Different dog owners feed different types of foods to their pet dogs. Some prefer feeding home cooked dog food, some prefer raw food diet, while some dog owners prefer feeding their dogs with commercially manufactured dry dog food. These foods are less expensive than semi-wet or wet dog foods. Along with being cheaper, this food is also about 60% to 90% more nutritious than canned dog foods. The only downfall about dry dog food is that, most brands contain higher percentage of low quality fillers like corn and wheat and lower percentage of meat. The best thing that you can do to avoid purchasing such products is, to check for the reviews prior to the purchase.

Dry Dog Food Ingredients

You always need to examine the ingredients that might prove harmful for your canine, in the long run. The list of harmful ingredients includes: additives like glyceryl monostearate, phosphoric acid and propylene glycol; binders like corn gluten and wheat gluten; coloring agents like Blue 2 (artificial color), Red 40 (artificial color), Yellow 5 (artificial color), Yellow 6 (artificial color) and titanium dioxide; carbohydrate sources like cereal food fines, brewers rice, feeding oatmeal, grain fermentation solubles, maltodextrins, potato products (like peeling, pieces and culls), soy flour; fat sources like animal fat, lard, beef fats, poultry fat, vegetable oil; flavoring agents like animal digest, flavor and glandular meal; fiber sources like cellulose, corn cellulose, oat hulls, peanut hulls, rice hulls, soybean mill run, wheat mill run and corn bran.

While healthy dog food should also be free from fruits and vegetables like grape, apple pomace, and citrus pulp; other preservatives like Butylated Hydroxysanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Gallic Acid or Propyl Ester (Propyl Gallate) and Ethoxyquin; protein sources like blood meal, chicken byproduct meal, beef meal, bone meal for dogs, corn distillers dried grains with solubles, corn germ meal, fish meal, liver meal, meat meal, pork meal, soybean meal; supplements like mineral oil, bone phosphate, yeast culture, salt, yeast fermentation solubles; artificial sweeteners like corn syrup, cane molasses, fructose, sorbitrol, sugar, Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate and vitamins like vitamin K3 and synthetic vitamin K. The best dog food must contain 40% meat + 50% vegetables + 10% carbohydrates. If it is hard for you to find dog food without these above mentioned ingredients, then you better opt for home cooked food.

Dry Dog Food Ratings

Since there are a host of dog food brands, it really gets tough for a pet owner, to zero down the best dry dog food. You can find dog food as per the specifications that you mention. For instance, you can find organic dog food, natural dog food, diabetic dog food as well as gluten free dog food as well as holistic dog food.

Orijen
Orijen is one of the most popular types of premium dry dog food. Along with being a high grade dry food, it also contains about 70% meat and 30% vegetables and fruits. The best thing about this product is that it doesn't contain carbohydrate (grains). It also claims to have natural ingredients that maintain utmost dog health.

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
This is yet another favorite kind of dry dog food for the two reason. First up, it is pretty inexpensive and secondly, it contains some top dog foods like turkey, chicken, chicken meal and turkey meal along with brown rice and whole grain white rice.

Blue Buffalo
The Blue Buffalo dog food is made of adult chicken and whole grain brown rice. It provides high quality protein and amino acids to your pet, along with complex carbohydrates, that are easy to digest. While vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and garlic are very beneficial as well.

Canidae
Canidae's new formula for all life stages, grain free chicken, turkey, lamb and fish is pretty popular and gets maximum dog food ratings as well. This food offers amino acids and proteins. The best thing about this dry dog food is that, it's totally fillers free and it contains human grade meat, which is extremely healthy.

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance
Natural Balance Ultra Premium dry dog food is made for both puppies and adult dogs. It is mostly suitable for all dog breeds and all life stages of dog. It contains crude forms of protein, fats, fibers, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids and several healthy vitamins like vitamin B complex and vitamin A.

Other Brands

Mentioned above were some of the best dog foods on the market. Here are some other brands of dry dog food that you can try for your dogs:
  • Pro Plan
  • Pedigree Mealtime
  • Purina
  • Diamond
  • Nutro
  • Wellness Core
  • Eagle Pack
  • Eukanuba
  • Timberwolf Organics
  • Royal Canin
  • Nature's Variety
  • Life's Abundance
  • Science Diet
  • California Natural
  • Iams
  • The Honest Kitchen
  • Pinnacle
If you are not satisfied with the above ratings, then you can also learn how to make homemade food. I hope the information in the above article is found useful in the quest of the best and healthy dog food for your beloved pet! All the best!