Holistic dog food isn’t just important as your puppy grows but also once they’re mature.
You want your dog to live a long, happy life so you care about the food they eat.
Holistic puppy food isn’t just some fancy name a brand gives its pet food.
The best holistic puppy food is actually made from human-grade ingredients with no chemicals and less processing for food that is easier to digest.
Food that is easier for your puppy to digest in turn leads to more waste.
Post Navigation
What is Holistic Dog Food, Exactly?
Holistic refers to whole body health and that’s why the best holistic puppy food will address the puppy’s complete needs and offer all of the nutrients they need for healthy muscles, teeth, skin, bones and coat and long-term health.
Holistic puppy foods are the highest quality foods you can buy for your new friend and have the following characteristics that separate them from traditional dog food:
- Powerful antioxidants
- All natural ingredients
- Human-grade dog food ingredients
- Fruit and vegetables
- No chemicals
- Minimal processing
What is the Best Holistic Puppy Food?
While you’re comparing pet food brands, “holistic” isn’t the only thing you want to look for.
A growing puppy needs more calories and nutrients than an adult so the food should be formulated for growing or all life stages.
You should also find an AAFCO label on the product that tells you more about the food value contents.
Human-Grade Ingredients
The best holistic puppy food will also be made from human-grade dog food ingredients, although this isn’t something you’ll find on the AAFCO label because they don’t allow manufacturers to make statements on the label that pertains to food quality.
To learn more about a specific holistic dog food brand, you’ll want to read puppy food reviews.
How Many Ingredients Before the First Fat Source?
As with other types of dog food, you’ll also want to check how many ingredients are listed before the first stated source of fat, such as “chicken fat.”
Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order by weight so the items listed first will make up the majority of the dog food.
The best food for puppies will have anywhere from 6 to 12 high-quality ingredients listed before the first fat source.
Studying the Protein Content
Next, analyze the protein content, or the meat, in the dog food.
Protein is essential for puppies to grow strong and healthy and you want the protein to come from a high quality meat source.
Steer clear of any brands that use the word “meat” or “meat meal” instead of listing a specific animal.
You’ll want to check the position of the meat source on the dog food ingredients list and how many times you find protein before you see a fat source.
Make sure the type of meat is clearly stated.
What is the Fat Source?
The best holistic puppy food has a high-quality source of fat that’s specified along with Omega 3 and Omega 6, which improve your pet’s coat.
Avoid any brand that doesn’t specifically state where the fat comes from, using terms like “poultry fat” or “meat fat.”
Grain Sources
Dogs do not need much grain in their diet so the best food for puppies will have little grains or high-quality grains like rice, barley and oats.
Avoid brands that use fillers like “ground whole corn,” “corn gluten meal,” “soy bean meal” or any unspecified source of grain.
Vegetables and Fruits
Holistic puppy food often has plenty of fruits and vegetables which give your dog additional vitamins and minerals for long-term health.
Look for potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, blueberries and applies in healthy puppy food.
Preservatives
Finally, holistic puppy food should never have artificial preservatives like Ethoxyquin, Menadione (or Vitamin K3), sweeteners like cane molasses, corn syrup, fructose and glucose or artificial colors and flavors.
Natural preservatives that are safe for your puppy include Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and Tocopherols (Vitamin E), which are human-grade preservatives.
Holistic Dog Food Science
Many Veterinarians are now endorsing the use of holistic dog foods because of the lack of regulations in the dog food production industry.
There are two main considerations when changing a pets diet.
- Affordability
- Time
The consensus is that raw, unprocessed meat and other natural foods are best for pets.
However, the method is very time consuming determining daily pet nutritional needs.
The closer to the ideal manufactured holistic dog food, the more expensive the product.
Although one downside to utilizing the dry holistic dog food over the wet is that the animal has a higher instance of food dehydration.
This problem is easily remedied through the constant hydration of fresh water, or serving wet food regularly.
Suggestion:
BLUE Wilderness is a grain-free, high-protein, low carbohydrate food that contains a higher concentration of meat.
This product was inspired by the diet of wolves, the true omnivores whose endurance is legendary.
It is specially formulated by animal nutritionists, from the finest natural ingredients such as:
- De-boned duck, chicken meal and turkey meal to supply the protein your dog needs.
- Sweet potatoes, oatmeal and potatoes provides healthy complex carbohydrates.
- Blueberries, cranberries and carrots supports antioxidant-enrichment.
BLUE does not cut corners by using protein from chicken or poultry by-product meals, or even worse, from corn or soy.
Preservatives like BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, propylene glycol provide no nutritional value and have been associated with possible side effects.
BLUE does not resort to artificial colors and flavors in an attempt to make food look and taste better.
The popularity of holistic care is on the uptrend, both for humans and pets.
The holistic approach, which involves achieving wellness from within addresses not just the physical wellbeing of pets but also their entire quality of life.
This has given rise to products that rely on natural ingredients and provide a wide range of treatments for all kinds of pet needs.
For pet food, holistic products include special types such as dehydrated, freeze-dried, raw and home-made varieties.
There are foods specifically formulated for pets with allergies and weight problems, puppies and senior pets.
Foods which are gluten-free, high or low protein, organic and vegetarian cater to the different food needs of pets.
