These Healthy Dog Foods Will Prevent Your Pooch From Gaining A Pooch

May 18, 2017

By Cindy Augustine

You make sure to eat a healthy and balanced diet, but how about your furry family member? Should he or she be eating more protein, less grains or an all-vegetable diet? To help you keep your pooch at his or her peak, we gathered both human and canine experts to find the best natural or organic chow for your BFF’s bowl.

The first step in ensuring a pooch’s healthy diet is determining its appropriate weight range; the American Kennel Club has a handy chart of every breed’s optimal weight. Remember that just like people, age, level of exercise, and medications also factor into ideal weight. Bottom line—check with your vet on what’s optimum for your four-pawed buddy. Once you know your dog’s needs, check out our poll of more than 20 canine friends — big and small, from puppies to senior dogs — for the specific brands and flavors that make their tails really wag.

BEST FOR PUPPIES

While the puppy stage doesn’t last much more than a year, the AKC warns against feeding a puppy adult dog food as it won’t get the necessary nutrients it needs. Tiny tummies need special food and in the case of puppies, the parents we polled favored both the dry and canned varieties from grain-free Taste of the Wild.

BEST FOR OLDER DOGS

Dogs in their senior years (above age 8) have different dietary needs; caloric consumption requirements are different if your dog is exercising less. The older pooches we asked lap up Wellness Complete Health Senior Formula, which gives them extra protein and antioxidants.

BEST FOR SMALL DOGS

Yorkshire terrier waiting for play, sunlight background

Smaller breeds require careful feeding because they can be prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), so the key is to serve them a calorie-dense diet. The wee ones we asked prefer Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet (in wet and dry formulas). Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers also help keep them fit, full and happy.

BEST FOR LARGE DOGS

labrador dogs

Because large breeds grow bigger and faster than smaller breeds, they require specific nutrition from the early years through adulthood. Check with your vet about amounts and preferred brands to avoid improper nutrition. The large breed pooches we asked favor Holistic Select’s nutrient-dense digestive-friendly varieties, which also offer formulas for those with allergies.

BEST FOR WEIGHT CONTROL

Is your pup’s tummy getting a bit of pooch? While obesity in dogs is a serious concern, it’s preventable. The dogs we polled who have put on a few preferred Blue Wilderness Healthy Weight dog food. A bonus—this brand has different formulas depending on breed, size, and dietary needs.

BEST VEGETARIAN

basset hound with bowl of food

According to Dr. Jennifer Coates on PetMD, “Dogs can eat a vegetarian diet and thrive…It is true that dogs belong to the order Carnivora, but they are actually omnivores. The canine body has the ability to transform certain amino acids, the building blocks or protein, into others, meaning that dogs can get all the amino acids they need while avoiding meat.” For plant-based, meat-free alternatives, we know certain pooches who are big fans of all-natural offerings from V-Dog and Three Dog Bakery, available in stores and online.

BEST SNACK

dogs-eating-snacks

Several of our canine friends mentioned Beams from Honest Kitchen, which promotes healthy teeth and gums, as favorite snacks for training, supplements or anytime. It’s worth noting that dog snacks can also be made at home pretty easily and even the finickiest pups won’t know the difference between homemade and store-bought snacks.