When choosing the best dog food, it can be difficult and tricky sometimes. There are an endless variety of dog foods available in the market in which producers claim to be the best nutritious food for your puppy. Hence, if you have no in-depth knowledge about the best dry dog food, it can be confusing to make the right decision. However, don’t worry, we’re here to help! This article serves as a complete guide to the best dry dog food for your pet. Read on to identify the right foods that will suffice the nutrition needs of your dog.
What to include in the right dry dog food?
As mentioned earlier, with all the available brands and producers of dry dog food, it will necessitate considerable research for the best dry dog food to give your puppy. Your primary importance should be the ingredients contained in the specific food type that you choose. In this case, there are ingredients that you should emphasize while others can just be left alone. So what makes up the best dry dog food?
Make sure the food that you buy has some of this ingredients;
- Quality meat such as turkey, beef, lamb, buffalo, and chicken.
- Recommended levels of animal fat. Mostly including and not limited to beef and chicken fat.
- Chicken and turkey meal.
- High moisture content.
- Fresh, whole vegetables and valuable amount of fruits.
- Little or no preservatives, flavors and artificial colors.
- Little or no corn, gluten, grain, and by-products of any kind.
It might sound an overwhelming task, but going through the ingredient’s section of the food type may help you identify the best dry dog food as a source of nutrients for your dog.
Tip: if a dog food contains any by-product, it is not worth your purchase! Instead, go for one that states its predominant protein and meat source.
The best dry puppy food
As a pet owner, your goal should be to give your puppy the best nutrition that enhances healthy brain development, lean muscle and provide energy for healthy growth. For this reason, you have to look for the best dry puppy food, one with quality and real ingredients. This is important to help ease your dog’s sensitive stomach and other allergens. The diet should contain high levels of lean proteins, well-balanced nutrition of healthy fats and calories. Always avoid by-products, food colors, preservatives and flavors. Here are some of the best, top-rated puppy dog food;
1. Hill’s Science Diet Dry Puppy Food
1. This variety is best for large breed puppies. The fact that your puppy is growing to be a big dog, Hill’s Science Diet Dry Puppy Food is enriched with balanced nutrients, natural sources of Glucosamine and quality ingredients.
The food is presented in two specific brands; Chicken meal and oats, and lamb meal and rice. Each variant provides an excellent source of protein for your puppy with natural chicken and lamb flavors.
As the name suggests, Wellness complete health natural dry puppy food offers a perfect balance of proteins, minerals, and vitamins for your little breed. This kibble has low filler content, artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors.
It has been enriched with healthy proteins such as Salmon, oatmeal, turkey, and chicken. Besides, it has excellent additional values of DHA for enhanced vision and brain development.
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Nutro Wholesome Essentials Puppy dry dog food
With other best dry dog food being recommended for either small or large breed puppies, Nutro wholesome essentials is the best puppy dry dog food enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and natural flavors. The brand prides itself on the fact that it has no ingredients sourced from GMO products.
It is presented in lamb or chicken flavors. It has an easy to read ingredient list which makes it easy to identify the key ingredients in your food type.
These are just some of the best dry dog food we reviewed, however, you can carry some little research to identify one that serves the nutrition needs of your puppy.
The best dry senior dog food
As your dog grows older, their dietary needs also change. If you want your senior to live longer, it is important to consider what they eat. If you have a veterinarian, they should be able to recommend the best dry senior dog food brands to ease the aging process of your dog. Therefore, it is essential to know what you should be included in your senior’s diet. Here’s the deal;
The food should be high in fiber and low in calories!
Foods that are high in fiber have been proven to enhance digestion and metabolism. Besides, high fiber diets help in the gastrointestinal health of your dog which could be an issue as they age. Low-calorie foods, on the other hand, are recommended as they reduce your dog’s weight gain. Extra weights are dangerous for your aging dog as it makes it worse to deal with other degenerative diseases that could be affecting him.
Here are some of the best senior dog food that will work with any senior dog;
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Orijen Dog Food For Senior Dogs
This is, of course, the best senior dog food for its unique formulation of high protein content. These include chicken, turkey, fish and whole eggs. Also, it has excellent content on vegetable and fruits plus other nutritious and mineral components.
The benefit of choosing Orijen Dog Food For senior Dogs is that it has been proven to reduce skin and coat problems. Many of those customers who have used this brand have noticed a significant improvement in their senior dog’s skin.
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Longevity
As your dog grows older, they will suffer from degenerative diseases and lose energy for the main activity. However, this is one of the best dry dog food for senior dogs which is formulated to nourish and replenish your dog’s health.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Longevity is packed with natural, easy and complete digestible dog foods that offer maximum health benefits to your dog. It has been proven to aid kidney function and ease your dog’s digestion.
This senior’s dry food is best known for maintaining a healthy weight, proper nutrition and enhance an active lifestyle. It is entirely packed with a right balance of proteins, fats, mineral and nutrient sources, antioxidants and carbohydrates to keep your senior nourished.
Diamond Naturals Dry Food for Senior has been approved by professional breeders to contain omega fatty acids which help in skin health and gastrointestinal problems.
You will find many food brands that claim to be the best dry dog food for your senior dog. However, before settling for any particular senior dog food, it is essential to consult your veterinary. One who can evaluate and analyze ingredients in your dog food as well as dry matter analysis of the best dry senior dog food.
The best dry dog food for allergies
If your dog exhibits one or two symptoms of food allergies, it primarily implies that their immune system is damaged or weak. In this case, the best dry dog food for allergies is one that will strengthen your dog’s immune system, and one with a limited content of offending ingredients.
You will find so many hypoallergenic dry dog foods that propose to ease an allergy. These foods should include and not limited to;
- Little or no by-products especially meat by-products.
- No artificial preservatives
- No filler dog food ingredients such as corn, wheat, etc.
- Limited allergenic ingredients in dog foods.
However, to identify the best dry dog food for allergies, it’s essential to read through the nutritional label of the particular food brand that you buy. The list of components and ingredients will surely state the truth. Most importantly, proper nutrition for your dog is essential in relieving allergic symptoms.
Wrap up on choosing the best dry dog food
Having successfully chosen the right dog breed for your family, you will need to make the right choices for the food brands that you offer your dog. This could be tricky, as you try jumping from one food brand to the next until you find the right one that sticks with your dog. Amid these tests, you will encounter food varieties that trigger allergic symptoms while others may not provide appropriate nutrition needs to your dog.
But the bottom line is what your dog eats. They have to love what they eat on a daily basis! Make sure it contains the recommended and balanced values of food ingredients. If you follow the information provided in this guide, you will identify the best dry dog food for all dog breeds, large or small, puppy or senior dogs and those with allergies.