Category: Wellness

When it comes to dog foods, there are typically three popular varieties and these are suitable for most common breeds. These varieties are High Meat Foods, Grain/Grain Free Foods, and BARF or Raw Feeding.

In the present article, we will discuss the natures, benefits, and disadvantages (if any) of these different types of dog foods as well as some of the best and most popular brands that you can find for each different type. Let’s get going then!

High Meat

Most pet foods—including grain/grain free, natural or raw feeding—will contain some quantity of meat. However, in a high meat variety, the meat content will typically be around 70%. High meat dog foods are not suitable for all canine breeds, so make sure you check with your vet first before you put your pet on a high meat diet. Also, you should avoid a high meat diet for your dog if it has kidney problems. Generally speaking though, most dogs can digest high meat content easily and they also love the flavor and smell of it. And as it happens with pets, if they enjoy their food, they will stay lively and healthy.

If you are not sure whether any particular dog food contains high meat content, always check the composition which you will normally find listed at the back of the pack. Most dog meat foods add different kinds of meat such as lamb, chicken, etc. in a single variety and any dog food from a quality brand will list these different ingredients individually in the composition section as also the overall percentage of meat content in the food. Most high meat dog foods will also come with 25% or higher protein level.

Some of the best dog foods in this variety come from TruLine, Aatu, and Evolution.

Grain/Grain Free

Carb-rich grains such as maize, rice, and wheat provide the dogs with ample energy and most dogs won’t face any difficulty digesting them. However, they may occasionally develop some allergic symptoms to these grains, especially to wheat and maize. The latter may also cause some distressing symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea, and others. Often the reason for this is that the saliva in the dog’s mouth does not contain the enzyme, which in the case of us humans, helps break starchy carbs into sugars. Due to this, the dogs may at times find grainy carbs hard to digest.

For this reason, we think a grain-free diet can be a safe and ideal choice for your dogs. Grain free foods will, as a rule, avoid grainy carbs such as wheat and maize and will contain a high proportion of meat-based protein. Most good cereal and grain free dog foods will also be rich in cooked, easy-to-digest vegetables such as tapioca, pea, sweet potato, etc. As you go shopping, look for grain-free” logos on the pack. If there is no such logo, you can still “find out in the composition section to whether or not grains are part of the pack.

Applaws and Fishmongers produce some of the finest grain free dog foods on the market.

Raw Feeding

Raw feeding basically refers to a pet diet which is predominantly based on uncooked meat and is prepared by the owner himself. However, there are also pre-prepared complete raw dog food packs that you can buy at your supermarket store. Since pre-cooked or canned foods have become a norm for some time now, most dogs thrive perfectly on those foods. However, as you can guess, their natural inclination is towards a raw diet and most dogs will benefit from raw feeding if they are kept on such a diet from an early age. Yes, preparing the food can be a little time consuming for the owner. However, if you can spare the time, go for raw feeding by all means. They come with excellent flavor for dogs and are also easily digestible for them.

Natures Menu is a great brand if you are looking for pre-prepared raw food.

Dog food coupon codes

If you are planning to buy your dog food online, keep an eye out for dog food coupon codes that are regularly offered by many dog food or pet care sites. The coupons will help you save some good money on your purchase of dog foods.

Nutrition is a vital component of pet care. If you feed your dogs right, then they will grow up healthy and strong with a beautiful coat and good disposition. If you don’t, then they may become malnourished, thin, sickly, and lethargic. The good news is that there are plenty of dog food available on the market. You can make your own as well but many prefer to buy off the shelf for the convenience. The products are also specially formulated to provide exactly what dogs need. Their nutritional requirements are quite different from ours so giving them our leftovers isn’t exactly ideal. If you are wondering what you should get, then let’s discuss your options.

Budget

It is tempting to think that food for dogs should be cheap since they must be rather simple to make. However, the truth is that you can find some with soaring prices just as well as those with rock-bottom rates. The price of these products varies widely from the high end to the low end due to a lot of factors. These include the quality of the ingredients they contain, the standard of their processing, the taxes levied on imports if they came from abroad, and so on. Check out the current prices through an online search to get your wallet ready. If you have a tight budget, then use Acana dog food coupons 2018 to lower your expenses.

Age

You should also consider the age of your pet. A small puppy will have different dietary requirements compared to a fully-grown adult. Manufacturers have developed formulas for each category. While you may conceivably give puppy food to an adult dog and vice versa without incident, it is not encouraged as it will not yield optimum results in terms of their long-term health and wellness. A puppy may not grow as big as he could have, for example. If you are uncertain about this subject, then you can consult a veterinarian who can provide you with a more detailed discussion.

Type

There are two major types of pet food: wet and dry. Dry ones are cheaper and come in bulk. You can get them in large packs that are several pounds in weight. Since they only have a small moisture content, they can last much longer as well. Owners can store a great deal since these will not spoil for many weeks. However, dogs can get tired of them after a while. A bit of variety may become necessary to bring back their appetite. That’s where wet dog food comes in. Pets love this because of its smell, taste, and texture. It is very moist, however, so they won’t last long after you have opened the can.

Flavor

Manufacturers come up with an assortment of flavors to keep both buyers and dogs interested. This will usually be a known protein source like chicken, salmon, lamb, duck, and so on. The taste will reflect the main ingredient used in the creation of the product. Each of these has their own pros and cons. Study them well to find the right flavor to purchase. Sometimes, however, it may all boil down to what your dogs respond to. They might like chicken a lot and devour every meal with gusto. On the other hand, they might seem lukewarm towards salmon and not even finish their bowl.

Ingredients

You should check the ingredients list to see exactly what they put inside these products. They will be listed according to their weight. There are certain things that have gotten banned because of their ill effects on food. Read up on these and be mindful of them. These products and ingredients may have somehow slipped through the net so it will be up to you as an informed consumer to avoid them.

Source

Consider your source of dog food. Specialty pet stores are likely to be more careful about their inventory compared to large generic grocery stores. The former may offer a great assortment of products including lesser known brands and new flavors. Their staff will also be knowledgeable about dogs and their needs so you can ask them your questions. The latter will probably stick to what’s popular and stock them in massive quantities. Their staff may not be as highly trained.

We at MayorsWellnessCampaign.org have faith that there is the potential for a truly high quality of life for us all. What is holding you back from making progress? Whether it’s physical health or mental health – it’s all important.

One of the things we’ve noticed over time is that those of us who are struggling in one or more areas of our lives tend to get a feeling of overwhelm, and instead of addressing the struggle, we avoid talking about it at all. Some of us hide behind a habit or addiction in order to “forget about it all” for a while. Of course we know it’s still there. Others simply pretend they don’t have any issues at all, and stuff just gets bottled up inside without any actions being taken.

None of this is a positive way to deal. If you happen to be someone who is looking at improving one or more aspects of your life, we applaud you!

Please make an appointment with a trusted healthcare professional who can help you outline the most positive steps to take. But the thing is, you do have to take a step forward. So, while we work on our site redesign so that we can get great content up that hopefully you’ll find interesting (or at very least, entertaining), please know this: We’re sending positive, healthy, and healing thoughts your way!