10 Best Dog Foods in India 2021 (Orijen, Acana, and more)
Do not worry, though, in this article; we shall explain to you all the factors you need to think about while buying dog food, and to make the process of choosing even easier for you, we shall also include a list of the top 10 best dog foods you can buy online in India.
Quick List - Top Dog Food
Farmina
Great for Mini Breed Adults With Sensitive Stomachs and Frequent Allergies
Taste of the Wild
Dog Food With No Artificial Preservatives and Colors
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
How to Choose Dog Food in India 2021 – Buying Guide
Know that Different Breeds Have Different Dietary Requirements
Due to these reasons, larger breeds need to have a diet filled with omega-3, glucosamine, and omega-6 to keep their joints and bones in the best condition, while smaller breeds need a diet rich in protein and fat as well as easily digestible carbs to keep their metabolism running. Big dogs are not too picky about the size of their food, but small dogs tend to prefer small, bite-sized pieces.
Select From - Wet Food and Dry Food
Initially, wet food was the dominant choice of food served to the dogs, but dry food became the more dominant choice for the dogs with time. Majorly owing to ease of storage, better shelf life, and more convenience to serve than wet food. Pet food is also referred to as kibble. The major difference between the two is moisture content; Dry food has around 8-10%, whereas wet food has around 60-90% moisture.
Dry food includes treats like oral chew sticks and meat jerky, amongst other food items. Wet food is good for occasional meals. It is important to give your dog hard and fibrous food as soft food can lead to plaque and tooth decay. If your dog is old and missing teeth or had some jaw-related problem, then wet food should be a priority.
Just Like Us, Little Ones and Adults Have Different Needs
Puppies need many more calories, vitamins, protein, and minerals because they grow and spend a lot more time running around. Older dogs wouldn’t be able to stay healthy with such a heavy diet, though, and need more fatty acids like omega-3, as well as vitamins and minerals like glucosamine and chondroitin to keep their aging bones and joints healthier.
Pregnant and Lactating Dogs Need More Food than Usual to Get Enough Nutrients
Although, once the puppies start weaning, i.e., the transition of the puppy's diet from mother's milk to a solid food diet which happens when they are around 4-8 weeks of age, you must gradually switch back to your dog’s normal feeding routine.
You Need to Check Certain Ingredients Before You Buy
As consumer awareness rises, there are multitudes of factors that one needs to balance before finalizing the right thing. The ingredients used and the nutritional information available at the back of the pack is a strong indicator of what's actually you will be feeding your dog. There is the right information, and there is a right way to evaluate that information. Let's look at that.
Understand How to Identify Good Ingredient List
Man's best friends are omnivorous and can eat vegetables and grains as well, along with meat. There are few essential elements you need to keep in mind when selecting a kibble for your pooch. There's a fine way to find whether the product you are opting for has good ingredients or not. The first five ingredients make up about 65-70% of the dog foods available.
Good products mention the name of the meat added and the composition of it as well. For example, Salmon (70%) A good product shall be a combination of different meats in the top ingredients. A bad dog food formula shall not state the name of the meat clearly and use terms like by-products or a vague term like meat. Avoid such products.
Look For Combination of Meat and Vegetables and Check for the Grains Added
Vegetables and easy-to-digest grains are the main sources of vitamins, minerals, and carbs, and while most vegetables work well in their diets, it is the grains bit you need to be careful about. Look for grains like rice, oatmeal, millet, amaranth, or even vegetables like potato and sweet potato, to fulfill your dog’s carbohydrates requirements, as all of these are easy to digest for dogs.
Do keep in view a grain diet is overall not bad for dogs. There is a perception that dogs should be fed a completely grain-free diet. This doesn't hold unless your dog has allergies; if you're feeding your dog grains already and find their health and fur coat healthy, continue to feed them grains in the diet.
Make Sure There Are No Harmful Preservatives or Colouring Agents
Certain products use natural preservatives, which are much better; natural ones like rosemary extract, green tea extract are added. Do keep a note; some manufacturers use alternate names for some ingredients to hide information.
For example, salty and sugary foods are not good for dogs, but since they act like preservatives too, some companies use alternate names like malt, starch, glucose, galactose, etc., and for salt, sodium carbonate, or sodium nitrate. A healthy tip, ingredients that end with "ose" are sugars and ones ending with "ate" are sodium-based. So keep a keen eye when checking the ingredients.
Stay Away From Ingredients That Aren’t Properly Described
Meat by-products can mean anything from feathers to eyeballs to feet, so we recommend avoiding it or making sure it’s not part of the top five ingredients. The same goes for cereal by-products; they often include grain husks, fermentation waste from mills, and occasionally even wood particles.
You must also stay away from foods that mention “animal” fat, as that term is too vague and could mean recycled fat from unknown sources. Sugar and artificial sweeteners should be limited because just as they add unwanted calories for humans, they do the same for dogs.
Top 10 Best Dog Foods in India 2021
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Orijen Puppy Food All Breeds | | Made for Puppies With 85% Meat and 15% Vegetables | |
2 | Acana Classic Prairie Poultry Dry Dog Food | | Good Dog Food for Different Breeds and Ages | |
3 | Farmina N&D Grain Free Mini Breed Adult Dog Food | | Great for Mini Breed Adults With Sensitive Stomachs and Frequent Allergies | |
4 | Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food - Pacific Stream - with Smoked Salmon | | Dog Food With No Artificial Preservatives and Colors | |
5 | Bruno’s Wild Essentials Sunburn | | Perfect For Lactating Mothers, Puppies, and Rigorously Active Adult Dogs | |
6 | Farmina N&D Low Grain Medium Breed Puppy Food | | Great for Medium Breed Puppies With Sensitive Stomachs and Loose Stools | |
7 | Wag and Love Puppy Bloom (Small & Medium Breed) Natural Dog Food | | Dog Food With Goodness of Chicken and Apple | |
8 | Benevo Adult Dog Food | | Vegan Option for Dogs Allergic to Animal Proteins | |
9 | Wag & Love Adult Vigor, Grain Free Natural Dog Food with Fresh Chicken Carrot & Cranberry | | Goodness of Chicken and Carrot for Adult Dogs | |
10 | Arden Grange Weaning/Puppy Food | | High in Crude Protein and Fat for a Lactating Mother and Her Pups |
Made for Puppies With 85% Meat and 15% Vegetables
Orijen is a Canada-based company creating dog food for dogs of different ages and breeds. This kibble is made for puppies of all breeds. Orijen follows a specific composition for their kibble preparation. 85% of food consists of meat, and the rest 15% is vegetables. Major ingredients of this one are deboned chicken, deboned turkey, eggs, pinto beans, green peas.
Growing pups need good protein, and this one has a good composition with 38% protein. It contains natural preservatives and no artificial ones. As per experts, it is recommended puppies with an active lifestyle should eat this higher level of protein. If your puppy has a sedentary lifestyle and limited physical mobility, you should evaluate other kibbles available.
Good Dog Food for Different Breeds and Ages
Acana and Orijen are different brands from the same company. They both hail from Canada. This kibble, like Orijen, has good quality meat and vegetables, but the composition and preparation differ. The kibble contains no grains but oats. The top ingredients are chicken meal, red lentil, cage-free eggs, lentil: cranberry, blueberry.
The product contains no artificial additives and preservatives. It derives its major protein from animal protein which is good for growing puppies. There are different pack sizes available from 2kg to up to 17kg. Many reviewers have rated the product as highly recommended.
Great for Mini Breed Adults With Sensitive Stomachs and Frequent Allergies
It contains 30% crude protein, which is great for maintaining the high metabolisms of mini breeds and running with lots of energy. The size of this kibble is also perfect, and it isn’t too hard either, so it makes chewing easier for them. Furthermore, it’ll help them remain active, maintain a healthy weight, and make their fur shine!
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food - Pacific Stream - with Smoked Salmon
Dog Food With No Artificial Preservatives and Colors
This dry dog food by Taste of the Wild is a good kibble option for your dog; The product is made in the United States and imported here. The top 5 ingredients of this kibble are Salmon, Ocean fish meal, peas, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
This product contains no grains. The food composition is higher in carbs and low in protein and fat than other similar dog foods. This kibble is ideal for adult dogs. There are different sizes available as well, ranging from 2 kg to up to 18kgs. A good fact about the product it contains no artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
Perfect For Lactating Mothers, Puppies, and Rigorously Active Adult Dogs
Aside from lactating mothers and their litter, this is also highly recommended for adult dogs who are really active, engaging in rigorous physical activity every day. It provides 30% crude protein. Additionally, it helps improve digestion and makes sure that if the dogs are suffering from loose stools, their condition becomes better soon.
Great for Medium Breed Puppies With Sensitive Stomachs and Loose Stools
The kibble size is a bit big, though, so if the puppies are still quite young, they might have some difficulty eating this furthermore, while it is one of the best dog foods, with healthier grains instead of things like corn.
Wag and LovePuppy Bloom (Small & Medium Breed) Natural Dog Food
Dog Food With Goodness of Chicken and Apple
Wag and love is an Indian brand creating good quality dog food for pets. This one is amongst the different food styles available. This packaging contains 2 mini-packs. The packing is storage-friendly. The top ingredients of this kibble are fresh chicken, sweet potatoes, salmon oil, mango, banana, apple.
A feeding chart is provided per weight and age to help you feed the dog his daily requirement. Compared to other brands, it has a good content of proteins constituting up to 31% of the total composition. Many reviewers on different discussion forums have appreciated the quality of food and packaging too.
Vegan Option for Dogs Allergic to Animal Proteins
It does, however, contain corn, so if your dog usually has trouble digesting it, then you should avoid this. It also takes the dogs longer to get accustomed to this dog food compared to others. Furthermore, this kibble is a bit hard, so it could be a bit difficult to chew for older dogs.
Wag & Love Adult Vigor, Grain Free Natural Dog Food with Fresh Chicken Carrot & Cranberry
Goodness of Chicken and Carrot for Adult Dogs
This another product by Wag and Love is for adult dogs, mainly large and giant breeds. Its main ingredients are boneless fresh chicken, peas, chicken fat, flaxseed, banana, carrot, cranberry. The food is sourced from Europe though the company is Indian.
This large pack contains 7 small packs of 500gm each, which helps store and give it good shelf life. There's a feeding guide provided as well to help you feed the dog in the right quantity. We would recommend this product for its good quality and nutritional composition.
High in Crude Protein and Fat for a Lactating Mother and Her Pups
It does have corn as its third main ingredient, and therefore it could be unsuitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs, as corn is harder to digest. Pet owners who bought this kibble have reviewed this as good, and their puppies do like the taste
Check Out Our Dedicated Section for Food and Drinks
If you're looking for something like Chai Patti or Garam Masala, we have built a full section with a comprehensive buying guide for kitchen supplies ranging from regular items to monthly refills.
Summary
The descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.