Which Is The Best Dog Food To Buy

Is Merrick Dog Food Good For Seniors

Merrick offers 2 senior dog foods designed specifically for older animals. Each recipe contains over 35% dry matter protein and less than 13% dry matter fat. Calorie content remains under 370 calories per cup. Both recipes meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for adult maintenance which makes them each a healthy option for senior dogs.

Does Dog Food Expire

You might notice that dog food has a best by date, which is the window in which a food is the most nutritious for your pet. This can vary from months to years depending on the manufacturer and type of food. It doesnt mean that the food has expired after that time, but its not as healthy.

How you store the food, however, can impact spoilage and contamination. When storing dry kibble, it is best practice to keep it in an airtight container and not remove it from the original bag, says Dr. Wuellner.

Tasty Topper And Travel Snack: Portland Pet Food Company

Price: $6.99 per 9 ounce meal pouch. For a 12lb dog, being used as a topper, it runs about $45/month.

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Our experience: Our 18-year-old Dachshund had many ailments towards the end of her life, one being Irritable Bowel Disease, which required her to be on single-source protein foods that she quickly grew tired of. After finding the Salmon & Rice flavor of Portland Pet Food, we thought wed give it a try, and she immediately loved it. We started with using it as a topper but shifted to feeding her just that food for meals. We felt at ease knowing she was enjoying her fresh food and was also getting the nutrients she needed to keep her going, especially towards the end. Now, we use a variety of flavors as a topper for our 2-year-old Boston Terrier and she loves it, too.What sets them apart: Portland Pet Food Companys human-grade, made-in-the-USA meal pouches are not intended to be full-on meal replacements rather, these concentrated meal packs are designed as mixers, toppers, or soft treats for picky dogs and busy families to compliment and boost the nutrition of your dogs regular kibble. They are shelf stable, travel well, and can substitute the occasional meal, which makes them a great option for a weekend away with your pup or as a treat to bring with you to the sitters.

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Portland Pet Food Company

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Whole Earth Farms Dry Dog Food

Rating:

Whole Earth Farms Adult recipe is one of 2 kibble recipes included in our review of the Whole Earth Farms product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Other recipes: Small breed, turkey, salmon, pork, beef, puppy and more
• Price: $
• See both available recipes

This Whole Earth Farms product derives the bulk of its meat protein from chicken and turkey meals. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 29% protein, 16% fat and 47% estimated carbs which results in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.

A quality yet affordable, grain-inclusive kibble made by Merrick. Highly recommended.

Sample buyer reviewI recently switched to this food due to the recent controversy over Grain Free. This was the only affordable food I found with quality ingredients listed. My dogs love it and it will be the only food I fees from now on.

• See all 11 available recipes

This Holistic Select formula derives most of its meat protein from fresh salmon, as well as anchovy and sardine meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 32% protein, 16% fat and 44% estimated carbs producing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.

An exceptional grain-free dog food offering numerous recipe and flavor options. Highly recommended.

What To Avoid Feeding Your Pooch

It is very important to stick to quality when it comes to your dogs diet. This is one of the fundamental factors that I always keep in mind before finalizing my top lists of dog foods. I dont compromise on quality and neither, should you. Look for options that use quality poultry, meat, and fish as their foundation ingredient. Opting for dog food with a great animal protein source as the first ingredient is essential unless your pooch has kidney issues.

Here are a few things you should stay away from when narrowing down your list of best dry dog foods.

1. Artificial additives, preservatives, colors, and flavoring

Avoid anything that has the word artificial on it. These things compromise on the quality of dog food and are also detrimental to your canines health. Additives and artificial ingredients can also trigger allergies and sensitivities in some dogs. Low-quality grain-based diets usually have a list of these artificial ingredients and should be avoided completely.

2. Unnecessary fillers

While whole grains make great ingredients in dog foods, refined grains are nothing but low-quality fillers that your poochs tummy isnt going to appreciate. To stick to the best doggies food option, avoid anything that includes unnecessary fillers and look for options with more meat-based formulations, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy oils, and seeds.

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Worst Puppy Food: Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy

Pups are very much like human children in the sense that what you feed them early on can have a significant impact on their growth and development.

Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Original Formula is the worst puppy food even though it may contain the phrase Health Smart on its label.

In one disturbing case, a dog owner on the Consumer Affairs website observed that her pet displayed indications of a parasite soon after eating this food.

However, a vet confirmed the digestive health issues arose due to the food, and no parasites were present in the dog, luckily.

The Top 21 Dog Foods In Canada For 2021

Over the past several decades, Canadian pet food manufacturers have been developing high quality, human grade, and innovative pet foods to supply both Canada and the world. We have carefully evaluated more than fifty Canadian pet food brands, closely scrutinizing every aspect of the manufacturer and their recipe. Here are just a few of the things we consider:

• Quality and source of ingredients, including how fresh the ingredients are, where theyre sourced from, whether they include antibiotics or hormones, if theyre GMO free, organic, and more.
• Manufacturing practices and transparency. We believe the manufacturers of the foods we feed our beloved pets should be accountable for every step of the manufacturing process.
• Innovation and sustainability. As we move towards a more eco-friendly world, pet food manufacturers should be focused on developing earth-friendly standards and practices as well.

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Solid Gold Mighty Mini Toy & Small Breed Dry Food

Best Toy-Breed Food There arent many recipes out there specifically formulated for toy breeds, but this Solid Gold Mighty Mini Toy & Small Breed Dry Food recipe is one of the best commercial foods you can buy for dogs of this size. This recipe features real chicken as the main ingredient with grain-free carbohydrates like chickpeas and pumpkin. It contains no gluten or grains, and it comes in smaller kibbles perfectly sized for tiny mouths. This is a holistic recipe designed to nourish your dogs body from the inside out, and it contains a long list of 20 superfoods to accomplish that goal.

• Pros: Formulated for toy breeds, grain-free recipe, includes 20 superfoods, small kibbles for tiny mouths, holistic recipe, no artificial additives or fillers, rich in omega fatty acids
• Cons: Somewhat expensive, some dogs are sensitive to chicken, contains some plant protein

Pros And Cons Of Dry Dog Food

Dry food is budget-friendly, and in many ways more convenient than wet food. Here are some of its benefits:

Kibble can also be less than ideal, especially if you buy your pup some of the worst dry dog food on the market. Thats why its important to check the quality and ratio of ingredients before you buy. Here are some of the potential downsides to kibble:

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Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Dog Food

BEST LIMITED-INGREDIENT DIET

If your dog has any sensitive stomach issues or allergies, a limited-ingredient diet is the answer to your troubles. Sometimes its hard to pinpoint an allergy, so being selective about the products in your dogs food can save you time and money. Natural Balance has an excellent recipe that fulfills the needs of your dog and doesnt compromise on quality. The lamb and brown rice formula contains only brown rice, lamb, and lamb meal, limiting the exposure of your dog to other ingredients. Keep your pet healthy and well-fed with an excellent limited ingredient diet.

Things To Know Before You Shop For Dog Food

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association also provides a few additional tips for curious shoppers. Click here for more detailed advice on buying dog food.

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Best For Urinary Health: Royal Canin Urinary So Dry Dog Food

If your dog has urinary health concerns, Royal Canin offers a veterinary-exclusive dry dog food that supports urinary tract and bladder health. This food is designed to help dilute excess minerals that can cause urinary crystals and bladder stones. It also can help dissolve stones and prevent them from reoccurring.

Royal Canins Urinary SO food is enriched with antioxidants, has controlled levels of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, and promotes an optimal urinary pH. Its ingredient list starts with brewers rice and corn, but also contains chicken fat, chicken by-product meal, and fish oil, among other ingredients.

Its important to note that this food does require veterinary approval, so youll need a prescription if you want to order it online from a retailer like Amazon or Chewy.

Best For Large Dogs: Purina

Courtesy of Chewy

Of course, Purina is a big-name brand with plenty of options for pets of all sizes. But they particularly excel at providing options for large-breed dogs, like Newfoundlands and Great Danes. From when theyre puppies through to adulthood, large dogs have different nutritional needs than smaller ones.

In the Purina Pro line, Purina offers several options for large dogsthere are choices for large and giant dogs, and options geared toward puppy, adult, and senior large dogs. And, there are both wet and dry choices. While some owners save it as a special treat meal, its also affordable enough for every day.

Purina has been making pet food for more than 90 years and calls out two big priorities: creating innovative new products and promoting sustainability.

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How Does My Dog’s Size Factor Into His Food

Dog owners should also consider the right food for the size of their pets. Puppies do need specific puppy food, as they’re growing very quickly.

Large-breed puppies in particular need more nutrients that support musculoskeletal growth, according to the AKC. Royal Canin makes one for puppies expected to reach 50 to 100 pounds in adulthood.

As for adult dogs, you can buy food labeled “for all life stages,” but feeding sedentary pets a calorie-rich mix also fit for young pups may contribute to weight gain. Smaller breeds can do better with smaller kibbles, but the super-specific distinctions become less important with dogs when they’re older.

How We Chose Our Top Picks

We started by looking into 53 products. It took us four months to get from that number to our top five picks well present here. Based on what we learned about proper dog nutrition, we established a set of criteria and compared all 53 products against them. These criteria are the following:

These are all vital for ensuring that the product contains only the best-quality ingredients that wont harm your pup. You dont want your dogs protein source to be meat mealthis stands for various meats of a dubious origin, usually rejected by the food industry and mixed together into a gray mass of goo in a rendering plant. Yikes!

Apart from the quality of the ingredients, we checked if the food contains a proper ratio of protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, and minerals. You want the kibble you feed your pooch to be rich in protein, but other nutrients are important as well. Heres a table of the average nutrient requirements for adult dogs:

We all monitored our dogs over the course of three months to see what effect the food would have on them and if they would like it at all. After all, what good is healthy kibble if Fido refuses to eat it?

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Who Makes Instinct Dog Food

Instinct is owned by Natures Variety of Lincoln, Nebraska. All Instinct recipes are made at the companys own facilities in Lincoln.

Each Instinct dog food is formulated by the companys on-staff professionals. This includes a veterinarian who is board-certified in both veterinary nutrition and integrative medicine.

The companys chief scientific officer holds a PhD in food science. And one of its directors of research and development holds a masters degree in the same field.

Best Dry Dog Food On A Budget: Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Beef Meal And Rice Formula

Image source: Diamond Pet

If you need a cheaper dry food option for your pooch, Diamond Naturals Beef Meal and Rice Formula is a great choice. Its main protein source is top-quality pasture-raised beef. If your pup has a sensitive stomach, Diamond will be perfect for them as it contains over 80 million CFUs of probiotics. This food is rich in antioxidants and Omega fatty acids, which will make their coat silky and boost their immune system.

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Best Lightly Cooked Dog Food: The Honest Kitchen

Sarah Wallace, DVM, a veterinarian and nutrition expert for Fuzzy Pet Health, adopted Birdie, a rat terrier mix, from a shelter. She was found half-starved, but luckily Birdie eats a high quality diet now. Dr. Wallace feeds her The Honest Kitchen because it is lightly cooked food. I would never feed a raw food because I know how bad it feels to have food poisoning from bacterial contamination in my food I want to minimize my dogs chance of getting food poisoning by feeding her cooked food. According to Dr. Wallace, lightly cooked dog food is more digestible than kibble, meaning it absorbs more vitamins, minerals, essential fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Check out the 50 secrets your vet wont tell you.

Choose The Top Dry Food For Your Fur Baby

We tested a bunch of dry food brands and these came out as our top picks. Whichever kibble you choose from our favorites, you wont do wrong, and your pup will eat it heartily. Just remember to size your portions correctly and pick the right food for your poochs age. Do not be afraid to introduce some crunch into your pups munch!

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I And Love And You Nude Super Food Red Meat Medley Grain

Top Ingredients: 1. Pork, 2. Beef Meal, 3. Herring Meal, 4. Peas, 5. Chickpeas

Serve your dog a meal loaded with the wholesome goodness of great ingredients and delicious flavors. Prepared from deboned meat, the recipe features high-quality protein content that serves your little ones nutritional needs.

The meal is also packed with real fruits and vegetables for added minerals and vitamins. With essential omegas blended into the recipe, ensure healthy skin and a shiny coat of your pet.

You can definitely rely on this brand to maintain your buddys health as the recipe is formulated by holistic veterinarians.