It's no secret that what we feed our dogs profoundly affects their overall health, well-being, and longevity. Just as we pay close attention to the nutrition in our own meals, it's equally important to provide our dogs with a balanced, nutrient-dense diet. Yet, navigating the dog food world—from ingredient lists and labels to marketing claims—can be overwhelming.
By considering some key factors, you can make confident, informed decisions about what goes into your dog's bowl, whether it's organic dog food, grain-free options, or another type of healthy dog food.
1. Key Nutrients for a Balanced Diet
Dogs require six main categories of nutrients to thrive: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and water. Of course, the ideal proportions of these categories depends on your dog’s age, health condition, activity level, and breed.
Proteins: Crucial for building and maintaining muscle, bones, skin, and coat. High-quality proteins—from sources like chicken, turkey, beef, or fish—should form the backbone of any premium dog food.
Plant-based proteins, such as those derived from pea or rice protein powders, can also provide a balanced and nutritious option in vegetarian dog foods. When carefully combined to meet essential amino acid requirements, these plant-based alternatives can be just as effective in supporting your dog's growth, repair, and overall health.
Fats: Provide essential fatty acids that support skin and coat health, aid brain function, and serve as a concentrated energy source. Getting the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids reduces inflammation and promotes overall health. Non-organic dog food often comes from livestock fed a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to a fatty acid imbalance.
You can find a more natural balance of these fats by choosing organic dog food.
Carbohydrates: While not strictly essential, complex carbohydrates offer a slow-release energy source that helps maintain stable activity levels. Good examples include sweet potatoes, oats, brown rice, barley, and peas, all of which also deliver fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Too many simple carbohydrates (refined grains or sugars) can contribute to weight gain or erratic energy spikes.
Carbohydrates in a dog's diet also spare proteins for growth and repair instead of energy needs. A carbohydrate-to-protein ratio ranging from 2:1 to 3:1 is recommended.
Fibre: Supports healthy digestion and helps regulate bowel movements. Vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens—as well as whole grains—are good sources of fibre for dogs.
Ideally, fibre content should range from about 2% to 5%. Higher fibre levels can be beneficial for weight management or specific digestive issue.
Vitamins and Minerals: Micronutrients that bolster immune function, bone health, metabolism, and overall well-being. There’s over twenty-five of these to make a complete dog food.
Beware that to Dog food labels often list "ash," referring to the inorganic residue left after the food is burned for its mineral content (e.g., calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium).
Water: It goes without saying that dogs should always have access to fresh clean water. It helps with not only hydration but also digestion and temperature regulation.
2. Decoding the Ingredient List
When examining a dog food's ingredient list, keep the following guidelines in mind:
Named Proteins First: Look for a named whole protein (like chicken or lamb) at the top of the ingredient list of a high-quality dog food rather than "meat by-product".
Avoiding Fillers and Artificial Additives: High-quality dog foods avoid fillers and artificial additives, so steer clear of products packed with artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, or unnecessary sweeteners. Kibble, for instance, is often highly processed and may include additives for extended shelf life.
The Misconception of Grain-Free Diets: While grain-free options have gained some popularity, grains such as oats, brown rice, and barley do provide essential nutrients, fibre, and energy. Unlike wolves, a dogs' ability to digest food has evolved over thousands of years of eating with their human masters.
Dogs are generally well adapted to digesting grains—unless they have a diagnosed grain intolerance (approximately 1% of dogs). Some recent research links certain grain-free dog foods to heart issues, as these diets often replace grains with lower-quality fillers. As always, consult your vet if you suspect your dog has grain sensitivities.
Accounting for Moisture: As-Fed Vs. Dry Matter: Many dog food labels use an "as-fed" basis, which means the nutrients (like protein, fat, and fibre) are measured after the food is fully prepared—including the water. Because dry foods have very little water, they may look higher in nutrients than fresh foods that contain more moisture.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that on a per serving basis they're truly more nutritious—it's just the water content in fresh making the numbers look different. Once the water is removed, a serving of fresh food could easily have twice as much protein as kibble (see example in Footnote 1 at the end of this post).
3. Choosing the Right Type of Food
The market offers several types of dog food:
Kibble (Dry Dog Food): Often considered convenient, cheap, and long-lasting, kibble can provide complete and balanced nutrition for the short term, but the use of ingredient processing could make it a comparatively poor choice for long-term health.
Canned (Wet) Dog Food: Often more palatable and with a higher moisture content, canned foods can help picky eaters. However, the processing still makes it a comparatively poor choice for long-term health.
Fresh, Cooked, Organic Dog Food: Fresh and cooked, particularly organic dog food, is one of the best choices for pet parents looking for unprocessed meals with high nutritional value.
Fresh organic dog food retains more nutrients, has no artificial additives and is free from pesticides. These diets are easy to digest and can contribute to improved energy levels, shinier coats, and overall long-term health.
Fresh, Cooked, Non-Organic Dog Food: After fresh, cooked, organic dog food, the next best thing is fresh and cooked dog food.
However, these dog foods can also contain pesticides and can be high in omega-6. and contribute to poor livestock treatment and soil erosion.
Read our previous blog to learn more.
Raw Dog Food Diets (including freeze-dried): Some owners prefer raw dog food to feed something akin to what dogs ate in the wild thousands of years ago. However, dogs have adapted during thousands of years of living with humans.
Raw dog food presents risks, especially for babies, seniors, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems in your household. Raw food may contain harmful bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, which pose health risks to dogs and humans alike. Raw meat can also contain bacteria such as Toxoplasma, leading to toxoplasmosis in fetuses. Careful handling, storage, and sourcing of raw dog food is essential.
4. Life Stage Considerations
Just as a human child's nutritional needs differ from those of an adult, your dog's requirements change over time:
Puppies: Need lots of calories and nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, and phosphorus to support their growth.
Adults: Require a well-rounded diet that supports their long-term health.
Seniors: Need fewer calories and may require different nutrient balances to support various conditions.
Pregnant or Lactating Dogs: Require significantly higher calorie and nutrient intake.
Working Dogs: Need a diet high in protein and fats; requirements vary based on level/type of activity.
5. How We Can Help Decide Needed Dietary Adjustments
At Bear & Birdy, we create a complete and balanced meal plan for your pet based upon the numerous criteria you provide to us when ordering. This includes age, health condition, activity level, and breed. We specialize in coming up with the right mix to suit your dog’s needs. We can work with your veterinarian too.
6. FEDIAF and UK Dietary Guidelines for Dogs
The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) establishes nutritional guidelines for dogs in Europe and the UK to meet their dietary needs across life stages. These guidelines are based on the latest scientific research, practical feeding trials, and canine health and metabolism data. The guidelines specify the minimum and maximum values of essential nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Choosing FEDIAF-compliant dog food ensures your dog receives a balanced and safe diet.
7. Gradual Changes and Monitoring
If you switch your dog's food, do it slowly over 7–10 days to avoid digestive upset. Monitor your pet's weight, energy levels, and stool quality during the switch.
Conclusion
Understanding dog food nutrition involves recognising which nutrients fuel your dog's body and appreciating how various factors—from organic and fresh-cooked options to life stage requirements—may influence their health. Whatever you feed your dog, the goal remains: to provide a balanced, nutrient-rich diet that supports a long, happy, and healthy life for your best friend.
Footnotes
- When we measure nutrients on a DM basis, we first subtract the food's water. This gives the percentage of a nutrient as if there were no water at all.
For example, if a fresh food is labelled with 5% protein and 80% moisture, it works out to:
Meanwhile, a kibble labelled with 10% protein and 10% moisture, works out to:
Once the water content is removed, the fresh food had more than twice as much protein.
References
Alho, A. M., Lima, E., Clemente, L., Cunha, R., Pinto, M. L., & Matos, A. J. F. (2022). Concerns and interventions about the potential transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria by raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) in dogs and cats. Microorganisms, 10(7), 1354. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071354
Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). (2024). Nutritional guidelines for dogs. AAFCO Official Publication. https://www.aafco.org
Case, L. P., Carey, D. P., Hirakawa, D. A., & Daristotle, L. (2010). Canine and feline nutrition: A resource for companion animal professionals (3rd ed.). Mosby.
European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). (2024). Nutritional guidelines for dogs. https://europeanpetfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FEDIAF-Nutritional-Guidelines_2024.pdf
Food Standards Agency (FSA). (n.d.). Raw pet food. https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/raw-pet-food
Gross, K. L., Wedekind, K. J., Cowell, C. S., Schoenherr, W. D., Jewell, D. E., Zicker, S. C., & Hand, M. S. (2010). Nutrients. In M. S. Hand, C. D. Thatcher, R. L. Remillard, P. Roudebush, & B. J. Novotny (Eds.), Small animal clinical nutrition (5th ed.). Mark Morris Institute.
National Research Council (NRC). (2006). Nutrient requirements of dogs and cats. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10668
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2022). FDA investigation into a potential link between certain diets and canine dilated cardiomyopathy. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy
World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). (2021). Raw meat-based diets for pets (WSAVA Global Nutrition Toolkit). https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Raw-Meat-Based-Diets-for-Pets_WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit.pdf
