A truly healthy diet does not only keep dogs alive, it meets their nutritional needs and truly lets them thrive. Outward signs of this include:
- smooth and flexible skin that is free of dandruff, scabs or rashes and isn’t itchy
- clean ears without excessive waxy buildup
- bright eyes with no, or only minimal, clear discharge and no yellow tint to the whites
- a rich, glossy coat without brittle hair that does not shed excessively year-round
- absence of unpleasant body odor and excessively oily/greasy coat
- clear, yellow urine and consistent, firm stools that are free of mucus
- firm, healthy gums without signs of inflammation and clean teeth without much plaque or tartar
Some of the signs also depend on genetics and specific characteristics of the dog’s anatomy, but a healthy diet goes a long way to supporting your dog’s health and avoiding unnecessary vet bills.
Since dogs are animals with a carnivorous background, one of the most important things in their diet is highly digestible protein from quality meat sources. Sadly, most highly advertised "national" brands neither include high-quality ingredients, nor ideal amounts, but instead rely on inexpensive plant-based protein boosters (e.g. corn and rice gluten) and all kinds of byproducts of the human food processing industry.
In dry foods, meat sources in "meal" form (as long as they are not generic but specifically named by species) are not inferior to whole, fresh meats. They have had most of the moisture removed, but meats in their original, "wet" form still contain up to 75 percent water. Once the food reaches its final moisture content of about 9 percent to 12 percent, the meat portion will have shrunk to sometimes as little as one-quarter of the original amount, while the already dehydrated meal form remains the same and you get more concentrated protein per pound of finished product.
Grains, or other sources of carbohydrates, are unavoidable when feeding dry food, and in appropriate amounts they are not "bad" at all. The claim that dogs cannot digest carbohydrates is incorrect – lack of salivary amylase is often cited as proof, but a dog’s pancreas does produce amylase and it works where chemical digestion and nutrient absorption actually takes place – in the small intestine.
Fats and oils are highly digestible, make food palatable, and are an energy dense nutritional ingredient. They are also important for skin and coat health, reproductive efficiency, kidney function, and the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Unlike humans, dogs don’t generally suffer from various diseases related to high fat intake, so restricting fat for no reason, or the wrong reasons, can have a negative impact on a dog’s health.
It is also important to avoid food fractions with little to no nutritional value, synthetic preservatives and stabilizers, unnecessary ingredients like sweeteners and artificial dyes (for example "numbered" colorings, such as Red 40, Blue 2, etc.), and poor-quality supplements.
