Which Diet Is Best For Your Dog?

The “grain-inclusive” diet refers to traditional dog foods – which contain corn, soy, rice, wheat, barley or oatmeal. Grain by-products such as rice bran, soy hulls and corn bran are commonly used as fillers in commercial dog foods as they make the process of production inexpensive. These grain products offer very little nutritional value and also create spike in dogs’ sugar levels. However, The issue with grains often comes in when it is of the bad quality and wrong quantity. Many commercial dog foods on the market are made with highly-processed grains – which means our canine friends may miss out on the nutritional benefits of whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice. If you see ingredients such as “rice hulls”, “oat bran”, “soybean mill run”, “wheat middlings” in the ingredient list of a dog food, you are dealing with a brand that uses grain fractions. Keep in mind that grains should never be the first ingredient in pet foods. Dogs that are inactive may benefit from a grain-inclusive dog food. However, dogs with stomach sensitivities have difficulty digesting the grains. In addition, grains can be the cause of some common health problems in dogs such as skin irritations and ear infections.

Feeding grain free diet is a great way to avoid food allergies. If you feed grain-free meals to your dog, you can (and should) find healthy alternatives to grain to ensure that he still gets his recommended nutritional percentage of carbohydrates with every serving. Potatoes and sweet potatoes, for example, are not grains, but they are an excellent source of carbs and fiber for dogs. Peas, lentils, and beans are other possible choices for the grain-free pooch.

High protein diet sounds like a great thing. Many dog owners love the idea of feeding their four-legged friends like a carnivore. Although there are several benefits for feeding our dogs a high protein diet, it is not right for every dog as dogs require different protein levels at different life stages. In general, active dogs should require 25% or higher protein from food, while puppies require 28% protein, according to Chewy.

In the case of liver of kidney disease, a low-protein dog food would be indicated to decrease the workload of these organs. Reducing the amount of protein in the dog food can help protect the organs from further damage.

Just like humans, obesity in dogs can be life-threatening. Health problems that are more common in obese canines include diabetes, pancreatitis, heart disease, hip dysplasia and other forms of joint disease. Once your veterinarian confirms that your dog needs to slim down, it's time to feed your dog weight management diet. A weight management diet is usually high in protein and low in carbohydrates.

Hypoallergenic diets are made for dogs that experience food-related allergies causing adverse effects to their physical health. Food allergies in dogs are quite common but sometimes can be tricky to pin down to the specific ingredient that dogs might be allergic to. Fortunately, hypoallergenic dog foods can help simplify the process.

This helps to prevent common health problems in seniors such as obesity and improve digestive health.

If your canine friend is scratching and chewing at his skin all the time, chances are that he has sensitive skin. Sensitive skin problems can occur when your pooch has an adverse reaction to a certain food or substance. The symptoms of sensitive skin include redness, inflamed skin, constant scratching and hair loss. Excessive shedding, flaky skin and bald patches are other tell-tale signs that something is amiss with your pet’s skin. Other elements that can play a significant role in skin sensitivity include the environment, genes and parasites.