dog on a regular basis. If your dog produces firm, healthy stool, is active and fit, and has a healthy appetite, then your dog food is probably working just fine.

Your veterinarian is a valuable resource to you during this process. They know more about pet nutrition than the average owner, and they also have access to research and resources that owners do not have. Your vet can help you narrow down your options and should be more than happy to help you find the answers to your questions about your dogs food.