The best dog food: Why our tailored plans are the best diet for dogs
In an ideal world, the best dog food will be good for both dogs and owners. For owners, you want something you know will keep your dog healthy but is still convenient and accessible enough for you to serve up easily. Meanwhile, the best diet for dogs will have all the nutrients they need to survive and stay healthy, be easy to digest, doesn’t have anything harmful inside, and of course tastes delicious too. With complete and balanced dog food, your dog will feel healthier, their temperament will improve and they'll be much happier.
Since dogs aren’t strict carnivores, the best balanced diet for dogs will be a combination of meat, fruit, and veg, which will provide all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
But there are hundreds of brands of food on the market, in dozens of different flavours, ranging from raw to fresh, kibble to cans. With so much choice, it can be hard to pick out what’s best for your dog.
Here’s what goes into making the dog food, what you should be looking for and why we think Pure Pet Food’s tailored plans are one of the best diets for dogs.
What makes the best dog food?
It must be “complete”
The best diet for dogs should be marked as nutritionally “complete”. This means that it has all the nutrients your dog needs, in the right quantities, to keep your pet healthy.
Natural ingredients and no processing
Just like with humans, the best diet for dogs will be made up of whole, natural ingredients that aren’t highly processed.
You could have the most wholesome ingredients in the world, but if you subject them to extreme processing, they’ll lose their nutritional value. Nutrients including amino acids are destroyed during harmful processing like extrusion, (used to make kibble), and can’t be absorbed and used by your dog’s body.
Highly-processed food can also undergo harmful chemical reactions in the extreme temperatures and pressures used.
On the other hand, natural food is easier for your dog to digest so they can absorb more of the nutrients from their food, suffer fewer stomach problems, and it improves the consistency and smell of their stool.
Natural food without harsh processing means there are no harmful reactions, no nutrients destroyed, and your dog’s body can absorb and use the nutrients inside their food.
Real meat, not misleading labels
The best dog food will use meats you recognise such as “lamb”, “beef”, or “chicken”. When an ingredient is named, it means it’s a whole cut of meat from a specific animal.
However, some pet food manufacturers use vague labelling like “animal derivatives” instead. This means you never know exactly what’s in the packaging and they can vary their ingredients to use whatever is cheapest at the time, since they don’t have to use specific animals or body parts according to their own labels.
Derivatives also mean the manufacturer can use literally any part of an animal that is considered “waste” and isn’t suitable for human consumption. That means that real cuts of meat that could be sold to humans aren’t making it to your pet’s bowl. Instead, your canine could be eating any combination of unspecified ingredients from unspecified animals, including bones, fur, feathers, hide, internal organs, scales, stomach contents, and feet.
These parts are treated at high temperatures and ground into a powder that can be added to food to increase the protein levels cheaply. However, their nutritional value is as uncertain as their ingredients.
This uncertain mix of ingredients can be a nightmare if your dog suffers from an intolerance or allergy because even foods marked “with chicken” only require 4% chicken to be passed. It can still contain a combination of different protein sources and ingredients. “Cereals” is similarly and deliberately vague so manufacturers can vary what grains they use according to what’s available.
So, the best dog food won’t have any misleading ingredients or other vague labelling. Instead, there will be clear ingredients you understand.
No added nasties
Having natural ingredients means nothing if you’re going to chuck a ton of additives, preservatives, or flavourings into your food.
All Pure Pet Food is free from anything artificial, meaning your dog’s dinner never has any nasty preservatives, fillers or sweeteners in there.
It’s appetising
A healthy diet for dogs and wholesome ingredients are incredibly important, but it’s also essential that your pet enjoys their food. According to the evaluation of dog food, the best diet for dogs should be appetising so they eat enough to survive, which is just as important as the ingredients being nutritionally sound and digestible.
For foods like kibble, they’re sprayed in animal fat to make them palatable, and some contain added sugars too. Obviously, this adds fat and calories to the food which can contribute to obesity and other health issues.
Meanwhile, here at Pure, we believe good food should be naturally tasty. When we say no nasties, we mean no artificial flavours too.
Instead, we just use some natural, tasty ingredients that taste good all on their own. And judging by all the pups excited by dinnertime and licking their bowls clean, (even the “fussy” pups,) it’s definitely hitting the spot!
Why is tailored food the best balanced diet for dogs?
Even though complete food is the foundation for the best balanced diet for dogs, it can still fall short of ideal if your dog has an underlying health condition, allergy, or intolerance.
Even how active your pooch is can impact what they need from their diet, meaning owners still need to put in the work to figure out what portion sizes their pet needs and whether they need any ingredient or nutrient level in their diet adjusted.
Why our tailored plans are the best diet for dogs
Pure’s tailored plans are brilliant for your dog because all our food is nutritionally complete and packed with natural goodness, just like any of the best balanced diets for dogs.
Our aim is to make honest, healthy food for happier, healthier dogs. But making the best balanced diet for dogs doesn’t work when every dog is different. That’s why we tailor your dog’s recipe to make sure we create the best dog food for them as an individual. For example, if your dog suffers from an allergy to a specific ingredient, or they’re suffering from a health condition that requires certain ingredients to support their ailment, a tailored diet can be just what your pup needs.
The recipe you receive is personalised to your dog and their individual needs. That means you can be certain your dog is getting exactly what nutrients they need, in the right quantities, and in the perfect portion sizes, to keep them as happy and healthy as possible.
Personalised portions are almost as important as what’s in the food too. No one wants to underfeed or overfeed their dog, but measuring food and calculating calories is a chore. However, with more than half of the UK’s dogs overweight or obese, making sure they’re eating the right amount is more important than ever to ensure our pets live longer healthier lives.
And the tailored approach is definitely working. We have hundreds of amazing success stories from owners whose dogs are healthier and happier now they’re eating Pure. Plus our tailored dog food has meant 94% of owners have seen an improvement in their dog’s ailment after feeding their dog Pure.
How does the tailored plan work?
Before you order your food we ask you about your dog including their lifestyle, age, and any ailments they have. We take all this into account to devise the ideal recipe and portion size to keep your dog happy and healthy.
But we don’t think Pure is one of the best balanced diets for dogs just because of our nutritious ingredients. Our team is dedicated to making the best dog food for every dog, and we aim to be just as nourishing as our food. So any questions you have, whether it’s about an ingredient or a general query, our super support team and in-house nutritionists can help.
After all, we’re all dog lovers and owners, and we know how much owners value their pup’s health and wellbeing. That’s why we make honest food for happier dogs and longer lives.
To see why Pure is one of the best diets for dogs, tell us about your pooch and we’ll fetch perfectly-portioned and personalised dog food that’s as nourishing and tasty as your dog deserves.