Limited Ingredient Dog Food Buyer's Guide
Purchasing the perfect dog food then becomes a balancing act between what your pooch wants and what it needs. Luckily, most limited ingredient dog foods are made with real meat and ingredients of much higher quality than you would find in regular dog food.
What To Look Out For And What To Avoid
Type Of Meat
A good limited ingredient dog food will typically contain only one type of meat and one or two types of carbohydrates. On top of that, they may have other supplements and it is up to you to decide which ones you want. Keep in mind that your furry friend might be allergic to some. This is why it is recommended, if you are in doubt, to always opt for the simpler, safer option.
Since limited ingredient dog food is for dogs with digestive issues, your pet pooch may or may not have sensitivities to particular varieties of meat. This should not be a concern as most of our recommendations on this list come with many different flavors. The choice of flavors you often get is good also because different dogs have different tastes, and two dogs may not like the same dog food.
Avoid By-Products & Artificial Ingredients
In a good limited ingredient dog food, what is left out of the recipe is almost as important as what goes in, sometimes even more important. What is left out are ingredients such as poultry by-products, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavorings, colorings, or preservatives. This is key because a lot of the food allergies your pooch may suffer from are caused by these extra ingredients. Another big one is gluten, of which most limited ingredient dog foods are free as well.
Minerals & Vitamins
That said, a lot of limited ingredient dog foods have supplements such as minerals and vitamins which can actually do your furry friend a lot of good. If it turns out that your canine companion is okay with eating dog food containing these ingredients, then they will certainly contribute to the overall health of its organism.
Factor In Your Budget
Of course, there is always also the question of price. Being a more premium variety of dog food, limited ingredient dog food will cost you more than your average brand. This is because making limited ingredient dog food takes more care and effort. In fact, a lot of the companies that make limited ingredient dog food are actually family companies. It helps to add that homely touch which goes hand-in-hand with these types of products.
Understand That Limited Ingredient Dog Food Are More Expensive
What you should know is that most of these dog foods are, if expensive, definitely not overpriced. We understand that sometimes it might be a problem to budget for expenses but this is a category where you probably do not want to skimp out on.
If your pet pooch has been suffering because of food sensitivity then it is your duty to provide it with the best diet possible. Besides, your canine companion's wellbeing and gratitude are more valuable than a few extra dollars spent on dog food.
Less Expensive Doesn't Mean Poor Quality
That being said, you do have a lot of options here which are more than affordable. You will particularly like our budget-conscious pick if money is an issue for you. Just because something is less expensive does not mean it is of poor quality. Sure, the costlier limited-ingredient dog foods on our list may have more added supplements, but if you are looking for the bare essentials then there is no reason why our more affordable options will not appeal to you.
Balance Your Needs
The most important thing, just like we said in the last section, is to balance out your needs with actual possibilities. It makes little sense to spend a fortune buying dog food that you cannot afford only to later be forced to go back to buying garden-variety, food-allergy-triggering dog food. You owe it to your pet pooch and yourself to be smart with money when it comes to this.
Try out several of these dog foods and see if you can find one that both works great and fits your budget.
Do You Want Your Pooch To Be Healthy?
Buying limited ingredient dog food can have an effect on your pooch that goes far beyond simply regulating and treating their food sensitivity. Often what happens when a dog is fed the wrong kind of food, is that their hair starts falling out and they develop a very particular smell which signals that something is wrong. This can often be combined with a drop in your pet pooch's mood.
Limited ingredient dog food does a lot to help your furry friend in other aspects of their lives as well. A healthy body means a healthy mind, and that is as true for dogs as it is for humans. Many customers report their dogs to be happier and more cheerful after being switched to this higher-quality diet.
This is why it is imperative to buy limited ingredient dog food if you want your dog to not just have a healthy digestive system, but really to also have a healthy overall life, both mentally and physically.
There is a cliche that some dog foods advertise of how they will "increase the number of tail wags" you get from your furry 4-legged friend. Well, with limited ingredient dog food, there is actually a lot of truth to this.
Furthermore, the supplements which some of the higher-end dog foods contain can make your furry companion more energetic and even prevent certain types of diseases that dogs are heir to in their later years. They even have limited ingredient dog foods specifically for older dogs which make them stronger and healthier.
Finally, you want to give your pooch the love and care you would give to a human. That is why they are your pet. A lot of standard dog food is made in factories with little regard to quality. The process is wholly impersonal and the results it yields are akin to junk food for dogs.
With limited ingredient dog food, most of it is made with special care because that is necessary to make sure no stray ingredients get in there. This level of dedication is transferred to the final product and you can be sure that your pooch is eating food made just for them by loving people.
It Comes With Organic Ingredients Too!
Nowadays the buzzword "organic" gets thrown around willy nilly more as a gimmick than anything else. However, when it comes to limited ingredient dog food, it is quite right to say that those few ingredients to go into it are, almost all of the time, organic. There are very few synthetic materials or things like preservatives, food coloring or artificial flavoring.
This is very important as it means that even if your pooch does not suffer from food sensitivity, in the long run, it might be more beneficial for their health to base their diet on limited ingredient dog food.
This should also give you an idea as to what to look for when buying limited ingredient dog food. A good quality brand will always have listed that they do not put any artificial ingredients into their dog food. Of course, the brands that do this do tend to be on the pricier side, but if you have the money then there is no reason not give your furry friend the care it deserves. Even our budget-conscious pick clearly states that it does not contain any preservatives or additional flavoring.
Think About Your Needs (And The Needs Of Your Dog)
It is important to also keep in mind that, ultimately, which dog food you decide to buy is up to you and your dog. All pooches have different needs, and they vary with things such as age or health conditions. While perusing this list, see if you can spot features which you have been looking for or that you think will be good for your current situation.
There are dog foods which are made to be all-around good, and there are those which really excel in particular categories. Which ones you choose depends on you.
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