Dog Health Problems

Naming the best dry dog food can be difficult because each dog is different.  Some dogs may do well on some brands while other dogs may have diarrhea or gastrointestinal upsets on the same food.  If your dog has any allergies or food intolerances then finding one food that is “best” can be an ongoing search.  Nevertheless, here is a listing of foods that are frequently chosen by experts as the “best” dry dog foods.

Before discussing the best dry dog foods, it’s important to go over some of the criteria used in making these selections.  Grain-free dog foods are popular in some circles at the moment, but foods that are grain-free are usually a better choice for dogs that have allergy issues since some dogs may be allergic to some of the grains used.  If your dog doesn’t have allergies, there is not special reason why you need to avoid grains in your dog’s diet.  Foods that don’t use grains usually replace them with other starches such as sweet potatoes or potatoes and it’s possible for dogs to have issues with those ingredients, too.  For that reason, grain-free foods are not being accorded special weight on this list of foods for healthy, allergy-free dogs.

Most of the foods listed here will not be found in supermarkets.  You can purchase them at pet food stores, pet supply stores, and online from pet suppliers.  These foods do usually cost more because they have better quality ingredients than average dog food.  These foods are considered “premium” or “super premium” dog foods.  On the bright side, you can usually feed our dog less of these better quality foods, so they tend to last longer than average dog foods.  Unfortunately, many people who buy these foods continue to feed their dogs the same amount of food as when feeding average dog food.  The result is their dogs have diarrhea, stomach upsets, and gain too much weight.  So, if you buy a premium or super premium food, be aware that it will be richer and contain more calories than average dog food.  You will need to measure the amount of food you feed and control your dog’s portions.  Watch your dog’s condition to see if he gains or loses weight and adjust how much you are feeding him accordingly.

Innova Dry Dog Food

Innova is one of a number of upper echelon dog food companies which have recently been purchased by Proctor & Gamble.  The other companies are Natura, California Natural, EVO, HealthWise, and Karma Organic.  All of these brands have had devoted customers and they produced very good dog foods.  It’s unclear at this time what direction Proctor & Gamble will pursue with these companies or if they will continue to manufacture the same kind of premium dog foods.  In the past, and at the moment, these foods generally product foods that contain human-grade ingredients which are also hormone and antibiotic-free.  Some of their products are grain-free, with low carbohydrates and high protein.  These foods may continue to be high quality foods in the future, but their status is currently up in the air.

Orijen Dry Dog Food

Orijen, made by Champion Pet Foods, may be the single best pet food around.  This is a very expensive food.  It is also made in Canada, which can add to the cost of shipping for U.S. customers, but it is an excellent food.  Orijen uses only ingredients that are human-grade, hormone-free, and free of any antibiotics.  The fish meal used in the fish in Orijen is also free of ethoxyquin (ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative for fish, even when it’s not listed on the label of your dog food as an ingredient).  All of the food made by Orijen is grain-free, lower in carbs, and higher in protein than average dog food, and that includes their foods for puppies and senior dogs.  Orijen’s puppy food has been properly balanced to have the correct amount of calcium for the protein in the diet.  DogFoodAdvisor.com gives this food 5 stars and recommends their food enthusiastically.  A 15.4 lb bag of Orijen Adult 80/20 Formula dry dog food has a listed price of $48.99, on sale for $39.99.

Solid Gold Dry Dog Food

Solid Gold offers a complete line of good quality dog foods ranging from puppy foods to foods for small breeds and large breeds.  One of their best foods is a grain-free food called Barking at the Moon for adult dogs.  This food contains a great deal of calcium and for this reason it is not recommended for puppies and young, growing dogs, especially large breed dogs.  However, the food is high protein and low in carbohydrates if that suits your needs. This food receives 5 stars from DogFoodAdvisor.com and is enthusiastically recommended by them.  A 15 lb bag of Barking at the Moon is listed for $47.99 and on sale for $39.99.

Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food (TOTW)

Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond Pet Foods, which may make some people reluctant to try it.  Diamond has a somewhat checkered history with dog food recalls and problems with plant inspections long before the nationwide problems with melamine in 2007.  However, Taste of the Wild has been extremely popular ever since it was released several years ago.  Many people report that their dogs love it and are doing very well on the food.  Diamond has not reported any problems with recalls or their food in several years, so if you are interested in this food, you can probably safely give it a try.  Taste of the Wild has some grain-free formulas that are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.  However, it does not seem to have human-grade ingredients.  Some of the formulas contain novel protein sources but there are also more common protein sources.  These foods are probably not a good choice if your dog has allergies.  They could be a good choice if your dog has trouble eating any grains.  Taste of the Wild is probably the best food made by Diamond.  DogFoodAdvisor.com gives this food 5 stars and recommends it enthusiastically.  A 15 lb bag of TOTW is listed for $27.99 and on sale for $25.99.

Wellness Dry Dog Food

Wellness is a highly respected dog food brand featuring several good dry recipe lines.  They offer Super5Mix, CORE, and Simple Food Solutions for Allergies.  Wellness uses human grade ingredients. Super5Mix is a very good line of foods that most dogs will do well on.  CORE contains high protein and low carbs.  It is a grain-free product.  Looking at the original recipe formula, it contains five different animal protein sourcesdeboned turkey, deboned chicken, turkey meal, chicken meals, and chicken liver.  The product has 80 percent more meat than traditional dog foods that contain grains.  The company recommends the food for dogs that are over one year old  The original recipe uses potatoes as a starch instead of grains.  CORE receives 5 stars from DogFoodAdvisor.com and is enthusiastically recommended.  Wellness is now owned by the same company that owns EaglePack, WellPet.  A 12 lb bag of Wellness CORE (original formula) is listed for $35.99 and on sale for $31.99.

Wysong Dry Dog Food

Wysong has been around for 30 years.  They offer holistic diets with human-grade ingredients.  Their new product, Epigen, is starch-free and has received good customer ratings so far.  It is 60 percent protein however, and should not be fed to puppies.  DogFoodAdvisor.com enthusiastically recommends this product and gives it 5 stars.  Optimal Performance is 40 percent protein.  This is too high for young dogs, but for active dogs you may want to consider this formula.  DogFoodAdvisor.com gives this kibble 5 stars and recommends it enthusiastically.  An 8 lb bag of Wysong Epigen is $19.69.

Here you have a good look at the top-rated dry dog foods in the United States.  If you sample some of these foods it’s likely that you will find a food that your dog should do well on.  Remember that these foods usually contain more calories than average dog foods, so watch your dog’s weight when you are feeding a premium or super premium dog food.  Be ready to make adjustments.  Pay attention to your dog’s stool.  Some of these foods are very rich and you may see some diarrhea when you make a change in your dog’s diet, especially at first.  Always introduce a new food slowly by mixing it with your dog’s current food.  If your dog continues to have diarrhea, consider going back to your dog’s old food to stabilize his stomach.  Remember that every dog is different and just because a food is a good quality food, it doesn’t mean that it will agree with your dog.

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