Subscribing to blogs is a great way to keep up with the latest information on the topics that pertain to your life. For dog owners, there are thousands of blogs to choose from that help us learn to care for our beloved pets. I spent the week looking for the best dog food blogs on the internet, and I'm excited to share them with you!
I love reading about pet nutrition online, and finding the best dog foods for my canines. One of my favorite things about blogs is that they are all written with a different voice. Some are more informational and dry, while others share information with a bit of humor mixed in. Depending on your own personal preference, you can subscribe to a blog that you enjoy reading.
Did you have time to read last week's column featuring the best blogs for biking with dogs?
The pet food industry is always changing, and there are so many different brands on the market. New diets are always popping up too. For example, did you know that the popular Paleo diet is commercially available for dogs now? Following the best dog food blogs is the easiest way to stay in the know about all things relating to dog nutrition.
9 Best Dog Food Blogs
1. Dog Food Advisor
One of the most well-known dog food blogs is from Dog Food Advisor. The site posts information from their team of experts, including a veterinarian, and they claim to have researched, rated and reviewed more than 4,500 dog food products in the last 8 years.
The blog on their site offers basic information about finding the right dog food for your pet as well as specific information on many of the most common dog food manufacturers. You'll also be able to find details about all the different types of dog food diets available including grain-free, raw, dry kibble, canned moist dog food and many others.
- According to AAFCO, the maximum amount of selenium used in a dog food should not exceed 2.0 mg/kg on a dry matter basis — or about 18 times the recommended minimum of 0.11 mg/kg. And on a caloric basis, the maximum suggested selenium content is 0.57 mg per 1000 calories of food — which is about 19 times the minimum 0.03 mg for the mineral.
2. Truth About Pet Food
Truth about Pet Food is another very helpful blog that offers detailed information on everything to do with dog food. This is a great blog for multi-pet owners to check out, as it doesn't specifically focus on dog food. They also have a lot of great info on cat food. You'll find pet food reviews and informative details about pet food regulations on this blog as well.
I found the answers to some very common questions on this blog too. This particular post explains the difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated food. Many pet parents think that the two diets are essentially one-in-the-same, but that isn't the case.
- It’s impossible for fresh food not to lose some nutrients, whether it’s to cooking, preservation or simply time. With dehydration, contact with heat damages vitamins A & C, which are very heat sensitive. (Vitamin A is also light sensitive, which makes it important to store dehydrated foods in a dark place.) According to the EPA, some foods can be treated with sulfur compounds such as sulfur dioxide to prevent the loss of antioxidants in the dehydration process. (Sulfur dioxide also helps with color retention.) Freeze-dried foods minimize the loss of nutrients – primarily restricted to vitamin C.
3. Only Natural Pet Blog
Only Natural Pet is a pet food manufacturer that bases it's recipes on the Paleo diet for dogs. They also have a very extensive blog that focuses on dog food. Of course, you'll find lots of plugs for their brand of dog food throughout the blog, but you'll also find a lot of well-researched and easy-to-read blog posts.
Many pet owners don't take treats into consideration when thinking about their dog's diet. Unfortunately, that can be a very bad thing. Treats add to your dog's calorie count, and although they make up a very small portion of your dog's food, you need to be very careful about the ingredients that are in the treats you select.
This blog post explains the importance of treat safety.
- From the deadly chicken jerky coming out of China to your everyday rawhide – identifying safe treats for your dog can be a matter of life and death. Most chews look innocent enough, but the truth is these chews are not only unhealthy for our dogs, they can be downright dangerous!
4. The Dog Food Dude
Another of the best dog food blogs come from The Dog Food Dude. He does discuss dog food and dog food ingredients in many of the blogs, but every once in a while he mixes it up with grooming tips, safety tips and silly stories of his own dogs.
There is some great general dog food information on this blog, but the reason I included it on this list is because it shares first-hand information about trying to feed a dog going through chemotherapy. This post discusses how the writer's dog had no appetite while going through treatment, and he shares some of the tips that worked with his beloved canine companion.
- Encouraging Raleigh to eat has been challenging as she went through the chemotherapy protocols, but I developed some good tricks that I'd like to share:
- Lamb Lung Powder – many dogs find Lamb Lung an irresistible treat. Raleigh was no exception, even when she wouldn't eat her food. I pulsed this in the food processor until it was a fine powder and mixed it into her food then topped the food with an additional amount.
5. The Perfect Pet Food
The Perfect Pet Food Blog healthy pet food, treats and nutrition. They give tips on keeping your dog healthy in every way. You'll find entries on everything from winter puppy care to welcoming home a new pet. Obviously, I focused more on the dog food and nutrition entries for this article, but there is a lot of really great information on this blog.
If you've got a frequently asked question like “Which plants are harmful for my dog to ingest?,” you'll find the answer on this blog. You'll also find less common information like this post antioxidants and Vitamin E.
- Antioxidants like vitamin E are crucial to the health of companion animals of any age. They can improve the quality of the immune response and the effectiveness of vaccines in young pets, and help maintain a vital immune system in seniors.
6. NutriSource Blog
Nutri Source is a super premium pet food manufacturer, and they've also compiled a wonderful blog on their website. This is another blog that focuses on all types of pet food, not just dog food. One of the most recent posts gives tips on maintaining a healthy gut.
The topic is specifically pro- and prebiotics and their importance for your dog's digestive health. This post discusses the difference between the two and why they are important to add into your pet's diet.
- Did you know that the interaction between the bacteria that lives in your dog's digestive tract and the rest of its body is one of the single biggest factors that dictate your pet's health? Extensive research in digestive health has proven that most disease situations originate from a compromised immune system, which you probably already know, or the malfunctioning of the GI (gastrointestinal) tract, which I didn't know.
7. Petnet Blog
Petnet is a pet technology company. They specialize in smartfeeders and smartbowls. So it kind of makes sense that they would offer a blog on their website that educates pet parents about dog food and nutrition. They also feature a Pet of the Week.
A post from late last year discusses how much water a dog needs and one post explains whether or not Thanksgiving turkey is okay for a dog to eat. One important topic that is covered in this blog is pet obesity and the importance of proper nutrition when trying to keep your dog at an ideal weight.
- October is Pet Obesity Awareness month. Recapping to our previous blog discussion about how a few extra pounds on a dog or cat can be life changing, we created a video to help you understand the perspective of how just a little bit of over feeding can accumulate and end up with a fat pet.
8. Just Food for Dogs
Have you ever wondered if rice was bad for your dog or how to make homemade food for your dog? You can learn that and more from this blog by Just Food For Dogs. They offer seasonal tips and information about their pet food line as well, but for the most part it is focused on dog food and canine nutrition.
- This is a reminder that even today, seven years after the recalls of 2007, very little has changed in regards to federal rules and regulations that govern pet food manufacturing and the use of feed (animal) grade ingredients. No FDA mandated testing has become required or law. The industry remains largely self-regulated.
9. Poisoned Pets
The last blog to make my list of the best dog food blogsis called Poisoned Pets. I know that sounds a little morbid, but there are a lot of unhealthy pet food options on the market and it's important that dog owners educate themselves about the common ingredients found in commercial dog food that can be very harmful to their dog's health.
This blog offers information on recalls in the industry as well as the scoop on what is going on with regulations in the pet food industry. They also inform consumers about many of the negative things that happen in pet food manufacturing that they probably don't know about.
- Decomposition of animal tissues begins the moment slaughter takes place, and some time is needed to get these materials into the rendering process. Decomposition is not always a negative for product quality and food safety. The rendering process effectively “re-sets the clock” by processing raw materials including offal, outdated meat, and fallen animals that may be deemed filthy, putrid, or decomposed substances with respect to human food into safe, wholesome, and useful feed ingredients for animals.
