What is the best food to feed your dog?

Welcome back, pack!

Feeding the normal weight dog:

I am frequently asked which food is the best for dogs. The answer depends on the dog. Like humans, every dog is different, especially when it comes to digestion. The best food to feed is the one that:

1) The dog likes and will readily eat
2) Produces a sleek, shiny coat and a healthy gleam in the eye
3) Produces the smallest amount of non-smelly, well-formed stool

This won’t be the same food for every dog. That is why there are so many brands available that have owners that will swear to the superiority of each brand. I have seen dogs that eat the cheapest of generic brands that love the food, have glossy coats and produce modest amounts of stool.

Why are these 3 things important to judge food?

1) If a dog sniffs, pushes the food bowl, takes a long time to eat or frequently won’t eat there is probably some smell or taste the dog does not like. Forcing the dog to eat a food it doesn’t like just because someone said it was a great food makes little sense. Missing meals and then gorging due to hunger is not healthy and can actually be dangerous for large breed dogs. Their stomach can bloat and twist (Think Marley & Me). With so many brand choices, find the one your dog likes.

2 ) A glossy coat means that the fat balance in the food promotes skin and cell wall health. Foods that lack this quality will produce dull looking, brittle, flakey coats and should be avoided. Changes in coat quality requires weeks to months to occur after starting a new food.

3) The proof is in the pudding! Healthy dogs that produce large amounts of smelly formed, semi-formed, or soft stool are probably eating a food that disagrees with them. This usually means less food is being absorbed and is just passing through undigested. Awfully expensive poop! Dog food companies are not required to meet any standards of digestibility or more correctly, bioavailability. The food that produces small amounts of non-smelly, formed stool means good bioavailability. This is why homemade diets are so popular. More about that on a later post.

Today’s tip: Review the last blog. Feed dry or canned food by the ounce not the cup or guesstimate in order to measure the correct number of calories.

Next Post: Dry Food or Wet Food, which is better?

Dr. T