Choosing a Dried Dog Food

There are so many types of dried dog food you can buy today that it is difficult to know which one to choose. First we should discuss what dried food is and how it compares to other dog foods.

Dried dog food is simply dog food that has been baked or cooked into small, hard biscuits. It provides a great source of nutrition and can help keep teeth and gums in good condition as the crunching and chewing of the dried food acts like an abrasive against the teeth, removing plaque and stimulating the gums. Dried dog food offers the additional benefits of not smelling like tinned, wet, dog food can and it’s easy to serve because you simply pour the required measurement into the dog’s bowl.

Most leading dog food manufacturers such as Arden Grange Dog Food develop differnet ranges depending on whether the dog is a puppy, adult, senior, certain breed or has sensitive digestion. But which food is the best for your puppy or adult dog?

If your dog is aged up to 18 months look at the different brands of puppy food. These are not usually breed specific because food developed for puppies tends to contain different levels and types of ingredients. Puppies need different quantities of certain vitamins and nutrients, just like human babies. Puppy food also tends to be split by the breed size such as small (Shih Tzu), medium (Border Collie) or large (Bull Mastiff). So by now you should at least be able to narrow the choice down by the age and size of the breed of your puppy.

When choosing a dog food brand for adult dogs it might be a little easier because most dog food manufacturers split their ranges by the size of dog or specific breed. If you decide to simply go off the size of your dogs breed, all that is left is narrowing down the manufacturer and maybe the flavour of dog food such as chicken, beef or rabbit (which does tend to be the dogs preference which is where samples come in handy!). Or you can choose a range that has been developed specifically for certain breeds such as rottweiler food.

Other things to consider when choosing a dog food includes your own personal preference. Brands such as Arden Grange are animal friendly i.e. not tested on animals during product development. Price is also an important factor; if you happened to switch brands because of the cost your dog could go on ‘hunger strike’ or get an upset tummy. So make sure you look at what you will have to spend on a regular basis and if you will be able to keep that up.

Tip: If you have more than one dog of a similar size it might be a good idea to try to get them all on the same brand and range of food.