We all want the best for our dogs, but when faced with a wall filled with different dog food choices it can be confusing to choose the best natural puppy food.
Here is the best advice I can give you: As a general rule, stay away from are foods that contain byproducts, fillers, or any other ingredients that are hard to digest.
You might be surprised to learn that some of the better-known puppy food brands fall into that category. Puppy food brands to avoid include Alpo, Ol’ Roy, Winalot and Kibbles ‘N’ Bits. Feeding your puppy any of these would be like you having fast-food at every meal!
Recommended puppy food brands
A good natural puppy food choice would be Canidae, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Flint River, Solid Gold, Merrick, Artemis, Wellness, Taste Of The Wild, California Natural, Innova, Blue Buffalo, or EVO.
I should mention that if you’re considering a different brand that’s not mentioned on the list above, don’t assume it’s not good just because I haven’t listed it. There are new brands of good dog food coming onto the market all the time, so just because I haven’t specifically mentioned it on the list above, don’t assume that it’s not a good dog food. The important thing is to look at the list of ingredients to see if the dog food contains low-quality byproducts, fillers, or any other “mystery ingredients”.
Another reason to choose good quality puppy food
Another reason why it’s important to read the list of ingredients is so that you know what foods your dog is ingesting. Many veterinarians believe that more and more dogs are developing dog food allergies. In fact, 5 to 10% of skin disorders in dogs are caused by food allergy.
If you see a dog that is constantly scratching, don’t assume that it’s fleas. It might be dog food allergies.
Dogs are developing food allergies in increasing numbers. While we don’t know the reason for this, we do know that it likely has something to do with the ingredients in modern dog foods.
Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with dog food allergies. It can be such an ongoing trial. One tip I can give you is if your dog ever does develop a dog food allergy, the first thing your vet will want to know is what ingredients your dog has eaten over his or her lifetime. That’s why it’s a good idea to save an empty bag of whatever foods you puppy eats.
While natural puppy food won’t guarantee that your dog never develops food allergies, it will keep him as healthy as possible. And it follows that a dog with a strong immune system will be more resistant to allergies.