Naked Essentials Puppy Recipe Kibble By I And Love And You
- Cost-to-Value: $2.7/lb
DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID 0.05% minCALCIUM 1.2% minPHOSPHORUS 1.0% min
As a new kid on the block, oddly named I and love and your line of pet foods have quickly gone up in rankings due to their attention to high-quality ingredients with no grains, fillers, corn, rice, soy, wheat, and other known controversial additives.
This second-rated puppy food formula is made without any byproducts or meat meals, and the company claims this is holistic food.
However, this marketing term has no meaning under FDA and AAFCO pet food labeling requirements.
Another notable aspect of this puppy kibble from I and love and you is its popularity among pet owners and their dogs.
This brand has a very high ratio of adaptability, most likely explained by natural and wholesome ingredients, which most dogs are likely to prefer over artificial additives and agents.
What Is The Best Puppy Food Brand In 2021
Puppy owners have an overwhelming array of dog food choices. How do you know which foods are best? Which brands are most nutritional and reliable? Many companies claim to offer high quality food at the best cost, but not all foods are created equal, and not all can be the best.
Were offering a recommended list of foods that can help you navigate the various available brands and foods to make the best food choice for your four-legged baby. Our ratings have been developed based on quality ingredients, brand reputation, and dog owners experiences.
Why Do Vets Recommend A Puppy Diet
Puppies have very different nutritional requirements to adult dogs. The food they eat directly influences their growth, skeletal and immune system development. Puppy diets are formulated with a specific balance of energy, protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus and other nutrients to support their rapid growth phase. Inappropriate nutrition can lead to malnourishment and disease, while overfeeding can lead to skeletal abnormalities and obesity later in life.
The key is to feed your puppy for optimal growth, not maximal growth. This involves keeping your puppy lean as they grow. An excellent resource for tracking your puppy’s growth rate can be found on the WALTHAM Centre For Pet Nutrition website, with individual growth charts available based on your puppy’s size and sex.
Read Also: Can Dogs Eat Puppy Food
Dog Puppy & Junior Protein Rich By Acana
Calcium 1.5 %Phosphorus 1.1 %
The ACANA line of dog foods has long been highly regarded by pet owners and veterinarians alike due to their manufacturing process, high-quality ingredients, sourcing, and transparency.
However, they may also sometimes come at a higher price, particularly for dog owners in the USA .
This first best puppy food brand formula is void of fillers and fast-digesting carbs like rice, and it doesn’t contain grains, potatoes, or other controversial ingredients.
The company claims to source their meats from farms where animals are ethically raised and employ sustainable fishing practices for their fish-based formulas.
None of the ingredients are outsourced outside of Canada.
The Best Dog Food According To Experts And Veterinarians
Select is editorially independent. Our editors selected these deals and items because we think you will enjoy them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
Dogs provide humans with unconditional love and emotional support, which pet owners might be especially thankful for during the stressful times we are living through. Feeding your dog a nutritious diet is just one way to show them how much you care, in addition to providing them with the right dog bed, toys to play with and the occasional dog treat. Simply put, dogs deserve to eat well in fact, appropriate food is fourth in the American Veterinary Medical Associations Guidelines for Responsible Pet Ownership. And with currently underway, you can find savings on many top-rated pet products.
SKIP AHEAD How to shop for dog food
Aiming for the best food for dogs gives them distinct health advantages, too, said Jennifer Freeman, DVM, resident veterinarian and pet care expert at PetSmart. Premium dog food will include meat for protein, vitamin-packed vegetables and fruit, and omega fatty acids for a shiny coat, Freeman said, adding its also likely to have fewer fillers such as corn, wheat, and soy.
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Best Overall Wet: Royal Canin Puppy Canned Dog Food
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Suitable for all breed sizes
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Doesnt come in smaller can sizes for little dogs
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Can be difficult to find
Formulated for puppies, Royal Canin Puppy Canned Dog Food meets the nutritional level standards for growth set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO. It provides protein and fatty acids from a wide variety of sources, including chicken, pork, chicken liver, and salmon. It includes a fell compliment of vitamins and minerals, plus digestive supporting beet pulp and fish oil.
Royal Canin manufactures its food in plants with transparent safety standards, with ISO 22000 Food Safety certifications. Its puppy formula also uses minimal preservatives, incorporating only tocopherols , citric acid, and rosemary extract.
The pate-style dog food is recommended for small breed puppies in their first 10 months of life, or for large breed puppies in their first 15. While nutritionally complete, Royal Canin’s canned dog food for puppies can also tag-team with dry food and be used as a food topper.
Available Flavors: Chicken, pork, salmon combination | Nutritional Specs: 7.5% protein, 4% fat, 76% moisture
Active Puppy Formula Grain
CRUDE FIBER 3.8% maxMOISTURE 9.0% max
Pet owners looking for good puppy food recipes that are affordable will find Victor’s dog food a great alternative to the above-mentioned Earthborn.
It’s a cheap puppy food that’s healthy for the majority of dogs without any issues.
It’s grain-free and has no gluten, soy, wheat, corn, or other additives. The company is less transparent about its manufacturing process but claims to use USA-sourced animal proteins.
Most of their formulas have added probiotics and digestive enzymes to support puppies’ digestion.
This is also the All Life Stages formulation, meaning that it works for both adult dogs and puppies, and I’ve already explained the small issue with that above.
Overall, this is one of the better puppy foods for an affordable price and is worth taking a look at.
CALCIUM 2.0% minPHOSPHORUS 1.25% min
Getting back to Mid-Range to Premium cost pet foods, the Wild Calling formulation is a great choice for pet owners who can afford to pay $70+ for a 25 lbs bag.
It’s not a popular company among pet owners and is often bought in local pet stores, but its recipes are good quality and, on paper, are very healthy.
This sixteenth recipe specifically is grain-free, designed for rotational feeding with multiple proteins, and contains no usual bad agents no fillers, byproducts, gluten, additives, etc.
Crude Fiber 3.0%Soluble Fiber 1.91%
CRUDE FIBER 4.0% maxMOISTURE 5.0% max
Today, they’re mostly chosen by pet owners with adult dogs.
Read Also: What Is Chicken By Product In Dog Food
Health Extension Grain Free Salmon Entree Canned Wet Dog Food
Image courtesy Health Extension
The Health Extension Grain Free Salmon Entree Canned Wet Dog Food is a great option for health extension dog food. It is made with all natural ingredients, including salmon, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. It is also grain free and has no artificial flavors or colors.
This food is designed to give your pup the nutrients they need to stay healthy and active. It is also a good choice for dogs who are allergic to grain or have other sensitivities. If you’re looking for a wet food option, this is a great choice. It is packed with nutrients and is grain free.
A General Guideline For Preparing Homemade Dog Food
My DIY dog food recipe is more of a general guideline, rather than an exact meal plan that I follow each week. My dogs diet changes the same way ours does, depending on what we do and what we buy or grow.
However, we almost always stay with this basic formula:
- 50 percent cooked protein
- 25 percent cooked complex carbohydrates
- Fats and supplements
- Eggshells
Protein is always meat and usually chicken, though weve also used turkey, pork, and beef. We feed any and all parts of the animals, but most commonly, we saute chicken breasts or chicken thighs in coconut oil and ground turmeric.
Coconut oil has a host of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, reducing allergic reactions, promoting wound healing, preventing yeast and fungal infections, and supporting arthritis or ligament problems.
Turmeric has long been studied for its powerful medicinal properties, including its use as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
We add it to the coconut oil since it is fat-soluble, and use it to support our pugs joint health.
Speaking of dark meat, we feed thighs and breasts interchangeably. While well remove the skin from poultry and trim off excessive fat from red meat, we dont worry about buying the leanest meat possible for our dogs.
A little fat is necessary for a well-rounded diet.
They tend to be the leftovers in our produce bin, so we never have to buy, say, a whole head of cauliflower just for the dogs.
Recommended Reading: Can Dog Food Allergies Cause Ear Infections
How We Chose The Best Dog Food
Dog Food quality is a complicated discussion, but we try to stay consistent with our choices. Factor such as ingredient quality, nutritional ratios , Recall History, Animal Testing, Price, and Country of Origin all play a part in our selections.
We recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide for more information on the overall topic of dog food.
You can also check out our Reviews page for a list of all the brands weve researched and analyzed.
Think Of Your Puppy As A Carnivore
Im sure pet food manufacturers would love us to believe our dogs are omnivores like us, especially as non-meat foods are cheap inclusions in dog foods.
Just take a look at your new puppy. Yes, theyre cute. Yes, theyre cuddly. But look at those jaws, those teeth. Do they look like your jaws, your teeth?
Im guessing the conclusion you came to was no, theyre not like us, and those gnashers look better for chewing on meat, organs, and bones.
When you think of your dog as a carnivore in this way, it will help you pick the right food.
Always opt for a food with more meat, and less other stuff.
Read Also: Where Can I Buy Freshpet Dog Food
Be Careful About Which Puppy Food You Choose
With all the above considered, and if you follow the outlined criteria that we’ve used to pick these puppy foods, you’ll be able to pick and choose your own formulas that will be specifically designed for your own puppy’s growth and contain only high-quality ingredients.
In summary, it’s important to reiterate how every dog is different, and you should always seek the best food for your individual pup.
With so many variables to account for, its generally impossible to pick an ideal puppy food brand that would be the optimal choice for all dogs .
Instead, what you can do is consider your personal situation, all the puppy food ranking criteria mentioned above, pay attention to organizational requirements, and use your critical thinking.
Heres the formula I recommend you use if you want to choose your own puppy foods
Personalize + Critical Assessment + Requirements + Company’s Reputation = Best Puppy Food
This should give you a good start, and you can do your own due diligence.
That way, you know that you’ve chosen something good for your specific puppy rather than rely on something that may be.
To wrap this up, for pet owners who are looking for a selection of top-rated foods for puppies in one place, after doing hundreds of dog food reviews myself and getting help from other experts to plow through hundreds of puppy foods available today, we have managed to make a list of twenty-five dog foods for puppies, listed below.
Do Your Portion Research
You will need to do some research on how many calories your dog needs per day based on your dogs activity level and your dog’s weight. There are so many factors to consider that will vary due to the breed, size, age, and activity of your pet. My dog needs about 400 calories a day, and is a small dog weighing just 11 pounds.
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Fresh Diy Dog Food Tips
Dog owners do get really concerned about feeding their dogs human food and scraps. I just had a really long chat with Sassy’s vet at her annual health check-up. Each dog is totally unique. Some have food sensitivities, easily get upset tummies and some have digestive issues, so regular commercial food is best for those dogs.
How To Choose The Best Puppy Food For Your Dog
Here’s the truth: there is no single puppy food brand ideal for all dogs.
The only thing we can do is analyze the ingredients of each puppy food formula and assess the company’s history and reputation, then draw a conclusion based on that.
In the US, two entities govern the quality and manufacturing process of pet foods the FDA and AAFCO.
Some pet food companies also like to have their factories inspected by USDA when producing organic puppy foods.
Unfortunately, they do not do too good of a job to prevent poor quality ingredients used in some dog food formulas.
The overall best puppy food will depend on your individual dog.
That said, there is a way and a formula to filter out all the bad dog foods and worst puppy food brands.
The below-listed twenty-five best puppy food picks are the result of this type of filtering.
Here’s what was considered and how you can do that, too:
- Ingredient quality: based on currently available research of what’s harmful to dogs
- Organizational requirements: how well and how many of those the product meets
- Dog food recalls history: how many recalls, if any, the company has had and why
- Company’s reputation: transparency of the manufacturing process and ingredient sourcing
These four areas, expanded into further subcategories, which I explain below, were the major factors in assessing and picking out recommended puppy foods for our 2020 rankings.
I do not always agree with DFA, but there’s some good advice and accurate rankings on the site.
Also Check: Is Blue Buffalo Dog Food Healthy
Orijen Puppy Seriously The Best Kibble
I had to have a dry food in this list, and Orijen is by far the best puppy food in terms of your regular, convenient, kibble.
In most dry puppy foods youll find ominous ingredients like cereal grains, by-products, and rendered meats of dubious quality. Your puppy will eat this stuff if you give it to them, but whether it will lead to long term tip-top health is questionable.
Orijen Puppy comes at a price, but its jam packed with whole-prey ingredients chicken, turkey, flounder, cage-free eggs, mackerel, chicken liver, turkey liver, chicken heart, turkey heart, herring, and more.
I havent just cherry picked the ingredients either, thats how they read on the bag. Its simply an amazing dry food, and nothing else in Australia comes close.
I really cant recommend it enough. Its been around for many years with amazing customer feedback and loyalty, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. In terms of dry food its hands down the best puppy food.
Oh, and theres a large breed formula too, so they cater for all sizes, all breeds.
Benefits:
Canned Food Vs Dry Dog Food: Does It Matter
As long as your chosen puppy food meets the criteria for a quality dog food, and includes an AAFCO label, youre on the right track. Some dogs are perfectly happy with kibble while others prefer wet dog food or a mix. You might try a little of both to see how your new dog responds.
The soft texture of canned food can be appealing to puppies. It has a higher moisture content, so it can help with hydration, too. However, as long as youre providing plenty of fresh water, your new puppy isnt likely to go thirsty.
Pet food options also include raw foods, freeze-dried raw foods, and even fresh dog foods. While these food types are often more expensive, theyre worth it for certain pet owners. If holistic wellness places high on your list, its worth reading up on the benefits of fresh dog food and raw dog food. As always, have a chat with your vet about it, too.
Read Also: Where Is American Journey Dog Food Made
Here’s Advice From The Pros
We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission.
Getting a new puppy is super exciting, but it also comes with a lot of important decisions. You need to pick the right toys, bedding and crate but one of the most important decisions is what to feed your new family member.
With so many puppy foods on the market, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one. So we spoke with Dr. Zay Satchu, cofounder and chief veterinary officer at Bond Vet in New York City, Dr. Angie Krause, the holistic veterinarian on staff at I and love and you in Boulder, Colorado, and Dr. Chris Bryant, a member of the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association and owner of Cherokee Animal Hospital in Canton, Georgia, to get some recommendations.
The Best Dry Dog Food For Puppies
Puppy dry dog food is easy to store, and can be purchased in large quantities. If youve got an enthusiastic eater on your hands, dry kibble can be a lifesaver. Safe preservatives keep it shelf-stable. Do check the use-by date on the package, and store in a cool, dry place to maintain freshness.
The other dry food options listed among our recommendations are also great choices. These two hadnt been mentioned yet, however, and they certainly deserve inclusion.
Victor Purpose Active Dog & Puppy Formula Dry Food
Victor pet foods are sourced and made in the U.S. and boast a composition of 77% meat protein. This grain-free recipe is marketed for sensitive stomachs, thanks to Victors proprietary blend of supplements including prebiotics, probiotics, and selenium yeast. This particular food is good for adult dogs as well as puppies.
Also Check: Has Wellness Dog Food Ever Been Recalled