A pet dog quickly becomes a member of your family, so it is only natural for you to want to give them the best possible care. This involves proper training, giving them attention and keeping them well-groomed. However, choosing the best dog food for your dog can be a bit difficult. There are many companies that advertise their dog food as being the “best dog food”. Here is a guide to some of the highest rated and highest quality dog food formulas that you can feed your dog.
Wellness Dog Food
Wellness brand dog food formulas do not contain any corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors, artificial flavors or chemical preservatives. There are three different categories for wellness brand dog food – Super5Mix, Allergy formulas and Grain Free Formulas. Wellness focuses on a mission statement to never add ingredients that are “empty calories”.
Orijen Dog Food
Orijen brand dog food is produced by champion PetFoods, which is based out of Canada. Orijen won “Pet Food of the Year 2009-2010” from the Glycemic Research Institute. Orijen’s formulas are 100% grain-free, with very high levels of protein. The philosophy behind Orijen’s dog food is that a dog will be healthiest when fed a formula that closely mimics a diet eaten by dogs in the wild.
Innova Evo Dog Food
Innova Evo is a type of food formula manufactured by Natura Pet Products. Innova Evo is 100% grain-free, with wild ingredients. The contents of Innova Evo are designed to resemble the prey of wild dogs, both in nutrient level and variety. Innova Evo is referred to as “The Ancestral Diet Meets Modern Nutrition”.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food
Blue Buffalo has many different dog food formulas, but Blue Buffalo Wilderness could potentially be called their best formula. Blue Buffalo Wilderness is available in three different flavor variations: Wilderness Duck, Wilderness Salmon and Wilderness Chicken. These formulas are 100% grain-free. Each of these formulas has a protein as the first listed ingredient. Blue Buffalo Wilderness formulas are cited as being a good alternative to raw diets, with many of the same nutritional benefits. Blue Buffalo Wilderness formulas are also advertised as being “nutritionally complete”, which means that a pet owner won’t have to add extra supplements to their dog’s diet.
California Natural Dog Food
California Natural, like Innova Evo, is also produced by Natura Pet Products. It is designed to be suitable for dogs with food allergies, as well as be free of cheap filler ingredients. California Natural pet food formulas include a special formula that has an extremely short ingredients list. This is because there is only one protein source, one fat source and one carbohydrate source in each pet food formula. If your dog has allergies to specific ingredients, California Natural pet food can be extremely helpful in finding a suitable diet. There are no protein fillers in California Natural pet food formulas. Most of the formulas gain their carbohydrates from brown rice, barley or oatmeal.
8 Responses to “Best Dog Foods”
I have been feeding my 2 shih tzu Innova small bites ever since Canidae snuck a new formula and it upset their tummies and now, one of my shih tzu is having digestion problems and recently purchased a new bag of Innova. Makes me wonder if Innova has changed formulas and if they have, they NEED TO TELL THE PUBLIC. My littlest guy is 9 years old and his poop starts off hard and ends up bloody. This has been going on since the new bag. I have been giving him Pepto Bismol. It’s not that he has diarrhea…his tummy is acting like IBS. I know what they eat because they stay inside, but this is the food of my choice after trying several. Now, I am going to make both some rice and ground beef until the smallest ones tummy calms down and insist on finding out if they have changed Innova. Innova NEEDS TO REPORT THIS TO THE PUBLIC IF THEY HAVE AS THIS KIND OF THING COULD KILL A DOG. I’m not saying they did, but if P&G owns it now, it makes me sick to my stomach just thinking of it. I hope they didn’t change it and this is just a fluke, but I can try them on Wellness though it may be a little large for my small boy’s mouth. I’d have to put water in it. If you know with certainty that they have, please let me know.
My dog was on Science dry dog food for about 3 years. I notice one of her eyes was getting cloudy. She was also getting sick. I took her to the vet. and he gave me some eye drops. It was so hard to put drops in her eye I gave up. Then I started to really look into the ingredients on all dog foods. I change her over to Innova and her eye clear up. She has been on this food for about 2 years. Then I notice her eye getting cloudy again so I put her on Blue Buffalo Wilderness on 4-4-2011 and her eye is starting to clear up again. One of the ingredients is call Taurine this is for a dog eyes. I am hoping I don’t need to make a change again hoping her eye will stay clear. Even the vet. tell’s me how good her eye is getting with no drops. I hope this will help someone dog who eye is getting cloudy. This is working for for my dog.
I take issue and am offended by those who arbitrarily categorize myself and others who try to feed their pets the best they can afford as not caring for nor loving their pet. This is the absolute height of ignorance and deeply insulting. I’m here researching because I do love my pets and only wish to do the best I’m able to do for them. We all were not raised with a F-ing PETA silver spoons in our mouths or, apparently in some cases, stuck up your butts. I have four dogs, 3 of which I saved from the side of the road where they had been dumped and abandoned, the other is a unregistered Great Pyrenees which I actually bought for $100.00 because I love the breed and live on a farm. I’d like to feed them Porterhouse steaks everyday but I can’t. Their food bill already is close to my and my 83 year old mothers. I do not, at this point, advocate any particular brand of food but am here to attempt to educate myself as to what might be a good choice for my family. I currently have three different brands in 50 lbs. bags, which I mix and match, to at least give them some variety. What we do not need or expect to find here is some ass wipe pet snob disparaging myself and others for doing the best they can given their circumstances and/or limited resources. So Screw every “Sara” here is who has nothing constuctive to add to the conversation.
You shouldn’t have come to a place where dog foods are compared then? Don’t read the comments, just look at the stars on price I reckon. People are just being honest and have strong opinions, like yourself. I do appreciate you taking dogs in from off the streets and whatever food you feed them is a treat for them. Just buy the best your money can buy. However mixing and matching foods isn’t the best choice, you should feed them consistently with the same brand and if making a PERMANENT switch to better suit their needs, start adding that food more and more to their old food, but don’t just give them whatever brand whenever, their stomaches are different than ours!
Actually, switching your dog’s food every now & then might not be such a bad idea. There are many advocates of a varied diet out there–just Google “rotational feeding”.
In the wild, dogs don’t eat the same food sources every week. I think the important thing is to stick to high quality brands, and switch between flavours & mediums (raw, canned, dry).
i believe and it has been my experience that the dogs food does need a little adjusting every now and again. They do get literally sick of eating the same foods. Some dogs stomachs can take the repetitive meals for years and some can’t. I’ve used Science Diet, Wellness, Blue Buffalo, and Solid Gold over the years. One of my cocker spaniels doesn’t mind eating the same thing but my female gets issues with her stomach if she’s eating the same kind for more than a year. I’ve learned since I’m not rich to afford these priced up foods to cook some meals and freeze them to help change up her routine a little. plenty of dog food recipes online and it saves a little too. I really worry and care about my pets health especially since they cant really tell me whats wrong with them. I always look for the best food to feed them for their breed and I must admit it is a strain to afford the excellent high price brands. so us pet lovers with financial strain must research and get creative. I always discuss with my vet too as well when I want to try something I haven’t before.
You have Innova Evo listed as one of the “best” dog foods … when was this review posted? What about now that this brand is owned by Proctor & Gamble. Can someone comment here about how (or if) the food has changed in quality of ingredients?
Thanks,
CN
My dogs were fed Innova and Evo for 4+ years with great results. However, sometime after the ownership changed all of my dogs developed digestion issues with diarrhea and gas. We bought another bag hoping we had just gotten a bad batch, but the digestion issues continued. One developed a severe skin staph infection (which was why we switched to Innova initially). All 3 dogs recovered quickly with the switch to Wellness Core. NOW we are going through the same thing again. I blamed it on P&G, but now I wonder…….