Postby Just_T » Mon Jul 04, 2022 7:00 am
You will get as many answers to this question as there are dog food brands.
Technically, “complete” raw is the most nutritious and natural but can be a pain to feed.
There is the cooked variety like Butternut Box which I believe is geared more to appeal to the human (dogs do not require meat to be cooked but it certainly seems less processed than kibble). Not as many brand choices here and pretty expensive.
“Cold pressed” (in pellet form or wet) is meant to be the next best thing to raw as the meat portion is cooked at low temps to maintain nutrition (the other ingredients are left raw).
Dry Extruded (most common type) is incinerated to remove all possible bacteria and allow it to last forever on the shelves.
Personally, I would stay away from any food that has cereals/grains in it and a lot of dogs have an intolerance to chicken (and/or some foods only include chicken but dogs should have more of a variety of proteins). Note the quality of meat listed (so ‘chicken meal’ is NOT quality food).
You can base a lot of your judgement about the food on your dog’s stools which should be well formed and easy to pick up (tho sometimes puppies have softer stools in the first weeks). And with most foods, start by feeding the lowest amount on the range given for your dog’s age/weight because over-feeding leads to soft stools (and obviously weight gain). You should be able to feel your dog’s ribs and see a ‘waist’.
Whatever you choose, a great website to check first is All About Dog Food (am not allowed to incl url). There are a LOT of brands all promising the same thing which is why this website is handy.
Good luck!