Greetings, friends! Today’s topic is brought to you by my Dachshund Sherman breaking out in hives all over his body out of absolutely nowhere. NOT a good day. I’ve had dogs and cats pretty much my whole life, so I think it’s safe to say I’ve learned a thing or two about what and what not to do when it comes to caring for them.
A little bit about my pets: No-Name (yes, No-Name) is our 5 year old calico cat. We have two dogs, Sherman, a 4 year old Dachshund, and Benji, a 1 year old terrier mix. Both of our dogs are rescues from our local animal shelter. Sherman was an owner surrender, meaning he had a previous owner who gave him up for some reason. So yes, it’s a mad house. But it’s a labor of love.
When it comes to food intolerances and sensitivities, Benji is pretty low maintenance. Sherman, on the other hand, has some issues. When we first got him I started noticing a little blood in his stool. Having lost our pitbull to cancer last year, I naturally started panicking.
Luckily, after running some tests, the vet determined it was a case of IBS. Sherman was on grain-free kibble at the time and it just wasn’t agreeing with his digestive system. I took him off the kibble and invested in a more natural brand of dog food I’d heard good things about: The Honest Kitchen. They make gently freeze-dried dog and cat food that rehydrates to form a wet-food consistency when mixed with warm water.
Both of my dogs have done really well on this food and I haven’t had any problems since switching them over to it. Until the other day when I looked at Sherman and his face was swelling up like a balloon. There are a number of different factors that could have caused this reaction, but after getting the hives under control, I immediately went to the natural pet food store by my house and switched the protein in his food from beef to fish. Since making this change, Sherman hasn’t gotten any hives.
All of this to say, an animal’s overall health, similar to us humans, is greatly influenced by diet. This is a factor that is often overlooked, especially with pets. The commonly fed diet of “kibble” is essentially dried up pellets of what once was food. Meaning, once it has reached the shelf, it pretty much has lost all of it’s nutritional value at that point. Kibble is to dogs what processed junk food is to humans.
The Best Natural Pet Food Brands
The absolute healthiest diet for most dogs is one that consists of raw meats, organs, and raw bones. A diet of mostly cooked meat comes in second place. And it makes sense, raw meat is what your dog’s ancestor, the wolf, lives on!
Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or budget to feed raw. But thankfully, there are some great secondary options for those who can’t. Let’s take a look at some of the best holistic pet food brands that are still a MUCH healthier alternative to highly processed, nutrient-stripped kibble.
1.) The Honest Kitchen
As previously mentioned, this brand makes gently dehydrated human-grade dog and cat food that is rehydrated by mixing with water. This is what I feed my dogs and they love it! HK carries a variety of different proteins such as beef, chicken, turkey, and fish. All of their blends are available in grain-free versions as well.
I feed my dogs the Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Fish Recipe. I love it because in addition to the high quality protein, it also provides ample amount of veggies and some fruit which really ups the fiber and vitamin content. HK also makes treats, toppers, bone broth, and awesome supplements for all your pet’s needs.
Check them out here: thehonestkitchen.com
2.) Stella & Chewy’s
Stella & Chewy’s is a great brand with an admirable philosophy: “any amount of raw in a dog’s diet will have a meaningful, positive impact.” For almost all dogs, a raw diet is the healthiest diet. But the reality is, our lives have become so busy these days, that sometimes we claim to barely have time to feed ourselves healthy meals!
In any case, our own health and our family’s health, including pets, should be considered top priority. Even if you can’t feed your dog totally raw, Stella & Chewy’s makes it easy by providing high quality frozen raw meals, freeze-dried raw meals, and raw-coated kibble (yes this is still kibble, but the fact that it is raw-coated and less processed makes it a better alternative) for a more convenient on-the-go option.
Check them out here: stellaandchewys.com
3.) Dogs For The Earth
Dogs For The Earth is 100% organic dehydrated dog food that is made right here in Florida. They have a fabulous reputation for making amazing food with the highest quality ingredients. The food comes in little biscuits that are simply crumbled up and mixed with hot water to rehydrate.
I really love that this company uses organic, unprocessed ingredients to make their nutrient-dense food in small batches. I also love that they are woman owned and utilize eco-friendly packaging!
Check them out here: dogsfortheearth.com
I want to know what YOU think! What do you feed your pets? Do you feed raw? Drop a comment below! 🙂
2 Comments
So, where do you begin when you’re on your search for the right dog food? While you can’t always be a hundred percent sure of what you’re feeding your dog, there are some things you can consider.
Hi there, high quality ingredients and as close to fresh food as possible are important factors to consider. We want the food to retain as much nutrition as we can so that our dogs are getting the vitamins and minerals that they need.