What is the best food for dogs?

The importance of dog nutrition

Whether you are looking for the best food for dogs in the UK, or want to find out more about dog nutrition, you’ve come to the right place. Nutritious dog food, puppy food and senior dog food is the key to canine health, supporting dog nutrition requirements by including the best ingredients in the perfect quantities. Explore our ingredients Bella+Duke.

7 elements of the best dog food nutrition

The best food for dogs will include all key nutritional requirements in the right quantities. These are the 8 elements of the best food for dogs.

1. Proteins
2. Fruit & veg
3. Fats & omegas
4. Water content / moisture
5. Vitamins & minerals
6. Free from carbohydrates
7. Free from filler ingredients like grains

1. High quality protein

Common sources of protein include lamb, chicken, and beef. The purpose of protein in a dog’s diet is to primarily provide energy, aid the immune system, support muscle growth, skin, hair and many other essential functions.

The source and quality of protein is significant in the role it plays. Absorbing protein from raw food is beneficial for a number of reasons when compared to processed foods. Let’s explore 3 key areas, behaviour, variety and carcinogens.

Behavioural issues & poor quality protein

In processed foods, like kibble, protein is broken down into a highly available powder which creates a surge of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. This is associated with hyperactivity and behavioural issues, as well as being highly palatable and highly addictive.

Protein from raw sources reduces the likelihood of behavioural issues. As protein is used as a source of energy, when it is fed in a raw form, it needs to be digested, which results in more consistent energy and fewer surges.

“You’re making a more nourishing, more consistent source of energy with raw dog food, rather than one that can create energy surges and behavioural problems”

Rowan Sanderson

Protein variety is important in the best dog food

• More variety means your dog receives a wider range of nutrients
• It can help your dog avoid developing intolerances

The variety of proteins also plays a key role in the best food for dogs. As well as providing a wider range of nutrients through protein cycling. It can also help to avoid intolerances to specific types of protein.

“If you’re cycling proteins, the likelihood of creating allergies or sensitivities is reduced significantly.”

Rowan Sanderson

The best food for dogs avoids carcinogens

The third benefit of your dog consuming minimally processed proteins, like those found in raw dog food, is that it can reduce the likelihood that cancer-causing substances are present in your dog’s meal.

“When you ultra process protein, you create something called a Maillard reaction. This is when proteins are broken down and the amino acids are fused to sugars, which creates cancer, or advanced glycated end products (AGEs)”

Rowan Sanderson

2. Fruit & vegetables in the best food for dogs

Fruit and vegetables, especially berries, can play an important role in a dog’s diet, offering antioxidants and soluble prebiotic fibres. All of the best dog food available should contain at least some fruits and vegetables. They can also help to reduce inflammation in dogs.

However, this must be done in moderation, taking dietary requirements into account. If there is too much sugar in the diet, this can quickly become detrimental to your dog’s health, particularly if your dog needs to maintain stable blood sugar, for example, if they have conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy.

“The key is small amounts, not a large percentage of their total food, as you want their key macro drivers for energy to be proteins and fats.”

Rowan Sanderson

3. Fats & omegas

Fats are required as part of a healthy, balanced diet and provide energy for your dog, as well as assisting the normal development and function of cells, tissue, muscles and nerves.

The processing of fats and omegas is key to making sure they can be utilised by your dog and help them to maintain optimum health.

There are specific fatty acids that dogs must have in their diet as they are unable to make them, which are referred to as essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6.

It is important that these are fed in sufficient quantities. Salmon and anchovies (Can dogs eat fish?) are fantastic sources of the most important omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Omega-6 can be obtained through both animal and plant sources. Both will be found in the best food for dogs.

“It’s not just about the importance of fats and omegas, but also how they are processed. Fats are the key building block of hormones and happiness.

If you process and oxidise them, cancer-forming chemicals are then used to create and form hormones, hair and skin and that is why dogs smell different and have spiky or rough hair when they are fed processed fats. Fat needs to be non oxidised, non processed and non cooked.”

Rowan Sanderson

4. Water / moisture

When looking for the best food for dogs, you should also take water content into consideration. Moisture is an incredibly important aspect of every dog’s diet, helping them to maintain great health and stay hydrated.

Raw food has high levels of moisture content, helping dogs to keep hydration levels up and reducing the likelihood of conditions such as constipation in dogs. It also makes it one of the best foods for dogs with an upset stomach.

5. Key vitamins, amino acids & minerals

As mentioned earlier in this article, dogs get essential amino acids from protein (Can dogs eat raw meat?), which supports healthy skin, hair, tissue repair, muscle development, builds ligaments, cartilage and much more.

All essential amino acids need to be sourced from a dog’s diet, while non-essential ones can be created or flipped from other amino acids.

The best dog food will include a full spectrum of micronutrients, making sure it is a balanced and complete diet. It is vital to make sure dogs are able to absorb all necessary nutrients, whether it is through their diet, or their ability to produce them.

As an example, dogs do not produce their own vitamin D, so rely on their diet to provide this.

The way that nutritious dog food is made and stored plays a key role in how dogs can use the nutrients in their food and the best dog food manufacturers will understand this.

For example, taurine is incredibly sensitive to heat and shelf life, however, Bella & Duke’s processing is industry-leading and ensures optimal levels of taurine. We use frozen ingredients at every stage of the journey to ensure that our raw food never goes above zero degrees in its manufacture. This allows us to create the freshest, and best dog food with all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive.

“In raw food, not only are all the required micronutrients there, but they are bioavailable and are not destroyed by heat processing.”

Rowan Sanderson

6. Free from carbohydrates

Dogs have not evolved to digest many carbohydrates, as they don’t produce amylase in their saliva, meaning they struggle to break carbohydrates down until it is a lot further down the digestive tract.

This causes a rollercoaster of blood sugar and causes insulin to spike. When this happens, it can provoke epileptic seizures, alongside other health conditions.

“Carbohydrates are toxic to dogs, yet they are required to create any form of kibble as it works as a binder. That binder fuses with the protein and can create non-beneficial compounds. It does not play into dogs’ carnivore scavenger-based template of feeding.”

Rowan Sanderson

7. Free from fillers and grains

The best dog food should be nutrient-dense, avoiding any ingredients that do not bring health to your animal. As such, fillers that offer no nutritional benefits should be avoided, as they serve no positive purpose.

It is very important to make sure a dog’s diet is entirely free from grains, otherwise, it can create inflammation and cause health complications.

Many dog foods will claim to be grain-free, but still include ingredients such as peas. This is a major cause for concern, as it is not necessarily the grains that are the issue, but the lectins found in grains.

Ingredients such as rice, peas and chickpeas are loaded with lectins, which are harmful to dogs’ health. As such, grains should be avoided and will not be included in any of the most nutritious dog food.

“Grains are monocots and most Western species of dogs are not evolved to eat these, so it creates leaky gut due to the zonulin response.”

Rowan Sanderson

Why is raw the best dog food option?

As this article has already highlighted, there are many benefits of feeding raw dog food, as opposed to feeding processed alternatives.

Bella & Duke’s raw dog food has been designed specifically to only include ingredients that add nutritional value to your dog’s meal.

It is 100% natural and healthy, as well as being free from grains, fillers and preservatives, giving your dog everything it needs to thrive. These factors make it, in our opinion, the best dog food for those looking to provide their best friend with optimum nutrition.