Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Brands

admin answers:

I don’t know if you get Canidae there, and it is my favorite..But I believe Purina Pro Plan is available there,and it is a very good food. You can switch to adult food when the pup is grown, or at about a year. (yes, pro plan is widely distributed there)
I also think Timberwolf Organics is distributed there.. It is an excellent food for allergies.. (no, I looked it up, and it will only deliver an order of 510 pounds or more! )

admin answers:

There are some great brands out there like Nutro Natural Choice, Natural Balance, Castor and Pollux… Ect…

Many will suit your dog just fine, but let’s look at how to buy dog food.

1.) Check the ingredients which are listed by weight. You want ingredients like chicken, duck, and salmon listed as the first few ingredients. Ingredients you don’t want too much of are kinda obvious like meat byproduct, rice, chicken meal.

2.) Check the guaranteed analysis. Puppies need around 25% protein and 16% fat, adults need around 21% protein and 14% fat, senior dogs need even less. Best thing to do is compare the puppy, adult and senior foods all from the same brand and then grab a lesser brand to compare as well.

3.) You might also want to look at the company’s practices. Does this brand make a premium *and* grocery brand as well? Do they have corporate responsibility? Were they affected by the mass recall of a few years back? Do they own their own factory?

I like Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance. They have an organic food and great options for dogs with food allergies. They do not have a solely “puppy” option though, their food is designed for dogs of all ages. Small dogs tend to mature faster than older dogs, so Natural Balance is still a great option for you.

And you’re right, dry food is great for helping to keep your dog’s teeth clean from tartar. But it’s not the only thing they need for dental health. Regular vet checks are required and teeth brushing can help. Another option to ensure dental health are greenies and dental chews appropriate for your dog’s size. Just remember to never feed anything new to your dog without supervision.

I think it’s great you want to feed him primarily dry! It’s best since wet canned food only has about 8% protein, 4% fat and around 85% moisture, so it’s essentially feeding your dog more expensive water.

When you do switch over, follow the feeding guidelines on the back of that particular bag or do what your vet recommends.

Good luck!

admin answers:

Our pets need quality food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. “Vet approved” means they have a vet on staff to approve their product. In other words, someone paid to approve it. Same with foods most vets recommend. Salesmen “gift” vets then the vet recommends the food. Most vets are not nutritionists! Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient Wellness, Solid Gold, Innova and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359& more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByRating?OpenForm

Blue organics is also very good but really pricey.