The right grain-free dry food for my dog
How can I tell a good dry food?
To find the right dry food for your dog, you should think about two important questions:
- What ingredients does my dog need to eat a healthy, balanced diet?
- Does my dog react allergic to certain ingredients?
In general, it can be said that there is no such thing as the one right and best dry food. Every dog has individual needs and the food should be adapted to them. However, there are a few ingredients that every dog needs. We all know that our four-legged friends are descended from the wolf. So the dog's diet should be based on the natural diet of the wolf. However, the dog has adapted to humans in the last centuries and the diet can differ from that of the wolf. Dogs need above all proteins and carbohydrates. Furthermore, a balanced diet also includes minerals, vitamins and certain fatty acids. In a dry food for your dog all these ingredients should be covered. The dog gets the proteins from the proteins, which are mainly found in meat. Therefore, a high meat content in the dog food is good. However, the dog also needs starch in the form of carbohydrates. Your pelt nose can obtain these from fruit and vegetables, for example, but also from cereals. In general, there is no difference between the carbohydrates contained in potatoes or pumpkins and those that your dog can obtain from cereals. However, you should make sure that the grain content or the fruit and vegetable content in the food is lower than the meat content. Otherwise, there may be deficiencies in the diet. Your dog needs carbohydrates to gain energy. This happens, as in humans, by increasing the blood sugar level. So to find the right food for your dog you can keep in mind
- Meat content 60 - 70
- Grain or vegetable content 30 - 40
The amount of food your dog needs is indicated by the manufacturer. These are based on experience and help you to keep your dog's weight at a healthy level. The packaging usually contains tables showing how many grams of food should be fed per kilogram of body weight.
How much dry food should my dog get per day?
Now you should also consider whether your dog has certain intolerances. If your dog has digestive problems and diarrhoea, muscle meat, heart or fish are particularly suitable for him. Often digestive problems can occur if your dog gets too much starch from the dry food. This happens when there are too many carbohydrates, i.e. the grain or vegetable content is too high. In this case, you should choose a different food. If your dog has a regular digestion and is generally fit and lively, you seem to have already found the right dry food. When feeding your dog dry food, also make sure he is drinking enough fluids. The rule of thumb is 100 ml per kilo of body weight. So a dog weighing 10 kg needs one litre a day. If you think your dog is not drinking enough, you can soak his dry food. This is also recommended for old dogs that have few teeth and can otherwise no longer chew the food.
Grain Free Dog Food - How harmful is grain for my dog?
First of all, from a medical point of view, grain is neither harmful nor unhealthy for your dog. This is true for healthy dogs that do not suffer from stomach problems or similar conditions. The dog needs carbohydrates to live and grains consist mainly of them. Dry food with grains is much cheaper than food made with vegetables or fruits. Therefore, many manufacturers resort to cereals. However, it is important that the proportion in the food is not too high. You can easily tell if your dog reacts with diarrhea to a certain food, assuming he is otherwise healthy. Of course, there are also dogs that tend to have stomach problems. In this case, a grain-free dry food is a good choice, as grains are more difficult to digest than, for example, potatoes or pumpkins.
If you have found a good dry food and your dog's digestion is not problematic, but it still contains grain, you can still feed the food. However, if you prefer to avoid grains and choose a dry food with vegetables and fruit, you can still ensure that your dog gets the right nutrition.
