What Type of Food is Best for my Dog? – Complete Guide

Translated by Nick R

One thing owners are most concerned about is what food is best for their pets. It is essential for the health of our furry ones.

Here I’ll explain what you should take into account to choose your dog’s food and all the different types that exist.

Choose the best one and your dog will thank you for it.

What should I consider in feeding my dog? 

First of all, every dog is a completely different world, so a diet that works for your neighbor’s dog won’t necessarily work for your pet.

Even all your dogs are different and have different needs depending on their age, breed, weight, physical activity or any health problems they may have.

Here I’ll explain what to consider depending on your dog’s condition.

Food intolerance 

First of all, sometimes canines cannot ingest certain foods that could harm them, either due to allergy or food intolerance.

A food intolerance is a digestive system physiological response and occurs when the dog’s digestive system cannot properly digest a food.

Symptoms 

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Gases
• Skin itching or scratching

Causes of food intolerance in dogs 

• Medications.
• Deficiency in enzymes that help food digestion.
• Intoxication: bacteria or fungi in food.
• Colorants and preservatives in food.

Food allergy 

A food allergy is an exaggerated immune response that occurs immediately in response to some food. Such allergies are caused by proteins such as meat, poultry, or dairy products.

Symptoms 

• Excessive itching of the skin
• Redness
• Crusting
• Breathing problems
• Gases
• Vomiting
• Appetite loss

Causes of food allergies in dogs 

• Proteins such as milk, wheat, eggs, fish or soy.
• Colorants and preservatives in food.

Recommendation: if you think your dog is allergic or intolerant to any food, contact your veterinarian immediately. He/she will be the one to diagnose and create an appropriate treatment for your dog.

The usual treatment in these cases is the Elimination Diet, which consists of eliminating foods that your dog normally eats and observe if the allergy or intolerance persists.

If the allergy or intolerance is gone after the time the veterinarian considers necessary, a new diet will be prepared for your dog avoiding the harmful food again.

If you want to know more about this topic, I recommend you to read the academic article Food allergy and intolerance in dogs and cats.

Are dogs carnivores or omnivores? 

This, oddly enough, seems to be a contradictory topic, but let’s go over the definitions of each to understand if dogs are omnivorous or carnivorous.

Omnivores: 

It includes animals that feed on all kinds of organic substances, that is, they can feed on both vegetables and animals since their organism processes both foods perfectly. They can be predators or prey.

Some characteristics of omnivores are:

Teeth: they have flat molars and short incisors or fangs. The flat teeth are for crushing plants and seeds and the incisors or fangs for meat. The latter, however, are not as sharp as the teeth of a carnivorous animal.

Digestive system: They normally have only one stomach and are able to take nutrients from both meat and vegetables. Their digestive system is not as complex as a herbivore’s, but more complex than the one of carnivorous animals.

Carnivores: 

Carnivores are those animals that primarily base their diet on animal protein, but there are two types of carnivores.

• Strict carnivores: They base their diet 100% on animal protein, they need this to develop properly. It doesn’t mean that they can’t eat vegetables, they can eat small quantities, but their digestive system is not apt for digesting this type of food. An example of strict carnivores are cats.

• Facultative carnivores: Now, these base their diet mainly on animal products, but can also feed on plants or fruits to a lesser extent. Here is where dogs belong.

So, when feeding your dog, keep in mind that, although some vegetables and fruits can go perfectly well in their diet, it should be based mainly on animal products for the perfect development of your furry one.

Some people choose to feed their dogs a vegan diet, but we’ll talk about this a little later.

The age of the dog

Puppies 

Feeding a puppy won’t be the same than feeding an adult dog, they have different needs. Their perfect development and good health from an early age depends on an adequate diet.

There are three stages a puppy goes through before reaching the first year of life.

• Lactation period: Here the mother’s diet is very important, since this will determine whether the puppies receive a good diet. This period goes until the third or fourth week of life. This time is also important for the socialization of the puppy, so do not separate it from its mother and siblings before the weaning period.

• Weaning period: it occurs between 3 and 4 weeks and this is when we start giving solid food. The mother gradually will stop giving milk to the puppy.

Amounts: Give your puppy 4 servings a day. At first, it may be difficult for it to chew solid food, so you can give it a porridge to help it.

You only need to boil water or special milk for puppies (not cow’s milk) and stir it with its feed. This will soften it, and finally you can mash it as if you were making mashed potatoes.

• Post-weaning period: this period is from week 8 to 12 months. It is important for a proper growth and development of your puppy. From the third monthwe can start to reduce the portions from 4 to 3 per day. At 8 months, you can start to give only 2 portions per day.

Note: the food portion depends on the weight of the dog; you can ask your veterinarian or check on the back of the package for a table with the recommendations to know the food portion.

Adult dogs 

You can feed your adult dog 2 times a day. The moment at which the dog starts to be considered an adult depends on the breed. For example, small and medium breed dogs, such as the Cocker Spaniel, the Shih Tzu, the Chihuahua or the Beagle, are considered adults from 12 or 12 and a half months.

On the contrary, large or giant breed dogs, such as the Great Dane, the Newfoundland, the St. Bernard or the German Shepherd, are considered adult at 18 to 24 months. Given their size, they develop slower in reaching their giant size.

Pregnancy 

During pregnancy is important to adjust the amount of food you feed your dog, as she will need more nutrients to meet the puppies’ needs.

Canine pregnancy lasts between 63 to 67 days. Between the first and second week, the changes will not be so visible and her feeding will be as usual. In the third and fourth week, your puppy will have nausea and vomiting, which can kill her appetite.

Feed her small portions throughout the day. Depending on the breed and size of the dog, your veterinarian will tell you to increase the amount of food and what types of food you should feed your dog as the pregnancy progresses.

Physical activity 

The food and portions you serve your dog will depend on its physical activity. A sedentary canine won’t need the same amount of food and nutrients as one that exercises a lot, as the latter expends more energy and thus needs more calories.

So, if your dog is very active, you should adapt the amount of food according to its energy requirements.

You can consult your veterinarian to be sure of the amounts you should feed your dog according to its weight and physical activity.

Older dogs or dogs with morbidities 

Again, knowing at what age each dog is considered to be a senior dog varies from breed to breed.

Small breed dogs have longer life expectancy than large breed dogs, so they will reach old age after their 9th birthday. Large breed dogs, on the other hand, start their senior years after the age of 7 years old.

At this stage your dog will start to show different changes both physically and behaviorally.

Due to old age, different diseases appear and in order to give them the best life quality it is necessary to pay special attention to their feeding.

The different morbidities it may present also depend on the breed, for example, the German Shepherd commonly suffers from hip dysplasia.

Thus, your dog must have the nutrients it needs at this stage. We will reduce the amount of food, but we will distribute it in more portions per day.

Your dog must also drink enough water. If it stops doing it, we can opt for a wet food to meet its requirements.

Consult your veterinarian to make sure which types of food are the most suitable for your canine, taking into account the problems it may present due to old age.

Dog breed 

The International Cynological Federation recognizes 343 breeds of dogs, but it is estimated there are many more. Each breed has different needs.

Of course, the diet of a Chihuahua is not the same as that of a Great Dane or a Saint Bernard.

Metabolism, growth, digestibility and genetics differ among different breeds of dogs. Small dogs have a faster metabolism than large breed dogs.

Also, knowing the breed requirements on food can help fight diseases or different ailments associated with the breed.

I’ll introduce some breeds and the diseases or problems they commonly suffer from.

Breed	Deseases
Pug	Respiratory problems
Labrador Retriever and German Shepherd	Hip dysplasia
Dalmatian	Deafness and Kidney stones
English Cocker Spaniel	Otitis and glaucoma
Rottweiler	Dysplasia and arthritis
Shar Pei	Dermatitis, hip dysplasia and hypothyroidism

Types of dog food 

Having considered all of the above, I’ll talk about the different types of dog food that exist and how to choose the best one.

As I said before, the food you choose for your dog must meet its nutritional needs, depending on its breed, physical activity, diseases and stage of life.

Vegan diet 

Some people feed their dogs vegan food (without any protein or animal derivative). As I explained before, dogs are facultative carnivores, not omnivores or herbivores, so their food should be based mostly on animal protein, meat, chicken, dairy….

So is it a good idea to keep their diet free of animal products?

According to many veterinary medicine professionals: no, it is not good for your pet’s health. Although we are omnivores and can safely consume only plant-based foods, our pets may have developmental deficits.

And I know this must be a moral dilemma for vegan owners, but unless a veterinarian approves and monitors your dog’s health on this diet, abstain from it.

Recommended scientific article: Nutritional inadequacies in commercial vegan dog and cat foods.

Dry food diet 

This is arguably the easiest way to feed your furry one. It is the well-known “feed”, “kibble” or “concentrate”.

Pros 

One of the advantages is that it is inexpensive and easy to obtain. In addition, it saves a lot of time to their owners since they only have to serve the recommended amount and not worry much more.

It also comes in many formats, and adapts to the life stage of your puppy: its breed and even special conditions that your pet may have, such as obesity, diabetes, among others.

Additional benefits of this food are its long shelf life, that it cleans your dog’s teeth, and that it prevents tartar.

Cons 

One of the disadvantages of this type of food is that it doesn’t provide hydration, so make sure your dog drinks enough water.

Different qualities

There are many brands of different qualities, so let’s see which ones offer good nutrition for your canine.

Economical 

These ones have low digestibility, meaning poor nutrient absorption, thus our furry ones are not meeting their nutritional needs.

In addition, when looking at the ingredients list; the primary protein sources are vegetable based and it is composed of animal by-products, which is what is thrown away by the food industry (paws, heads, beaks or intestines) and what many feed or concentrate brands use to manufacture the kibble for our furry ones.

If you see the labels and one of the first ingredients is an animal by-product, such as feather meal, it means that the protein you are feeding your dog is not of good quality and your dog’s digestive system won’t be able to assimilate this type of food properly either.

It will be reflected in the hair and skin of your pet, and also in digestion problems, liquid stools with a strong odor and possibly also gas.

Try to avoid generic brands that you don’t know what brand they are, or the ingredients they are made of.

Standard 

This type of feed has higher digestibility than the previous one, but it is still quite low compared to premium or super premium brands.

In addition, it has a lower amount of proteins and fats. It’s common for this type of feed to have vegetable origin products such as corn as the main ingredient and some animal by-products as a secondary ingredient.

Of course, this and the previous one are the cheapest feeds on the market, but that is precisely because they don’t have good products in their composition.

Premium 

Premium foods have a higher digestibility, more than 70%, so your dog will be able to digest the nutrients that the food provides.

Their source of protein is mainly animal-based, such as meat, chicken or salmon. Although premium foods still have a large amount of plant-based products, it is still a better option for your furry than economy or standard feed.  

Super premium 

This is the best quality feed you can find. It contains excellent quality raw materials, and animal protein sources such as chicken, lamb or salmon and not by-products, so it has a digestibility of 90%.

It has better sources of protein, energy and fat. Also super premium foods contain fatty acids such as Omega 3 and 6 that help the health and beauty of our pet’s skin and coat.

Almost a year ago in my family we decided to change the concentrate of Amber (my dog), for Agility Gold for small adult dogs. We used to feed her with a standard concentrate. The first thing we noticed was that she liked this food better than the previous one.

On the other hand, after three – four months, her coat improved noticeably, it is now much softer and even (strangely) curled a little. In addition, she was very thin, after starting with this new food she put on a little weight and is much healthier, with the previous food she vomited very often, it was very bad for her.

Ingredients 

As I told you, when looking at the list of ingredients, it’s important that the first products are of animal origin. The feed I give my dog is mainly composed of chicken and salmon.

Portions 

The servings will depend on the weight of your dog, on the back of the package you will see some tables with the estimated amounts that you should feed your dog.

Wet food 

This food comes in cans or small sachets, it has much more hydration than dry food. So if your dog doesn’t drink much water, this is a very good option to feed it.

It has chicken or meat flavor, high caloric density and good digestibility if of high quality

 Pros 

• One advantage it has is that its aroma and flavor that dogs love, they will eat with much more gusto.
• It is also a very good alternative for those dogs that have reached old age and find it difficult to chew or swallow, apart from giving them extra hydration. In addition, this type of food is much more satiating.

 Cons 

• The problem with this food is that it does not clean your pet’s teeth as dry food does, so if you do not brush your pet’s teeth, tartar may appear.
• On the other hand, this type of food does not last long, so once you uncover it and serve it to your pet, it should be eaten in the shortest time possible.
• Another problem is that since it has a higher caloric density than dry food, obesity problems may occur if you are not careful.
• As well as dry feed, there are many that are made with only animal by-products, so check the ingredients to see if it is of good quality.

You should also check that the packaging says that it is a complete food, which means that your pet can be fed exclusively on this, as some are only complementary food.

And finally, if we don’t control the amounts of this food, it could cause overweight in our pet.

Ingredients 

As I said before, it is important that it has a good base of animal protein, normally this type of food has chicken, lamb or beef.

It must be made up of real protein instead of food with a taste of… because it would mean that it is made up of chemicals that give it the flavor and not real meat.

Portions 

Just like dry food, this one has recommendations on the amount you should feed your pet depending on its weight. This recommended amount is daily, that is, you should divide it by the number of times you serve the food to your pet.

For example, I feed my pet twice a day, so I will divide the recommended amount by 2.

Natural feeding or BARF diet 

The BARF diet means “biologically adequate raw food”. It is based on giving your pet raw food, since it is the most natural food for our canines.

It basically consists of:

• 60% of bones with meat, which offer them calcium.
• 25% lean meat, chicken, beef, meat, fish, which offer them protein.
• 15% of fruits, vegetables, eggs and viscera, which offer vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.

 Pros 

• Some say that, if the food is raw, the dog can properly digest the nutrients such as enzymes and vitamins offered by the food.
• Among some benefits of the BARF diet are improvement of skin and coat, less bulky stools, as the food has a very good digestibility, cleaner teeth and more energy for our pets. This diet has a positive effect on their behavior and mood.
• Your dog will also be much more hydrated and will have a better immune system.
• On the other hand, your dog will probably love this type of diet and enjoy it a lot.

 Cons 

• Considering that you will be feeding raw food, you need to make sure that you buy the food in places suitable for human consumption, which are very hygienic and of high quality, since, meat, for example, could have bacteria or parasites that could create infections in your pet.
• Many people prefer to lightly cook the food to avoid infections or parasites, it is also advisable to freeze the food beforehand to make it safer.

Recommendation: the bones must be raw, since cooked they can be dangerous for the dog because they splinter. It is advisable to consult a veterinarian for advice if you are going to start with this type of diet to ensure that your dog receives the nutrients in the amounts it needs.

Ingredients 

These are some foods you can include in this diet.

• Chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Salmon, tuna, sardines, trout.
• Pork, lamb or beef.
• Apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, papaya, peach, coconut, blueberries and watermelon.
• Carrots, spinach, squash, broccoli, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, peas.
• Liver, kidney, brains, heart, spleen.
• Bones from chicken wings, chicken thigh, ribs and neck.
• Natural yogurt, without sugars or additives.
• Coconut oil.
• Eggs.
• Fish oil.

Avoid onion, garlic or avocado.

If you want to know more about this topic, you can review this study design of BARF diets for dogs in three physiological stages. Here they analyze the nutritional requirements of large dogs depending on their stage.

Portions 

It is advisable to consult with your veterinarian, so he/she can give you the amounts your dog needs specifically.

However, you need to consider your dog’s weight, its ideal weight if it is overweight, its age and the amount of daily activity.

The recommended amounts vary between 2% for sedentary dogs to 3% or 4% of their ideal weight for minis or greyhounds and dogs with a higher energy demand.

You can also use online calculators such as natukabarf.com.

Mixed feeding 

This diet consists of using two types of diets, either dry and wet, or dry and BARF.

This way your dog will enjoy the advantages of both types of feeding.

Pros 

• In the case of including dry and wet food, it will provide a variety of different flavors to your pet’s menu, and while the dry food will clean its teeth and prevent tartar, the wet food will provide more hydration.

You can serve them either mixed or separately, however, some discourage serving them mixed, as this can affect the teeth-cleaning properties of the dry food.

Cons 

• Combining the BARF diet with dry food is not so advisable as they are digested differently. If you decide to give this type of diet, either for economy or for practicality, keep in mind that you cannot mix the natural diet, i.e. raw food, with the concentrate or feed. This could cause vomiting, diarrhea or in extreme cases, stomach torsion.

So, if you give the dog two meals a day, it should be divided, the raw food in the morning, and the feed in the evening, for example.

Healthy snacks 

Snacks or treats for dogs come in many presentations, you usually find cookies of all kinds in different packaging. So, I’ll let you know about healthier snacks for your furry one, and that you can have in your cupboard or fridge.

You can have on hand:

Pieces of fruit like:

• apple
• pear
• melon
• watermelon

You can also use vegetables such as:

• carrot
• zucchini
• celery

I personally prefer carrots; my dog loves them. I just cut them into small pieces and feed them to her throughout the day.

You could also feed your dog chicken, beef or liver strips. It’ll surely love them

Remember not to exceed by giving treats, they are only a few times a day or if you are teaching your dog a trick.

 Conclusion 

Both wet, dry and BRAF diets have their benefits. Which one is the best for your dog? It’ll depend on its breed, age, physical activity, anomalies and even which one our furry dog likes the most. Here I will leave you a comparative chart between the three types of food for you to make a decision.

And remember to tell your veterinarian if you are going to change your dog’s diet so that he/she can guide you on what is best for its health.

Aspects	Dry food	Wet food	BARF
Easy to by or make	It’s easy to obtain and is specially made for dogs of different breeds, ages or morbilities.	Easy to obtain	It takes time to desing it carefully.
Dog satisfaction	Some dogs get tired of croquettes	Delicious taste and smell.	Your dog will love it.
Shelf life and care	It doesn’t need refrigeration.	It needs refrigeration and must be consumed in short after opened.	It needs refrigeration.
Humidity	Low humidity.	High content of water which hydrates your dog.	Since we’re providing raw foods, they contain high amount of water.
Dental Cleaning	It contributes to dental health	It doesn’t contribute to dental health and can develop tartat.	Ir reduces bad breath and enhances dental health.
Skin and hair	If of quality, improves your dog’s coat and fur.	If of good quality and proper nourishment, it will improve your dog’s skin.	Bright and healthy fur.
Type of food	processed food.	processed food.	Natural ingredients.
Pricing	From 5 US. It dependes on the presentation.	From 7 US. It also depends on the quantity and quality of the product.	It depends on the breed, size and state of the dog. From 30 US to 100 US per month. However, there are some aspects to consider.