If you’ve ever taken a walk down the pet food aisle, then you know that choosing pet food can be really overwhelming. Looking at all the colourful cans, bags, rolls, and boxes, you may be wondering where to start.

In most cases, there’s no one “best” food, but rather several great options to keep your pet healthy. Before you purchase new food, always ask your pet’s veterinarian. They can provide helpful recommendations and guide you toward the right food for your furry kid.

Types of Pet Food

First, you need to know about the different types of food that you can choose from:

Dry food. Dry pet food is the least expensive and most common type of food. It comes in many flavours, needs no refrigeration, and is easy to feed your pet. Dry food consists of 90% dry matter and 10% water. All the ingredients are mixed together and then cut into kibble. They’re cooked to a high temperature to destroy toxins and converted to an easily digestible form.

Canned food and Soft food pouches. Also known as wet food, contains about 65%-75% wet ingredients and 20%-30% dry ingredients. The mixture is blended together and sealed in sterilized cans or pouches, which helps destroy foodborne bacteria. These foods have a long shelf life yet need refrigeration after opening. It’s pricier than dry food but tastes yummy to pets.

Raw food and Fresh, Cooked food. Raw, meat-based diets have gained some popularity in recent decades. It’s made with fewer preservatives and therefore must be refrigerated or frozen. However, feeding these sorts of diets carry some risks. Raw food diets, whether made commercially or at home, may not remove all bacteria. Studies from the University of Liverpool show that raw diets increase exposure to bacteria like Salmonella for both pets and their owners. Most fresh, cooked foods are cooked at a low temperature and consist of meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Both these types of diets have a lower caloric density than dry kibble, meaning you need to feed more to get the same amount of calories in. There’s also some concern that a raw food diet or fresh, cooked food diet may not be nutritionally balanced, especially when prepared at home and not by a qualified animal nutritionist.

Prescription pet food. If your pet has been diagnosed with a health issue, your vet may prescribe a special prescription pet food diet. These foods are only available with a prescription from your veterinarian. There are a wide variety of prescription pet foods for illnesses such as joint disease, diabetes, kidney issues, and weight management, to name a few. These diets include extra nutritional support or exclude ingredients that can further exacerbate your pet’s health issue. As such, they’re the most expensive type of diet.

What factors affect your choice of pet food?

A complete and well-balanced pet food means that the food has been formulated and tested to ensure that it contains all the appropriate vitamins, minerals, amino acids (protein building blocks), fatty acids, and other essential nutrients that our pets need to grow and live healthy lives without any deficiencies. This means that the food will include high-quality meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables in the appropriate amounts and proportions to specifically meet your pet’s minimum nutritional requirements. However, with all the available choices, how can you choose the best food for your pet? Here are some important tips to consider:

• Your pet’s age. Are they a puppy/kitten, adult, or senior? Pets have a wide range of nutritional needs that vary during their lifetime.
• Your pet’s breed. Small breed dogs have very different dietary needs to large and giant breed dogs. Long hair dogs & cats need different nutrients to maintain their coats compared to short hair pets.
• Your pet’s health. Take into account any medical conditions that your dog may have. If your dog has a sensitive tummy, food allergies, or other health conditions, your veterinarian can recommend the best diet for their particular condition.
• Your pet’s weight. Is your pet a healthy weight, underweight, or overweight?
• The manufacturer. Look for companies that have veterinary nutritionists to develop their formulas. Companies like Royal Canin, Hill’s, Iams, Eukanuba, and Ultradog have good track records with vets because of their quality of ingredients, quality control, and the diets are formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists.
• Lastly, your pet’s response. It’s important that the food is tolerated well by your pet! It is essential to look at your pet’s coat, stool and weight, as these are important factors that let you know if the food you are feeding works for your furry friend. We want a nice shiny coat, well-formed stools, and an ideal bodyweight without excess fat.

How to read a pet food label
You’d think that reading a pet food label would give you a clear picture of what’s in the food. But the ingredient list can prove complicated and tricky to decipher.

Firstly, as we have already mentioned, at the very least make sure that the pet food you buy for your fur kid states clearly that the formula is designed for your pet’s life stage (puppy/kitten, adult, or senior) and if it’s for a dog, ideally designed for their size (small breed or large breed) rather than one that encompasses “all life stages” and “all sizes.” While it sounds like a convenient option to feed one bag of food to all the animals at home regardless of age and size, its purely a marketing gimmick because nutritionally their needs are vastly different.

Secondly, take note of the actual ingredients. They are listed in the order of most prevalent to least prevalent. So, pet parents should look for the protein (beef, chicken, or fish) to be listed as the first ingredient. Also watch for the reuse of filler ingredients like corn flakes, cornmeal, and ground corn listed as separate items — all of which are still corn.

How often to feed your dog?

For most pets we recommend feeding twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. However, young animals could need to eat up to three to four times per day. If you’re not sure how much to feed, look for guidelines on the food packaging. You can also check with your veterinarian to make sure you’re feeding the right amount.

Introducing a new food

If you’re changing your pet’s food after adoption, which is likely unless you’re continuing to feed the food the breeder or rescue organization used, do it gradually. Over the course of a week slowly transition from the old food to the new food by mixing 25% of the new food with 75% of the old food for first few days. Then feed half and half for a few days, and finally 75% new food with 25% old food for a few days until you complete the transition to 100% new food. This will help your fur kid adjust to the new food without any tummy upset. Use this method any time you switch foods during your pet’s life.

What about people food and treats?

Your pet’s diet should mainly consist of a good quality pet food, but there are occasions when you may allow treats or dental chews, and the occasional bite of safe people food. The trick to keeping your pet healthy and happy — and their weight in check — is to make sure that treats make up no more than 10% of their daily calories.