Your outgoing Westie needs plenty of protein and fat to fuel them throughout the day, providing appropriate energy for their active lifestyles. These proteins and fats are perfect for keeping that trademark white coat looking and feeling it’s best.
Plus, they also help your pooch to grow healthy muscles and skin. But what should you look out for when you’re trying to pick the right dog food for your best fur-iend?
The best dog food for Westies should help:
Nourish sensitive skin
Promote healthy, glossy fur
Limit exposure to allergens and irritants
Help to keep teeth healthy
Could help to prevent tear stains
Encourage even the fussiest eaters
Nourishing ingredients to soothe sensitive skin
Although not every skin problem is caused or fixed by diet alone, sometimes your dog’s dinner can be to blame for their problem-prone skin.
Some dogs have dietary allergies and intolerances which often cause dermatological symptoms such as persistent itching, redness, dull coat, and even chronic infections, particularly in their ears and paws.
If your dog does have a food allergy, your vet may advise you to feed them a hypoallergenic diet. Switching to dog food with a short list of recognisable ingredients can also help you to monitor exactly what your pooch is eating.
Even for pups without any allergies, their diet can play an important role in the state of their skin. Think of your own skin, it looks and feels it’s best when you’re well-hydrated and eating a balanced diet, and it’s the same for dogs. Balance it’s key here because malnutrition and nutrient deficiency are common causes of skin problems and even excess nutrients can be to blame too, although this is far less common.
That’s why Pure is formulated by nutritionists and backed by numerous vets because we want to make sure we create perfectly balanced dog food to keep your pooch looking and feeling their best.
The best dog food for Westies will also have plenty of quality, whole protein to top up the amino acids and fatty acids in your dog’s diet. Amino acids are needed for your dog’s body to make new proteins, like skin cells.
Meanwhile, fatty acids like linoleic acid help to reduce inflammation, strengthen the skin’s barrier, and keep their cells healthy. Vitamin A is also vital for growing and healing skin. These nutrients can help to settle irritated skin and make it stronger to prevent future problems.
Natural goodness for healthy fur
Yep, luscious locks and healthy skin are pretty interlinked. To make sure your Westie’s trademark white fur is kept in good condition, it’s again going to come down to finding dog food with the right blend and balance of nutrients to promote healthy growth.
Look out for quality animal proteins and fats for those important amino acids and fatty acids, as well as minerals like selenium, iodine and copper.
As well as finding great food, you need to pin down a fantastic grooming regime because dinner alone isn’t going to keep their hair tangle-free!
No nasties
We all know regularly eating processed food isn’t good for us, so why do we think it’s fine for dogs to eat ultra-processed kibble and canned food?
Way back in 400BC Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine”. Since then, modern research has shown that natural food and a balanced diet is key to maintaining good health and preventing illness, both for us humans and our hounds.
Pure is no-nonsense in this department. We take only 100% natural and human-quality ingredients, chop them up, and gently air dry them.
Air drying is even gentler on ingredients than home cooking, and all it does is remove moisture from the food to keep it fresh, prevent bacteria, and to ensure all the goodness of those ingredients stays locked in until it reaches Fido’s bowl.
All-natural also means there are no artificial nasties that could pup-set your pooch’s sensitive stomach.
We have grain-free recipes and depending on the recipe, you can avoid any other allergen your pup might be sensitive to like dairy, beef, chicken, or eggs. We personalise your pooch’s plan too, so your dog will always have appropriate food for their needs.
Keeping teeth as white as your Westie
No diet can replace the benefits of brushing your dog’s teeth. To protect your pooch’s oral health, you do need to get the toothbrush and doggie toothpaste out for a regular clean.
However, there are ways that what they eat can help to prevent cavities and fight bad breath.
Feeding your Westie a raw meaty bone can help your dog to clean their teeth naturally, thanks to the slightly abrasive texture of the bone. Never feed a cooked bone though, as these can splinter and injure your dog’s mouth, throat, or gut.
Ditching the dog biscuits might help too. The claim that kibble helps to clean their teeth is a myth, and rates of gum disease are still super high for dogs on these dry food diets. Humans and hounds alike are more at risk of tooth decay if they eat a diet rich in sugars and calories, and kibble is often higher in both compared to raw or fresh food.
Reduce rusty tear stains
There are many causes for tear stains in dogs, and those rusty red marks are particularly noticeable on the white fur of a Westie. You can’t exactly use Vanish to remove stains from a dog, but could food help to clean them up?
Well, sometimes it can. It obviously depends on the cause of your dog’s excessive tears, but a grain-free or hypoallergenic food can work wonders on reducing red staining on your pup’s paws, around their mouth, and their tear stains.
Pure has helped to reduce tear stains in dogs, and the difference is remarkable for white dogs like Bichon Frise Mollie.
Tasty treats to tempt fussy eaters
Westies can be pretty picky about their food, so the best dog food for West Highland White Terriers should smell and taste appetising enough to encourage even the fussiest of eaters to wolf down their meals.
Obviously, healthy ingredients and balanced nutrition are the most important factors when it comes to choosing doggy dinners, but we owners also like to know our doggies enjoy their food too.
Not only that, but picky eating might mean your pooch is missing out on some of the energy and nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Luckily, most natural food like Pure tends to be more appetising for pooches anyway. Not only is it tasty without the need for additional flavours, but it also won’t contain artificial ingredients which can cause some pups to turn their nose up.
Besides, you’d probably get tired of the same boring brown biscuits every meal of every day too.
Pure is made using the best of natural ingredients, and it’s good enough a human could eat. We formulate our recipes to produce perfectly balanced and highly nutritious dog food, which also happens to be super delicious too!
You can read all about how picky pups have been won over by their new dinners and now eagerly anticipate dinner time.