What should you feed your dog?

Food glorious food! As an adult, we get the choice of what we eat, an indulgnet burger, a healthy salad or a homely roast dinner. So much choice! As a dog though, they get what we think is best for their health, enjoyment and energy levels, which leads to the ultimate question, which food is best? Fresh foods, Raw Foods or Kibbles?

As with anything, it is always best to consult your vet but you do have some points to consider when choosing the right food for your doggy companion:

• Taste – Does your dog enjoy the food which you are feeding?
• How active is your dog? – If you have a working dog, they will be more active and will have a different dietary requirements to household dogs.
• Weight of your dog – Is your dog overweight or underweight or are they the right size for their age and breed?
• Allergies – Wheat is the biggest allergen in dogs, and is often found in cheaper foods (labelled sometimes as cereals), does your dog have any allergies?
• Your lifestyle – Do you have time to prepare a fresh meal for your dog each day?
• Age – Puppies will need a different diet to those of adults and seniors, how old is your dog?

Changing your dogs diet needs to be done gradually, we have written about this here. It is also important to keep an eye on your dogs weight, general health and energy levels when changing their diet with any concerns being consulted with your vet or specialist.

With this in mind, you can be armed to ask the right questions, but what of the different foods you can feed your dog?

Fresh dog foods

Fresh foods can be great for your dogs overall health but do require a healthy budget, underlying understanding and knowledge for dietary requirements and how to satisfy them but above all else, and often a stumbling block, time and space to cook for your dog daily.

Unlike ready made foods, you have to make sure your dog gets everything their body needs, choosing the right foods and cooking methods. Their are a range of veterinary nutritionist recipes you can follow however and if you have the time and budget, this is an option your dog will love allowing you to tailor the diet to your dogs needs. You can even freeze meals after bulk cooking to make it easier for mealtimes.

Raw dog foods

Their are a range of options available here however, getting frozen raw foods is often the easiest and most cost effective option. Raw foods are growing in popularity, we have seen an increase here at Heart Pet Supplies! Raw diets are often made from organ meats, muscle, bone (ground or whole), raw egg, vegetables and fruits, giving a complete diet for your dog put together by specialist companies, taking the guess work out of offering fresh foods.

As with any raw foods, you do need to be careful handling the food, keeping surfaces clean, keeping foods away from children and washing your hands. A raw diet is not really recommended by some for people with compromised immune systems or with young children in the house. It is also not recommended for puppies or for dogs with some underlying health issues, please consult your vet.

Brands like Nutriment or Farmers dog are the best sellers here at Heart.

Dry dog foods (Kibble)

There is a wide range of kibble available for dogs, all vary in what go in them and what your dog can get out of them. Cheaper foods are often lower quality foods meaning your dog will not get all of what they need, are “bulked out” with wheat/cereals etc. one of the biggest allergens for dogs, choosing a food without wheat for example, can lead to better coats, less itching etc.

Kibbles are complete foods for your dogs dietary requirements and are often the most popular food to give your dog due to cost and ease.

As a general rule of thumb, it is best to look for a food with proteins listed as the first ingredient such as a meat. A good quality food like Exe Valley will often lead to better health for your dog.