What’s The Healthiest Food For Dogs

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

Look around the internet and you’ll find hundreds of sites talking about what food is best for your dog. Most of them will tell you that a raw food diet is the best. And while the healthiest diet for your dog would be a raw diet, it’s much harder than you might think to have a dog on a raw diet. It requires quite a bit of commitment, planning, money and skill. So if like me, your life just isn’t quite as regimented as it needs to be to cope with regular meal preparation — then leaves you feeling guilty that you are providing your dog with less than the best. But all is not lost. There is hope!

If you have a dog, you’ll know how important it is that you feed it the best quality dog food possible. Dog’s have very sensitive stomachs and can end up with all sorts of health problems if they’re not fed a high quality diet. This article will tell you which foods are the healthiest for your dog, by looking at different factors like protein content, fat content, saturated fat content and carbohydrate content. If you’re interested in learning about why these factors are important, or how to ensure your dog is getting adequate nutrition, then please read on.

Dog food. Its a topic that makes most people cringe and others have no idea what it’s all about. Truth be told, you could throw a stick at a dozen dog owners and get a dozen different answers on the healthiest dog food. Here are some quick facts that are important to know:

What’s The Healthiest Food For Dogs

1. Bone Broth

Bone broth provides such tremendous benefits for your dog. It’s literally a healing potion.

What is bone broth exactly? It’s bones, simmered low for several days with apple cider vinegar. This slowly breaks down of all of these nutrients, making them extremely bioavailable to the body.

Benefits of bone broth:

  • Improves digestion and helps heal “leaky gut” – All disease starts in the gut (autoimmune, allergies, asthma, chronic inflammation)! Gelatin soothes and repairs the mucosal lining to help seal the gut barrier, which can become damaged and allow toxins into the blood stream. Gelatin assists the breakdown of proteins and fats from food, making them easier to digest.
  • Assists in detoxing the liver – Glycine is a powerful precursor for the production of glutathione, a powerful detoxifier. The liver is such a hard-working organ – it does a lot for the body. It’s most important job is to detoxify those things that our dogs are exposed to that the body has to clear. It flushes out chemicals, hormones and waste. It also provides minerals, acids and electrolytes that boost the detox process.
  • Reduces inflammation – Glycine and proline are powerful anti-inflammatories.
  • Alleviates joint pain – Recent studies show that the components of bone broth can provide relief from joint pain.
  • Strengthens bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments – Glycine is important for building muscle strength. It prevents the breakdown of proteins in muscle tissue and preserves it (which helps prevent atrophy in aging dogs). The collagen contains proline, glucosamine and chondroitin which support cartilage and cushion the joints.
  • Provides minerals and increases their absorption – Bone broth is rich in macro-minerals (calcium and phosphorus) and trace minerals (magnesium and zinc). Bone broth helps with the absorption of these minerals.
  • Boosts the immune system – Gives the body tools to boost antioxidant activity which helps to fight infections.
  • Improves skin health – Collagen builds strong skin and protects the skin from aging.
  • Supports brain function – Glycine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain. Bone broth helps improve cognition and memory and promotes better sleep.

You can make your own bone broth or buy it from many specialty pet stores.

[RELATED] Want an easy recipe for bone broth? Here it is.

2. Raw Goat Milk

Raw milk (unpasteurized) is one of the most nutrient-rich foods around. Just take a look at the nutrient profile:

  • Fat soluble vitamins A, D and K2
  • Healthy fats: Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) and Omega-3s
  • Probiotics and digestive enzymes
  • Protein/amino acids
  • Immunoglobulins
  • Minerals and electrolytes: calcium, magnesium, potassium

There are many health benefits of raw milk. It’s been shown to strengthen the immune system and reduce allergies. Thanks to the probiotics and digestive enzymes it’s great for gut health. It can even help to repair leaky gut and promotes better skin health.

What about cow milk? While there are many factors in cow milk that I like, I prefer goat milk. Goat milk is:

  • Less allergenic – lower in lactose content
  • Easier to digest and absorb because the fat globules are smaller
  • Higher levels of MCTs (30-35% in goat milk vs 15-20% in cow milk)
  • Higher levels of vitamin A, zinc and selenium

In general, I recommend about ¼ cup per day for small dogs, ½ cup per day for medium dogs and ¾ cup per day for large dogs. Start out with smaller amounts and work up to these amounts.

3. Organ Meats

No matter what you feed, be it commercial raw, homemade meals or something else, organ meat is a crucial component of the diet. Many commercial diets and home cooks will follow the 80-10-10 rule (meaning 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meats), but I like a bit more than that.

Organs and glands are nutrient dense. This includes the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas, brain, stomach (tripe) and heart. Liver and other organ meats are strength builders (also known as blood builders). In Traditional Chinese Medicine they’re called blood tonics. And we know that carnivores prioritize the organs – they go for the organs first.

Here are some of the organ meats that you should try to include in your dog’s diet:

  • Liver: vitamin A, B, iron, folate, zinc, amino acids, ribonucleic acid. Research shows it’s great for building strength and endurance
  • Kidney: vitamin A, B12, riboflavin, iron
  • Heart: CoQ10, vitamin B12, amino acids, collagen
  • Adrenal glands: vitamin C
  • Brain: omega-3, selenium, zinc, vitamin B12
  • Tripe (green, not bleached): digestive enzymes, probiotics, selenium, zinc, vitamin B12

**Try to get organ meats from organic, pasture-raised animals.

4. Eggs

Eggs are considered a nutritional powerhouse. They’ve been called the most complete protein and are literally 100% bioavailable. And they’re so easy to add to your dog’s diet.

They provide:

  • High quality protein and amino acids
  • Vitamins A, D, E complex B vitamins
  • Omega-3s
  • Antioxidants
  • Calcium, selenium, zinc

One of the things eggs are most beneficial for is cardiovascular health, so don’t buy into the hype of the last few decades that say eggs aren’t good for your heart! The cholesterol in eggs actually regulates cholesterol in the body. And the brain and liver rely heavily on cholesterol for normal function. They’re also good for eye and skin health.

Try to find free range eggs. Cage-free isn’t the same as free-range so shop carefully!) Free range eggs have twice as much omega-3, 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta-carotene, 60% more vitamin A and are 98% less likely to carry salmonella!

Raw eggs are fine. For a large dog, an egg a day is good and for smaller dogs go with maybe half an egg. Or, go with every other day – whatever makes you comfortable.

5. Omega-3 Oils

For omega-3 oils, I recommend feeding small, oily fish on a regular basis.

There are many health benefits to this including:

  • Brain food
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Joint support
  • Kidney function
  • Heart health
  • Skin and eye health

Sardines and anchovies, as very small fish, haven’t had time to accumulate the toxins found in larger fish. They’re cleaner and offer an amazing source of omega-3s. And stay away from farm-raised fish.

Oily fish can be rich, so start with smaller amounts first and work your way up. For smaller dogs, you can start with ½ a sardine per day, and for larger dogs work up to as much as a tin every other day.

Other sources of omega-3 oils:

  • Krill oil – really bioavailable, but it’s over-fished so it’s not great for the environment
  • Calamari oil – this has the highest concentration of DHA and EPA and it’s the most sustainable with the least negative impact
  • Cod liver oil – comes from the liver of the fish. It’s a rich source of DHA, EPA, vitamin A and vitamin D

Leave a Comment