How Do You Know Which Food Is Best
A. Dog food is not one size fits all. Each dog will have very different nutritional needs, and you’ll need to pay close attention to how their food affects them.
Youll know youve chosen a good dog food when your dog:
- Has a shiny coat
- Has healthy stool that is not too loose
- Is in good condition and at a healthy weight
Warning signs of illness or that your dogs food isnt treating them well include:
- Dull eyes
- Itching
- Digestive upset
If you notice any of these signs, talk to your vet. They may recommend switching out your dogs food.
We Aren’t The Only People That Have Converted To Making Homemade Dog Food And Are Loving The Results Check Out The Links Below For More Homemade Dog Food Recipes Your Pup Will Love
Homemade Dog Food Recipe from College Housewife || Elizabeth’s sweet dog Rascal suffered from all sorts of health issues which led them to having him allergy tested. Turns out Rascal was allergic to all sorts of things – even beef! So, Elizabeth developed a homemade dog food recipe that is just perfect for Rascal’s sensitive belly that is filled with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini squash and macaroni noodles!
DIY Homemade Dog Food from Damn Delicious||Chungah’s dog Butter’s battle with stomach issues led her to start making dog food at home. This recipe is easy to make and super good for your pups too! It combines a delicious blend of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains and is made of ingredients like ground chicken, brown rice, shredded zucchini, spinach, carrots, and peas.
Did You Make This Recipe
Tag on Instagram and hashtag it #thismessisours
How to make our original Homemade Dog Food recipe
Its a fact, feeding your pup a diet of 100% human grade dog food is easy, cost effective, and WAY better for them than a traditional doggie diet of processed kibble! My easy homemade dog food recipe combines lean ground beef, wholesome brown rice, fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and tender herbs for a healthy, vibrant alternative to traditional dog food that has given our 11 year old dog a new lease on life!
Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs recipe
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for all of us, even our dogs! Get your dogs day off to a great start with a healthy dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals by feeding him/her a delicious Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs. These yogurt bowls are filled with good for your dog ingredients like fat free Greek yogurt, 100% pure pumpkin puree, plant based vitamin and mineral powder, and my Homemade Dog Food Seasoning which is a blend of 5 herbs that have extraordinary health benefits for your dog!
Homemade Dog Food Seasoning Blend recipe
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Advantages Of Simply Nourish
Simply Nourish uses high-quality ingredients and lists real meat proteins as their first ingredients, which is a core component of good dog food.
The inclusion of whole fruits and vegetables, plus the lack of color dyes and additives, gets a big thumbs up. Simply Nourish makes big claims saying that they provide healthy, nutritious dog food with only real, authentic ingredients. I think they live up to these standards quite well.
Simply Nourish also comes from a trusted manufacturer based in the US, which is always a plus. This tends to be a brand thats popular with fans of PetSmart.
We also love that Simply Nourish has such a variety of formulas from large breed to limited ingredient, they have something for any and every pooch.
Made With Superior Ingredients And Complex Carbohydrates
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and other carbohydrates used in place of grains cost more than cheap fillers or grains such as corn or wheat. Using quality complex carbohydrates increases the final cost of grain-free dog food and is not really a good business practice even if its a lot healthier for the dogs themselves.
This means that most consumers who purchase grain-free foods prioritize the nutritional value of the food more than its price. Because manufacturers know that grain-free consumers are more likely to scrutinize the ingredient list and nutritional information, they usually include premium ingredients in the recipe. For example, youll often find that such foods include better cuts of meats and more antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.
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Petsmarts Acquisition Of Chewycom
What many consumers do not know is that PetSmart recently acquired the popular online pet food store Chewy. While this might not seem like an important note, it had quite a significant impact on the range of products stocked and sold by Chewy.
For those who are not familiar with Chewy, it is an entirely online retailer and provides a means for consumers to purchase a huge range of pet food individually or as part of a subscription. Before Chewy, getting pet food delivered was an unfamiliar concept to the majority.
Back on the topic at hand, quite a number of the pet food brands that were previously sold on Chewy pulled their product ranges after PetSmarts acquisitionciting that they wanted to support independent and smaller chain pet food stores and not massive retail behemoths like PetSmart.
One example of a brand that withdrew from Chewy was Champion Pet Foods, who produce the Orijen and Acana branded products.
They cited that after Chewys acquisition by PetSmart, they were no longer a specialty pet retailer and that they were disappointed at the sale.
This is a strong statement from Champion Pet Foods and one that almost certainly had financial repercussions for them. Nevertheless, they were willing to take this action to cement their position and stand up for independent and specialty pet food stores.
Wondering How Much Homemade Dog Food Your Dog Needs Each Day
This will obviously vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 pounds your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food. If needed you can always call and consult with you vet about transitioning your dog’s diet and the amount of food your dog should eat each day. Just remember, if your pup is living with kidney disease like ours you will want to break up the amount of food they receive into smaller meals throughout the day. Instead of one big meal each day you will need to divide meals up into 2-3 smaller feedings. This will make it much easier for your dogs’ kidneys to do their job.
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Grain Free Dry Dog Food Is At Petsmart
You are here:Home / Grain Free Dry Dog Food is at PetSmart
Grain free dry dog food is not hard to find. Your local PetSmart carries a huge assortment of Wellness® Grain Free options. This post is sponsored by Wellness® Natural Pet Food and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated to help share the reinvented Complete Health Line and other Wellness Products, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Wellness is not responsible for the content of this article.
What Dog Food Brands Does Petsmart Own
5 Flavors. Simply Nourish. ?. Original Adult Wet Dog Food 10 Oz., Stew. $2.49. 2 Flavors. Simply Nourish. ?. Original Adult Wet Dog Food 10 Oz., Stew. $2.49. 4 Sizes. Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Dry Dog Food Sensitive Skin & Stomach, Salmon & Rice. 5 Flavors. Simply Nourish. ?. Original Adult Wet Dog.
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Boosts Your Dog’s Energy Level
Most dog foods especially those at the low end of the price spectrum are packed full of enriched, processed grains. This means that the outer layers of the individual grains have been mechanically removed to improve the grains taste, color and texture. However, this process removes much of the fiber content of the grain. This means that your dogs body burns through the energy contained in the grain very quickly, which causes a quick spike and then a precipitous fall of your dogs blood sugar levels.
By contrast, grain-free dog foods generally contain fewer of these easily digested carbohydrates, which means your dogs blood sugar level will remain more consistent, thereby providing him with more energy.
Eliminate Many Dog Food Allergies
Some dogs are allergic to the proteins found in many common dog foods. When allergic dogs consume these proteins, their immune system overreacts, often leading to itchy skin. Beef, chicken, milk and dairy are the most common allergens, but many dogs are also allergic to corn, wheat or other grains. For these dogs, a grain-free diet can help put an end to their food allergy symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Some breeds are more likely to be afflicted by food allergies than others are. A few of those that most commonly exhibit food allergies include:
- German shepherd
- Dalmatian
Read Also: Is Wet Food Bad For Dogs Teeth
Does Petsmart Sell High
Despite a number of the premium and well-known high-quality brands boycotting or avoiding PetSmart as a distributor, there are still quite a few brands that produce very high-quality dog food.
As a consequence, whether you shop with PetSmart online or in one of their retail stores, there should be a selection of dog food recipes and brands available to purchase that we would consider high-quality.
The key features that define a high-quality dog food are its nutritional profile and its ingredients.
High-Quality dog food will contain an appropriate balance of the three core nutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. A formula with excessive levels of carbohydrates and unsatisfactory levels of protein and fat should not be considered high-quality.
Also, formulas should make use of named meat and fish ingredients. These should be easily recognizable and understandable by the average consumer. The best examples of this are whole meat ingredients like Chicken, Beef, Salmon, and Pork.
We highly recommend that you take a close look at a dog food formulas Guaranteed Analysis and ingredient list before you consider purchasing it. If you arent sure of any of the ingredients, then give them a quick google, and youll be sure to find information on that ingredient from a site like ours.
Ground White Meat Turkey
You may have noticed that turkey is a common ingredient in dog treats and dog food. Thoroughly cooked and drained ground white meat turkey, as long as it’s plain and has no additives or salt, is perfectly healthy for dogs. However, there are some parts of the turkey you should never feed to your pup. Obviously, never feed your dog turkey bones as they can splinter and cause serious problems for them. Also, the fat in turkey skin may cause pancreatitis, a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed and swollen, so you do not want to feed them the skin either. The seasoning added to pre-cooked store bought turkey and deli meat usually contains onion and garlic which can irritate your dog’s bowels and cause serious digestive issues, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
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Honorable Mention Petsmart Dog Food
Purina Pro Plan Essentials Shredded Blend Adult Dry Dog Food: available at Petsmart
Our take: Dogs love the real meat in this dog food.
What we like: This dog food features both soft and hard kibble for healthy teeth and easy digestion. Chicken is the first ingredient, and there is no corn or wheat in this formulation. It’s good for dogs with sensitivities to those grains.
What we dislike: Some users reported bugs in unopened bags of dog food.
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Produces More Compact Stools
Many dogs begin producing less waste after switching to a grain-free food. This means your dog will not only have to go to the bathroom less frequently, but his stools will be smaller too. This occurs because grain-free foods do not have as much indigestible material as foods that are full of corn and wheat have. Additionally, the potatoes and tapioca used to replace the carbohydrate content of grain-free foods work as thickening agents, and help slow the transit time of food through the intestines.
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The Best Diy Dog Food With Turkey And Veggies
Ever since we published our first Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe we have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have told us that they have already made the leap and are preparing fresh meals for their pups at home! Ditching processed kibble once and for all is one of the best things you can do for your dog. We learned this ourselves this last year after our 11-year old dog had an incredibly positive change to his health once we moved to a healthy dog food! Recently, I developed a new 100% human grade homemade dog food recipe that utilizes some of the best fall produce for your dog like sweet potatoes, cranberries, rosemary, and sage! Our dogs love it so much I decided to share it here too so you and your pup can celebrate the best the season has to offer.
***Please note, I am not a veterinarian, just a very passionate dog owner! The information in this blog post documents our own personal experiences, research, and the recipes that we feed our dogs under our veterinarians careful supervision. Please, consult with your vet and use your own personal judgment when considering transitioning to a 100% human grade food diet for your pup.*** Updated with video 9/4/2021
Simply Nourish Wet Dog Food Formulas
Simply Nourish also offers several varieties of wet canned food, with their shreds line as well as their pate line.
Generally, wet food tends to contain higher amounts of protein than kibble. Of course as a result, wet food tends to be more expensive per serving than dry kibble dog food.
Ideally, a mix of wet food and kibble is a great choice, providing a nice combination of nutrition and affordability.
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How Do You Switch A Dog To A New Food
A. Changing dog food too quickly can result in an upset tummy. Take your time to make the change, replacing 25% of your dog’s food every couple of days with the new food.
Pay close attention to how they respond as you begin to swap out their food. If you notice a negative change to their bathroom habits, or they seem unwell, make the change more slowly.
Nulo Freestyle Salmon & Peas Recipe Review
Nulo is a younger brand than many of the others mentioned here, as they were only founded in 2009. Despite this relatively young age, they have made great strides and have a large and varied range of high-quality recipes.
Their cat food range, especially their wet cat food range, is very popular among cat owners, and on the canine front, they have several niche recipes that are sought after. This includes recipes for senior dogs, limited ingredient formulas, and small breed recipes.
You can learn more about Nulo, including its full product range and its recall history, in our Nulo Brand Review.
The formula shown above is from the freestyle range and is designed for adult dogs without any specific issues. Its primary meat or fish ingredient is Salmon which is an excellent choice.
As we mention regularly, Salmon is one of the best fish ingredients to find in dog food thanks to its high levels of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
In addition, the recipe also contains Menhaden Fish Meal and Turkey, which supplement the Salmon to sum to an impressive total.
As expected, these named meat and fish ingredients are highly nutritious and provide valuable protein and fat to help your dog maintain their bodies and provide energy.
Given that this is a grain-free recipe, the regulars of Peas, Sweet Potatoes, and Chickpeas are present in reasonable proportions.
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Crave With Protein From Beef Review
Many dog owners will be unfamiliar with the Crave pet food brand. The brand was launched in 2017 by Mars Petcare, which owns some more familiar pet food brands such as Pedigree and Whiskas.
Crave is a perfect example of dog food manufacturers creating a new brand to appeal to more knowledgeable consumers who demand higher-quality ingredients and more appropriate nutrition for their dogs.
While Crave didnt feature on PetSmart shelves immediately upon release, it has started to see prominence and is now a regular feature, especially in the larger stores.
You can learn more about Crave, including what ingredients provide their recipes with such impressive nutrition, in our Crave Brand Review.
Crave dog food formulas almost always contain a very satisfactory proportion of protein and fat without excessive carbohydrates.
This type of nutritional profile could be compared to other brands that are far more costly, which is one of the reasons that Crave is fast becoming popular.
The majority of this protein and fat is provided by high-quality meat ingredients such as Lamb, Beef, Chicken, and Venison. For the above Beef recipe, this includes a mix of Beef and Chicken Meal and Pork Meal.
Sadly, there is one drawback to Craves dog food in that their recipes often contain vegetable by-products such as Potato Protein or Pea Protein.
Some more unsavory brands also use these ingredients in a technique known as Ingredient Splitting .