What's the Best Food for Your Dog?

4 minutes

This depends on several things, like your dog's lifestyle, complexion, or what stage of life he’s at. It's also important to remember that buying the most expensive food isn't always what's right for your dog's health. Each dog needs something different and special.

Written and verified by the lawyer Francisco María García

Last update: 22 December, 2022

Everyone knows that dogs are omnivorous and need fruit, vegetables, rice, and meat. They need to have a varied diet, but due to today’s fast pace of life, most people don’t have enough time to prepare food for their pets.

There are a lot of pre-prepared meals for dogs you can get at stores. These kinds of meals give your dogs all the nutrition they require and are good when you don’t have time to make them anything. It’s one of the best alternative ways to make sure they have a complete, balanced diet.

When these meals are of good quality, they provide your dog all the specific nutrients they need, such as protein, vitamins, etc. However, what’s the best kind of food for your dog?

Kibble

These types of dog food are very complete, and are produced at different levels of quality. However, you should always try to include as much natural food into your dog’s diet as possible.

Therefore, you should stop and take look at what’s inside “Kibbles n Bits” or Purina foods. It’s important to find out what’s inside your dog’s food, instead of picking out the most popular or expensive brand.

The manufacturer has to list all ingredients used to create their kibble. They also have to indicate how much of all those ingredients have been used.

The best food: meat-based protein

When you’re considering your options, it’s important to keep in mind that dogs are descended from wolves, which means they’re carnivorous. So you should be giving them a diet that’s mostly made up of meats or proteins that are similar to meat. If you see whole grains and think they might be good for your dog too, think again. Grains don’t provide any nutritious value your dogs.

Make sure the product labels on the foods you choose are accurate. For example, if it says “chicken,” that could mean leftover scraps or high-quality meat. It’s always best to pick out products that provide precise, detailed labels.

How much food should you give your dog, based on his stage of life

You should always start by knowing how often you should feed your dog. As a rule of thumb, a dog that’s around four months old should eat 4 times a day, one that’s eight months old should eat 3-4 times, a dog that’s a year and a half should eat twice a day, and one that’s older than that should eat once a day.

Plus, whether it’s natural or something you pick up at the store, the food your dog needs isn’t always the same. It depends a lot on what stage of life he is at. There are some foods specifically made for puppies, others for big dogs, medium-size dogs, little dogs, etc.

The amount of food you should give your dog depends on several factors. For example: size, physical activity levels, whether it burns a lot of calories or is more of a sedentary house dog, etc…

Most specialists say it’s better not to cook for your dogs. They say it’s not usually a complete diet, and it’s more likely to be too rich in carbohydrates. These experts refer to “balanced” store-bought food as the best option.

If you do end up preparing your dog’s food at home, then make sure you never use your own leftovers. You need to have a separate menu for your dog that addresses his special needs. If you’ve decided to feed your pet home-cooked food, make sure it’s of good quality. Remember not to give him too much. He needs to have a balanced portion, just like anyone else in your home.

Pregnancy

If you have a pregnant dog at home, make sure you’re taking extra care of this future mother’s diet. You don’t have to give her too much food during the first five or six weeks of pregnancy, because dog fetuses don’t grow much at the beginning. Most of their growing takes place during the last three weeks of pregnancy.

To stay current with her needs, you should increase the amount of calories you’re giving her by 15% a week. It’s the same when she’s nursing. She needs a lot of food to make sure her puppies get all the nutrients they need.

You should consider the size of the puppies, their number, and how long it’s been since they were born. Those things all play a role in how much energy your dog needs from her food.