What’s the best type of food for my dog?

Ever heard of the saying “variety is the spice of life?” Well this isn’t exactly true when it comes to your canine pal! Feeding your dog a variety of different foods can cause havoc to their digestive system. So whether it’s dry, tinned or fresh – sticking to the right type of food is essential for their diet. 

There’s no single answer to the question “what’s the best type of food to feed my dog?” The answer varies considerably but there is such a thing as a poor diet and a healthy diet. Here are a few things to consider before their next dinner time.

Puppy food vs adult food

People wonder what the difference is between puppy food and adult food and whether a puppy really needs it but they do. Puppy food needs higher protein and fat for growing pups, as well as more calories and different requirements for vitamins and minerals. Feeding a puppy adult dog food could cause malnutrition.

Dry food

When you go to your local pet store, you’ll notice there is a huge range of different dry food available for your dog but how do you go about picking the right one? The quality of this food varies widely so the best thing to do is always pick a brand specifically designed for your breed of dog and look out for “premium” dog foods or “complete foods” on the label as these will have all the nutrients your dog needs.

Tinned food

Tinned food tends to be more palatable to dogs because it is made primarily of protein and fat, with few carbohydrates. The palatability and digestibility of tinned food may also make it the right choice for finicky eaters or dogs with certain illnesses and it can also be a good source of hydration for your pet due to its moisture content. The downside is the soft, smooth texture of tinned food, which doesn’t give your pooch an opportunity to do the crunching that can help clean his teeth!

Dry vs tinned

If you’ve ever heard the debate over tinned vs. dry dog food, you’re bound to feel a little bit confused. On the one hand, tinned food tends to have higher quality protein, as well as fewer preservatives and fillers but dry food sold by reputable companies now tends to offer just as much nutrition as wet food and is often cheaper and a lot more convenient. Dry food is great for cleaning teeth but some dogs might suffer from sensitive gums so tinned food might be better. So what do you do? It’s just a matter of picking something that suits you and your pets lifestyle. As long as it’s well balanced and made with quality ingredients, it shouldn’t matter which brand you go for, watch their pet food videos and pick the one you like. If you do have any concerns, speak to your vet as there may be particular considerations for your dogs breed or age.

Treats

All dogs deserve a treat every now and again and by now and again, we mean every now and again! Even healthy snacks have calories, so make sure you count goodie calories as part of your pup’s daily intake. And remember that sometimes the things that make treats so tasty are salt and fat—another reason for moderation.

If you have read this and you think you do need to change your dog’s diet but are worried about the consequences, you should blend the new food with the old food for a period of a week, and gradually give him more of the new. But as we have already mentioned, don’t keep switching it up, as it’s not only bad for their digestive system, it can also turn your dog into a picky eater and cause weight problems.

There is no single right or wrong way to feed your dog. What matters most is that the food you choose is as healthy as possible and suited to any medical condition they might have.