Pet owners love their pets, or at least they like them a lot. they wouldn’t be pet owners otherwise. Dog owners in particular can become very attached to their pets – they aren’t called man’s (and woman’s) best friend for nothing, after all. Dogs and humans have been working and playing side by side for thousands of years, very likely longer than any other domesticated animal, and our relationship runs deep on both sides.
However, as a result of this deep relationship, along with the staggering number of canine breeds and sizes out there, you can find an equally staggering number of dog food varieties on the average store shelf. Some of it is straightforward enough: some dog foods are formulated for big breeds, some for small breeds, some for adult dogs, and some for puppies. But which flavor is best? Should you choose a bag of kibble or the stuff that comes in cans? Is the more expensive brand better, or is it just more expensive?
Get The Inside Scoop
We created Dog Food Insider to review dog food, every kind of dog food out there, in order to cut through all the ad copy and all the claims and deliver the facts and the information you most want to know: the ingredients, the price, the nutrition, where the ingredients come from, and just how healthy the food is for a dog.
When we review dog food, we also review the company that makes the food and everything they say about their products. After all, even a good company that makes good food can say some misleading things about why their food is the best, and it’s better to know why you should really appreciate good dog food rather than why the company that makes it thinks you should.
Discover Nutrition Facts, Not Nutrition Fiction
For humans and dogs alike, there are a lot of different philosophies out there regarding which foods are good, which ones are bad, and which should be avoided altogether. For instance, as controversial as the low-carb diet is for humans, it actually makes a lot of sense for dogs: dogs are what are known as facultative carnivores, which means they can digest plants to some extent but they far prefer to eat meat. As such, a good diet for a dog is one that’s heavy in fat and protein and light in carbohydrates.
However, kibble dog food in particular is often high in carbohydrates. Carbs are necessary to create the right texture to make it through the extrusion machines, and to bake into the solid pebbles your dog loves to munch. But as we note when we review dog food, while some companies fix this ratio and increase the protein in their products, they often wind up demonizing carbs in the process. This is despite the fact that, as in humans, complex carbohydrates are the best way for a dog to feel full over an extended period of time.
Go Beyond The Food Bowl
Dog Food Insider is full of articles that review dog food, but that’s not all our site has to offer. We’re constantly updating with new articles about topics like dog nutrition, diet plans, and even a few pointers on how to train your dog.
For instance, while dog digestive systems can handle many grains and vegetables just as well as a human’s can, there are several foods humans can handle with no problem but which can cause serious problems or even death if a dog eats them. Chocolate is the best-known example, but other problem foods include onions, garlic, and grapes. Scientists aren’t even sure what it is about grapes that causes such problems in dogs, but the problems themselves are well documented. Raw egg is another big problem food, although cooked egg is fine.
At Dog Food Insider, we review dog food and other dog products so that our readers can have a scientifically sound, unbiased understanding of all the leading brands. Thus, while the dog food aisle may look intimidating and confusing at first, by reading through our reviews, you can pick out which option truly is the best for your dog. After all, since dogs are our best friends, it’s only right that we treat them to the best food we can buy.
