The Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters Grain Free Chicken Dry Dog Food
- Complete & Balanced nutrition for adult dogs and puppies of all breeds and sizes, including large breed puppies, as well as adult mothers .
- Clusters are thoughtfully prepared using human grade muscle meat & liver, low glycemic carbs, beneficial fats & live probiotics cold pressed into delicious, bite-size, ready-to-eat pieces.
- Clusters are made by mixing small batches of fresh ingredients, cold pressing them into bite-sized clusters, and then gently slow roasting and dehydrating them to maintain the nutrients, aroma and taste of whole foods.
Best Wet Food For Puppies
Dry food isn’t the only option for puppies. Wet food is another tasty option and offers several advantages for puppies. “Wet food can help puppies transition from a liquid diet to solid food,” says Shepherd. She adds that this transition, which should begin before a puppy is fully weaned, helps puppies accept solid food and learn how to drink water.
Wet food is also easy for puppies to eat. Without sturdy adult teeth, young puppies can struggle to munch on dry kibble, making wet food’s soft and moist texture ideal. In addition, wet food is packed with flavor, providing tasty enticement for a picky or hesitant eater. However, Shepherd recommends consulting your veterinarian if your puppy’s appetite is poor as there may be an underlying condition.
When reading a label for wet puppy food, look for the AAFCO statement that says the food provides complete and balanced nutrition for growth or all life stages. Also, remember that wet food tends to cost more than kibble and needs to be refrigerated and used within a few days to prevent spoiling.
Wet food certainly has its benefits for puppies, but it’s not a necessity. “The decision to feed dry versus wet food is very individual, depending on the individual puppy’s needs and owner’s desires and resources,” says Shepherd.
Our picks for wet puppy food:
What Is The Right Puppy Food
Puppy food is specifically formulated with nutrition for dogs that are still growing into adulthood in mind. Puppies need about twice as many calories per pound of body weight as an adult dog of the same breed. You should start feeding puppies a nutritious and scientifically formulated puppy food at approximately 4 weeks of age, which is when mother’s milk becomes insufficient.
Puppy food is best given in multiple, well-spaced meals 2-3 times daily. In general, all puppies under 10 pounds should be fed 3 times a day and those above can be slowly weaned to twice a day feedings. Feeding on a schedule will also help to get their bodies in a routine that will help with house training. Some breeds will overeat if allowed access to too many calories, so it is best to monitor their weight gain and ask your veterinarian to help determine if the growth rate is correct or if your puppy is growing too quickly and/or gaining too much weight. You should feed a puppy food that contains 25% to 30% protein. Remember, the adult size of a dog is determined genetically, not by how fast he or she grows. So refrain from overfeeding puppy food in an attempt to accelerate a puppy’s growth rate.
Puppy breeds vary tremendously with size, rate of growth, tendencies to overeat, etc. There are so many variables in making the correct choices when it comes to nutritional and caloric needs of puppies that we highly recommend seeking the advice of one of our veterinarians.
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Nomnomnow Fresh Food Delivery
Overall Best Weight Control Dog Food: When it comes to weight loss, many dog owners turn to fresh food because it is the highest in nutritional value. If youre looking for a great fresh food to feed your dog, consider NomNomNow fresh food delivery. This is a service that sends you pre-portioned packages of fresh dog food right to your door once a month. You simply fill out a profile online to provide your dogs age and weight information, then you can choose from several protein-rich recipes. Each recipe is made with wholesome, natural ingredients and cooked in small batches to ensure nutritional quality. Before choosing a recipe, you can view the calorie and fat content so you can make the right choice for your dog. You can also work with a company representative to choose the right portion to help your dog lose weight.
- Pros: Fresh wholesome meals, natural ingredients, choose from several recipes, pre-portioned packages sent to your door, cooked in small batches, high nutritional value
- Cons: Expensive to feed as a staple diet
What You Should Know About Homemade Dog Food
- Homemade dog food is prone to rapid bacterial and fungal growth if it is not chilled. Refrigerate or freeze your prepared homemade dog food in sealed containers at less than 4 degrees Celsius .
- Use refrigerated homemade dog food within 3 days. Check for odor and color changes before serving. Serve at just below body temperature. Ensure there are no hot spots if defrosting or warming the food in a microwave.
- Homemade dog food must be supplemented with calcium and dog vitamin and mineral powders. These dog supplements are not optional.
- Each recipe provides 1000 kcal. Serving size is determined by your dogâs dieting calorie requirement.
- Measure out the ingredients using kitchen scales to ensure the protein and calorie content is accurate.
- Do not cook or heat the vitamin/mineral supplement. Instead, add it to the meal just before feeding.
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How The Farmers Dog Helps
Our smarter, healthier pet food makes it easy to keep your dog lean, healthy, and excited to eat, whether theyre perfectly pint-sized, magnificently medium, or really, really big.
Fresh, Healthy Ingredients
Our recipes are made with human-grade meat and vegetables, cooked gently to retain the foods powerful nutrients. No mystery meat or meal”just big nutritional benefits for dogs big and small .
Vet-designed for All Sizes and Breeds
Board-certified veterinary nutritionists formulate our recipes so theyre complete and balanced and meet the needs of dogs from tiny to titanic.
Easy Adjustments for Your Dogs Changing Needs
Its easy to update your dogs plan as their needs changeour team is here to help at every step, or you can make one-click edits to your account any time.
Personalized Plans & Portions
We calculate the precise number of calories your dog needs based on their breed, weight, age and other factorsthen deliver pre-portioned food to your door. No eyeballing or guesswork, and no imprecise scoops.
How We Research Dog Food
Over the course of our decades of writing and editing for pet and veterinary publications, we’ve interviewed many veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists. We’ve also had the chance to feed our own dogs lots of different brands and types of foods.
It’s important to note that our veterinary experts didn’t specifically endorse any of the products in this guide. When you think about it, this makes sense, since most veterinarians agree that the best food for each individual dog will vary based on a variety of factors. So, to make picks for this guide, we consulted four veterinarians, including a board certified veterinary nutritionist and a professor of animal and nutrition science, on what qualities to look for in a healthy dog food and what to avoid. From there, we used the information gathered to guide our selections.
Every food in this guide is complete and balanced according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials guidelines, contains high-quality ingredients, and offers the right levels of protein, fat, and fiber for their respective categories.
When making choices, we also referred to educational resources from the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the Global Nutrition Guidelines published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association .
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A General Guideline For Preparing Homemade Dog Food
My DIY dog food recipe is more of a general guideline, rather than an exact meal plan that I follow each week. My dogs diet changes the same way ours does, depending on what we do and what we buy or grow.
However, we almost always stay with this basic formula:
- 50 percent cooked protein
- 25 percent cooked complex carbohydrates
- Fats and supplements
Protein is always meat and usually chicken, though weve also used turkey, pork, and beef. We feed any and all parts of the animals, but most commonly, we saute chicken breasts or chicken thighs in coconut oil and ground turmeric.
Coconut oil has a host of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, reducing allergic reactions, promoting wound healing, preventing yeast and fungal infections, and supporting arthritis or ligament problems.
Turmeric has long been studied for its powerful medicinal properties, including its use as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
We add it to the coconut oil since it is fat-soluble, and use it to support our pugs joint health.
Speaking of dark meat, we feed thighs and breasts interchangeably. While well remove the skin from poultry and trim off excessive fat from red meat, we dont worry about buying the leanest meat possible for our dogs.
A little fat is necessary for a well-rounded diet.
They tend to be the leftovers in our produce bin, so we never have to buy, say, a whole head of cauliflower just for the dogs.
Best Dog Foods For Allergies In 2022
If your dog has been experiencing itching and skin irritation, there are a variety of medical issues that could be causing the symptoms, including a food allergy. Food allergies among dogs arent that commonaccording to research from Banfield Pet Hospital, just 0.2 percent of dogs are affected by food allergies, whereas around 3.6 percent have environmental allergies. However, if your dog is allergic to an ingredient in their food, its important to have the allergy diagnosed by a veterinarian and find an appropriate treatment, which usually involves changing their food.
The following is what you need to know about dog food allergies, what causes them, and the best dog food for allergies to help your pet start feeling better.
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Buyers Guide: How To Choose The Best Gourmet Dog Food
Consult Your Veterinarian
The first and most important step is to check with a reputable veterinarian regarding your dog’s nutrition.
Your veterinarian’s expert advice will be the most valuable tool you have in creating a tailored meal plan for your dog, ensuring that your furry companion gets the nourishment they require in each mouthful.
Discover What Makes a Recipe Healthy
Ingredients and nutritional value are two dietary aspects that might affect your dog’s health.
Although meat is necessary for your dog’s diet, it should not be the primary component. A healthy dog diet should contain meat, grains, veggies, and fruits. The greater your dog’s health, the higher the quality of these components.
Which recipes are suitable for your dog will depend on their age or breed. Your dog’s dietary requirements will fluctuate with time.
As a result, selecting a dog food that is tailored to their age and breed category might help them even more than other formulations.
Learn How to Read a Dog Food Label
Reading a dog food label might be difficult, but Merck’s Veterinary Manual thoroughly describes each crucial area. When reading a dog food label, there are three key areas to check for.
The minimal amounts of protein and fat in the formula, as well as the maximum amounts of water and fiber, will be listed in the assured analysis.
These figures can provide a decent assessment of a recipe’s nutritional worth.
Victor Classic Dry Dog Food
Rating:
Victor Hi-Pro Plus is one of 5 kibble recipes included in our review of the Victor Classic product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Beef meal, grain sorghum, chicken fat, pork meal, chicken meal
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Other recipes: Chicken, puppy, active sporting dog formula and more
Victor Hi-Pro Plus derives the bulk of its meat protein from beef meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 22% fat and 37% estimated carbs which creates a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.
An affordable, all life stages kibble recently added to our budget-friendly dog foods list. Highly recommended.
Sample buyer reviewI have 5 active dogs of all different ages. Its been a struggle to find a quality, decently priced food that kept a good weight on all of them and didnt mess with their allergies. Theyve been on this food since April and its been amazing! No bad reactions when switching to Victor, no allergies, and they are all a good weight. Highly recommend.
Rating:
Annamaet Ultra is one of 8 kibble recipes included in our review of the Annamaet product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, chicken fat, whole dry eggs, herring meal
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Other recipes: Puppies, salmon, small breed, senior, weight loss and more
Especially popular with sporting dog professionals. Enthusiastically recommended.
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What To Look For In Dog Food In Order Of Importance:
AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement: This is the most crucial factor in determining whether a dog food is healthy or not. Any food you feed your dog should say on the label that it meets the nutritional standards established by the AAFCO. This means the food is “complete and balanced” for the dog’s life stage. You can find out more about these standards and definitions in the next slide.
Guaranteed analysis: This is where you’ll find the percentages of the most important nutrients in the food: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. Sometimes, you might find other nutrients like glucosamine, chondroitin, and omega fatty acids listed in the guaranteed analysis, too. It’s worth checking if the brand routinely tests their finished product to ensure it meets standards, Shepherd says. All of the foods in this guide have moderate to high protein and low to moderate fat .
Healthy extras: Some foods contain extra ingredients intended to support healthy skin, coat, and joints, Swanson notes. Examples include long-chain omega-3 fatty acids , omega-6 fatty acids , glucosamine, chondroitin, green-lipped mussels, and additional vitamins and minerals . Probiotics, prebiotics, and yeast can also benefit a puppy’s immature GI tract and probiotics may help boost overall immunity in senior dogs.
Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight
Image courtesy Hills Science Diet
Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight Adult Dry Dog Food is a veterinarian-recommended weight management food for adult dogs.
This kibble is made with real chicken and brown rice and contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The first five ingredients in this food are: deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley.
These ingredients provide your dog with high-quality protein to help maintain lean muscle mass and a healthy weight. This kibble is also enriched with L-carnitine, which helps dogs burn fat and lose weight while maintaining their energy levels.
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Why Should My Dog Lose Weight
As few as five pounds above the ideal body weight can put your dog at risk for developing some serious medical conditions. Unfortunately, when a dog is overweight or obese it no longer is a question of if your dog will develop a condition secondary to the excess weight but how soon and how serious. Some of the common disorders associated with excess weight include:
- type 2 diabetes
- increased frequency of joint injuries
- high blood pressure
- some forms of cancer – especially intra-abdominal cancers
Overweight and obese dogs usually have shorter lives than their fitter, normal weight counterparts. Heavy dogs tend to physically interact less with their families and are less energetic and playful. Because they tend to lie around more, it is easier to overlook early signs of illness, since we may attribute their lethargy to their normal laziness. There is good evidence that dogs who are a healthy weight live significantly longer than dogs who are overweight.
Meet A Fresh Approach To Pet Food
Food made for the love of dogs doesnt look like a burnt brown ball. It looks like food! Ours is formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists to be complete and balanced, and made with human-grade ingredients that are gently steamed to help retain their maximum nutritional value. Choose from a variety of fresh, personally portioned recipes including chicken, beef, turkey and more!
Meat
Green Vegetables
Including fresh vegetables in a dogs diet can provide health-boosting antioxidants. We use only whole, healthy vegetables not past-their-prime scraps rendered into unidentifiable pellets.
Whole muscle and organ meat make up the majority of all of our recipes. Because our food is fresh, it can provide essential nutrients and hydration, while being high in protein, calorically dense, and more digestible than the highly processed meal powders and starchy fillers often used in kibble and canned food.
Fiber – Rich Foods
Supplemental Nutrients
To ensure our fresh recipes are nutritionally complete and balanced, we add high-quality supplemental nutrients, like fish oil. Its Human-Grade, filled with Omega-3s, and really tasty!
Using fresh, whole vegetables also provides fiber, a key component of a dogs diet it helps maintain digestive health and a healthy gut, helps to regulate blood sugar levels, and leaves your dog feeling full for longer.
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Solid Gold Fit & Fabulous With Alaskan Pollock
First 5 Ingredients: Pollock, Pollock Meal, Pea Fiber, Pearled Barley, Brown Rice
Another premium brand worthy of inclusion in our best food list is Solid Gold Fit & Fabulous dry dog food. Alaskan Pollock is the main ingredient, which is an excellent novel protein.
While it is not grain-free, it has wholesome grains such as pearled barley, brown rice, oatmeal as its main sources of fiber. Nutrient-dense ingredients like oceanfish meal, dried eggs, pumpkin, and cranberries make this a truly healthy meal for pups.
It has salmon oil for the essential omega fatty acids to achieve healthy skin and coat. The protein load is a sufficient 26% minimum and the fat is a mere 7.2%, with fiber content of 11.1%.
This canine Cushings disease diet-appropriate and low-fat formula is also teeming with essential nutrients and probiotics for digestive health and a healthy immune system. It is free of cheap fillers and artificial flavors.
4.5 out of 5 stars average rating is what this adult dog food earned from about 180 reviewers at Chewy.com, with an 89% acceptance rate.
Most of the comments were favorable, with a good number of them saying their dogs thrived with this diet and also resulted in revitalized energy.
Some said their overweight dogs started shedding weight, and a few said its a great alternative to a prescription diet.
Pros:
