Dog Food

Dog food is essential to a dog’s life—it provides the energy they need, nourishes them, supports their adventures with their owner, and helps ensure a long, healthy life.

To choose the right dog food from the flood of different information, we must first educate ourselves about the requirements and needs of our dog!

Kibble, canned food, raw food or all of them?

An uninformed person can quickly get lost in the choice of different dog food options:

• There is dry dog food or kibble
• Similar is cold-pressed food in the form of pellets
• Wet food is most often found in cans
• And increasingly popular is raw dog food or home-prepared dog food!

The fact is that in all the mentioned categories we find good, quality foods and dog foods that are somewhat less quality, so it is necessary to carefully examine the composition of each food and properly read the label, as we want to ensure that for our money we offer our dog the very best!

Dog kibble

Kibble is the most widespread form of dog food, as it is also the most practical for feeding. Kibble is made from heat-processed ingredients: meat, vegetables, grains, fruit, herbs, … and often also contains additives, which are not always bad – they may simply be vitamins that were lost during the processing. Of course, it is also possible to "hide" many unwelcome ingredients in kibble that are not the healthiest for dogs. So carefully read the label on the back of the dog food and assess whether the ingredients are simple, natural and of quality, or whether lower quality ingredients are hiding in them!

Kibble is easy to dose and store, as it usually has a very long shelf life. It generally represents a balanced, complete meal that provides the dog with all the necessary nutrients for a healthy life. Cleaning the dog after eating and washing the dog's bowls is also not difficult, as only a few crumbs remain. It is also convenient for hand-feeding during the dog's upbringing and training, as it doesn't dirty our hands or pockets.

Cold-pressed dog food – pellets

In recent times, we have certainly heard the phrase "cold-pressed" more than once, whether referring to oils, various human foods or dog food. The cold-pressing process is, as the name suggests, less exposed to heat and thus preserves the natural values and nutrients of the raw materials used in cold-pressed dog food.

Cold-pressed dog food does not differ from kibble in many respects, except in the method of processing raw materials and digestion. It also represents a complete, balanced meal that can be offered in a dog's bowl or during training.

Cold-pressed dog food in pellet form is digested differently from regular kibble, so feeding pellets and kibble in the same meal is not recommended!

Wet food – cans

If kibble or pellets provide everything a dog needs, why do we need wet dog food? For various reasons, one of the bigger ones being of course that we want to indulge our canine friends with various delicious and interesting flavours!

Wet dog food is most often found in cans, trays, pouches or packs. While some types represent a complete meal for the dog, most wet dog food is complementary food, meaning it is only added as a supplement to the main, complete meal. A word of caution here: it is not healthy for a dog in the long term to eat exclusively wet food that does not contain all the necessary nutrients!

Wet food can also be mixed in with kibble to convince fussy dogs to eat more enthusiastically. Wet dog food can be found in countless different and interesting flavours, so there is no fear that your dog will get bored of it!

Raw dog food or BARF

With the rise of interest in natural, simple and unprocessed food, interest in raw dog food or home-prepared dog food has also grown. Proponents of raw food start from the theory that this is the most natural food for dogs, such as they would eat in nature. However, this is not as simple as it sounds! Raw food for dogs must be precisely balanced and must contain all the necessary nutrients in the correct proportions. It is not enough to offer your dog chicken breast every day, as dogs need organs, bones, vegetables, fruit, herbs and other nutrients in addition to muscle meat.

What does the acronym BARF mean? In English it stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food!

Raw or home-prepared food for dogs is an excellent way of feeding, if we educate ourselves very thoroughly about it. There is also an easier way – pre-prepared frozen raw dog food, which is available in modern pet food stores!

Veterinary diets

Veterinary diets deserve their very own chapter, as they are used when we identify health problems in our dog that can be alleviated with diet; whether that is excess weight, joint problems, irregular digestion, sensitive skin, frequent ear inflammation, allergies or similar.

A veterinary diet is recommended by a vet or trained veterinary professional and is in no way a substitute for treatment! The diet must be strictly adhered to and other food and treats must be avoided during the diet, unless approved by the vet!