Best Dog Foods

Choosing the best dog food is not a simple task, but by following a list of things to look for while seeking the best dog food, pet owners can make the right, healthy decision for their canine friends.

Corn, Wheat, Soy, & By-Products are used as protein sources but are hard to digest. Your dog can't take Pilates or a Bikram Yoga class or a Spinning class - it's up to us to keep our pets healthy with proper nutrition and exercise.

The best dog food is one that strictly adheres to balanced ratios of meat, starch, and vegetables recommended by veterinarians and top breeders. Meat should make up forty percent of your dog’s diet. Recommended meats found in the best dog food include turkey, lamb, lean ground chuck beef, liver, chicken, and kidney. Avoid brands that use meat by-products - period.

Vegetable ratio for the best dog food is 30% of the meal. Good vegetable sources to look for when reading dog food labels include carrots, beets, broccoli yellow squash, zucchini, and yams. If the brand you are holding does not list any of these on its label, or if the brand does not list any vegetable content, then it is far from the best dog food choice you can make for your pet.

Starch should make up the final thirty percent of your dog’s meals. The best dog food is one that avoids fillers like corn, over-processed wheat and soy, and other cheap fillers that commercial dog food brands employ in order to cut costs and increase profits. Look for brands that use brown rice, flaxseed meal, barley or barley flakes, or oats as the main source of starch. These types of starches are more easily digestible and are more conducive to the canine digestive system and body chemistry.

Some more good things to find in your pet food.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Omega-3 fatty acids are some of the most extensively researched natural nutritional ingredients in the world. Among its many health benefits, the omega-3’s in Life’s Abundance help support healthy skin and a shiny coat. We also included flaxseed meal for its outstanding nutritional profile and its contribution to healthy skin and coat.

FLAX SEED MEAL
Flaxseed meal is the richest plant source of antioxidant lignans and Omega-3 fatty. Flax seed meal also has a very high level of highly-digestible protein and essential amino acids. In addition, flax seed meal contains significant amounts of fiber, vitamin E, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and is extremely rich in the minerals potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

BREWER’S DRIED YEAST
Brewer’s dried yeast is loaded with highly-digestible protein with an exceptional amino acid balance. It also contains an abundance of natural minerals and vitamins, featuring B complex vitamins (except B12).

BEET PULP (SUGAR REMOVED)
Fiber is required in every diet to maintain healthy intestinal tract and proper nutrient absorption. We use beet pulp, which is the fiber from the gray sugar beet (sugar removed). Many studies have demonstrated that beet pulp performs better than many other types of fiber.

DIRECT-FED MICROBIALS
These ingredients are similar to those found in supermarket yogurts. Direct-fed microbials help support healthy immune and digestive systems. Life’s Abundance contains the following direct fed microbials: Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product.

Finally, the best dog food is the kind that does not use unnecessary artificial colors or flavor enhancements. These additives are no more beneficial than the bright colors found in sugary kid’s cereals. They are for aesthetics only; they do not add to the flavor and they can actually prove to be harmful to many breeds of dogs.

How does one go about choosing the best dog food? There are now literally hundreds of brands of dog food available for purchase, and among these brands there are several different formulas that take into account your dog’s age, breed, amount of physical activity, as well as dietary constraints. The following is a method that makes choosing the best dog food a little less frustrating.

The first step toward selecting the best dog food is being aware of your dog’s exact age. This can prove difficult if you have adopted your dog from a local animal shelter. At times, shelter dogs may be used to a diet that does not include the best dog food for their age. If your dog is under one year, then you must look exclusively for blends made for puppies up to a year old. The best dog food designated for puppies up to a year will include nutritional supplements geared toward promoting healthy growth and vigor in the dog’s early months. Without these nutritional supplements your puppy may miss out on essential vitamins and minerals early on. However, some of the better quality dog foods do not have a puppy formula because they are more nutritionally complete than the cheaper brands.

You might want to consider a multi-vitamin for your dog too. Look for effective levels and amounts of essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients), and antioxidants that have demonstrated an ability to support the body’s natural defense system, vision, energy, bone and skin health, and general wellbeing.

Another key aspect of determining the best dog food for your pet is sticking with breed appropriate selections. A German shepherd has different dietary needs than a toy poodle; likewise, the size and shape of the food may be inappropriate for small dogs to properly chew and digest. If you have two different breeds of dogs at home, the best dog food for each may differ dramatically.

Finally, you must choose the best dog food based on your pet’s level of physical activity. If you have a breed that is primarily an outdoor dog, and she spends most of her days running, jumping, digging, or even working around the family farm, then you must feed her dog food high in protein and complex carbohydrates. However, if your dog spends most of his days alternating between the couch, the bed, the floor, and in front of the fireplace, the best dog food is low in calories and fat, and takes into account the limited range of exercise and physical activity your dog experiences throughout the day.