Is the food I give my dog good?
We personally feed our dogs the Barf diet, the natural diet par excellence. However, within the dry food category, there are many qualities and not always what is commercially available or recommended by acquaintances, TV or even a veterinarian is the best.
When we hear about certain feeds, different thoughts come to mind:
- Lots of advertising and poor quality…
- Commission for recommending certain feeds…
- Advertising and marketing in faculties, conferences…
- Would you ask your GP to prepare a diet for you or would you go to a nutritionist?
Just a few thoughts…
Did you know that many supermarket feeds are made with animal parts that are not suitable for human consumption, such as tumors, feces, etc.? … more food for thought…
Later we will write an article about our personal opinion on some feeds, although those of you who come to see us at the store know that the first thing we recommend is that You investigate, you inform yourself from different sources and above all that you do the simple exercise of read the composition of the feed.
Read the composition?
In the case of dogs and cats the main recommendation for choosing a good feed is to read carefully the ingredients it contains, as if you were choosing food for yourself:
- The main sources of food should be meat or fish. That is, the first products that should appear on the list and with the highest percentage should be meat or fish.
- You must specify whether it is fresh or dehydrated meat. (no meat meal or ambiguities like simply saying chicken… which could mean it contains a crest, feathers, legs…).
- It should not include by-products.
- They should not include chemical preservatives since they are carcinogenic and prohibited for human consumption (BHA, BHT, BHT…).
- Free of corn, wheat and derivatives.
- It should contain vegetables, fruits, glucosamine, chondroitin and omega 3.
Independent assessment of feed brands
Below we leave you different independent studies (not sponsored either openly or secretly by any brand) on the different brands of feed and each reference in particular.
These assessments are carried out by analysing the information provided publicly by the manufacturers, i.e. the label (ingredients, nutritional composition, additives, etc.) and the carnivorous nature of dogs.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
This website is entirely in English and was initially created as a resource for Boxerworld members. Since 2005, they have been analysing and reviewing feed ratings every year to take into account revisions in the different compositions of each reference.
On this website you will find information on more than 1.500 references of dry dog food, along with ratings and comments.
Its purpose is to offer us an evaluation of the commercial feeds available, based on the information publicly provided by the manufacturers (ingredients, nutritional composition, additives, etc.).
To see the reviews of the different feeds you must go to the "reviews" section and then to "dry dog food". Here you can see the reviews of the feeds from best, 6 stars, to worst, 1 star.
Since the studio is American, you won't be able to find some local brands.
http://www.tipresentoicroccantini.com/i-migliori/
Independent Italian study on feed brands, and in particular, reference by reference.
The aim of this website is to make dog owners aware of what they feed their beloved pets.
The assessments are carried out solely by analysing the public information provided by the manufacturers, i.e. the feed label. The judgements are based on pre-established objective criteria.
This website has no function, intention/advertising, it is simply informative.
Since the studio is Italian and is a little closer to us, you will be able to find more brands from here.
Surprised? Before opening the store, we gave our dogs commercial feed, obviously relying on advice and, of course, on the daily advertising we receive, but we began to investigate and study and, ultimately, to open our eyes... and we corrected our mistakes.
To consider!
Not all feeds, however good they may be, are recommended for all dogs. For example, some of the most highly regarded feeds in the sector are of such high quality that they provide a lot of energy, as they are rich in protein and fat with high nutritional value. If our dog is very active and we cannot give it the exercise it needs, or our dog has anxiety problems, a feed with these characteristics could make the situation worse. We must also take into account food allergies and intolerances, daily exercise, etc.
You should ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my dog's lifestyle? That is, how long do you go out for walks, if you go running with him or riding a bike…
- How old are you?
- Do you have any known intolerances?
- How do you poop? are small and compact or diarrhea…
- How is your skin and hair? shiny hair or has dandruff and greasy hair…
- What size it has? In the case of dogs, whether they are large, medium or small breeds
We hope that this information is useful to you and as more independent studies are created, we will update the article.
Indidogs, your dog shop and groomer in the Gracia district of Barcelona for everything you need for your dog, cat, rodent, bird... Specialists in natural food with the Barf diet.
