Pet parenting can be a tough job. Some believe that being a pet parent is even more difficult than parenting human kids. This is true because your pets cannot communicate their needs to you as a human baby can. Owing to this difficulty it is challenging to find the right dog food advice for your dog. Dog Food Advisor (DFA) is a website that helps you with such concerns.
DFA is a popular website that lets you compare food and keep yourself informed as a pet parent. It compares dog food by sharing ratings and details on the brand. DFA shares information backed by scientific reports and evidence.
Is Dog Food Advisor recommended by vets?
Dog Food Advisor does not officially have the right to recommend dog food. However, they reportedly have a vet on staff and have reviewed over 5,300 brands. This means that they have the expertise to perform the job that they have been doing.
There have been arguments in the past regarding the authenticity of the site and if it should be pet parents’ one-stop destination. Some research established by DFA goes against factual evidence made public by veterinarians. This leaves pet parents confused as to where to seek advice from when it comes to their dog’s nutritional requirements.
We are here to tell you that as pet parents you need not be concerned about that any longer. We have here a list of dog foods that vets recommend.
1. Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild has a new formula out there that makes up for any previous drawbacks in nutritional requirements. They now have grains like millet and sorghum. Additionally, they use pork and buffalo as ingredients for the protein content.
2. Orijen Original
Orijen Original is a dry dog food company. 85% of their ingredient list contains animal-based food. The other percent is vegetables and fruits. They have turkey, chicken, eggs, fish,
3. Zignature Lamb Food
Zignature contains canned wet food for your four-legged furry child. Lamb is the primary ingredient here and apart from that, it has sunflower oil, chickpeas, and flax.
4. Organix
Organix is a popular dog food brand that does not only chicken but oatmeal as well in the dry food category. The thought is to incorporate healthy fats into the diet such as barley, coconut oil, or flaxseed.
5. Instinct
Instinct is one of the well-known competing dry food brands for dogs out there. Some variety once in a while to add some extra nutrients to your dog’s diet is a good idea. For instance, leafy green vegetables or cooked eggs fill in these requirements. You can also opt for brands like Instinct that have raw food toppers called Instinct RawBoost Mixers to act as dry toppers to your dog’s food. You can consider mixing it in your dog’s kibble.
6. Freshpet Fresh
Freshpet Fresh uses chicken as their primary product in their dog food. Additionally, they are also packed with wholesome ingredients like carrots and cranberries. This allows your dog to have the ingredients they would otherwise have missed out on.
What is the best food for your dog?
You might come across arguments on whether home-cooked food or packaged food is good for your dog. The answer to this is to go with whatever suits your dog’s health and nutritional requirements best.
Packaged dog food in the market is specially curated for dogs and has all the requirements that your dog needs. Packaged food might make pet parenting a little easier for you as you no longer have to cook the meals. This gives you more time on your hand to be around your dog. With that being said, it may be the case that your dog is allergic to any of the ingredients in the packaged food or your vet may have advised against packaged food. In that case, it is absolutely fine to prepare home-cooked meals for your dog after consulting with the veterinarian.
Dogs are not strictly carnivorous. Therefore, they derive nutrition from leafy green vegetables, and fruits, other than meat. The aforementioned non-meat gives your dog all the vitamins and minerals they require for their development. A good dog diet is a healthy mix of meat, leafy greens, fruits, and grains. If you are worried about packaged dog foods not meeting these bars, you are wrong. Packaged dog food from a reputed brand will meet all of these requirements. At the end of the day, whether you opt for packaged food or home-cooked meals for your dog, your concern should be to meet all his dietary requirements.
Dog Nutrition
The nutritional requirements of dogs differ over their various stages of life. Their nutritional requirements as a puppy are different from their nutritional requirements as adults. Their nutritional requirements when they are old are different from both the aforementioned stages. Additionally, small breeds of dogs have different requirements than medium-sized or large breed dogs. The nutritional requirements for dogs are always fixed keeping in mind their age and how much they weigh.
If you do not know your dog’s nutritional requirements then consider consulting a vet for the same. It is best to consult a veterinarian as your dog may have an allergy you do not know about or may not be able to digest certain types of food well. There is no blog out there that can give you this information on the internet. Only your vet will be able to diagnose such conditions.
Final thoughts
Dog Food Advisor reviews a lot of food brands and in the process also shares a lot of ingredients that generally do not work out for a lot of dogs. Therefore, if you are new to pet parenting you might consider avoiding going for a brand that does not contain the problematic ingredient. For instance, if your dog has been diagnosed with a grain allergy, then opt for grain-free foods. Always count on your vet for situations that you feel are outside your purview.
