The experience of eating goes beyond mere physical satiation and fuel for the daily grind. It’s also about nutrition, where the right food choices and sources can be the difference between healthy living and barely thriving.
Better pet food is not just about having more palatable options. It’s about properly sourcing the best ingredients with the best nutritional content and serving them in the most natural way, with love. If you’re all about having the freshest meal served on your family table, would you not also want the same for your fur babies? But when more choices make it harder to decide, consider the most important things you want to give your pet.
Instead of tedious trial-and-error runs, why not evaluate your top choices against expert opinions? So, where do we start? Is it the price tag? The meat choices each brand offers? The brand itself? For the best balance of nutrients, palatability, and freshness, remember these seven tips before filling out your cart and hitting “Check-out.”
Know your pet’s nutritional needs
It all starts with looking at your pet’s needs. A balanced diet consists of natural food sources with as little artificial content as possible. Dogs need 22 amino acids to have a balanced nutrition. The good thing is that dogs can create more than half of these amino acids on their own. However, 10 other amino acids need to be supplemented by way of proper food choices so they can have a complete and balanced overall nutrition.
A lot of the meat protein options offer these amino acids in varying amounts. Beef is a major source of amino acids, followed by poultry. Additionally, plant-based protein like corn and soybean can also add in to the protein content. However, having too much protein from different sources can impact your dog’s risk of obesity. This is why many pet owners have started switching to single source protein brands like earthmade. By singling out a protein source, there are minimal risks for allergic reactions and lesser chances of having overly-dense pet food that can lead to obesity.
Visit your vet
A check-up with the veterinarian should not just happen when your pet is sick or struggling. When you have doubts about pet nutrition, a viable and credible firsthand source to start with is your vet.
Ask your vet the basics: how do I know if my pet is allergic to any food ingredient? Are there any meat types I should look out for? What’s the best portion to help them eat better? More importantly, understand if your pet is allergic to any food ingredient. While new pet owners may do a trial-and-error process to learn more about their pet’s allergies, opting to work with a professional gives you an expert’s opinion at the get-go.
Go the hypoallergenic route
When it comes to food-related allergies, what happens is that your pet’s immune system may start producing antibodies to address a harmful protein in the dog’s body. While protein is an important nutritional source, it can come from both plant and animal sources. With many off-the-shelf brands offering various protein mixes with good taste, one way to avoid giving your pets unwanted allergic attacks is to opt for hypoallergenic dog food. Their specific formulation already reduces risks for allergens and nutrient intolerances.
How does this work? Nowadays, several pet food brands have entered the market with hypoallergenic choices. Manufacturers that produce single source protein tend to stick to one type of protein, making it easier to identify if this is the right kind to feed your dog. As they are prepared with very little artificial add-ons, if any, you can be sure just what your dog eats, with no worries. What’s more, some brands like earthmade go a mile further by sourcing only from farms that follow ethical practices in raising livestock.
Consider fresh food prepared the tastiest way
Once you start opting for single source protein dog food brands, the next step is finding one that tailors to the best taste. The beauty of farm-to-bowl brands like earthmade is that they also explore natural ingredients to enhance the taste.
Ever heard of rosehip? It’s a naturally-occurring plant that contains galactolipids, which help in easing allergic reactions and reducing inflammation in your pet. It is considered as a natural pet food brimming with natural vitamins. Want to boost your pet’s joint health? Rosehip has you covered there, too.
Love honey? Your pet may love it too! Go with brands that utilize imagination with research in adding these taste-enhancing ingredients. More than just boosting that palatability factor, these are also vitamin-laden ingredients, added in the right portions for an optimal health boost.
With earthmade, you can get Manuka honey for your pet. A honey that is native to New Zealand, the Manuka honey has antibiotic and antibacterial properties to aid in many medical conditions, including better digestive health.
Examine brand credibility
Now that you know what needs to be in the bag, consider the brand who makes the pet food. Many brands seem to offer the same thing—so what should you look for to get the best?
As tempting as it is to just “go with what you know,” it pays to explore beyond a well-known brand name. Newly established brands specializing in pet food tend to also focus on specific offers that have been tested through research and proper regulations. Look to the nutritional standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, as their goal is to provide the criteria for balanced pet foods.
Know where your chosen pet food was manufactured, and see if it adheres to the highest standards. Ask more exploratory questions. Where do they source their ingredients? Do they practice ethical procedures? Is their food preparation procedure up to quality standards? How does this company implement quality control for their pet food? Does their procedure include research and testing?
For instance, in the case of earthmade, all their protein sources speak quality because their livestock has been grown and cared for in New Zealand farms. To adhere to their high standards of production, each recipe is carefully reviewed and catered to contain only the necessary ingredients in the right portions.
Wanting the best for your pet pal does not end with the willingness to spend more. It also means taking more time to evaluate each offer rather than ordering the first one that seems to fit the bill.
Beyond the purchase: Feeding habit matters!
As much as it would be nice to give your fur baby everything that he literally craves for, vets have often expressed the tendency for pet obesity. Chubby and “thicc” canine or feline might look good on photo, but the excess weight that they carry can become more than just a physical inconvenience.
Obesity is more than just your pet’s weight. It carries with it many risks, including issues with joints, heart problems, and diabetes. By being more aware and conscious of their dietary needs, dog and cat owners can make sure that getting the best pet food will also translate to feeding them well with it.
Bonus: The thing about treats
For people, treats are those little rewards given when they accomplish new things or when they need to pick themselves up after a rough patch. It may be tempting to equate the same emotional value to treats for pets. When your pooch seems sad or when he does well with his training, it may seem like a treat is the only way to reward him.
Treats can be more than just a reward. They can also add a few more nutritional supplements to your pet’s diet. The key is complementing their main food source with treats. If there are any missing nutritional or vitamin needs in your food source, fill those in with treats. That way, you also don’t go overboard with any proteins or vitamins for playtime rewards.
Approach treat-giving in the same way as experts do when advising people on a healthy, balanced diet. As much as it would be great to give them a reward for a new trick done well, not watching how much is “enough” can also cause new problems to arise. Experts agree on limiting his treats to only 10% of his entire diet. So while you’re at it, why not opt for the nutritious type, like earthmade’s air-dried treats, so even his treats are au naturel. You wouldn’t want to waste getting the best pet food for their needs only for treats to offset all that hard work.
Browsing for the best pet food online may be harder than it seems. Between all the promises and positioning that pet food brands hold, there seems to be new trends that influence what becomes popular and available.
Go with a brand whose promise is hinged on two simple things: freshness and palatability. earthmade features a line of grain-free kibbles and grain-free air-dried treats, formulated to include top-notch ingredients for your pet. Sourcing livestock raised following the animal welfare act, utilizing nutritious ingredients like Manuka honey, kiwi, and rosehip, and laying the foundation for a well-balanced diet, earthmade’s choice pet food may be the missing link for your pet’s natural diet.
Try earthmade’s grain-free kibble or grain-free air-dried treats, either for your cats or dogs, and give them the healthy natural living they deserve. Hit the link and get your own sample today.