We all know that dogs prefer wet dog food and that because the food is fresher, there are more minerals, vitamins and oils in wet dog food that will benefit our pet, but how can you choose the best wet dog food for your dog?
What to Look Out for in the Best Wet Dog Food
Let’s consider what some of the main factors are that make up the best dog foods. First of all would you say your dog is in perfect health? Or do they suffer from skin conditions, a dull coat, flatulence, occasional diarrhea and vomiting? If that is the case, which it is with many dogs, its most likely that they have an intolerance to or an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in their dog food. This isn’t uncommon at all, in fact some of the major allergens for dogs are some of the most common ingredients in dog food and owners feed their dogs with those ingredients not knowing that they’re catalyzing the problem.
The cure for most of these health issues is to switch to a hypoallergenic dog food, or at least a grain free dog food that isn’t chicken flavored. Why do I say this? Well the five main allergens for dogs are corn and wheat gluten – two grains, and chicken, potato and soy. Hypoallergenic dog foods cut all of these ingredients out as well as artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and grain free dog foods cut out the two grains which are very common intolerant foods.
Next think about the proportion of meat that is in your dog’s food. A healthy dog food will have a higher percentage of meat than carbohydrates and vegetables. Even though dogs are carnivores they aren’t out in the wild catching animals which have fresh nutrients, vitamins and minerals in them, so dog food does have to have a mix of several ingredients to provide the nutrients they need. But if a dog food is filled out with carbohydrates then this will affect your dog’s digestive system and also likely make them obese. Protein in meat keeps your dog fuller for longer, and is also easier to digest that carbohydrates, so a dog fed on a protein rich diet will eat less and have stronger bones, muscles and overall health, without as many digestive issues such as bad breath, flatulence and sickness.
Swapping to a New Dog Food
Sop you’ve likely identified that the new wet food you want to feed your dog is a hypoallergenic or grain free food that is high in protein. So how do you switch your dog to this new food, because you know last time you tried to switch food brands it made your dog sick and they lost their appetite. Well the key is to mix in a small amount of the new food into their current food, and then over several weeks slowly increase the amount of new food, reducing the old food until they are eating just the new food.
