What kind of food you choose for your dog?

You want to give your dog food best suited to ensure its good health. But you will hear many different opinions, and you do not know what to choose.

The different types of food for the dog

There are several ways to feed your companion. Specifically, we classify the types of foods into three categories:

• the food the most widely used currently is the dry food or dry dog food.
• the food industry as a wet mash or pellets of dog food is also very widespread.
• Finally, some people prefer the “housekeeper rations”, in other words a power cusinée every day at home.

In the case of a supply “ready”, as the cans or dry dog food, there are several quality levels:

• a food of excellent quality, called “health” or “premium” to be adapted to each dog based on race, age, activity level, etc. …
• a standard food, available in supermarkets.

Household or industrial power supply for your dog?

Dog Food housewife (ie homemade)

Food housewife is interesting if it is prepared in a balanced way. Its main advantage is the use of fresh ingredients. It should consist of meat, cereals, green vegetables plus the oil, yeast and added vitamins and minerals.

The main drawback is the difficulty in preparing a healthy and balanced meal, and that every day. This requires knowledge of canine nutrition and dietetics at some length. A thorough knowledge of the details of your dog’s needs, which vary depending on the breed of dog, age, activity level etc … then weigh each ingredient.

Food housewife therefore generates significant constraints, initially in terms of cost because a balanced diet includes expensive ingredients (fresh meat etc. ..). Then, it takes time to prepare the ration, whose shelf life is short (2 or 3 days in refrigerator). Finally, the result is average diet, especially since the dog will tend to sort and eat only what he prefers to accentuate the food imbalances. Regarding the mixing kibble / canned or dry food / leftovers, the exact composition of the dish can not be defined, this type of food intake is considered a housewife and is certainly unbalanced!

Recommendation of the veterinarian: Attention to the diet “old”, ie a soup with rice, chunks of meat animals (very fat), table scraps! This type of diet is very unbalanced and leads to significant gaps, detrimental to the health of the animal. Any food industry standard is preferable.

Industrial Power Dog

Industrial food for dog is quick to prepare and above all balanced. If you take a food “standard”, your dog will receive nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) in sufficient quantity, but no warranty as to the origin and quality of these nutrients. Premium foods are themselves made from premium ingredients with nivau nutrition and digestibility higher. Processed foods are developed by nutrition experts canine. These foods contain all nutrients in optimal proportions, so it is not necessary to add vitamins, minerals or any other ingredient.

Recommendation of the veterinarian: It is advisable to give your dog a food industry in the form of nuggets from an early age. The food industry is full, do not vary the meal by adding table scraps or homemade meal. To make her happy from time to time, think of dog treats (biscuits, chewing bones …) which will be given in-between meals, as a reward. For more information about the treats, please visit our Health Fact “treats tailored to your dog”

The food industry is available in two quality levels (“standard” or “premium”) and two forms, dry food (kibble) or wet food (tins). See below our explanations.

The choice of quality level

Foods ‘standard’

These are the foods available in supermarkets. We’re now starting to find food for puppies and older dogs but overall, these foods are not segmented according to the needs of each dog.

The price difference between the different ranges can be explained by the difference in quality of ingredients in each food type. Quality and origin of the meat used is very different, the food standards are generally much fatter, so the dogs are sometimes more palatable. They are also much less digestible, the quantity to consume for the same nutritional value is greater with a standard food with a food “healthy.”

Their main advantage is to be cheaper. But be careful, because we should not compare the price of a bag of dog food but the daily cost. For a bag of premium kibble lasts longer than a standard bag of kibble that should give larger amounts to the dog. The quality difference is immediately apparent on the stool of the animal and especially the puppies who tend to have diarrhea, it is very rare with a food premium.

Foods premium

What foods are “health” found in specialized circuits (pet shops, garden centers, veterinary and Wanimo.com) which are of superior quality and above all that are segmented according to the sizes of different races, ages or physiological needs individuals. Depending on the needs of your dog, there is a food that it is adapted. You can find food for puppies, puppy, adult dog with normal activity, increased activity or reduced, small, medium or large breed, and for older dogs or dogs with a tendency to be overweight … .

Food “health” are perfectly balanced and very good quality. They are:

• Full: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, trace elements, …
• balanced: for a puppy growing rates of protein and fat should be higher than for an adult as well, calcium and phosphorus needed to build the skeleton must be present, but not excessively to avoid problems growth.
• digestible: a puppy eats large quantities of food relative to its weight. More food is good, it is more digestible and less any amounts to be ingested will be important for the same nutritional value. Your puppy will take less the habit of “stuff”.

In adult dogs, we see very quickly the difference in the faeces of the animal. They are less frequent, print, size and smell are far less with food “health”. For details on the differences between these two levels of food, see our Fact Power “Why choose a premium food. You’ll find a more detailed comparison.

Dog kibble or cans, what to choose?

The puppy is eating very quickly and often refuses subsequently to change the type of diet. Therefore from the beginning to make the right choice.

Mash canned dog

The dog food is very palatable, it’s a real treat, the dog eats it more easily. However, it has a number of disadvantages.

The mash is often too greasy, it is harder to digest and crashed rapidly in the air, she “runs” particularly in summer. You should know that the paste contains 70 to 80% water, for the same nutritional value, the puppy must ingest an amount much higher than kibble. What causes the bad habit of “stuff yourself,” a more difficult digestion, flatulence and loose bowel movement often more important and fragrant.

The body has the disadvantage of promoting the development of tartar on the teeth. While the patties with limited natural and mechanical action of rubbing on the teeth during chewing.

Finally, food comes in boxes much more expensive than food in the form of croquettes.

Dog kibble

The dry dog ​​food offer many advantages:

• they are more hygienic, they do not rotate and feel less safe,
• more digestible, they limit the risk of diarrhea, flatulence and stools provide more “manageable”
• less expensive,
• for the best oral health for your dog to chew kibble provides a massage teeth and gums. In the long term, the deposit of tartar on the teeth is less important than a dog that eats only canned food.

Recommendation of Veterinary Nutrition is a factor on the health of your dog. We strongly advise you to give him a power in the form of dry, high quality and suited to their needs (age, size of the breed, activity level, specific state such as overweight ,…).

Did you know?

The food quality has a direct impact on the health of the animal of course, in terms of skin health and beauty of the coat, but mostly … the frequency, size, smell and consistency of stools! This is a significant advantage, in town or even in the garden when ram droppings! Aware that Wanimo.com Store offers free nutrition recommendation to its clients.