Your Best.
Honestly, nothing is more important than that. If you do the very best* you can for your canine companion(s), you have no reason to feel bad. A truly loved dog, is a happy dog.
This is written assuming you are buying a dry /canned /dehydrated /commercial raw food. If you want information on a raw diet, please ask!
(If your dog is a ‘butt scooter’ some of this could be why)
Grains - Most domesticated canines have difficulty consuming large amounts of grains. That’s because it is not a necessary requirement in their diet. When you look at the ingredient list (more later) on possible food choices, look for quality grains at an appropriate spot on the list if it includes any at all. Try to steer clear of foods very high in grains, as it is just a cheaper way to get the protein level up. Grains are not bad for canines, they are, again, simply not needed. A diet heavy in them should be the last option when aiming for optimal long term* health. A diet void (or almost void) of them, should be the goal. (1, 2, 3)
By Products/Meals - These have less strict regulations than many ingredients in dog food, making their use suspect in the eyes of many. Some by-products are still acceptable for use in ‘pet food’, but be sure that they are ‘pet grade’ (a simple search/call) at least. Never feed anything with ‘meat-meal/animal-meal/poultry-meal’ as unnamed meals can contain many poor quality, and even useless or dangerous ingredients. (1, 2 - A very ‘worst case’ article, but an important side nonetheless)
Fillers - This refers to grains, or food loaded with fruits and veggies. A food with more named meat ingredients is going to be better suited to meeting a canines needs, not just filling them up.
Chemical Preservatives/Flavor Additives - What many people don’t want in their own food, should not go into their companions. These added ingredients are very often stored in a dogs body, and will build up over time. A chemical build up in a living body is not a good thing for any species, especially since many things have consequences still unknown to us, and at the least put a strain on the body. (Includes This & More)
Named Meat - Look for the first 5 ingredients to be mostly meats. Something like ‘chicken, turkey, chicken meal, red lentils, deboned turkey’ would be acceptable, but always remember the the first ingredients are what there are the most of so that would have a lot of lentils. The more named meat in the food, and the higher on the list the better. (See 1-A & 1-B Above)
Natural Vitamins - Synthetic vitamins, though often just as good as the real ones, are not real. If you have the option always lean toward a more natural choice. A natural vitamin source for dogs is meat, and if you are feeding a kibble, canned, or dehydrated food that nutrient value is decreased by cooking/heat. Adding naturally sourced vitamins to the food is always a bonus, and should be fairly easy for a dog to absorb. These are usually listed at the bottom of the list (or near to it) as they are often both in and on the food.
BPA & BPS Free/Non-Toxic/ Phthalate Free Bags - Many companies, with a quick call, will be able to tell you wether their bags are non-toxic or BPA free. Just like you want to avoid those for yourself, dogs should not have to eat food from those types of containers. If the food comes in a bag you are concerned about, head to a store near you for a BPA free container. I will always prefer glass, but some people use toxin free plastic or galvanized steel.
Ingredient Source Importance:
Grass Fed, Free Range, and Cage Free don’t always mean what you think they do. If these things are of a concern to you please research the company you buy from. If the employee you speak with is able to give you farm names, say thank you, and do some research. Note that there are also companies out there as concerned with the meat industry as you are. There aren’t many, but it is a growing number every year. Push for these changes, because your voice does matter, as does the health of your companion. For a list of companies please do a simple web search and follow up with companies, or reach out to me! I’ll happily answer messages.
On that note, try to always get hormone and antibiotic free foods, as well as food from corn feed free animals. In my experience, this makes a difference for dogs with symptoms that are mistaken for allergies. My own companion Captain cannot have meat that contains heavy antibiotics and hormones without noticeable physical side effects. More on allergies later.
Just like when shopping for food for yourself, it is important to think long term*. Think about what the ingredients are, and any lasting issues that could be caused by them, then buy the best quality you can afford.
Allergies - As I lightly touched on above, what goes into the ingredients, is as important as the ingredients them self. Some dogs cannot eat food with grain, and others are intolerant to vegetables or common additives. There are also dogs who cannot tolerate meat that comes from animals fed corn, or raised with a lot of hormones/antibiotics. Pinpointing and eliminating an allergen from a dogs life is very difficult, but there is an array of ways to do it. The best way to start, is with a well educated nutritionist, with a lot of experience. (1, 2)
Weight Loss/Gain - All dog food will come with feeding guidelines recommended by weight. However, that doesn’t work for every dog. Some dogs are high energy or high metabolism, and others are not. That needs to be taken into account with how much they eat. As does the daily output of energy, as a working or sporting dog will likely need more than an ‘average pet’.There are wonderful visual guides here (for average pet dogs) and in most vet offices that are easy to understand. If a dog is too fat or too thin, just adjust the feed accordingly.
Illnesses - Many dogs have illnesses that will make them sensitive to different foods because of ingredients they contain. More often than not there are plenty of appropriate non-prescription diets available for those dogs. It takes extra research, and a lot of professional guidance from a qualified nutritionist and veterinarian, but those dogs can be fed without compromising quality.
Prescription diets came about when it was noticed that dogs and cats alike were suffering from ailments, and the food aspect had not really been used by any companies. Today a variety of special ‘therapeutic’ diets are made by many companies. The problem is that many of them that are assigned to dogs, but are made with low quality ingredients and can ultimately do more harm than good. Below there are ingredient lists for 2 different foods, from 2 different companies, for 2 different health issues. There is also 1 non prescription comparable quality food for comparison. Take a very close look at them. Do you see any high quality ingredients that could change a dogs health, that can’t be found in a non prescription food? Anything that couldn’t be filled with a quality daily supplement? (1, 2, 3)
Diets based on a dogs breed are a ploy to take your money. While some breeds are prone to specific issues/sensitivities, you cannot base what a dog needs to eat solely on their breed. Every dog is an individual and needs to be fed as such. Take precautions where needed, and go forth with your individual dog in mind. I have included below 2 different foods, for 2 different breeds, from 2 companies. Again, there is 1 non breed specific comparable quality food for comparison. Again, anything incredible about the two specific foods? (See Above Links)
Portions Per Bag - Cost Effectiveness:
Something important to remember about foods is that higher quality usually means needing to feed less in a day. That means a higher quality bag may cost 10 dollars more, but last 15 days longer. There are some great ways to figure out how long a bag will last you with some simple calculations or the link below.
This is great & made by @p-regius (killer job) . IYou can download it to your own computer!
NOTES:
* The Very Best - This means putting time, effort and education into the care your canine companion deserves. Look for the most scientifically based and supported information, from unbiased sources, and talk with a variety of professionals in every aspect of the field. Don’t stretch your budget so far you can’t eat, either. There are options for every budget!
*Long Term - Most dogs live anywhere from 8-15 years. This needs to be considered in the use of long term. I always suggest ½ the expected age of the dog as use for this term. The Great Dane may have the term used in reference to 4 years, where as the Dachshund may have it used in term of 7.5. For a mutt, I suggest 5.5 years.
Food Comparisons - I do not endorse any of the foods compared, including the ‘non’ in each scenario.
Links - You will notice I use a lot of links to Dr. Karen Becker’s works. This is because she is a professional in this field, and has incredible amounts of research and experience. She also provides sources on her site, or will openly discuss them. I did not include videos from any other professionals, because she is the most ‘non-demeaning’ and ‘understandable’ of the many I have seen, but I would love some suggestions for more!
If you’re new to canine care, or maybe want a refresher read Pukka’s Promise - also great for people bored by straight-up science books. This book is easy to read, and contains a little more than the science of canine care - you get a little bit of story. Kerasote goes through a lot of work to dig deeper into how to be the best canine caregiver, then shares everything with you. You can listen to Kerasote and Becker here (part ¼).
If you want more books, let me know!
