What is Dry Dog Food?
Dry dog food (aka kibble) is made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives, veterinarian Jamie Whittenburg explains.
They’re then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temps to remove the water content. Dry dog food typically has more carbs. less fat.
Best Dry Dog Food In South Africa
The quality of dog food in South Africa tends to be noticeably poorer than in Western countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
This poorer quality correlates to lower-quality ingredients being used in the recipes and more inadequate nutritional profiles that are low in protein and fat and high in carbohydrates.
However, this is not surprising given that South Africa has a much lower standard of living than the Western world, and many residents can not afford to feed their dogs the expensive foods that many in the West do.
Despite this, there are still imports of premium brands from the United States and Europe. These imports fill an essential niche for those living in South Africa with high incomes.
Best Dog Food In South Africa
Field + Forest Game + Lamb All Breed Adult Review
Field + Forest is a premium dog food brand based in South Africa. It is a sub-brand of Montego, which is one of South Africa’s largest pet food manufacturers. You can read more about Montego here.
Field + Forest’s Game + Lamb recipe is probably their most unique offering. Exotic meat ingredients like those contained in this recipe rarely make it into South African dog food due to their high cost and more challenging sourcing requirements.
Propac Ultimate Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Review
ProPac is owned by the US company Midwestern Pet Foods, which also owns popular brands like Earthborn Holistic and Sportmix. The company was founded almost 100 years ago and so is well established.
ProPac products are aimed at a lower price point than Earthborn Holistic and so produce more cost-effective recipes such as Chicken & Brown Rice. Other examples of lower-cost formulas include Lamb & Brown Rice and Fish & Potato.
Eukanuba Premium Performance Working & Endurance Review
Eukanuba is another massive North American brand with a worldwide presence. Eukanuba is owned by Mars Petcare, which also owns some other well-known and large brands such as Royal Canin, Whiskas, and Pedigree.
Eukanuba has a vast product range back in the United States; however, the range available in South Africa is notably smaller. However, one of the formulas that are available is their Premium Performance recipe.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Review
We discussed ProPac earlier and its more premium sister brand Earthborn Holistic. Earthborn Holistic is notably more expensive than ProPac, but this can be worth the cost.
Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Natural formula is by far the best recipe from their range. The primary driver behind this is the fantastic proportions of protein and fat that the formula provides.
Primitive Natural contains a considerable portion of meat and fish ingredients, which provide very satisfactory levels of protein and fat. Some of these meat and fish ingredients include Chicken, Turkey, and Whitefish.
Hill’s Science Plan Performance Chicken Adult Dog Food Review
Hill’s Science Diet, or Hill’s Science Plan as it is known in South Africa, is another one of the enormous North American dog food providers.
They produce hundreds of unique recipes that cover every possible breed and size of dog you could imagine.
Thanks to its vast size and product range, Hill’s has found it easy to distribute some of its products worldwide, including in South Africa.
The above recipe is just one that you can find in South Africa. We’ve chosen this recipe as it is not tied to a specific breed, and it contains a very generous portion of meat ingredients. This portion of meat ingredients includes a balanced mix of Turkey and Chicken ingredients.
What should a dog’s diet consist of?
Dogs need a lot of nutrients in their diet. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your dog has a healthy diet. Although the prices might be slightly higher, spending a bit more on natural ingredients and fresh meats with a high protein source can help with your pet’s health in the long term and reduce the risk of medical issues.
Dogs mainly eat meat; however, fruits, veggies, and grains are also vital to their diet. These non-meat foods help provide them with vitamins, minerals, and fibers. However, it’s important that these foods can be easily digestible for them.
Restricting your dog to an all-meat diet can drastically impact their well-being. Therefore, they will need to eat wholesome plant-based, and meaty meals.
Nutritional requirements
Dogs require six basic nutrients in their diet. This includes protein, fats, water, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients help a dog’s body properly function. Furthermore, dogs thrive when they are healthy.
It’s always a good idea to check in with your vet for more information. Furthermore, always try and feed your dog the best quality foods. It’s also a good idea to have a look at the ingredients in each meal. Try and find meals that have nutritious and wholesome foods.
Lastly, try and feed your dog a low-calorie diet. Dogs only require around 350 calories per meal. This is mainly due to the fact that they have low energy requirements. Again, you can always speak to your local vet to determine how many calories are required. Alternatively, you can work this out yourself by using the formula below:
30 x weight in kg + 70 = daily caloric needs for dogs.