best dry dog food for puppies uk

How to choose the right dog food for your four-legged friend, according to vets

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As a key part of the family, chances are your dog gets a whole lot of love and attention. But, with that comes the responsibility of making sure theyre being fed the right food for them. With so many different dog food options available from dry and wet to grain-free it can be different to know which one is best.

The British Veterinary Associations advice is that any commercially manufactured pet food in the UK that meets the Pet Food Manufacturing Association guidelines has the complete nutritional requirements that your pet needs.

The best dog diets, however, will be a high-quality, complete, balanced diet designed specifically for your dogs life stage, says PDSA vet Anna Ewers-Clark. Diets that are complete contain all the nutrients that your dog needs, so will keep them healthy and happy, she adds.

When buying the right dog food for your pet, the breed, weight, body condition score, neutered status and lifestyle are all key things to consider, says BVA senior vice president Daniella Dos Santos. These factors will have an impact on their total daily calorie allowance and will determine how much they should eat, including treats, she says.

You should also look for something age-appropriate (puppy, adult or senior, for instance), says Sam Crossley, marketing director at Lilys Kitchen. Older woofers dont need as much protein in their diets as younger and more active adult dogs, and they will benefit from food that supports joint health. Puppies, on the other hand, need higher protein content to support their development while they grow into their paws.

There are a huge number of complete dog diets on the market, and there isnt one dog food that will suit all dogs. For example, some dogs like wet food, others prefer dry and often dogs will have a favourite flavour (or flavours) of food, notes Ewers-Clark. As for her advice, she suggests finding a diet that suits your dog and sticking with it, as changing your dogs food too often can lead to problems such as tummy upsets.

To help demystify the world of dog food, we asked leading veterinary practitioners to advise on what you should look out for when buying your pooch their food.

Puppy food

Its really important for puppies to be fed a food designed specifically for their age. When dogs are young, the balance of nutrients they need will be different to those of an adult dog, notes Ewers-Clark.

Its also a good idea to feed your puppy a product thats designed for their breed or size, as different dogs grow at different rates so feeding a diet thats tailored to small, medium or large breeds will make sure their nutrient needs are supported as they grow, she adds.

Continue feeding the same food that your puppy has had at their breeder initially, and when you do change, make sure you do so over a couple of weeks to avoid stomach upsets, says Ewers-Clark.

The PDSA recommends Royal Canin mini puppy food (19.49, Petsathome.com) for small, young pups. Its high in protein, which Crossley noted as being important for young dogs, and it contains probiotics so as to support digestive health.

If youre unsure of how much to feed your four-legged friend, theres a helpful table detailing how many grams you should give them based on their age and weight. The food is also available for medium (27.39, Petsathome.com), maxi (66.99, Petsathome.com) and giant (63.99, Petsathome.com) dogs.

Similarly, there are also options based on breed, be that french bulldog (from 23.29, Petsathome.com), bulldog (28.19, Petsathome.com), golden retriever, 12kg, (61.29, Petsathome.com) or german shepherd (23.19, Petsathome.com).

For another protein-rich alternative, try Barking Heads puppy days dry food (from 6.74, Barkingheads.co.uk), which is made with 100 per cent natural chicken and salmon.

If youd rather give your dog wet food, or a combination of both, the Barking Heads range also has puppy days wet food (from 18, Barkingheads.co.uk).

The age when your puppy can change onto adult food will depend on their breed and size, plus a number of other factors, for example, the timing of their neutering, says Ewers-Clark. Although its not possible to give an exact time for every dog, as a general rule small dogs will need to continue with puppy food until theyre around one, while large or giant breeds will need puppy food until around 18 months, she adds.

Dry food

Dry dog food comes in a variety of forms including kibbles, biscuits or pellets. There is no nutritional difference between wet and dry dog food, though in some cases a vet might recommend one over the other for specific reasons, such as urinary issues and specific types of allergies, says Dos Santos. But, its important to make sure the protein count is high. On this advice, there are a number of excellent options out there for dry dog food.

Ewers-Clark recommends feeding your pooch complete dog food, so turn to Harringtons, which produces all-natural scran where meat is the number one ingredient.

The kibbles (from 29, Harringtonspetfood.com) consist of 26 per cent chicken, meaning its a great source of protein and its also rich in omega 6 and omega 3. If youre looking for a subscription service, Harringtons is certainly one to know; sign up for a regular delivery and youll save money too.

For a dry dog food that has an even higher meat content, turn to Edgar Cooper its chicken dry dog food (from 7.29, Edgardcooper.com), for example, has 41 per cent chicken. While its lamb variety (from 7.29, Edgardcooper.com) is similarly rich in protein.

If youd like to trial Edgar Coopers food, it offers a try-it-now service (8, Edgardcooper.com) and youll receive a selection of its dog food, including kibble, wet food and treats, with zero commitment.

Wet food

This type of food comes in a thick gravy sauce or contains chunks of jelly, and tends to be more palatable for dogs because it's mainly made up of protein and fat. Plus, its high in moisture so can help to keep dogs hydrated, preventing the urinary issues Dos Santos noted. If your dog is partial to wet food, or you often do a mixture of both wet and dry, look out for high amounts of fresh meat, poultry and animal products.

Again wed recommend turning to Edgar Cooper for wet food thats high in meat. There are options to buy food according to your dogs age range whether thats for a puppy (from 3.09, Edgardcooper.com), adult (from 3.09, Edgardcooper.com) or senior (from 3.09, Edgardcooper.com) dog.

Whichever flavour you opt for, its high in meat and also contains a mixture of vegetables and fruit to make sure your doggo is getting the most balanced diet possible.

For a subscription-based service, its got to be Barking Heads wet dog food (from 10.99, Barkingheads.co.uk). Its pouches of wet food in lamb (from 24, Barkingheads.co.uk) contain 85 per cent grass-fed lamb and a mixture of peas, courgette and spinach. Plus, if you opt for the brands subscribe and save service, youll never be left short on dog food a real bonus.

Grain-free food

The majority of dogs dont needgrain-freedogfood, says Ewers-Clark. Dogs are omnivores, which means theyre able to eat both meat and plant-basedfood, so using a more meat-based diet which is often the appeal ofgrain-freefor owners isnt necessary to meet their nutritional requirements, and in a completelygrain-freediet, there will be carbohydrates in other forms to replace thegrain.

If you do suspect your dog is sensitive to grains, it is best to consult your vet for advice on their requirements. But its thought that cutting grain from your dogs diet could help if they suffer from allergies or intolerances.

Lots of dog food manufacturers offer both grain-free and grain-inclusive options to give pet parents the choice of what they would like to feed their furry friends. If you know your dog is sensitive to grains, wed advise turning to Lilys Kitchen, which is a certified B-corp: its a company that meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

With a huge grain-free offering, theres something for every age range,including puppy (3.70, Lilyskitchen.co.uk) and senior (3.70, Lilyskitchen.co.uk) offerings. And if youd rather not feed your pooch wet food, or prefer a mixture, there is also dry food (from 10.50, Lilyskitchen.co.uk).

Raw food

If youre looking to feed your pooch fresh food, Alison Daniel, pet nutritionist at My Pet Nutritionist, recommends commercial delivery companies such as Different Dog or raw food companies such as Naturaw and The Dogs Butcher.

Different Dog offers a personalised service where you enter key details about your four-legged friend, including whether they have been neutered or spayed, how old they are and their weight. From this, your dogs tailored plan is created, providing information on the number of calories they should be consuming and allowing you to choose your recipes, which are delivered every couple of weeks depending on your dogs plan.

If youd rather not have a tailored approach but are interested in feeding your dog high-quality raw food, Different Dog also sells its dinners separately. So, whether your pooch is partial to a chicken casserole (from 3.49, Differentdog.com) or shepherd's pie (from 3.39, Differentdog.com), there are plenty of dishes to choose from to make sure your doggo is getting all the nutrients they need.

Alternatively turn to Naturaw for fresh, natural and raw food. A great option for those who are focused on sustainability, this eco-friendly brand uses sustainable and renewable resources where possible, ethically sourced ingredients and premium cuts of British meat.

Its raw food offering is expansive, from puppy- (2.55, Naturaw.co.uk) and senior-appropriate (2.75, Naturaw.co.uk) food to starter boxes (43, Naturaw.co.uk) and large food taster boxes (75.50, Naturaw.co.uk), as well as ingredient-specific options.

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Best Puppy Food UK Guide

Key Things to Look for

Before you pick up a bag of dog food for your puppy, there are a few key things that you should be keeping an eye out for. These will help you to make the best decision, as well as give you some important information about the health and wellbeing of your puppy.

Nutrients. Did you know that puppies need twice the calories each day compared to an adult dog? They require more calcium, protein, fat, and phosphorus.

Additionally, these need to be carefully balanced as too much or too little can cause health problems something that commercial foods do for you.

Size. The breed and size of your puppy will impact the dog food you should be giving them. You will find there are some dog foods labelled as toy or large, and this is all to do with the size of the kibble.

Smaller dogs will have a hard time eating large chunks of food, and bigger dogs need chunky kibble so that they can actually chew and crunch it.

However, it is a little deeper than this. Large breeds can grow too fast, resulting in weaker bones and joints, so the nutrient levels in dog food for specific sizes of puppies are actually adjusted to help prevent things like rapid growth.

Ingredients. You should always pay attention to the ingredients in puppy food. Some people prefer to feed their dogs a wheat and grain-free diet as these ingredients can cause stomach upsets and bloat in some dogs.Similarly, you may want to ensure that the meat content is specified as things like chicken breast as opposed to meat derivatives. This ensures better quality meat with more nutrition as opposed to the leftover slop that is not even human-grade.

Wet or Dry? When puppies are teething, they really benefit from the crunch of dry dog food. However, you should be soaking their dog food in water or goat milk to soften it before they eat for the first month or so that you have them anyway.

Dry food is good for their oral health, especially if they do not have chews, and wet food makes for a delicious treat that many dogs love. The simple answer is to mix them for a balanced diet that will benefit them.

Allergies. When you have a puppy, this is when you are going to learn about specific allergies that they might have. Alternatively, you may already know if they have allergies already.

Either way, it is a good time to be careful about the dog foods that you choose, avoiding common allergens or testing to see if your puppy reacts to any of them.

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