Soft, shiny fur, hardly any bad breath, good digestion, and fit and adventurous – who doesn’t want that for their dog? The good news: You can significantly influence the health and well-being of your dog with high-quality dog food. You can read here what makes good food for your dog and what you should pay attention to.
Wet or dry food?
When it comes to dog food, a basic distinction is made between dry food, wet food and so-called “BARF” (raw feeding). Whether you feed your dog dry or wet food is entirely up to you and your dog’s preference. In relation to the supply of nutrients, there are no major differences. There is both very high-quality wet food and really good dry food. For example, you can buy good dog food from Josera.
The difference between the types of feed is primarily the water content of the types of feed. Wet food contains significantly more liquid than dry food. That’s why it’s important that your dog always has enough water available when you give him dry food. For some dogs, it can also be useful to soak it in some water or broth.
Your dog will also be happy if he can eat up your leftovers from time to time. You will find an exciting veterinary article here.
Reading labels is important!
When you are looking for good dog food, the most important thing is to read the labels carefully. Because feed manufacturers are obliged to indicate the ingredients contained in the feed-in descending order. So you can find information here about how high quality and good the food is.
Tip 1: Make sure that the food is marked as “complete food”. Because only then does the food contain all the necessary nutrients for your dog.
Tip 2: Pay attention to an open declaration. This means that all ingredients are listed as individual ingredients. For example, while a closed declaration only says “meat and animal by-products”, an open declaration shows you exactly what types of meat (muscle meat, offal, etc.) are included.
What does good dog food contain?
The nutrient content is crucial in dog food. Every dog food should contain sufficient proteins (proteins), fats and carbohydrates because each of these nutrients fulfills an important task in the dog’s body.
The nutrient content of a feed is determined using analytical tests. The result is values for raw proteins and raw fats, as well as for raw ash and raw fibre. The proportion of carbohydrates is calculated afterwards.
Crude protein and crude fat: Crude protein includes all the nitrogenous components of the feed. This largely means all protein-containing components of the feed. The raw fat includes both “classic” fats and fat-like components, such as fat-soluble vitamins. The minimum value of raw fat is 5% percent, but it can also be much higher.
Basically, the higher the fat content, the higher the energy content of the food. The more active your dog is, the higher the raw fat content can be. If your dog tends to be lazy, the fat/protein content should also be lower.
Crude ash and crude fibre: Crude fiber comprises the indigestible components of the feed, mainly vegetable fibres. Despite their indigestibility, these are necessary because they promote intestinal activity and digestion and are therefore essential for a healthy intestinal flora. The crude fiber content should be at least 1%, but not much higher. Because too much crude fiber can impair digestion.
The raw ash indicates the sum of all inorganic components in the feed, i.e. vital minerals and trace elements. The value here should not be more than 10%, otherwise this can lead to an oversupply.
What’s allowed and what’s not
Not only we humans, but also our dogs can safely do without artificial additives. Good dog food should therefore not contain any artificial colours, preservatives or flavor enhancers. Sugar should never be in the feed.
Instead, pay attention to high-quality muscle meat and offal, as well as a vegetable portion. A small amount of grain or pseudo-grain is also okay if your dog tolerates it well.
Healthy dog food is also characterized by the fact that it contains no by-products. This is mostly slaughterhouse and plant waste, which is not good for your dog.
Conclusion
With a bit of know-how, you can quickly find out how good dog food is and can thus select the right food for your dog. So your four-legged friend is well looked after and hopefully stays fit and healthy for a long time.
