As pet owners become more picky about the nutritional content of their puppy’s food, they are increasingly turning to holistic dog food as a solution. But what makes dog food holistic? We’ll help you answer this and many other questions about this somewhat confusing pet food.
What Is Overall Dog Food?
Whole dog food is a balanced food – not only providing optimal nutrition for your dog, but also supporting overall health. The ingredients all have specific uses, from providing high levels of fatty acids for skin and coat health to containing proteins that are easier to digest. Since each dog has different nutritional and health needs, there is significant variation in the type of overall food mixture.
Benefits of Overall Dog Food:
Since overall dog food often comes with additional costs, most dog owners want to better understand its health benefits. Some of these benefits include:
- Better coat health: When a dog’s diet contains healthy supplements like fish oil and fewer fillers, the dog’s coat may shed less and the coat will be shinier.
- Improves skin health: Balanced oils in foods help moisturize the skin and prevent dryness. Fish oil and vitamin E are important ingredients for maintaining overall skin health.
- Enhanced eye health: Overall dog food often contains more antioxidant-rich ingredients, which are beneficial for eye health and overall health.
Optimal heart health: Just like humans, dogs that eat lean meat will have stronger, healthier hearts. Leptin also helps prevent weight gain and related health problems. - Improved digestive health: Dogs’ gut health can benefit from overall dog food, as they often contain probiotics that help healthy bacteria multiply in your dog’s digestive tract.
- Reduced bowel movements: No filler can equal a reduction in waste, resulting in a decrease or decrease in the number of bowel movements. Switching your dog to a whole grain-free diet can reduce bowel movements to once or twice a day.
- More energy: In higher quality foods, nutrients are more easily utilized, providing more energy to your pup. When a dog eats low-quality food, the body must expend more energy to break down the food in order to get the nutrients needed to function, resulting in less energy for play and other activities.
- Fewer allergies: While this is not the case for all dogs, some dogs with allergies thrive on overall and healthier foods.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Is the Difference Between Whole Dog Food and Low Quality Dog Food?
Feeding a dog whole food with low-quality whole grains is like eating at a good restaurant with eating at a fast food chain. Lower-quality dog food options focus on low-cost production, resulting in lower quality ingredients. Similar to people, when eating poor-quality food, overall nutrition is poorer and overall health suffers.
Is Whole the Same as Grain-Free?
Not all whole foods are grain-free, and not all grain-free dog foods are whole. Many people think that all grains are bad for their dogs, but that’s not the case. A small amount of cereals may be beneficial. (The exception to this rule, of course, is for dogs with grain allergies, in which case grain-free foods are the best option).
How Much Does Overall Dog Food Cost?
Just like human food, in most cases, you get what you pay for. Whole food products are of higher quality and human-grade ingredients, so they are more expensive.
Where Can I Buy Whole Dog Food?
If you want to save the most money on overall dog food, the best option is to buy it online. If you decide to buy from Amazon, keep in mind that you can save money when you sign up for a subscription (“subscribe and save”).
Is There Whole Puppy Food?
Some holistic dog food brands offer puppy options. Earthborn’s Holistic Puppy Vantage Dry Dog Food is highly regarded.
What Is the Difference Between Vitality Dog Food and Whole Dog Food?
This question is a bit confusing because there is a brand of dog food for Vitality, while some brands also have products from the Vitality range. Vitality means being strong and active. As a result, any brand can use this term to claim that it helps promote a strong, healthy life. Whole dog food means nutritionally balanced, and often higher-quality ingredients as well.
Is Whole Food the Way Out?
If you want to prioritize your pup’s health, the whole food is a great choice. Another way to prioritize health is to purchase pet insurance and a health plan. These plans can help you pay for your puppy’s care so that they can receive preventative care and treatment as needed.