Dog Food Quality

One of the basic needs of dogs is access to proper nutrition via a well balanced high quality dog food diet.



There are many varieties of dog foods available such as commercial dog food, dry dog food, wet dog food, alternative dog foods and raw dog foods. Most veterinarians recommend that owners rotate their dog’s food every 6 months to ensure that the dog gets all the possible vitamins and nutrients. Additionally rotation of the food will also minimize the development of allergies towards foods in dogs.



Commercial dog food refers to store bought dog food that can be in the form of dry pellets or come as wet food in a can. An ideal dog food would be a mixture of dry and wet dog food as wet dog food alone has a high fluid content which is not always desirable. Alternative dog food is a recent development and includes frozen or freeze dried dog foods which comes in a cooked or a raw form.



This type of dog food is usually more nutritional as its skips the processing stage involved in wet or dry dogs foods. Another alternative dog food is dehydrated dog food which is either in a cooked or raw form. The food is air dried to remove all the moisture so that the growth of bacteria can be prevented. These foods are usually fed to the dogs after adding some warm water. Many dog owners also feed homemade dog food which usually comprises of cooked meat, multivitamin supplements or pureed vegetables. There are many commercial companies also that sell homemade food as most owners nowadays prefer it to processed foods for their dogs. There are also certain specialized foods that are designed for dogs that are allergic to certain common ingredient like wheat, chicken or corn. These foods substitute the chicken, corn or wheat with lamb, beef, rice, and potatoes among others, to ensure that the dog food quality remains nutrient rich.

Diets provided by veterinarians for dogs suffering for certain medical issues usually ingredients that have been hydrolyzed and hence they do not trigger a response from the immune system. In cases where the owners are vegetarians, the dogs may also be fed special vegetarian foods. While choosing dog food ensure that one of the main ingredients in the food is meat. Additionally foods that contain vegetables and fruits are also desirable as they provide the basic vitamins and minerals required to maintain good health in the dog.