Content
- Best Super Premium Dog Food
- Best food for small dogs
- Best dog food brands
- Best Puppy Dog Food
- Best cost-effective dog food
Faced with a multitude of different brands and types of food that we find in the market, many dog tutors are confused when choosing the food for their dogs. It's not just about the difference in values, as a good diet means a healthier dog and less likely to develop diseases in the future. Therefore, providing a dog with a good quality food can contribute to a good immunity to the maintenance of its health.
In this PeritoAnimal article we present tips for how to choose the best food for your dog.
Best Super Premium Dog Food
Basically, when choosing the best dog food we have to keep in mind some criteria such as:
- Age.
- Postage.
- Whether the dog is neutered or not.
We must also take into account the energy level the dog spends during the day, for example, a dog that exercises daily requires a higher nutritional replacement than a dog that spends the day sleeping. There are also specific feed brands for certain dog breeds, as some breeds require a different nutritional value, medicated feed for dogs with a chronic health problem and even hypoallergenic feed for hypersensitive dogs and with recurrent food allergy problems.
There are different types of food for dogs and you can see what they are in this other article by PeritoAnimal on Types of food for dogs. However, due to its practicality, dry feed is still the most used in Brazil, and among dry feed we still have Standard, Premium and Super Premium classifications, the latter two being relatively superior in quality than Standard as they are made from noble parts of animal protein and not feathers and bones as in the case of standard rations. Feathers and bones, despite being composed of the animal protein necessary for the dog's diet, do not have good nutritional value, and therefore, the daily amount of food offered to the dog must be greater. In addition, Standard food contains scientifically proven additives and dyes. of being carcinogenic and harmful to health. Premium and Super Premium rations, as they are made from noble animal protein compounds, feed more in a smaller proportion. Therefore, if you do the math of how much you will pay at the end of the month for your dog's ration, you will see that a good quality kibble becomes more economical in terms of cost-effectiveness and veterinary expenses.
Still, you should pay attention, as even some premium feed brands still have dyes. So if you can afford it, always choose a Super Premium dog food that meets your dog's nutritional expectations. At best Super Premium feed brands are:
- Hill's
- Royal Canin
- Pro Plan
- N&D
- Guabi Natural
- Eukanuba
Best food for small dogs
Size is another issue to consider when choosing the best pet food for your dog. For a dog to be classified as small it must weigh between 1 to 10kgs, being the best known and popular small breeds the Yorkshire, Shih Tzu, Pinscher, Pugs, among others.
Small dogs have a long life expectancy, reaching even 20 years, and, in general, they are more active dogs, that spend more energy when walking and playing, and because of that, they are dogs that need a balanced and rich diet in antioxidants. These antioxidants, in turn, slow down the wear and tear of healthy body cells, protecting them from premature aging due to overuse.
Best dog food brands
Studies in animal nutrition have evolved a lot over the years, and therefore, it was possible to develop several researches that contribute to the well-being of our dogs through the maintenance of good health through food. In Brazil, there is still no regulation and inspection for the sector that classifies a good feed and a poor quality feed, because if it did exist, poor quality feed would not be approved in a minimum quality test and could not be commercialized. Despite this, manufacturers of Premium and Super Premium brands of feed, seeking a quality product, follow veterinary recommendations from experts and research conducted worldwide.
One survey conducted by PROTESTE (Brazilian Consumer Protection Association) conducted in 2017, evaluated 15 popular feed brands among tutors, but only 8 passed the quality test. The researchers took as a basis the parameters of FEDIAF (European Federation of the Animal Feed Industry), and measured the levels of protein, fat, fiber, minerals and calories, as well as other factors related to the origin of the raw material, level of digestibility, and excess calcium in its composition. According to the results obtained, the researchers concluded that the feed from the Champ brand would be the worst quality for containing little protein content. The feed that obtained satisfactory results in all aspects and was considered the highest quality is the Pro Plan brand.
This was the classification from 1 to 10 obtained for the other feeds analyzed according to the research, and taken as the best brands of adult dog food:
- Pro Plan (chicken and rice)
- Royal Canin
- golden
- dog chow
- Balance
- Max Premium Special
- Pedigree Vital Pro
- Hero
- Magnus
- champ
Best Puppy Dog Food
The same 2017 survey analyzed 5 brands of puppy food, and reached the conclusion of the following classification for the best rations for puppies, being 1 the highest quality ration and 5 the lowest quality ration brand among those tested.
- dog chow
- golden
- Pedigree Vital Pro
- Hero
- champ
In case you have doubts about puppy feeding, PeritoAnimal has prepared this other article for you in Puppy Feeding.
Best cost-effective dog food
Although Super Premium feed brands are highly recommended, they are still very expensive feeds. So, you can opt for a Premium pet food, which, in addition to being of good quality, has a relatively affordable cost, with Golden being one of the most cost-effective pet food in the pet food market.
If even so, you are still having doubts about the best feed talk to your veterinarian, as he is responsible for monitoring your dog's health, in addition to having all his medical history, therefore, he will know how to guide you as to the most appropriate feed.