Buying guide for Best dry dog food
Your dog is a member of your family, so you want to do your best for them. Part of keeping dogs happy and healthy is feeding them quality meals, which is why you need to find a good dry dog food.
With so many options available, selecting the best dry dog food can seem overwhelming. The good news is that we can teach you how to differentiate quality foods from those that leave a lot to be desired. Armed with this knowledge, picking dry food for your dog is simple!
Types of dry dog food
You can find several varieties of dog food on the market, all designed to meet the needs of different dogs, so choose accordingly.
Dry puppy food
Dry puppy food is specially formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of growing puppies. Puppy food should have larger amounts of protein and fat compared to standard adult formulas, plus higher levels of calcium, phosphorus, and a range of other minerals.
Dry adult dog food
Adult dog food is designed for canines that have reached their full adult size and completely finished growing. Most dogs should be fed adult food from the age of one year onward, although giant breeds grow more slowly and may need to keep eating puppy food for up to two years.
Small-breed dry dog food
Small-breed dry dog foods are formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of small-breed dogs. These formulas generally contain pieces that are smaller and more suited to tiny mouths.
Dry senior dog food
Senior dog food is made with the needs of senior dogs in mind. These formulas usually contain less fat and fewer calories, as some older dogs put on weight more easily than they did when they were younger. That said, there's no strict definition of what constitutes senior dog food, and many pooches do perfectly well on regular adult food for their entire adult lives. If you have an older dog who stops thriving on her food, consider a senior formula. Otherwise, feel free to stick to adult food.
Dry active dog food
You can find “active formula” dry dog food that is balanced with the needs of a very active dog in mind. If you have a working dog, a dog who regularly takes part in agility competitions or a similar sport, or even just a very active dog who gets several hours of vigorous exercise each day, he may benefit from an active dry dog food.
Large-breed dry dog food
Some big dogs – especially giant breeds such as Great Danes and St. Bernards – thrive on a slightly different balance of nutrients than their smaller counterparts. Large-breed dry dog food is designed to meet these needs.
We evaluate dog food that meets the minimum nutritional requirements of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
When testing dog food, we evaluate the ingredients to determine how healthful the food really is. We look for quality sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, vegetables, and fruits.
We scrutinize ingredient labels for less desirable ingredients such as filler and unnatural preservatives, colorings, and flavorings.
When testing, we compare complete dry dog foods to mixers. Complete dog foods contain everything your dog needs to stay healthy. Mixers are designed to mix in with high-quality foods, thereby reducing costs.
Since dogs have unique taste buds and flavor preferences, we measure palatability by looking at the number of flavor combinations offered. If you have a picky dog, you may need to try several flavors before finding a winner.
We consider which ingredients are best avoided by dogs with allergies, such as gluten, grains, and soy. For sensitive dogs, double-check the ingredients list to make sure the food won’t trigger a reaction.
We note whether a product lists an open or mixed formula. Open-formula foods do not list specific ingredients, instead using general categories, such as “fish meal.” Fixed-formula foods list each ingredient separately.
During testing, we consider different price points to find quality dog food for all budgets. Prices are compared in pounds rather than per bag. You can find dry dog food between $.50 and $5 per pound.
We think about how often consumers will need to buy dry dog food and estimate how long each bag is meant to last.
We appreciate dry dog food that promotes healthy eating. In addition to the ingredients list, we evaluate where the food is made and whether it promotes joint health.
What to look for in a dry dog food
Quality protein sources
Choose a dry dog food that contains quality sources of protein. Meat and/or meat meal should be the top ingredient, but remember that fresh meat has a high moisture content, so you'll have to bump it down a couple of places in the ingredient list to compensate for this.
Whole vegetables, fruits, and grains
Look for a dry dog food that contains a range of fruits and vegetables. If it contains grains, these should be whole grains, as they contain much more goodness than grain meals.
Vitamins and minerals
Dry dog food should contain a wide range of added vitamins and minerals to help meet your dog's nutritional needs. Chelated vitamins and minerals are supposedly more bioavailable and thus more easily absorbed.
AAFCO statement
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is the body that monitors dog food. Your chosen dog food should have a statement from the AAFCO on the package conveying that it meets minimum nutritional requirements.
This isn't necessarily proof that a dog food is good, but only poor-quality dog foods won't meet AAFCO requirements.
For your safety
Check the FDA website to see if your chosen dog food brand has frequent recalls. The odd recall might be excusable, but a brand with
multiple recalls may not be trustworthy.
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What to avoid in a dry dog food
Unnatural preservatives, colorings, and flavorings
A quality dog food should contain natural preservatives – such as tocopherols (vitamin E) or ascorbate (vitamin C) – and get its flavor and color from natural ingredients. Avoid artificial preservatives, colorings, and flavorings such as BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol.
A large volume of filler ingredients
Almost all dry dog foods contain some starches (usually potatoes or grains), but they shouldn't be the main ingredients.
Grain splitting is the practice of using a number of different grains or listing one kind of grain in separate parts. For instance, listing "maize flour," "maize gluten," and "maize meal" separately instead of just listing "maize" is an example of grain splitting. A manufacturer might do this so the ingredients appear farther down on the list, making it look like the food contains less grain than it really does.
Unnamed meats
A clear sign of poor-quality protein is when meats or fats are unnamed. For instance, if an ingredients list contains "meat meal" or "animal fats" instead of "beef meal" or "chicken fat," the food should be avoided.
Caution
Sugar is completely unnecessary in a dog's diet. Steer clear of any dry dog food that contains sugar or other sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup or sucrose.
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Considerations for selecting a dry dog food
Complete food or mixer
Some dry dog foods are complete, whereas others are mixers. Complete dog foods contain all the nutrients your dog needs to stay healthy. Mixers don't contain all your pooch's essential nutrients. Instead, they're designed to mix with high-quality foods to bulk them out and reduce the cost. For simplicity's sake and to ensure a proper nutrient balance, we recommend you feed your pup a complete dog food.
Flavor and palatability
Dry dog food comes in a range of flavors, some of which may be more palatable to your dog than others. Just like some people can't get enough of broccoli whereas others completely banish it from their plates, all dogs have different food and flavor preferences, and some are more picky than others. If you happen to have a picky pup, you may need to try out a number of different foods before you find one she loves.
Allergens
Some ingredients are potential allergens, such as gluten, grains, and even meat. If your four-legged friend has any allergies, pay close attention to the ingredients list so your chosen food won't trigger a reaction.
Though grain-free dog food is all the rage right now, there's really no reason to avoid grains altogether unless your dog has an allergy. Instead, look for dry dog food that contains healthy whole grains in reasonable amounts – no grain should be at the top of the ingredient list.
Open formula vs. fixed formula
Fixed-formula dry dog foods list every ingredient separately, and the ingredients are properly named. For instance, it might list, "tuna meal," "salmon meal," "brown rice," and "maize." This makes it clear exactly what the dry dog food contains.
Open-formula dry dog foods don't list specific ingredients. For instance, they might list simply "fish meal" and "grains."
We highly recommend fixed-formula dog food over open-formula dog food, as you just don't know what you're getting with the latter. This generally means it contains poor-quality ingredients.
Testing dry dog foods
We spent 7 hours researching 21 different dry dog foods before choosing our top 5 favorites. We then tested our favorite with our four-legged coworkers and consulted with a pet expert.
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Dry dog food prices
Dog food varies in price primarily due to the quality of the ingredients, so you will have to pay more for a top-notch food.
Since dry foods come in bags of various sizes, we've compared the price per pound rather than the price per bag.
Inexpensive
Budget dry dog food costs between $.50 and $1 per pound. We generally wouldn't recommend feeding your canine companion cheap dog food unless you have no leeway in your budget.
Mid-range
In this range, dry dog food costs between $1 and $2 per pound. You can find some gems at this price point, but there are also options out there that leave something to be desired.
Expensive
High-end dry dog food cost between $2 and $5 per pound. In this price range, you can find some extremely good foods made with local or wild-caught ingredients.
Did you know?
Dry dog food tends to be cheaper than wet dog food of a similar quality.
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Tips
Look for signs that your dog is thriving on her food. A shiny coat, bright eyes, regular stools, and a healthy weight are all good indicators.
Make the switch to a new food gradually. Changing your dog's diet without warning can lead to an upset stomach. Instead, replace roughly 20% of his old food with his new food and increase this by 20% each day until you've phased out the old stuff.
Consider welfare standards. Some dog food manufacturers only use meat that has been raised with high welfare standards in place.
Think about fat content. Fat is an essential part of your dog's diet when consumed in moderation. Most dry dog food contains between 9% and 14% fat. If your dog is prone to weight gain, choose a food with no more than 10% fat.
FAQ
Q. How many meals per day should my dog eat?
A. Most adult dogs thrive on two meals per day – one in the morning and one in the evening. Puppies need more frequent meals, preferably three or four a day, evenly spaced.
Q. How should I store my dog's dry food?
A. Dry dog food is easy to store and has a long shelf life, even once opened. However, we still recommend keeping it in a cool, dry place to increase its longevity. If you buy large bags of food that last for months, you may consider sealing the bag with a clip or storing it in a closed container between feedings.
Q. How can I help my dog maintain a healthy weight?
A. A dog that gets the correct amount of food, plus plenty of daily exercise, should have no trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Feed your pup the recommended amount of food for his weight and activity level, but still keep an eye on his weight, since feeding guidelines aren't absolute and may not be accurate for all dogs. If he starts to gain weight, reduce the size of his meals and/or increase his exercise.
