Dog Food: know which one is best for your pet

Many are not aware of the fact that dog food comes in a number of varieties. Proud owners of pets have been feeding their dogs with the same type of food for years. So wondering what different kinds of dog foods are available out there? Or which type of dog food is best for your pet? Read on to find out.

Different kinds of breeds have different requirements. However, the main types of dog food available are as follows:

Dry Variety

Dry variety of food is the most popular type of dog food among pet owners. This type of dog food is not only pretty reasonably priced but also comes with a long shelf life. It also does not need to be refrigerated to remain fresh. This type of food requires a lot of chewing and thus makes your dog’s teeth healthy.

Home Cooked Meals

Perhaps this is the ideal meal you can give your dog. This is because home-cooked meals are fresh, have high nutritional value and are devoid of preservatives. Owners can regulate their pet’s diets easily when the meals for their pets are cooked at home. However, this can be a bit expensive and time-consuming.

Raw Food

Raw foods like raw meats, bones, organs etc can be fed to dogs as their digestive system is compatible to digest raw foods. Dogs’ stomachs contain acids that easily break down the proteins in the raw meats.

Semi-Moist Food

This type of food available for dogs can be termed as ‘ready-to-eat’ meals for pets as they are packaged attractively to resemble steaks, pork chops and such kinds of meats. However, these foods contain a lot of artificial flavours, colourings and preservatives and should only be given to your pets occasionally. They have very low nutritional value.

Canned Variety

Dogs love canned food as it is not dry. However, it can be a bit on the expensive side for many pet owners. Canned dog food is available easily across supermarkets but one has to be careful about its ingredients. Though this type of dog food claims to contain a lot of protein, owners should check the ingredient list before purchasing them to see if the proteins mentioned in the nutritional chart of the product are apt for a canine’s digestive system.

What kind of food should you feed your dog?

To determine what kind of food your dog needs to eat you should take the help of an expert like a veterinary doctor. The expert will analyze the age, gender, breed, body composition, temperament and activity level of your dog before charting out his daily meal structure.

Depending on your economic condition, you can also ask the expert to draw out a meal plan for your pet which is a combination of the different types of dog foods mentioned above. If you want to go for a completely store-bought meal for your pet you should take the help of the expert to list out brands whose dog food provides this ideal nutrition to your pet.

Remember that an ideal diet plan for your pet should have a healthy combination of proteins, fats, oils, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and water.