Dry dog food

Modern pet owners increasingly prefer dry dog food. This type of food is gaining increasing popularity. What is the reason for this trend, is it worth believing in advertising, and how in a huge number of brands to choose the most suitable food for your four-legged friend?

Dry food: advantages and disadvantages

The dog owners were divided into two camps - the first two hands "for" production feed, and the second believes that this food is not suitable for their pet. It is difficult to decide who is right, but you can consider the positive and negative aspects of ready-made rations:

The main advantages include the following:

High-quality food includes the optimal ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrate elements.
You can purchase a product that is suitable for age, build, health features, etc.
Feeding on dry food, the pet simultaneously performs the prevention of tartar.
Manufacturers have already calculated the daily portion of food, the owner can only adapt it to the weight of the dog.
Top quality feeds include useful micro and macro elements.

Huge advantages for the owners - dry food is well kept, does not require cooking and the pet bowl is always clean.

The disadvantages are the following:

Premium feeds are not cheap.
When feeding with such food, it is imperative to take care of the pet's 24-hour access to clean water.
Sometimes owners find it difficult to choose the most suitable feed, in this case it is better to consult with experienced breeders and a veterinarian.

But from what side to approach the selection of feed and how do they differ?

Three classes of dry dog food

Food for people is different in quality, the same thing happens with pet food. There are several categories of ready-made rations, differing in price category and composition:

Dry feed Economy class. Packages with a similar product can be purchased at any supermarket, their own advertising often flashes on TV. These feeds, for the most part, contain low quality raw materials, and the meat portion is contained in the minority. As such, there is no meat in them; it is replaced by meat and bone meal and offal. The basis is herbal ingredients - cereals and soy. Some experts compare such food with instant noodles - it allows the animal to get enough, but the benefits are very doubtful.
Dry feed Premium class. This feed consists of better products, meat components - meat, offal, make up about 30%. Such food is perfectly digested, it is balanced and, judging by the composition, does not contain harmful substances. The price of the feed is acceptable. But some manufacturers still add flavor enhancers, so for feeding puppies, the highest category feed is recommended - super premium.
Dry feed Super premium class. The best food for dogs, consisting of top quality products. They contain biologically valuable components, only meat - no bones or by-products. As part of it is also possible to find fish, cereals of the highest grade, unique plant components. In this category, you can choose food for dogs with certain health problems - low immunity, allergies , diabetes , etc.

Premium and super premium feeds are sold exclusively in specialized stores.

Six of the best dry dog food

To facilitate the task in the selection of finished products, there is a certain rating of dry dog food, based on product quality and expert feedback.

6 stars

This category includes the best brands of feed, differing in all components - balance, food caloric content and value, as well as digestibility. Due to the unique composition of the daily rate of such food is very low. Feeds of this kind are recommended for weak, elderly animals, as well as dogs with health problems.

According to the rating, this group includes the following feed:

Go Natural Grain Free Endurance (Canada);
Happy Dog Supreme Junior. (Germany);
Happy Dog Supreme Fit & Well. (Germany);
Happy Dog Supreme Sensible. (Germany);
Innova EVO Small Bites (USA);
Innova EVO Red Meat Large Bites (USA);
Innova EVO Red Meat Small Bites (USA);
Artemis Fresh Mix Maximal Dog (USA).

5 stars

Products of rather good quality, however, with some discrepancy to the highest standards:

Happy Dog Natur Croq. (Germany);
Happy Dog Natur Flocken. (Germany);
Happy Dog Profi-Line Basic 23 / 9,5 (Germany);
Acana Grasslands (Canada);
Acana Pacifica (Canada);
Acana Prairie Harvest (Canada);
Eagle Pack Pet Foods (USA).

4 stars

Good food, but the ratio of meat and vegetable parts can not be attributed to the highest category. The price is slightly lower than the above, but the daily dosage is somewhat higher. These include:

BiOMill (Switzerland);
Pro Plan (France);
Pro Pac (US);
Royal Canin (Russia);
Leonardo (Germany);
Nutra Gold (USA);
Belcando (Germany).

3 stars

This is a low-protein economy class feed. The quality cannot be called high, it contains an incomplete vitamin complex, the ratio of components is not maintained.

Despite the similar quality, the feed of some brands in this category are quite expensive. There are many, but it is worth noting the most famous:

Hill's (Czech Republic, USA, Holland);
Nutro Choice (US);
Alders (Germany);
Gimpet (Germany);
Purina (France);
Eukanuba (Holland, United States);
Sheba (Thailand).

2 stars

The product is of poor quality, produced exclusively from by-products and cereals with the addition of soy, which the digestive system of dogs does not tolerate. Naturally, with this diet, the animal needs an additional source of vitamins and trace elements. If a healthy adult animal digests such food, then older dogs, as well as puppies and sick animals, are contraindicated.

In this category are feed the following brands:

Clauder's (Germany);
Oscar (Denmark, Russia);
Meal (Russia, Denmark);
Friskies (Russia);
Vaska (Russia);
1st Choice (Canada)
Max (Russia).

1 star

Roughly speaking, feed in this category consists of meat production wastes — guts, bone residue, veins, and so on — are recycled. Moreover, the meat component in the feed is only 4-5%, the rest of vegetable raw materials are not of the best quality:

Pedigree (Russia);
Chappi (Russia);
Darling (Hungary, France);
ARO (Ukraine).

Production feed is produced a lot, and the price does not always correspond to quality, so it is recommended to consult with professionals before making a choice in order to make a worthy choice. After all, proper nutrition is the health and longevity of your beloved pet, his well-being and good mood.

Read

Owner reviews on dry dog food

And what do experienced dog owners and novices say about choosing food?

Elizaveta Markova, Simferopol: Not so long ago she translated her doggies from a medium category feed to Innova. I was recommended by his veterinarian, as my animals began to fall out of wool. There are several positive points - there is no grain in the feed, mainly it consists of meat. The dogs appreciated that in a month and a half the condition of the coat improved, there was no problem with the chair, and the vitamins that I had previously given courses now to nothing - there is everything that is needed in Innova. I can only take one thing to the minuses, not in all specialized stores you can buy it, take it through the online store.

Nikolay Lesnoy, Saratov: When I took a puppy of a German shepherd in a kennel, we recommended German fodder Happy Dog, as the dog was already grown up - 4 months and for a while only ate it. At first I was surprised by the price - a little expensive, but then I appreciated its merits. Food on meat, so the dog eats a small amount, and it weighs a lot and loves to eat. No health problems, the toilet - on the clock, the activity of the dog "rolls over", wool shines - it is a pity, I do not show it. Moreover, the same food is used as a treat during training - it goes with a bang.

Yuri Popov, Moscow: A wife has got an original dog - a Chinese crested . Not only is it not very suitable for our climate - it is freezing, but it also turned out that it suffers from food allergies. Worn out with the selection of food, since natural food in general was not an option. Thank you, good people prompted to take Akana, supposedly suitable for allergy sufferers and dogs with sensitive stomachs. And indeed, not immediately, of course, but the state of the dog improved. The skin became clear, it stopped flowing from the eyes, and what else is important - the chair returned to normal. Now we are not experimenting, we feed only Akana.

What kind of food is better to buy, decide the owner, based on their wishes, preferences and financial capabilities.