All Types Of Dog Food Explained
What’s the best diet for dogs? Let’s understand the different types of dog food and discover which will be best for your pet. There are five main types of dog food available for you to choose from.
1. Kibble/Dry Dog Food
Dry dog food can come in the form of kibble. It is generally a type of pet food with a low moisture content. It is one of the most common pet foods in the market as it is the most affordable option.
Here are some best-selling dry dog foods: Nutrience, Taste of the Wild, Barking Heads and Absolute Holistic.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Dry dog food is generally the most cost effective diet you can give your dog. | Dry dog foods are typically carb-heavy |
| Dry dog food travels and stores well (for a specific period of time) | Dry dog food ingredient quality varies – and it’s almost impossible for consumers to differentiate |
| Dry food includes a guarantee of nutritional completeness – you don’t have to worry about deficiencies. | |
| Dry food requires no preparation. |
2. Canned Dog Food
Unlike dry food, canned dog food contains a very high moisture content. It usually comes in cans, pouches or foil trays. Popular wet dog foods include: Nutripe, Monge, Zealandia and Alps Natural.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Canned dog food is more appetizing | It is common to see meat byproducts in lower-quality wet dog foods |
| There are no preservatives used in wet dog food, yet it is shelf-stable for a long time | Canned dog food is generally more expensive than dry food |
| Wet dog food tends to be less carb-heavy than dry food | |
| No preparation required with canned food |
3. Semi-Moist Dog Food
Semi-moist dog food is not a high-demand form of dog food, but it is a popular method type of dog treat. Sunrise Styles is one brand that specialises in semi-moist dog food.
| Pros | Cons |
| It has a chewy texture and usually comes packaged in sachets | It is the least nutritional of all the different types of dog food and usually contains many artificial flavors and colours |
4. Home Cooked Dog Food
Creating a homemade diet for your dog requires detailed planning and dedication. It is important to familiarize yourself with canine nutrition, and your dog’s individual dietary needs.
| Pros | Cons |
| Provide a wider variety of healthful foods and nutrients. | Cooking for your dog is a definite time investment for you |
| You know exactly what your furry friend is eating. | Feeding homemade dog food is potentially more costly than buying commercial food. |
| Home-prepared dog diets require special attention to meeting the “complete and balanced” recommendations regularly; you will need to use supplements. |
5. Raw Dog Food
Raw dog food diet is feeding your pet a diet consisting primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs.
| Pros | Cons |
| Use fresh, unprocessed ingredients, which means maximum nutrient retention for your dog. | Raw meats may contain pathogens. |
| Dog diets that include raw meat are closest to the evolutionary, biologically appropriate diets of wild and ancestral dogs. | Raw dog food is difficult to travel with. |
| Most commercial raw foods contain no preservatives, or artificial flavors or colors at all. | Raw dog food must be maintained at safe temperature |
| Raw food must be bought frequently, or it takes up a lot of freezer space |
Complete vs Complementary Dog Food
All the dog foods above, in general, can be classified as complete or complementary. In some economies, it is compulsory to indicate the pet food as either complete or complementary. For example, all pet foods and treats in United Kingdom must be labelled either complete or complementary.
1. Complete Dog Food
A complete meal contains all the nutrients in amounts and propositions your pet requires to stay healthy. Only complete meals are suitable for daily feeding without adding any supplements. There are many complete dog foods available to pet owners and all of them are designed to provide all the nutrients dogs need.
2. Complementary Dog Food
A complementary product is designed to be a part of your pet’s daily meal and it doesn’t meet all the nutritional requirements of your pet. Those complementary products must be fed along with an additional food source.
Complete + Complementary = Unbalanced?
Does combining a complete food with a complementary food mean the meal’s nutrition is unbalanced? Absolutely not.
Dogs can be fed by a combination of complete and complementary foods. Your dog will have a healthy balanced diet if a complementary meal and a complete food are fed as a part of his daily feeding. A ratio of 60% wet complementary food to 40% dry complete food is highly recommended for balanced nutrition. The wet food gives your dog essential hydration and the complete dry food helps to keep your dog’s teeth in good condition and contains all the added nutrients to keep your dog healthy.