As a dog parent, you understand the importance of a healthy and hearty meal for your furry friend. No matter the lifestyle or activity level of your K9, holistic dog food is a great choice for people looking to enhance their pet’s nutrition. Popular dog food brands that you can buy in bulk contain fillers like corn and poultry by-product meal that can lead to liver or kidney problems down the road. Giving your dog cleaner ingredients can improve their health and help to alleviate any worries you may have about their health.
What’s In It?
Holistic dog food is packed with real ingredients that your dog craves. You will likely see a mixture of ingredients like: chicken, chicken liver, eggs, millet, oat, pumpkin, kale, ground bone, fish oil, sea salt, flaxseed, parsley, turmeric, kelp, ginger, blueberries, carrots, apples, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, oranges, cranberries, spinach, beets, tart cherries, and strawberries. These ingredients will be air dried, so there is no need to worry about a short shelf life. Popular brands of dry dog food are hot extruded – meaning processed under extreme heat and pressure – and made with feed grade ingredients, which are unfit for human consumption. Holistic dog food is air dried which gently dehydrates food at low temperatures at a slow pace to preserve as many nutrients as possible all while retaining flavor and killing germs. This gives your pet the health benefits of both raw and home-cooked food.
The gentle air drying method that some holistic dog food brands use creates irresistible textures for your pup. Air dried foods make dogs go nuts for the unique, jerky-like texture and taste. This natural solution is perfect for picky eaters who may not be getting enough food into their system or simply any pup that deserves to be spoiled day after day. You may see the ingredient millet which is a gluten-free grain in the list of some holistic dog food. This is a green flag in terms of a company dedicated to nutrition as they are likely taking a stand against the grain-free trend. Grain-free was always, at best, a silly marketing fad; now it appears to be even worse. In fact, dogs have special enzymes in their stomachs specially designed to digest grain. Wolves, interestingly, do not have these enzymes. Scientists think dogs evolved in this way because they’ve lived alongside grain-eating humans for thousands of years.
What Are Some Health Benefits?
If your dog has been struggling with issues related to a sensitive stomach, holistic dog food could be a good option for you to try. You’ll likely find ingredients like that include digestive aids like pumpkin and ginger. These ingredients make dried food even easier for your furry friend to digest. There are also pre-biotics, high fiber, and simple, whole ingredients that go in-and-out smoothly. Holistic dog food includes fruits and vegetables which are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. If your dog has lost some of the pep in their step, holistic dog food can provide natural sources of Glucosamine and Chondroitin which are great for joint health. You’ll also be pleased to learn that some holistic dog foods are high in Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids (all from natural sources), which makes coats healthy and shiny.
How Is It Different From Other Dry Dog Foods?
Holistic dog food starts with human grade (NOT feed grade) food ingredients that get mixed together and set aside to gently air dry. It’s that simple! And the ingredients are too. You won’t find any synthetic additives or ‘anti-nutrients’ like pea protein, soybean oil or green peas which can interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients. If your dog is eating popular brands of dry kibble, they’re likely consuming synthetics such as: Lactic acid, Potassium chloride, L-lysine, Choline chloride, Vitamins (vitamin e supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin c), Niacin supplement, Thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin a supplement, Calcium pantothenate, Vitamin b12 supplement, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Riboflavin supplement, Folic acid, Vitamin d3 supplement), Minerals (ferrous sulfate, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous oxide, Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite), or Taurine. Your dog can be exposed to and absorb all these supplements naturally with holistic dog food. One thing that traditional kibble and holistic dog food have in common is their simplicity. Both can be stored in a cupboard and simply be scooped into your dog’s food dish.
How To Choose A Holistic Dog Food
Consider your lifestyle when looking into holistic dog food. People with busier schedules will prefer a dried version that doesn’t need refrigeration, prep or cleanup. Look into foods that were developed by experts like world-leading animal nutritionist PhD’s, food scientists, and boarded veterinary nutritionists. This will ensure that your dog is healthy, happy and achieving peak nutrition. Also, food made in a USDA-monitored kitchens with 100% human grade ingredients is preferred. This lets you know that all ingredients and processing methods meet the high FDA safety standard of fit for human consumption. Lastly, if you’re looking for the best of the best, avoid food with synthetic additives in it. There are only brands of dog food available in the US that offers complete and balanced nutrition with zero synthetics.