What is Better Food For Dogs – Homemade dog food, Raw, Commercial, or Dehydrated?

Better food for dogs is a learning process including many different factors

What is the best dog food? Unfortunately there is not one simple answer.

There are many things to consider. When you analyze the hundreds of kinds of dog food that are available, you will notice that they can be grouped into 3 basic types: commercial dog food, raw food, and homemade dog food.

But which of these 3 is the best dog food choice for you and your dog?

Take a close look at the 3 types before you make a decision.

About HOMEMADE Dog Food:

There are a lot of advantages in making your own dog food, for one you control what goes into your dog’s food. You can add your own nutrients, of which there are many available such as this supplement.

Another good thing about homemade dog food is that it is a lot cheaper than store bought variants.

The only downside to making your own dog food is that it can be a little time consuming, with today’s busy lifestyle not everyone has the time to cook food for themselves, much less for their pets.

Here are links to my FREE HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPES, VET APPROVED.

So what is the best dog food?

Well it depends on your particular circumstances, you can choose to make your own homemade dog food then all’s well and good, but if you do not have the time, or skill, to make your own dog food then choose regular commercially available dog food, or even the raw foods that are gaining popularity.

How to choose better food for dogs? Wow, such a seemingly simple question with a complicated answer.

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About COMMERCIAL Dog Food:

This is the most popular type of dog food being used today. It’s popular because it is convenient to use, all supermarkets carry at least one brand of commercial dog food so you will not be at a loss as to where you can buy them.

The drawback with these kinds of dog foods is that most of the manufacturer’s do not even consider giving your dog the proper nutrition that he needs, and most of them are also laden with preservatives, artificial food coloring, and other types of harsh chemicals that can have ill effects on your dog. Unfortunately there are way too many unhealthy commercial dog food brands.

If you choose to buy commercial dog food you need to be careful as to which brands you pick.

Choose one that has already been proven to make dogs healthy.

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About RAW Dog Food:

This type of dog food is gaining popularity these past few years.

Proponents of the raw food diet for dogs believe that eating processed or cooked foods is unnatural for canines.

Raw meat, fruits and vegetables is the best dog food since there are no chemicals involved in making them ready for the market.

But there are still some dangers in feeding your dog with raw meat, for one there is a chance that your dog will get food borne illnesses because of salmonella and E. coli, bacteria commonly found in uncooked meat and vegetables. This can be avoided simply by following common kitchen and personal cleaning.

There are many excellent, high quality commercially prepared raw dog food brands available today which eliminates preparation. They are usually frozen/freeze dried or dehydrated raw dog foods.

More about raw dog food here.

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD

• SPECIFIED MEAT or FISH SOURCES:

  Chicken as opposed to poultry by-products. Any named meat or fish is desirable such as chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, beef, herring etc.

  Chicken meal as opposed to meat meal. Meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product which will be more concentrated with the good qualities of the meat. This applies to any protein source such as chicken meal, turkey meal, venison meal, buffalo meal, herring meal, salmon meal, etc.

  Having two different meat sources is the best product to look for.

  Look for statements such as: Food used in this product is fit for human consumption, No outsourcing, Local and Fresh human grade ingredients, organic ingredients, free range poultry/meat sources.

  The meat will be human grade which means it is clean and free of bones, blood, feathers, heads, feet, hooves, entrails etc., and also fresh and edible as opposed to rotten or spoiled.

• CARBOHYDRATES:

  Grains such as brown rice, barley, oatmeal, or if the product is grain free, then potatoes, or sweet potatoes would be choices of excellent carbohydrates.

  Whole grains as opposed to the highly over processed mill run and flours.

  Avoid corn and wheat and any of their derivatives in any dog foods. They are not nutritious, cause allergies and illnesses and are usually used as cheap fillers.

• FRUITS/VEGETABLES:

  Whole fruits and vegetables as opposed to none in some dog foods.

  Look for any of the fresh fruits and veggies that we eat such as carrots, peas, spinach, greens, apples, berries etc.

• FAT SOURCES:

  Named fats from quality sources such as chicken fat, sunflower oil, canola oil, salmon oil, or lamb fat, etc. – not animal fat.

• NATURAL PRESERVATIVES:

  Mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E), is the most common natural preservative. A dry dog food with natural preservation will have an expiry date, which is what you want to look for.

  A kibble that will last indefinitely is over processed and way to synthetically preserved with harmful chemicals.

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  HEALTHY VITAMINS/MINERALS/SUPPLEMENTS:
  

  Premium Vitamins such as Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, Vitamin B6,

  Chelated Minerals such as Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, And Copper Amino Acid Chelate.

  Probiotic Microorganisms such as Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product for digestive health.

  Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids sourced naturally from ingredients such as flax seed, a specified fish oil and canola oil. – Supports healthy skin and coat.

  Glucosamine and Chondroitin to help support long term bone and joint health.

  Salt is also a necessary mineral and should be iodized or sea salt.