Most Common Food Varieties

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.