Choosing a Dried Dog Food
There are so many types of dried dog food you can buy today that it is difficult to know which one to choose. First we should discuss what dried food is and how it compares to other dog foods.
Dried dog food has been cooked or baked into hard small biscuit pieces. It provides a great source of nutrition and can help keep teeth and gums in good condition as the crunching and chewing of the dried food acts like an abrasive against the teeth, removing plaque and stimulating the gums. Complete dried dog food doesn’t tend to have the same smell as the canned, wet food. It is also easy enough to serve as you simply pour the required amount directly into the dog’s bowl, no mixing required.
Most leading dog food brands such as Eukanuba Dog Food develop differnet ranges depending on whether the dog is a puppy, adult, senior, certain breed or has sensitive digestion. But which food is the best for your puppy or adult dog?
If you have a puppy up to the age of around 18 months look at the brands of puppy dog food. These are not usually breed specific because food developed for puppies tends to contain different levels and types of ingredients. Like human babies, ALL puppies need more of certain nutrients and less of others. Puppy food can also be split by size of the breed i.e. small (e.g. Shih Tzu), medium (e.g. Border Collie) and large (e.g. Bull Mastiff). So by now you should at least be able to narrow the choice down by the age and size of the breed of your puppy.
Choosing dog food for adult dogs may be easier because most of the dog food brands have ranges split by specific breed and size. Assuming there are no health considerations you may decide to choose by the dogs breed size which then just leaves the price, personal preference and flavours available when selecting the brand. Sample packs are great for finding out which flavour your dog likes best!). Or opt for ranges specifically developed for breeds such as boxer dog food.
Other things to consider when choosing a dog food includes your own personal preference. Brands such as Arden Grange are animal friendly i.e. animals were not used during the development of the product in what some animal rights organisations consider to be cruel conditions. Price is also an important factor; it is far better for your puppy or adult dog to be fed the same brand and not to switch too often because it can cause an upset stomach or your dog to go on ‘hunger strike’. So do make sure you will be able to keep up the costs of the dog food on a regular and ongoing basis.
Handy tip: If there is more than one dog living with you it might help to get them all eating the same brand of dog food.
