This post includes information about the different types of dog food available as well as how to transition your dog to a new food, where to buy, feeding guideline suggestions and links to helpful websites for more information.
I am a bit of a health freak when it comes to dog food. It's actually kind of funny, my friends always joke that my dogs get fed better than I do! I am not a canine nutritionist and in no way am I presenting that I know everything there is to know about dog food. Everyone has their own opinion and in no way am I pointing out that one type of food is better than the other. Every dog is different and what works great for my dogs may not be the same result for your dog. This article is just to help educate other pet owners like myself about the different types of pet food available and what to look for.
DRY KIBBLE
Dry Kibble is the most common type of food people feed their dogs. There are many different brands of dry dog foods and they are usually available in every pet related store as well as supermarkets and other big chain stores.
Dry Kibble is the most common type of food fed to dogs because it's easy! You buy a bag, measure out the quantity to feed your dog, put it in a bowl and you're done! What a lot of people don't know is what is in the food they are feeding their dogs.
What to look for? Take a look at the ingredient list on the back of the bag. The first ingredient should be a NAMED meat product. Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, etc. You'd be surprised that many foods don't even have a named meat product. It just says "MEAT"! Well, what kind of meat? Who knows! It could be roadkill for all we know!
Avoid foods that list corn as the first ingredient. (Corn, whole grain corn, corn meal, ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, corn gluten, etc)
Avoid foods that have the word "by-product"or "preservatives". By-Product pretty much means that it can include, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, stomachs, intestines, eyeballs, etc! The only 3 parts of the animal it cannot include is hair, horns, teeth and hoofs!
Also avoid some ingredients ending in "meal". Ingredients with these words are low quality and not good for your dogs health. Here are some of the more popular named ingredients to avoid:
ALL By-Products
Common Preservatives to avoid:
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) - known to cause kidney and liver dysfunction
BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene) - known to cause kidney and liver dysfunction
Ethoxyquin - suspected of causing cancer.
Propylene glycol (also used as automotive antifreeze) causes destruction of red blood cells.BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene) - known to cause kidney and liver dysfunction
Ethoxyquin - suspected of causing cancer.
Common ingredients ending in "meal" that should be avioded:
Beef & Bone Meal
Pork & Bone Meal
Blood Meal
Corn Gluten Meal
Fish Meal
Liver Meal
Meat Meal
Poultry Meal
Soybean Meal
You may also want to venture out into GRAIN-FREE foods. A good majority of dogs with food allergies are allergic to GRAINS! Feeding a grain-free diet means you should also feed LESS as there are no fillers and are higher in protein.
Here is a list of some brands that we recommend (just a few, there are many more!):
Natural Balance
Canidae
Natures Variety
Before Grain
Orijen
Acana
Solid Gold
Taste of the Wild
Most of these foods are available locally at petco, petsmart, or other "boutique" pet stores.
CANNED FOOD
Canned dog food is probably just as popular as dry kibble. Canned food is great for finicky eaters as it is more flavorful than dry kibble. Canned dog food is also less processed and usually contain no synthetic preservatives due to the air tight packaging. Canned food also tends to contain higher values of protein, moisture and vitamins. Some premium brand canned foods are actually healthier than dry kibble.
Just like the Dry Kibble Ingredient Labels, you'll want to look at the ingredients on the cans and avoid the same ingredients listed in the dry kibble section.
HOME COOKED MEALS
If you have the time ad money to do so, why not?! Home cooked meals for dogs became quite popular within the past few years after the commercial food recalls.
The most important part of preparing home cooked meals for your dog is that it is a complete and well balanced diet for your dog.
Many people who feed home cooked meals meet with canine nutritionists to develop a diet that will complete and fulfill their dogs needs. It is important that the home cooked diet contains proper percentages of a protein source, carbohydrate source, sufficient vitamins and minerals, and some fat.
I am only aware of one local company that prepares "home cooked" meals for dogs. You can pick up locally or if you live within their delivery range, they will deliver to your home. Click here for Just Food For Dogs
There are many different types of RAW diets available today. Some commercial RAW foods are usually frozen, dehydrated or freeze-dried.
Frozen RAW Foods usually come in patty form and have a main source of protein, bones, organs, eggs, vegetables, fruits and oils. You just defrost the patties and serve RAW.
Freeze-Dried RAW foods can come in powder form like the Dehydrated RAW or in dry patty form. The Freeze-Dried RAW diet is RAW without the moisture. The difference between Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried is the process in which the water is removed.
Some commercial RAW foods we recommend:
There is a very helpful "Dry Dog Food Review" site. They rate dog foods by stars (1 being the worst and 6 being the best) and explain their reasoning of why they rated the food. Click Here to View the Dog Food Analysis Website
RAW
There are many different types of RAW diets available today. Some commercial RAW foods are usually frozen, dehydrated or freeze-dried.
Frozen RAW Foods usually come in patty form and have a main source of protein, bones, organs, eggs, vegetables, fruits and oils. You just defrost the patties and serve RAW.
Dehydrated RAW foods are in powder form. You add warm water, stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes to hydrate. After it has hydrated for a few minutes, it has a thick stew type consistency.
Freeze-Dried RAW foods can come in powder form like the Dehydrated RAW or in dry patty form. The Freeze-Dried RAW diet is RAW without the moisture. The difference between Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried is the process in which the water is removed.
One of the more common mistakes pet owners new to feeding RAW make is switching the protein source too quickly. Switching it at every meal. You do not have to change the protein source at every meal. They can eat the same raw diet everyday and do fine! Owners who feed raw usually also add vitamins and supplements for a complete and balanced diet.
Some commercial RAW foods we recommend:
Nature's Variety Instinct (Frozen & Freeze-Dried)
Stella & Chewys (Frozen & Freeze-Dried)Grandma Lucys (Freeze-Dried)
The Honest Kitchen (Dehydrated)
Ziwi Peak (Air-Dried)
***How to transition your dog from one food to another - The transition period is very important. If you switch your dogs food too suddenly, it can give them an upset stomach. The transition period usually takes about 1 week. You will gradually increase the amount of new food to old food until your dog is eating all new food. A good guideline I go by is: Day 1 & 2 - 1/4 portion new, 3/4 portion old. Day 3 & 4 - 1/2 Portion new, 1/2 portion old. Day 5 & 6 - 3/4 portion new, 1/4 portion old. After that, feed all new food.
It may take some trial and error before you find a food that your dog does really well on. What I do when trying out a new food is buying the smaller 5 or 6 lb. bags. If they like it, I'll purchase the big bag, if they aren't doing well on it, I donate it to the local shelter and haven't wasted a ton of money. All of my dogs cannot handle dry foods that are higher than 32% Protein. If its any higher than 32%, it is too rich for them and they get very gassy and have soft stools. Not one dog food is good for every dog. Choose a dog food diet that your dog likes and does well on.
Feeding Guidelines:
Most people look at the back of the dog food bag and use the daily feeding guidelines suggested for their dog based on weight, age, and activity. Like humans, it is much easier for us to GAIN weight than LOSE it! The same goes for our dogs. With Pet Obesity being one of the fastest growing diseases in America, this is something to really think about! There was an article I read from Association for Pet Obesity Prevention that stated over 50% of pets in America are overweight. Studies show that pets that are overweight lose an average of 2 years off their life.
When deciding how much to feed your dog, think about how much exercise your dog gets each day and if your dog gets any additional treats. The more active your dog is, the more energy and calories they burn. You should feed your dog to make sure that they are getting enough nutrients to keep them healthy and fit. If your dog is a couch potato and just lounges all day, you can feed less as they are not using as much energy and not burning as many calories.
How can you tell if your dog is overweight? Your dog should have a waist! You should also be able to feel some ribs when you run your hand across the side of your dog. If you can't feel any rib bones, the dog could probably lose some weight. If you can feel or see fat in places that are unusual - they should lose some weight. (IE: Fat on the chest, fat on the base of the tail, etc) My vet always says "Some rib is better than no rib". If you can see the backbone or hip bones, that is probably too skinny and your dog could gain some weight. Click Here to try the Pet Weight Translator
How often should you feed your dog? There are many different options. A lot of people "free feed", which means they leave food out all the time for their dog. The only problems I see with this method is that your dog isn't 100% potty trained, it's hard to estimate when the dog will need to potty.
Other people feed once a day in the morning or in the evening - If you have a giant dog, I DO NOT recommend feeding once a day. Larger dogs are more prone to bloating and feeding a large amount of food at one time may potentially cause your dog to bloat. There are also specific breeds that are more likely to bloat. (click here to learn more about bloat) Another issue I have experienced with feeding once a day is that the stomach goes empty due to no food intake for a long period of time and can sometimes cause them to throw up bile.
Majority of people feed twice a day. This helps keep the dogs stomach happy! Also, if the dog does a lot of activity after breakfast, they can re-charge with dinner instead of running on empty until the following day.
Some people feed three times a day, mostly common with puppy owners or with large breed dogs. Puppies are growing and normally eat more during puppy hood than when they are adults. Puppies need the extra nutrition to grow. Large dog breeds get fed 3 times a day to prevent bloating.
How to help my dog lose weight without starving them?! - There are many different options besides lowering the amount of food intake to help your dog lose weight. You can search for types of food that have less fat and calories. You can supplement part of their meal with vegetables or fruits. For example, If you normally feed 1 1/2 cups twice a day, feed 1 cup + 1/2 cup of green beans twice a day. Your dog is getting the same amount of food, but taking in less calories. You could also make your dog work for their meals. Use their meals as treats for training sessions. So they are getting their meal, but also learning and being more active. (A great way to build a stronger bond too!)
You will also want to keep track of treats. A lot of people don't realize that the extra couple treats your dog gets throughout the day may be part of your dogs weight issue. If your dog has training class at night, you don't want to fill them up with treats in class and then feed them dinner when you get home. Instead, try using their dinner as the treats in class, or give them less for dinner.
Romi's Personal Experience & Advice:
Dry Kibble: I like to change the protein source of my dogs' diet every 3-4 months. If I was feeding a kibble with a main protein source of Beef, I would switch to Fish, Duck, Chicken, etc for the next few months. Right now my dogs' food rotation is: Before Grain Buffalo, Acana Pacifica, Canidae Pure Sky. I like to rotate the protein source so that they get a variety throughout their life and also help reduce any chances of developing a food allergy.
Canned: I occassionaly add a small amount of canned food to their dry dog food. Canned food is rich, and my dogs can't handle rich! So if I add canned, I only give small amounts to keep the gassyness to a minimum!
Home-Cooked Meals: The only time I feed home cooked meals is when my dogs have an upset stomach. I feed a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days. I would love to feed home-cooked meals more often, I just don't have the time to prepare meals everyday.
RAW: I use Frozen Pattys as well as Dehydrated & Freeze-Dried RAW. The one thing to remember about Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Powder form RAW diets is that it is better to have the consistency be a bit more soupy than thick. There may be some extra hydration in their bellys once they eat it, so if the food is already more soupy, it is less likely that it will hydrate more inside.
Dry Kibble: I like to change the protein source of my dogs' diet every 3-4 months. If I was feeding a kibble with a main protein source of Beef, I would switch to Fish, Duck, Chicken, etc for the next few months. Right now my dogs' food rotation is: Before Grain Buffalo, Acana Pacifica, Canidae Pure Sky. I like to rotate the protein source so that they get a variety throughout their life and also help reduce any chances of developing a food allergy.
Canned: I occassionaly add a small amount of canned food to their dry dog food. Canned food is rich, and my dogs can't handle rich! So if I add canned, I only give small amounts to keep the gassyness to a minimum!
Home-Cooked Meals: The only time I feed home cooked meals is when my dogs have an upset stomach. I feed a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days. I would love to feed home-cooked meals more often, I just don't have the time to prepare meals everyday.
RAW: I use Frozen Pattys as well as Dehydrated & Freeze-Dried RAW. The one thing to remember about Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Powder form RAW diets is that it is better to have the consistency be a bit more soupy than thick. There may be some extra hydration in their bellys once they eat it, so if the food is already more soupy, it is less likely that it will hydrate more inside.
My Feeding Schedule: I have always fed puppies 3 times a day. From the day I bring them home to about 8 months of age, They get fed 3 times a day. Once they are older than 8 months of age, I switch them to twice a day for the rest of their life. I have found that most dogs really enjoy having a set schedule. I had tried many different feeding schedules and the one I am using now works the best for my dogs. It didn't at first, as they weren't used to it, but with some patience and a "too bad, so sad" attitude, they are all on board and enthusiastic to eat!
What do you mean "too bad, so sad" attitude? Well, a lot of dogs who are not fed on a schedule usually will not eat right when you put the food bowl down. When I first started this with my first dog, I would put the bowl down and wait 5 minutes. If she didn't start eating, "too bad, so sad" I picked up the bowl and she would have to wait until her next meal. By the next day, she knew she had to eat it right away otherwise it would be taken away and she would have to wait until the next meal time. You'd be surprised how well this works, even with the pickiest of eaters.
My last suggestion: Stay away from foods and treats made in China or ingredients that come from China. There have been many recalls on products originating from China that have made dogs sick and even caused death.
Websites that I recommend with more information:
Another great website that explains how to read ingredient lists and what the labels mean along with other helpful tips and advise! Click Here to View the Dog Food Project Website
The Whole Dog Journal also has tons of great information on food.(Paid Subscription) Click here to view The Whole Dog Journal
Dog Aware - Recalls that Affect Dogs - Click Here to view an updated Recall list of pet foods and treats
Online Websites we recommend to buy Premium Pet Food from:
Hope this was helpful!
-Romi :)
