You only want the best for your canine pal, and giving them the healthiest and most highly recommended food by trusted vets is a good place to start.
As a dog owner, it's important to know what makes a particular dog food considered to be “high quality” or “organic”, as well as what ingredients are good for your dog, or which ones should be avoided. There are many types of dog food out there that stand out from the rest because they have highly accredited veterinarians endorsing them for one reason or another.
What Makes Dog Food “Organic”?
There are some strict guidelines that dog food needs to meet in order to be able to call itself organic. These guidelines include being made without the use of antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, or any pesticides.
Organic food and organic treats, especially for pets, but not be genetically modified or grown with chemical fertilizer.
Often when a brand chooses to make their dog food organically, they will notice that their dog food ratings go up significantly. However, organic recipes aren’t all that is taken into consideration when rating a dog food. But it is a great benefit for your dog all the same.
Should I Choose a “Grain-Free” Dog Food?
Just for a little background knowledge, the grains that are commonly used in dog foods include corn, wheat, rice, barley, and oats. Some dogs are more sensitive to these ingredients and require food that is free of grains. You can find wet and dry dog food that is grain-free usually.
The thing with grain-free dog food is the creators of this food try and balance it out nutritionally to make up for the lack of grains. When you think of food made with grains such as bread, the first thing you probably think of is carbohydrates, as far as nutritional value goes. Carbohydrates are important for dogs, especially very active ones, so potatoes or sweet potatoes are used as a substitute for carbohydrates.
Makers of grain-free dog foods also add extra meats and proteins into the food as well. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a young, active pup. However, for an older and more sedentary dog, increased protein may lead them to gain excess weight over time on this kind of diet.
How to Choose the Best Vet Recommended Dog Food
A vet recommended dog food is simply that - a food that has been dubbed by this highly trained professional as being a great choice when it comes to your dog’s dietary health and well-being. Vets base this decision on factors such as nutritional value and how carefully tested they were during trials of creating the food.
There are a few brands that stand above the rest in the eyes of vets worldwide. Brands such as Hill’s Science Dog food and Royal Canin. Vets and dog lovers worldwide have trusted these brands to fill their dog’s bellies for many years now.
Aside from the ready-made dog food that you can buy from the stores, you can also consider making homemade dog food to ensure that the ingredients used are high quality and healthy for your pup. Here are some of the best homemade dog food recipes to help you get started:
- DIY Turkey Patties for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Turmeric Biscuit for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Chicken Patties for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Stuffed Pawtato for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Pup Kebabs for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Quick Quinoa Bites for Dogs Recipe
- DIY Jumbo Canine Cupcake for Dogs Recipe
- DIY K9 Summer Rolls for Dogs Recipe
Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food
Hill’s Science makes both wet and dry lines of dog food that are specially tailored to your dog’s particular needs. Such as dogs who have sensitive stomachs or skin problems. They also have food that will help your dog to lose weight and manage a healthy weight.
This brand of dog food is made to be incredibly dense in nutritional value as well as all-natural. It's also free of unnatural additives such as preservatives and artificial colors. You can’t go wrong with your dog with this carefully crafted brand of dog food.
Royal Canin Dog Food
Royal Canin is another highly trusted and loved specialty brand of dog food on the market. Royal Canin has taken the time to formulate dozens of recipes that tailor to specific breeds at specific ages and their nutritional needs. Not many other dog food brands can make that claim. With all that work put into their dog food, they've of course made sure to make a line of both wet and dry dog food.
Aside from breed and age, Royal Canin also caters to different conditions and health problems that dogs tend to face. Such as gastrointestinal upset, skin irritation, and even joint problems. Royal Canin has covered all of their bases.
Conclusion
Trying to choose the best diet for your canine companion can be stressful at times. You want to do what is in their best interest always, and their diet is such a significant factor in their life you don't want to mess that up. Vets have spent many years working with dogs and learning about their specific needs and what brands of food can meet those needs. Choosing a vet recommended dog food like Royal Canin or Hill’s Science brands dog food might be your being option if other brands of food just aren’t cutting it for your pal.
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