The Best Dog Food To Help Your Pet Live a Healthy and Long Life
Dogs are mad about their owners. They disclose their affection in various ways. They snuggle close to you, lick your face, and play around you. Although they cannot express their coziness with words, they do it with their delightful actions. On the other hand, pet owners consider wholesome dog food the best way to show that they care for their dogs and dote on them. This way, you tell dogs you dote on them as they do on you. However, finding wholesome food is not that easy. This is why we have researched to organize a list of the highest-quality dog food in 2024.
Healthy dog food keeps your dog energetic, lively, and fit. All the must-have nutrients help the pup live a long and happy life. After you read this article, you will be able to answer, “What makes dog food best?” and “What is the best food for my dog?”
ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Dog Food
Best Overall
The ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Dog Food is an excellent choice for any pup. It is made with 96% free-range Beef, Organs, Bone, and New Zealand Green Mussels to ensure your dog is getting the highest quality protein. The low-carb design of this food is perfect for food-sensitive dogs, as there are no cheap fillers such as grain, potato, or peas that can be linked to obesity and health issues. The 10% Superfood boost gives your pup a holistic nutrition experience with cold-washed Green Tripe, New Zealand Green Mussels, and Organic Kelp that helps support digestion, skin and coat health, healthy joint function and reduce inflammation.
This product is an excellent choice as either a topper or a complete meal for all life stages, from puppies to senior dogs. ZIWI sources only 100% free-range, grass-fed, grass-finished meats and wild-caught seafood from New Zealand farms and pristine oceans. The all-natural makeup of this dog food combined with the delicious taste your pup will love makes this dog food the best overall on the list.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula
Runner Up
Blue buffalo life protection formula is a dry dog food that entails all the essential nutrients to make your dog thrive. The first-class meat, the same quality as the humans consume, comes from whitefish. The exquisite proteins reinforce the muscles of your pooch and regulate the tissues and metabolic activities.
It also includes essential carbohydrates for an invigorating life. For a playful dog, calcium and phosphorus strengthen the bones to keep them active. The omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are brilliant components to make your dog charming and engaging.
To combat free radicals in the body, LifeSource Bits gives antioxidants and other nutrients. These revitalize the immune system of your pooch and thwart many destructive diseases. The vital ingredients such as brown rice, flaxseed, oatmeal, chicken fat, vegetables, and fruits are combined to give a complete nutritious package.
Purina ONE SmartBlend
Honorable Mention
Whether it is effortless digestion, the strength of delicate systems, or the right as rain weight of your pup, do not worry about it anymore. “Purina One Smartblend Chicken and Rice Dry Food” settles this issue once and for all. The supreme meat quality is pure and derived from chicken. It serves the purpose of giving a palatable meaty flavor and fortifying the muscular system of your dog.
Vitamin B 12, niacin, sulfur, folic acid, calcium iodate, and other essential vitamins and minerals vivify the formation of blood and support the nervous system. Antioxidants ensure the oxidative balance and solid immune function of your lovely pup.
The natural glucosamine present in this food braces cartilage strength and enables excellent function of your dog’s joints. It keeps your dog active and prevents arthritis. The formula is planned with the help of nutritionists to make it beneficial for puppies and senior dogs of all breeds.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Food
Also Consider
Along with providing your pet with wholesome nutrition, Rachael Ray Nutrish is a dry dog food that includes peas and brown rice with large amounts of fiber to help dogs with ease of digestion. Natural prebiotics stimulate the formation of beneficial microorganisms in the gut. Also, the savor of beef and brown rice is delicious to the taste buds of dogs.
Farm-raised beef used holds low saturated fat and helps save your dog from unwanted diseases. However, the revitalizing fatty acids in chicken fat make the dog’s coat glossy and nourishes the skin. The amino acids in it keep the muscles strong and fully functional.
This dog food is highly geared towards fulfilling the nutritional needs of your strong dog. Zinc, folic acid, vitamin B12, selenium, vitamin A, riboflavin, calcium, citric acid, and other high-priority nutrients support the organ systems, blood formation, bones, teeth, and metabolic activities of your playful dog.
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
This first-class food guarantees the wellbeing of your dog with a delicious natural flavor. Its main ingredient is smoked salmon. This real fish dry food gives all-important proteins to reinforce the bones and muscles of your pup. Also, it saves your dog from having unnecessary fat in muscles.
Who does not dote on the shiny coat and lively skin of a dog? Omega fatty acids make it happen. Having strong digestive and immune systems helps your dog use the ingredients to grow and combat diseases. Antioxidants, prebiotics, and proprietary probiotics are integrated into this formula to achieve these aims.
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food
If you have a large dog breed and want to give it all the indispensable nutrients for a healthy and long life, Hill’s science diet dry dog food is a good option for you. It completes all the energy requirements of your dog. Its ingredients boost the metabolic processes for a lively lifestyle. The natural ingredients in this dry food add glucosamine and chondroitin, among the nutrients. These strengthen and maintain cartilage, keeping the joints fit.
Vitamin E and omega 6 fatty acids enhance the comeliness of your dog. The coat and skin thrive when a dog gets these nutrients. Also, with each bag that you buy, Hill’s Science Diet helps shelter dogs savor a healthy diet and body.
Antioxidants, vitamin C, minerals, and other nutrients are consequential for boosting immunity. The organic compounds give way more potency to the digestive and other systems of a dog’s body.
How To Choose the Best Dog Foods: A Complete Buying Guide
Types of Dog Foods
When you embark on finding healthy food for your dog, they come across in different styles. Getting all the must-have nutrients is the priority of every pet owner. However, all dog food isn’t the same. The several types which perform different functions are listed below:
Dry food
One of the most prevailing styles is kibble food. This food is passed through a mechanical process to create a crunchy mouthful. The final product you get has a specific shape, size, and feel. You can store this bag or box of food, having less moisture, for a long time.
The kibbles are suitably small and large for a puppy and senior dog, respectively. Your dog can have them in the form of pellets, biscuits, or kibbles. This food has been proven worthwhile for the fitness of dogs’ teeth. When your dog munches it, it helps to reduce the accumulation of plaque that contains dangerous bacteria. It may not have an enticing aroma.
Wet food
If your dog takes more time to finish the food, this option might prove helpful. Wet food contains more moisture that appeals to your pup. Although it is generally canned stuff, you can get it in a pouch or Tetra Pak packaging. The food is processed at a high temperature to make it last longer. No doubt your pet can digest it effortlessly.
It is mandatory for you to get the one that gives complete nutrition to your pet. Also, you have to monitor the oral cavity of the dog regularly to thwart plaque formation. Brushing and chewing might help. It also demands more money from you.
Dehydrated and frozen-dried dog food
Dehydrated dog food also lacks moisture as it is treated with a high temperature. Although the heat dries the contents, there are chances that some nutrients are no longer intact and available for your dog. On the other hand, frozen food is not processed at a high temperature, retaining all-important nutrients. Also, it is easier to rehydrate frozen food than dehydrated food. The dry food is crushed, and it remains health-giving for a long duration. Frozen food, which is primarily raw food, requires a high budget and may include microorganisms too. Frozen food gives a natural taste to your pup.
Home-baked food
Some pet owners find homemade food the best way to dodge the fear of not giving their pups all the vitamins, minerals, and other organic compounds. However, this method requires you to be mindful of all the nutritional needs of your pet. You pay more to get a particular meal for your dog. The latter aspect helps it stand out as a unique choice for dog owners.
Factors To Count While Choosing The Ideal Dog Foods
No matter which type you choose from the ones mentioned earlier, you must meticulously evaluate specific elements. It will help you demystify most of your misunderstandings and decide on the perfect food for your dog.
Age-centric nutrition
Do you think a puppy and a senior dog have similar needs for nutrients? Whether you have a puppy, an old dog, or one in-between them, they all have their individual needs for vitamins, minerals, and other biomolecules.
For instance, a puppy needs more proteins and fats for healthy muscles and a fit body. All other indispensable minerals and vitamins are also crucial for a puppy. On the other hand, a senior dog needs more fibers and probiotics for a healthy gut. Additionally, glucosamine and chondroitin will reinforce its joints and monitor optimum motility. Senior dog food is specifically formulated to meet these unique requirements.
Dog’s lifestyle
Before finalizing particular dog food, contemplating your dog’s lifestyle helps you way more for choosing a suitable product. For example, a young pup can have wholesome food several times a day to stay buoyant.
On the other hand, if you have a senior or a sick dog, you remain diligent about the daily calories of food. Also, it requires you to stick to a proper feeding schedule. Moreover, think about what your dog does the whole day. If the dog helps you in your chores, remains active, or is playful, they need more energy than one lying on the couch all the time.
Consider probable allergies or special needs
Although natural products are safer for your dog than synthetic ones, you should check whether any substance in food is allergic to your dog. Gluten in wheat or barley and soybean oil are observed to cause allergies in some dogs. The redness of the skin and unhealthy coat are signs that your pup is allergic to some substances. The use of lamb, chicken, and beef for getting proteins has also produced allergies. Also, do consider whether your dog is completely fit or has diabetes and other issues.
Ingredients
The foremost aim of dog food is to provide all the inevitable nutrients for a healthy and fit life. Assess the label of food to identify whether it contains all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients or not. The list of ingredients will also reveal the presence of fillers. Some pet owners do not want grains in pet food.
You cannot overlook the taste and aroma of dog food. A delicious savor appeals to your pet.
Kibble size
The size of kibbles should neither be large enough for a young pup to chew and engulf nor too small for an adult dog to swallow without munching them. The size of kibbles should be suitable for your dog to chew effortlessly and gain all the necessary nutrients.