Recommendations from a veterinarian nutritionist on feeding dogs. Dog Nutrition Tips

“We are what we eat” – this phrase is true for both people and dogs. If you want your pet to be healthy, beautiful and happy with life, you need to pay very close attention to choosing the best dog food.

What food is better to feed your dog: dry or natural?

The first thing you need to decide on is the type of food. The dog can be fed either “natural” or “dry” - home-prepared food or dry food purchased in a store. Many pet owners believe that a “natural” dog will always be better, but...

Each dog has its own needs for nutrients: proteins, fatty acids, etc. If it does not receive enough of these substances, this is bad, if it receives them in excess, this is also bad. Maintaining a balance at home is very difficult; for this you need to be well versed in both dogs and cooking.

With high-quality dry food, such problems do not arise. The best dog foods – premium and higher – always contain everything your pet needs for proper nutrition. The benefits of such dog food are confirmed by reviews from veterinarians who recommend that non-professionals feed animals with ready-made and balanced food.

Another reason people give up dry food is cost. But, if you take into account the need to maintain a diet suitable for the dog, cooking will cost significantly more than buying a bag of premium food.

Which dry dog ​​food is best?

Reviews from owners, recommendations from veterinarians - everything clearly indicates that economy-class food should not be taken under any circumstances! Such diet options do not contain many essential nutrients, they simply satisfy the animal’s hunger and physically clog its stomach - that’s all! Look at the composition of any economy food: corn and bone meal make up 70-80% of the weight. There is no question of any correct balance of nutrients.

The best reviews, of course, are on, but regular premium is also quite suitable - if you choose it correctly. In addition to the class, consider a few points:

1. Breed of dog. This is important, if only because it affects the size of the granules. For small breed dogs, the task of eating a bowl of shepherd food will be impossible. Good manufacturers usually offer different foods for different breeds, look for the one that is suitable for your animal;
2. Feed packaging. Don't buy food in bulk! It is unknown in what conditions they were stored and what kind of food it was. Sellers can replace an expensive product with a cheap one, pocketing the difference. And, even if this does not happen, the open bag of food will erode and moisture will get into it... Don’t take risks;
3. Feed manufacturer. Read reviews online, look for information, consult with veterinarians. It is not recommended to change food often, so you are making a choice for a long time - treat it responsibly.

Do you want to know how to choose healthy and tasty dog ​​food? Call us and our consultants will be happy to help you!

Every happy owner of a tiny puppy has thought more than once about the question: what should I feed you now? After all, sometimes you really want to please your pet with something tasty, but a fair fear stops you: won’t this seemingly harmless “yummy” harm your pet’s health? When thinking about your pet's diet, you need to constantly have before your eyes a list of natural products compiled by specialists and veterinarians. Most of the products included in this list can be given to your dog with confidence without fear for its health. And if you choose the optimal diet for your four-legged baby, then be sure to pay attention to several important points:

1. New, previously untried products should be introduced into the dog’s diet gradually, one per day. This precaution is due to the fact that almost any product is perceived by dogs in completely different ways. A negative reaction to a new “dish” can be allergies, constipation, or diarrhea, so we introduce new foods into the diet with caution.
2. When creating a menu for your pet, remember that he does not need variety. Much more important is a high-quality, balanced diet containing animal proteins and fats, plant fibers, minerals and vitamins.
3. When preparing food for your pet at home, it is quite difficult to completely balance the composition, especially in essential amino acids, vitamins and microelements, therefore, on the recommendation of a veterinarian, it is necessary to add special additives to your dog’s food.

List of safe products

From meat products, which should make up 50-70% of the total diet, small dogs can and should be given:

• lamb;
• lean chicken without skin;
• beef;
• beef by-products such as heart, liver, tripe, kidneys;
• seafood, in particular lean fish (no more than three to five times a month);
• egg yolk (no more than three to five times a month).

Before offering meat to your dog, you need to scald it with boiling water and lightly boil the offal.

Fresh vegetables- one of the components of a balanced and healthy diet. The share of the following vegetables in the daily diet should be 10-15%:

• carrot;
• green pea;
• zucchini and cucumbers;
• pumpkin;
• cabbage (with caution - it causes increased gas formation);
• beets (mainly given as a laxative for constipation);
• Bell pepper.

Under no circumstances should you give potatoes and tomatoes; they not only cause severe allergic reactions, but can also contain toxins dangerous to dogs.

From croup, constituting about 10-15% of the diet, you can:

• buckwheat;
• oatmeal;

Wheat-based cereals containing large amounts of poorly digestible gluten (vegetable protein) are strictly contraindicated for dogs, especially small ones. Corn, which contains mainly starch, is also not recommended, since a large amount of starch can easily lead to obesity and abnormal metabolism in small dogs.

Berries and fruits You shouldn’t get too carried away, but adding them to your diet a little at a time is not forbidden (no more than 5%). Exotic and rare fruits are strictly prohibited, but the following are allowed:

• apricots;
• bananas;
• apples;
• pears;
• peaches.

Dairy products, best of all, those intended for children (since the production of children's products is more strictly controlled by special supervisory authorities), should be chosen with a small percentage of fat content (no more than three percent). You can give:

• fermented baked milk;
• kefir;
• cottage cheese.

It is also worth keeping in mind that fermented milk products can cause allergies, so they must be given very carefully.
In addition to all of the above, from time to time you can add a few drops of olive oil or unrefined sunflower oil to the food prepared for your pet.

Alternative

If for some reason you cannot prepare complete fresh food for your dog yourself, then now there is an alternative - MiniMi meat rolls. They contain everything your pet needs and are a complete, most naturally balanced diet for small dogs. And most importantly, they do not contain any preservatives, and therefore have all the advantages of homemade food without its disadvantages. MiniMi meat rolls allow you to save time on lengthy preparation of food for your dog, without losing the quality of this food, and spend time on playing and walking together, which is no less important for a dog.

A little humor on the topic of feeding)))

HARMFUL TIPS FOR FEEDING A PUPPY:
No matter how much you feed the wolf, he keeps looking into the gullies,
Well, your puppy has grown up - beggingly on the table.
Put rich cabbage soup with bones in his bowl
And throw in some salsa and some sausage.
If he loves herring, don’t refuse your friend!
Pasta with vermicelli and fattier stew.
And don't be greedy with butter! And don't mess with the pork!
For dessert he gets condensed milk and some sweets,
And a little marshmallow, and a little cookie,
And it’s absolutely rude to refuse him halva!

Special nutritionists and veterinarians have been successfully solving the problems of feeding pets for a long time. Special foods have been developed with vitamins and many other very useful and vital components that our four-legged friends need.

All the main issues in this area have long been scientifically substantiated and practically tested.
And yet we make mistakes when feeding not only puppies, but also adult dogs.

1. OUR MISTAKES ARE THEIR UNHEALTH.
Most often, our mistakes are caused by ignorance of feeding requirements and daily ration norms for the normal development of the animal, as well as non-compliance with the feeding regime and, as a rule, overfeeding the dog. The main and most terrible evil that we do out of the goodness of our hearts is feeding dogs with foods that we consider tasty for ourselves, people. We give more sugar and salt than needed, even cervelat and salami. Does a dog need it?
If you decide to kill your puppy, then believe me, you are on the right track. And the most harmful thing for a puppy is bones. You should not give bones to your baby until his dental system has formed, or it is better not to give him bones at all - this way the baby will not be able to damage himself with the sharp edge.

2. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FEEDING RATION. FULL OR HUNGRY?
The most basic rule that a dog owner should know is that the daily feeding rate is directly dependent on the amount of physical activity that the dog has spent during this time.
With increased loads, the volume of food increases slightly, and with reduced loads (the dog rests or sleeps more, walks less) - it decreases slightly compared to the usual daily diet.
The main indicator of proper feeding is the dog’s normal fatness with well-developed muscles. If your pet is healthy and is not characterized by increased activity towards food (greed), which is quite rare, then he calmly moves away from his empty bowl. If the dog continues to lick (“chase”) the bowl (maybe even bring it to you), it means he didn’t have enough food. You always need to remember:
An adult dog is fed twice a day: morning and evening.
The bowl is removed 10-15 minutes after the start of feeding, regardless of whether it is empty or full.
Fresh drinking water should be available at all times, especially when feeding dry food.

3. THIN OR FAT?
If your dog is losing weight, the total amount of food may need to be increased slightly after consulting with your veterinarian about his health.
The normal condition of a dog is checked as follows. In the place where the dog's croup begins, the croup should be easily palpable, but not visually prominent. Otherwise, the dog will develop excess fat. Obesity leads to heart problems and shortens your pet's life. Remember: we and only we ourselves either prolong or shorten their life.
Consult a dog trainer and, if your dog is healthy but doesn’t move much, take him for a walk. It’s not for nothing that dogs take us for walks. Look how they run and play! And they take care of their figure and do exercises, and we?

4. MINERAL SUBSTANCES AND MINERAL FEEDINGS. WHAT ARE THEY NEEDED FOR?
Minerals are vital for both puppies and adult dogs.
Bone meal, calcium, phytin, glycerophosphate, mineral supplements, which include all the necessary components, play an important role in the formation of the puppy’s bones. You need to know and remember that for each breed the amount of mineral supplements should be different. It is best to seek advice in any club from the head of your breed section.
An overdose of mineral supplements for a puppy can lead to bone fragility, which will likely result in paw fractures. In an adult dog, excess mineral supplements are washed out of the body.

5. RAW FOOD. TO COOK OR NOT TO COOK?
An adult dog should receive raw meat and vegetables (preferably vegetable salads).

Boiled buckwheat, rice, sea or ocean fish. Be sure to boil the river fish and separate it from the bone.
Never give your dog a whole piece of meat, be sure to cut it into small pieces!

You should feed your dog meat only in the evening.
Strictly exclude bird bones! Do not give bones to small dogs.

It is better to give special bones that are sold in pet stores - for cleaning teeth and the oral cavity. When dieting, it is good to give boiled poultry meat, preferably quail.
To vegetable salads, add a little vegetable oil or sour cream (just a drop, low-fat sour cream and no mayonnaise!) for better absorption of the “live” vitamins contained in them. It is advisable to add fruits, washed nettle and dandelion leaves to salads. Under no circumstances should you collect nettles and dandelions near the road.

6. INTOLERABLE FOODS
There are a number of foods that should not be given to a dog at all.
All kinds of sweets: pastries, cakes, lump sugar, etc. cause watery eyes or suppuration of the eyes, and the normal functioning of the liver may be disrupted.
A large amount of salt is poison for a dog (as well as for you and me). Therefore, the food should be salted minimally or not at all. Any herbs, spices and aromatic substances, even those contained in ordinary cookies, can cause loss of smell, especially in hunting and working dogs.
It is strictly forbidden to give lamb and pork, given that raw pork most often contains the canine distemper virus (Pestis canum). Both of these meats cause stomach upset. They are too hard on dogs' livers. Ideal - beef.
Legumes and cereals should not be given raw, except for rolled oats. Dogs love raw potatoes, believe me: 1 small potato every one or two months won’t hurt.
There are also problems with milk. Dogs' sensitivity to milk sugar (lactose) is very limited. Milk can be given to a puppy up to 4 months of age.
Fermented milk products: kefir (except fruit), cottage cheese and cheese are well absorbed by the dog’s body.

7. SHOULD I FEED FROM THE TABLE?
The most common mistake! As soon as a puppy appears in your home, he must understand that he will not be given anything from the owner’s table and must eat only from his own bowl. The beggar dog sits at the table all the time and looks at you with such eyes that a piece of food gets stuck in his throat. And when there are guests in the house... There will definitely be a kind soul who will give you something tasty according to their own human understanding.
So decide whether to teach your puppy to beg. Feeding him correctly and in a timely manner is the most important thing. Of course, sometimes you can spoil yourself, for example, on your birthday!

8. HOW MANY TIMES A DAY SHOULD I FEED A DOG?
Puppies eat very often. Immediately after birth, blind and helpless, they poke into their mother's belly, looking for the precious nipple with colostrum. Up to two months, puppies are fed 5-6 times a day, from two to four months - 4 times: from four to seven, like young dogs - 3-4 times. Adult dogs are fed 2 times a day - morning and evening, and in hot weather - 1 time, old dogs - 2-3 times a day.
Sometimes a dog may refuse food throughout the day. If you are sure that your pet is healthy, then there is no need to panic. Your dog just had a fasting day! And he's right...

9. TOO SHARP TRANSITION FROM FEEDING NATURAL FOODS AND BACK
Before switching from one food to another, think about whether your dog needs it. If you decide that a change of food is needed, then consult your dog handler or veterinarian. He will tell you which food to choose and help control a painless transition from one type to another.
When consuming dry ready-made food, you must strictly follow the manufacturer's recommendations so as not to cause digestive problems for your dog. You need to be especially careful during the first 5-7 days. You cannot add any other products to such food: they already contain everything necessary for proper feeding of your dog. Remember that it is important not to overfeed your dog, especially in the first days of giving a new food.
Always make sure your dog has fresh drinking water available. The dog must drink plenty!

You should not allow too sudden a transition from feeding natural products (i.e. food prepared by you) to ready-made food (bought in a store) and back.
The process of switching from one type of feeding to another should take at least 10-14 days, because the dog’s body needs to readjust to absorb new food.
After all, during this time a microflora will be formed that will allow you to digest an unusually new type of food well. This should happen gradually so as not to cause an imbalance in the digestive system, which could result in damage to the internal organs.
Over the course of 10-14 days, you need to gradually increase the portion of the food that the dog switches to and reduce the amount of food from which the switch is made.
The same should be done when switching to another dry food (from a different manufacturer). Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that the new type of food does not cause an allergy in your dog.

10. NON-TARGET ADDITIVES OF ADDITIONAL DRUGS
When using special balanced feeds, there is no need to add mineral supplements or vitamins. They do not improve the dog's health. Moreover, an overdose of vitamins can lead to serious consequences, and your best intentions will turn into tragedy.
Please do not experiment on your own pet!
You can always contact a veterinarian for advice or contact a dog handler at any club - the head of the section. Be attentive to the norms and feeding regime of your dogs, to their well-being. Don’t be lazy to consult with specialists. Learn to understand your dog. Then your pet will be healthy and happy.

11. Mixed nutrition.
If you mix ready-made food and natural food, an imbalance in the dog’s body may occur. And this will lead to the fact that the organs in the body will gradually begin to function poorly. As already indicated, the process of transition from one type of feeding to another should take at least 10-14 days, since the dog’s body needs to be rebuilt to absorb new food.
After all, during this time a microflora should be formed that will allow you to digest an unusually new type of food well. This should happen gradually so as not to cause an imbalance in the digestive system, which could result in damage to the internal organs. And then not a single veterinarian will be able to figure out what is the cause of this or that ailment. It’s not just that you can’t mix! It is also impossible to give different types of food in the morning and evening (i.e. in the morning - self-prepared food, and in the evening - ready-made food). The most important thing is not just not to mix and not feed on the same day - not to feed different foods at all!!!

12. Overfeeding.
Many dog ​​owners who have no experience feeding their dogs prepared food may be surprised by the portion sizes offered by the food manufacturer.
Especially if the dog’s owner previously fed it natural food prepared by himself. The fact is that the visually required amount of natural food and ready-made food differs several times. Naturally, the compassionate owner himself increases the amount of ready-made food.
This can lead to serious consequences for the pet's health.

Some of the most common misconceptions according to Svetlana Minaeva (veterinarian):
Everything said below is wrong!!!

- The cat should eat fish and drink milk,
- A dog needs bones,
- Milk is a water substitute,
- Dry food is a vitamin supplement for the animal,
- The best porridge for dogs is oatmeal,
- Animals should eat the same as their owners,
- A dog should only eat meat,
- Animals need a varied diet,
- The animal itself knows what and how much to eat.

AND MORE ABOUT FOOD AND OTHER:

NO BONES SHOULD BE GIVEN TO DOGS!!! Bones can only be in the form of treats specially produced for dogs, and don’t take cheaper ones - they often turn out to be of poor quality. In extreme cases, beef “bones” can be used to make a knee joint - ONLY THAT!!!
Do not offer your baby “pickle pickles” - this will only spoil him. Dogs sense very subtly when they start to be “blown in the butt” and they quickly begin to control their owners... Please note that the dog quickly gets used to this situation and it is very difficult to wean it off. You need to leave food for your baby for 15 minutes. If you haven’t eaten (showing off) - put it in the refrigerator. Set it after a few hours - again for 15 minutes. If you don't eat it, put it away again. Thus, you can even arrange fasting days - if the baby is mischievous and refuses to eat what is offered.
You need to feed your baby properly balanced food. IMPORTANT!!! You should not feed puppies food that is too hot or too cold, as well as salty, sweet, bitter, smoked, and spicy foods. It is also strictly forbidden to give raw meat from the market, it is dangerous. You should not give sweets (chocolate is poison!).
You need to feed your baby properly balanced food.

Since the domestication of animals, debates about the proper feeding of animals have not subsided. The number of opinions has increased with the invention of dry food. There are both supporters and ardent opponents of such feeding. But both of them are united in one desire - to provide their beloved pet with high-quality and nutritious nutrition. So that every vitamin is in its place, and that the food is tasty and eaten with pleasure by some particularly picky furry creatures.

Can a cat eat meat?

Some owners believe that a dog should eat only raw meat, while a cat should eat fish and drink milk. This rather firmly established opinion is somewhat incorrect. In muscle tissue, which is, for example, beef tenderloin, there are very few vitamins, but there is more than enough protein, and it is difficult to digest. With prolonged feeding exclusively on meat, protein overfeeding can occur and associated problems - allergies, disruption of the liver and kidneys. In nature, a cat can rarely catch and eat fish, and wild cats have never tasted cow's milk. When fed only fish, cats develop severe kidney disease and salts form in the bladder. A complete menu for a cat can be considered a nimble mouse or a gaping sparrow, which will contain all the necessary vitamins and microelements, as well as enzymes, since this prey is eaten along with feathers, bones and stomach contents. Plus fiber in the form of green grass for a snack. Naturally, even a very loving owner will not be able to provide such “food” at home.

Tasty and healthy

In order to create a complete, proper diet from natural products, you need to add boiled cereals (rice, buckwheat as the most digestible), vegetables, fermented milk products (kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese), a spoonful of sunflower oil to the meat and do not forget about mineral supplements. Moreover, such food should be only for your pet, and not prepared for our lunch and suitable in composition. Table scraps contain too much sugar, salt, fat, spices and other ingredients that can even be hazardous to the health of animals. Some foods can cause very serious diseases - for example, chocolate is contraindicated for dogs, and onions are contraindicated for cats. The abundance of sweets and starchy foods leads to obesity and heart disease. Bones, especially chicken bones, cause constipation, and sharp fragments can pierce the delicate wall of the intestines and stomach.

Dry food or natural food?

Other owners consider feeding natural food a thing of the past and prefer only artificial, dry or wet food. Feeding such foods also has its advantages. You don’t have to select a lot of ingredients yourself; ready-made food reduces feeding time - you just need to open the package and pour it into a bowl. This food is convenient on the road and in the country. Dry balls that are half eaten or left out will not spoil quickly. Opponents of “artificial” feeding argue that dry food cannot be healthy food. Both are partly right.

First, you still need to understand what artificial (freeze-dried) food is. Freeze-dried dog food was first invented in England back in 1860, when the first dog biscuits appeared. Since then, pet food has been constantly improved. Today there are more than 250 varieties of food! Based on consistency, feed is divided into dry (moisture content no more than 10%) and wet (70-80% moisture). Based on the quality of food, there are professional or otherwise premium and custom or economy class. There are also special therapeutic diets that are prescribed by a veterinarian in conjunction with treatment; they cannot be fed to healthy animals. Feeds of different classes, as a rule, vary greatly in price. Professional food is made from high-quality raw materials, such as chicken, turkey or lamb, eggs (a source of protein with high biological value), rice - the most complete and easily digestible type of grain, beet pulp - the best source of fiber. High-quality fats are stabilized by vitamin E. Their components are easier to digest (total digestibility >83%) and have greater nutritional value. Allergic reactions are less likely to occur to such foods. In addition, the composition of professional foods differs depending on who they are intended for. For example, the amount of carbohydrate in food for large dogs will be very different from the amount in food for kittens. In addition to the type and size of the animal, when choosing food, it is necessary to take into account the age, breed, physical activity, and physiological state of the animal (pregnancy, lactation, old age, etc.).

Economy class food is inferior in quality to professional food, but is better in price. These foods do not have strict divisions into animal groups. In their production, by-products are used - lungs, stomachs, liver, etc., as well as dyes, flavoring additives and heavy fats. The required ratio of vitamins and microelements is obtained through artificial additives.

A prerequisite for “dry” feeding of any class of food is a bowl of clean water. All food cannot be mixed with natural food, as this results in an excess of one or another nutritional component. You should not feed a small dog cat food and vice versa. Sudden transitions from one type of food to another can cause digestive upset. Each food package contains a daily intake chart. You should not give more than what is recommended. If you do not follow these simple rules, then all sorts of negative consequences may arise in the form of allergies, obesity, digestive disorders, etc. That’s when conversations about the dangers of artificial feed appear.

Don't feed your parrot sausage or your turtle oranges!

If you have a small, nimble hamster, a talkative parrot or a phlegmatic turtle, then the issue of proper feeding should not be neglected either. All animals quickly adopt the habits and tastes of their owners. And if your parrot tried fried chicken from your plate, then you should not be delighted about this and think that the bird itself knows what is good for it. Birds are granivorous animals. In nature, they do not feed on sausages and sausages. Such food will quickly lead the feathered gourmet to death. The basic diet of parrots, canaries and finches should consist of millet, oats, canary seed, rapeseed, wheat and other grains. For each bird species, the ratio of components may be different. There are also ready-made feeds for birds. As in the manufacture of dog and cat food, the composition of bird food takes into account the size of the bird (a huge macaw or a small finch), the characteristics of their nutrition in nature (food for large parrots contains more nuts and grains with a high fat content), the need for vitamins and minerals (during molting, incubating eggs or feeding chicks).

For every dog ​​owner, the issue of feeding the animal is far from idle. What and how to properly feed your pet from the first days when he was “adopted into the family”?

The range of ready-made dog food is quite large. Manufacturers offer a variety of types of dry food and canned meat, taking into account all the characteristics of the animal. The owner is left with only the problem of choice.

What is the best diet and what do vets say about it? Let's figure it out...

Ready-made feed mixtures and canned food for animals

Feed rating based on points from 1 to 100 in different categories and prices

From 0 to 10 points. This category of food is not cheap, but in terms of quality and safety for animals it is the worst. The ingredients are waste from the processing of livestock and poultry carcasses, plus the presence of indigestible additives and drugs. For owners, this is the best way to get rid of an unfortunate animal and quite quickly.

1. “Kiteket” - according to nutrition specialists and veterinarians - 1 point
2. "Chappie" - 1
3. "Pedigree" - 3
4. Whiskas - 3

From 10 to 25 points. “Meat” food in this category contains everything except meat - this justifies the low cost of this product. Most often, the composition is waste from meat processing, giblets, cheap cereals, and bran. People here have never heard of vitamins, although in most cases they are stated on the packaging. Of course, food for animals in this category is not so dangerous for their lives, but they certainly will not improve their health. In the absence of anything better, the animal’s body gets used to this feeding, and with a clear lack of vitamins in their diet, the animals themselves find them or “save” them in their liver.

1. "Meal" - 13 points
2. "Vaska" - 15
3. "Max" - 22

From 25 to 50 points. Very economical food of low quality. It contains extremely low-use ingredients, vitamins and protein, and they are poorly balanced. It is suitable for unpretentious animals that do not have genetic health problems. Young animals should be fed this food with extreme caution, and it is better to avoid its use altogether at least until the age of two.

From 50 to 75 points. This is a category of inexpensive food of satisfactory quality, but poor in vitamins. For the most part, dogs live well on this diet if the intake is increased and additional portions of fortified supplements are given. The financial savings here are quite relative, since you still have to purchase the necessary components. The owner is a master, as they say...

1. "Purina" - 60 points
2. "Sheba" - 67
3. “Gurmet” - in different types from 55 to 65
4. "Doctor Alders" - from 50 to 70
5. "Jimpet" - 72
6. "Doctor Alders Nature Coast" - 75

From 75 to 90 points. Category of feed with good performance. If animals accept this food well, then switching to a higher and more expensive category does not make sense. The composition of ingredients is balanced and as close as possible to what is stated on the packaging. Does not require additional vitamin supplements and does not cause allergic reactions.

From 90 to 100 points. The best, highest category of feed. The food is developed using the most modern technologies. It is perfectly balanced, of excellent quality, and contains a maximum of useful components for our little brothers. Despite the high price, this diet is very economical, since a relatively small portion gives the animal everything it needs for a healthy and active life.

1. "Yams" - 93 points
2. Eagle Pack - 95
3. "Bosch" - 95
4. "Eukanuba" - 99
5. "Hills" - 100
6. "Nutro Choice" - 100

The Best Dog Foods, According to Veterinarians

All types of ready-made dog food can be classified into three main groups - economy class, premium class and super premium class. Of the categories presented above, for obvious reasons, food for animals with rating points of 50 and above is recommended. But this does not mean at all that the food in economy class is entirely poisonous, just as the elite super-premium class is not suitable for all dogs. Do not forget that each animal has different needs and body characteristics.

Dry food

Questions about choosing the best dry dog ​​food are answered. private practicing veterinarian L. Rudnitskaya, St. Petersburg:

If you decide to buy food on the advice of friends, you should first look at its composition, which should be indicated on the packaging. The largest amount of animal protein indicates the high quality of this food. Note! If the list of ingredients lists grains first, say corn, then this food can be classified as economy class. Corn is a good bulk filler that gives the dog the illusion of satiety, but does not have much energy value and is poorly digested.

Higher categories of feed are better absorbed by the animal’s body and are well digested, so the daily dose of such a diet is smaller, but of better quality. In the premium and super-premium food categories, fatty acids, glucosamine, probiotics, and chondroitin must be present. The quantity of these useful components is greater, the higher the category of the feed mixture.

If the list of ingredients contains odor imitators, food colorings or artificial preservatives, this indicates that the food is of low quality. All these substances can significantly undermine the dog’s health! Carcinogens disrupt the normal functioning of the kidneys and liver, causing anemia, food allergies, itchy skin and other unpleasant symptoms.

Super premium food enriched with natural antioxidants, vitamins, herbs. To be fair, it must be said that by-products are also components in the higher categories of feed, for example, the heart or liver of poultry and cattle. But offal such as intestines, trimmings, feathers, and lungs are contained exclusively in the economy class category.

It happens that even the most expensive food is not suitable for a dog. This does not mean that the food contains many unnatural ingredients, just that one of the components causes an allergic reaction or intolerance in this particular animal. In this case, you need to choose “your” food for the dog or switch to natural food...

Holistic class meals have recently appeared, which means “whole.” This food may contain from 3 to 4 Human Grade meat ingredients, which are also suitable for the human diet. The basis of such a well-balanced diet is meat, vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, as well as fatty acids, prebiotics, probiotics, beneficial digestive enzymes and a complex of vitamins. This diet is extremely beneficial for animals and does not cause painful symptoms. These are food brands - Acana, Earthborn, Orijen, Go Natural, Earthborn...

Wet food, canned meat

Wet dog food or canned meat - favorite food for four-legged animals. All types of this category of food for dogs can be divided into the following types:

• Basic, everyday food;
• In the form of delicacies (meat delicacies);
• Food for treatment.

The main food must contain all the necessary substances that must be replenished in the dog’s body every day. This meat and plant products, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. This food should not be mixed with food from another brand to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

The use of medicinal food is carried out mainly as prescribed by a nutritionist or veterinarian. If a dog has health problems or disorders associated with age, previous diseases and pathology, this is an opportunity to carry out prevention, treatment and feeding “in one bowl” without any problems.

Some useful tips from veterinarians, breeders and dog owners!

So, if the decision to feed your pet canned food has already been made, then food in the premium and super-premium categories is recommended. These foods have a properly balanced natural composition, are safe for dogs and contain ingredients to support their health.

Directly upon purchase, be sure to pay attention to the following points:

The best food in the premium and super-premium categories, according to veterinarians, includes the following brands: ROYAL CANIN, BOSCH, BELCANDO, GIMBORN SHINY DOG, dr. ALDERS, HILLs PD k/d, YARRAH, MERRICK, OSCAR, EXI, HAPPY DOG, POILUX, ANIMONDA and other foods in this line...

It is worth noting that canned food are better absorbed by the animal’s body than, say, dry or not always full-fledged natural products. They are very thoughtful and contain all the necessary elements of a dog’s daily nutrition.