Best Overall: Taste Of The Wild Dry Dog Food
Its hard to compare the nine different recipes that Taste of the Wild offers with their dry dog food including one recipe for puppies and one for small breeds. Each of the other seven recipes, however, is formulated specifically for the nutritional needs of adult dogs.
With Taste of the Wild dry dog food, the first ingredient is always real meat, no matter which recipe you choose. The Wetland Canine Recipe, for example, includes duck, duck meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, and peas as the first five ingredients.
And, if your dog is particular about their preferred flavor of kibble, you have multiple combinations to choose from . Youre bound to find something theyll love.
Best Dry: Solid Gold Leaping Waters Sensitive Stomach Grain
Life Stage: Adult | Breed Size: All | Weight: 22 pounds | Food Type: Dry
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Contains a special blend of 20 superfoods
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More expensive than other brands
The best dry food for dogs with sensitive stomachs is Solid Gold Leaping Waters. The nutrient-rich, grain-free formula is packed with simple ingredients: cold-water salmon, chickpeas, lentils, peas, and chicken fat.
Leaping Waters contains a special blend of 20 superfoods that are easy to digest and selected to protect your fur baby’s gut health. The recipe also includes omega-3s and omega-6s for healthy skin and a shiny coat.
Life Stage: Adult | Breed Size: All | Weight: 20.4 pounds | Food Type: Canned/wet
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Great for dogs with gastrointestinal issues
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Low-fat formula
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Has digestible proteins to balance gut bacteria
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Requires a prescription from a veterinarian
Dr. Singleton also recommends Royal Canin Gastrointestinal for dogs with tummy woes. This gut-friendly wet food provides tasty nutrition for dogs struggling with diarrhea, vomiting, appetite loss, and other gastrointestinal issues.
This food requires a prescription from a veterinarian. However, you can buy it from pet-supply sites like Chewy and Petco by entering your prescription info at checkout.
It has digestible proteins and prebiotics to balance bacteria in the gut, plus antioxidants and hearty fibers to promote digestion.
Life Stage: Adult | Breed Size: All | Weight: 9.79 pounds | Food Type: Wet
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Food is extra dry which may be hard on certain dogs
Here Are The Top 21 Best Canadian Made Dog Foods For :
#1: Smack
Smack is a Canadian company making absolutely outstanding dehydrated superfoods for pets. For the second consecutive year, Smack is our top-ranked dog food for 2021!
Since 2008, Smack Pet Foods have been proudly producing high quality pet products out of their Winnipeg, Manitoba facility. The Smack team are committed to providing pets with the healthiest, and most convenient foods in todays pet food marketplace.
All Smack products are backed by food engineering, biochemistry, holistic medicine, and a deep love of animals. These are the tools that allow Smack to develop an innovative, industry-leading approach to pet food manufacturing. Best of all, their foods are dehydrated in their raw form, ensuring maximum nutrient retention.
These are a few of the reasons why Smack Pet Foods has taken the number one spot in our 2020 and 2021 Top Canadian Dog Food Rankings.
Smacks recipes are made mostly from certified organic ingredients, including the best quality cuts of human-grade meat , and a carefully chosen range of organic produce.
Because of their high meat content, Smack is highly palatable perfect for fussy eaters. There are five unique Smack dog formulas to choose from: Prairie Harvest Pork, Caribbean-Salmon Fusion, Rockin Rockfish, Chunky Chicken, and Very Berry Chicken. Smacks recipes are loaded with wholesome, nutritiously-dense superfoods, and dont require any synthetic supplementation. Read our full review of Smack Pet Foods here.
#2: Carna4
Also Check: Kidney Disease Diet For Dogs Recipes
Is A Raw Diet Good For My Dog
Raw pet food poses dangers to both dogs and humans. Veterinarians told Insider Reviews that despite some reported benefits, there are too many risks for pets, including bacterial infections, nutritional deficiencies, and injuries from bones in the food. In addition, people who are immunocompromised, elderly people, and young children are at risk of bacterial infections if they live in a household where a dog is fed a raw diet. For more information, read the statements from the FDA and CDC regarding the health and safety risks of feeding raw dog foods.
Blue Buffalo Large Breed Healthy Weight Formula
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Deboned Chicken, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Brown Rice, 4. Barley, 5. Peas
In order to control weight in large dog breeds, you need a formula thats low in fat and helps develop lean muscles.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection has both! The addition of L carnitine helps burn fatty acids into usable energy. And with chondrotin and glucosamine in the mix, your dogs joints stand a better chance of staying healthy.
Protein 22%, Fat 9%, Fiber 10%, Moisture 10%
Recommended Reading: Iams Veterinary Formula Intestinal Plus
Sportsmans Pride Professional Formula 30/20
Sportsmans Pride is a dog food line geared towards canine athletes and is billed as supportive of the endurance and energy requirements of working dogs and active pups.
While that sounds good, we need to take a look at the recent recall of one of its products and the ingredients it contains.
On June 3, 2021, the FDA issued an alert regarding one lot of Professional Formula 30/20. Sunshine Mills, Inc., which manufactures Sportsmans Pride and the brands Sprout, Intimidator, and FRM Gold Select , issued a voluntary recall of this recipe for potential salmonella contamination.
But looking past the recall alert, wed have to say that this recipe doesnt meet our standards either. The main ingredient in this food is chicken byproduct meal, a rather dubious ingredient with regards to quality.
Chicken byproduct can mean any leftover part of the chicken, and not just its organs. With quality recipes, manufacturers generally state chicken liver, chicken heart, and so on.
When a manufacturer lists byproduct only, that means its probably a combination of a lot of unsavory things that wont sound as good when listed down and specified.
Lastly, this food uses more carbs than protein to supply the energy needs of dogs because there are three grain and corn ingredients within the first five slots.
The potential for contamination was noted after a sample of 5 lb. Sprout Sporting Dog Food product was collected and tested positive for salmonella during routine surveillance.
We Arent 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
Easy Crockpot Dog Food from Damn Delicious || This simple homemade dog food recipe combines ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, and peas in the slow cooker so you can set it and forget it!
Homemade Dog Food Recipe from College Housewife || Elizabeths 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 Rascals sensitive belly that is filled with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini squash and macaroni noodles!
DIY Homemade Dog Food from Damn Delicious||Chungahs dog Butters 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.
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Best Overall: Royal Canin
Think of it as pet food fit for kings and queensRoyal Canin offers foods for all sorts of dogs: purebreds, young, old, large, and small. Plus, you can choose from wet and dry food options with this brand.
The companys values are inspiring: Not only do they focus on making food thats healthy for pets, but they are also intent on reducing their environmental impact. The company got its start in France in the 1960s, and has gone on to be an international brand, with food sold around the world. Royal Canin is available for sale at local pet foods stories and vet offices, as well as many popular online retailers.
What Is The Best Food I Can Feed My Dog
It’s important to find a food your dog likes eating and thrives on, but this may involve a bit of trial and error. Individual dogs digest food differently. Some dogs do better with more protein, some need less. Some dogs can tolerate higher levels of fat others need less. Dogs also handle amounts of fiber differently. Your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist can help you sort out what diet will work best for your dog.
“Dogs are individuals,” says veterinarian Carol Osborne, of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “What works well for Dog A, might not work well for Dog B. If you want to know if a food is good for your pet, look at your pet. Your pet is a reflection of what he or she is eating.”
Outward signs of good health include clear eyes and nose, ears that aren’t smelly, and a coat that isn’t dry, flakey, or shedding excessively. Your dog should not be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea. “Soft stool is not normal,” Osborne says. “Bowel movements should be formed and homogenous. You should not be able to make out the pea, the piece of corn, the carrot. means the food has all been digested.”
Also Check: Iams Veterinary Formula Intestinal Plus Cat
Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken
Gentle Giants have produced a chicken-based dry budget dog food that is packed with vitamins and minerals. It uses twelve whole fruits and vegetables including beets, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, spinach, celery, and apples.
This means that your dog will not only be enjoying a flavor sensation, they will also be absorbing Vitamin A, Vitamin B 12, and Vitamin C from natural sources. These aim to foster good immune health in your dog. We are a little disappointed in this formula’s protein and fat content.
Containing only 22% protein, this food falls below the average amount in this price bracket. Still, this will adequately meet the nutritional needs of your dog and support their muscles and bones.
This formula has been designed for dog’s with sensitive stomachs, so it might be a good idea to try this if your pet is having digestive trouble with standard canine food.
Whilst, it isn’t really competitive with premium foods, Gentle Giants will be more than adequate for pet parents on a tight budget.
Ol Roy Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Rice
Ol Roys is a Walmart brand that has been in production since 1981. This specific recipe from the brand is crafted for adult canines of all sizes with essential nutrients to provide a balanced diet.
Its billed as an inexpensive pet food due to lack of advertising and promotion, but if you look closely at the ingredients, youll see another reason why.
Well list the first six ingredients here: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Rice Bran, Animal Fat , and Poultry By-Product Meal. And most of these are problematic.
We dont have anything against corn. Grains are okay too. In fact, these are healthy ingredients to have in dog food. But within reasonable quantities and never as the most significant part of a diet. In this recipe, the corn and grains make up the most volume and overwhelm the meat.
Second thing, the meats are all unspecified. Theyre labelled as meat and bone meal and poultry byproduct meal. The labels dont indicate exactly what animal the meat comes from and which parts were used.
Lastly, the food contains artificial colors and artificial preservatives .
Recall Info: There has been no recall yet for this formulation, although the Ol Roy brand has been involved in several recalls since 1998. The most recent one was in 2018 where samples of its Gravy Train line were found to contain traces of sodium pentobarbital.
Read Also: Is Iams Dog Food Any Good
How To Tell If Your Dog Is Overweight
If youre not sure your dog is overweight, consider using a body condition score for dogs, which is similar to a BMI for people. Ideally, your dog will land in the middle of the score. Check to see if you can feel your dogs ribs. You should also be able to distinguish between your dogs chest and stomach. Overweight dogs also might breathe heavier when walking, move slower or sleep more often.
Purina One Smartblend Natural Healthy Weight Formula Adult Dog Food
This healthy weight formula by Purina is unique in the sense that its available both in the form of dry food and wet food so you can choose to make sure your pets preferences are met without compromising on the effectiveness of their diet food. The formula contains 25 percent less fat and 15 percent fewer calories for guaranteed results! The combo of tender morsels and crunchy kibble is also quite delicious to pooches so they wont be able to tell that their new chow is diet-friendly. Available in two flavorschicken and lamb and ricethis weight management food is suitable for dogs of all breeds.
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When People Find Out We Make Our Own Dog Food At Home They Always Ask Us What About A Raw Diet So Lets Get That Out Of The Way First
There are LOTS of thoughts and theories on feeding your dog a raw diet especially a dog that is living with kidney disease. Our vet however, was personally opposed to feeding a raw diet due to the fact that dogs, just like us, are very susceptible to food poisoning. Besides that, a raw diet can be tricky to get just right! You run the risk of giving your dog a horrible belly ache by mixing a raw diet with cooked treats, so if you decided to go raw it is important to have both raw meals and raw treats planned for your pup at all times. NO MIXING the two! Since raw and cooked foods digest at different rates any combination of the two can wreak serious havoc on your pups gut which can lead to some pretty unpleasant situations for you if you get my drift.
How Many Calories Does Your Dog Need
Caloric needs are one of the most important things to figure out when trying to manage your dogs weight. This will give you a target to guide your feeding practices.
But it isnt always easy to determine exactly how many calories your dog needs. Individual dogs have different metabolic rates and burn different amounts of calories over the course of a day.
The best way to figure out your dogs caloric requirements is by first determining her Resting Energy Requirements . This tells you the number of calories your dog needs to breathe, pump blood and perform other critical body processes.
To determine a dogs RER, you raise her body weight in kilograms to the ¾ power . This number is then multiplied by 70, which gives you the number of Calories she needs per day.
To borrow an example from Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center:
A 10-kilogram dog = 703/4 = 400 Calories = RER
This number is then multiplied by one of several factors to arrive at her true caloric needs.
For example:
Read Also: Pedigree Dog Food In Bulk
Nulo Freestyle Cod & Lentils Recipe Grain
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Deboned Cod, 2. Turkey Meal, 3. Salmon Meal, 4. Lentils, 5. Chicken Fat
Shedding some extra pounds can be difficult for allergic dogs, which is why Nulo Freestyle has come up with this amazing Grain-Free Cod & Lentils Dog Food. It switches the standard grains for lentils, which contain just as many carbs and are also non-allergenic. More so, the food uses premium deboned cod and around 74% animal-based proteins to promote muscle growth.
Because the formula is rich in fiber and has probiotics, it can greatly improve your dogs digestive health and nutrient absorption. A highlight feature of this dog food is it contains L-carnitine, an amino acid that makes the body uses fat for energy while maintaining muscle mass. This can help your dog develop a leaner physique while losing fat.
Now Lets Break Down The Recipe For My Easy Homemade Dog Food Shall We
The recipe box below contains a printable version of my go-to recipe for homemade dog food, which consist of lean ground sirloin, brown rice, carrots, hard boiled eggs, parsley, and a few tablespoons of oil that is high in Omegas. But sometimes, especially since social distancing, Ive found that it is helpful to have a list of easy substitutes for when ingredients run low. Plug in or swap out any of the items below based on what foods your pup likes/needs and what you have on hand to create your pups ideal dog food flavor profile.
Meat || Lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground white or dark meat turkey, & ground pork are all great options. Just be sure to make sure that any meat you feed your animals is free of seasonings when purchasing! Dogs living with a kidney disease diagnosis need meals that are lower in phosphorus so for us a lean ground beef like ground sirloin is best the way to go!
Eggs || Eggs are one the top 5 allergens for dogs and the yolks are very high in phosphorus -which you want to limit in dogs with kidney disease. But, eggs are also one of the highest quality forms of protein you can feed your pet! Ultimately, a hard boiled egg is Hoochs favorite thing on the planet so, with our vets approval we opted to leave them in his food.
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