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Best Dry Dog Food Options For Shiba Inus
With the gazillions of dog food recalls and dog illnesses caused by dog food - it's no wonder that many Shiba Inu owners have absolutely NO idea what to feed our beloved dogs.
We get recommendations from our vet, but then the food gets recalled. Then we switch to another food and that food has health implications.
The whole process is frustrating and worrisome.
Although we often rely on our veterinarians for nutrition advice, we may not realize we are getting the "whole story".
Dog Food Manufacturers Can Influence on The Veterinary Field
Surprisingly, few pet owners know that veterinary institutions can and probably are influenced by the dog food manufacturers (to some degree) in one form or the other.
And this has been going on for decades. You probably got your share of Science Diet recommendations by this time.
What this means to you as a both a pet owner and consumer is that you need to realize industry bias runs rampant in consumerism.
From big pharma companies pitching to physicians to big dog food companies pitching to veterinarians - it's all there.
Does this mean that all dog food corporations are bad?
No, not necessarily.
What this means is that you can't simply rely on potentially biased advice without first doing thorough research on your own.
The one thing you can do to help your Shiba Inu live a long and healthy life is to feed it the best food you possibly can.
And we here at My First Shiba Inu want you to feed your Shiba Inus the best that you can - safely.
While most dog blogs will simply recommend foods that are "best sellers" - we only recommend dog foods that we trust and more importantly - that we research.
In fact, we've been researching Shiba Inu nutrition extensively for the the past four years and have spent an inordinate number of time researching studies, reports, and journals.
So while dry dog kibble is definitely not our first recommendation in feeding a Shiba Inu - you can bet on the stars that the brands we do recommend are likely to be the best and more importantly - safest options you can purchase today.
Is Dry Dog Food The Best Choice For Your Shiba?
No, dry dog food is not the best choice of foods for your Shiba Inu, but it is the most cost efficient and convenient way to feed your dog.
While we at My First Shiba Inu recommend feeding your Shiba Inus fresh human grade food that is properly balanced, we understand not all pet owners have the time or resources to do so.
Therefore the dry dog foods that we do choose, have to be way, way, way ahead of a typical dry dog food option.
In general we never recommend brands from the big mega corporations like Mars, Nestle, Diamond, and Del Monte.
These companies typically value profit over quality and commonly use leftover food products (from their human line) to use for their dog food.
Additionally, these bigger corporations commonly have no problems using meat "meals" made out of by-products.
We only consider dog foods that have human-grade ingredients and no by-products, harmful additives or preservatives.
Of course, we would prefer the food to come from a USDA certified human-grade facility but honestly there aren't many options for dry kibble with that specification.
For more detailed information about different options for feeding your Shiba Inu, click here.
How Much Food Should I Feed My Shiba Inu?
Healthy adult Shiba Inus should intake roughly 20-30 calories per pound of body weight. So a twenty pound Shiba Inu would need about 400 - 600 calories per day.
You would need to adjust the amount depending on your dog's age, activity level, and health. It would be a good idea to ask your veterinarian about you dog's weight so that you can establish a baseline.
We recommend feeding your Shiba Inu twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.
Dry kibble can be dehydrating so ensure that your Shiba Inu drinks a lot of fresh filtered water.
If possible, supplement the dry dog food with fresh colorful vegetables whenever possible.
A scientific study reported that the supplementation of green and orange vegetables helped drastically cut down cancer rates in Scottish Terriers. Read more about the study here.
OUR PICKS: BEST DRY DOG FOOD FOR SHIBA INUS
Open Farm Grass Fed Beef Dry - Our Number #1 Choice
We can confidently say that Open Farm Pets has the one of the best - if not the best, dry dog food in the world.
Period.
There's not many companies that come close to amount of dedication and commitment into offering an ethically made, safe and wholesome dog food. (Another company in this review does, but availability is not good as Open Farm)
This Open Farm beef recipe uses 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef, non-GMO pumpkin and coconut oil.
Their non-GMO veggies and fruits are sourced from local farms and they don't EVER use corn, wheat, soy, grain, by-products, artificial colors or preservatives.
Wow. That good.
Doge. Good.
Naturally, the cost for this dog food is going to be quite a bit higher than other mass market brands like Blue Buffalo or Taste of the Wild.
But for the quality and peace of mind knowing you're giving your dog a safe dog food - it's worth every extra penny.
It's best to find this dog food locally or go straight to their website. You'll get a better bargain if you buy the largest size.
If getting a larger size, we recommend refrigerating the rest in a safe non-BPA container for maximum freshness.
Check out the latest price of Open Farm Dog Food here.
Addiction Pet Foods Viva La Venison Dry Dog Food - - $$$
- SUPPORTS SKIN AND COAT HEALTH: Packed with beneficial probiotics that promote a healthy gut and shining coat for dogs of all life stages, making it ideal for puppies and adult dogs.
- SINGLE PROTEIN SOURCE EXCELLENCE - Venison is our dog food's sole animal protein source. It delivers essential amino acids in every bite, promoting robust muscle maintenance and overall vitality.
- FORMULATED WITHOUT COMMON ALLERGENS: Designed with allergy-prone pets in mind, it eliminates typical ingredients such as wheat, corn, chicken, beef, and turkey to reduce the risk of allergic reaction.
- IDEAL FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: With balanced nutrients and protein-rich venison meat, this dry dog food supports weight management while keeping your pets' energy levels high and their muscles strong.
- PROBIOTIC-ENHANCED DIGESTIVE SUPPORT: Infused with natural probiotics to aid digestion and improve overall gut health, it provides dogs with the essential nutrients needed for a long and healthy life.
Addiction Pet Foods is one of our favorite dog food brands. Located in New Zealand, this company goes to extraordinary lengths to provide a high quality dog food product at a reasonable price.
Addiction Pet Food was founded by a clinical nutritionist and holistic veterinarian. All of their protein sources are humanely raised and free of hormones and antibiotics.
All Addiction Pet Foods products are inspected by the Australian Food Inspection Service. This inspection service is similar but more organized than the USDA.
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient
This Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Dog Food is a good overall limited ingredient pet food choice.
The Wellness Dog Food company is a US based company that manufacturers all of their products within the US.
The company states that all of their ingredients are human grade before processing.
We chose to include this limited ingredient dog food in our list because this formula contains quality food ingredients at a good price point.
This formula contains added flaxseed which is a good supplement for your dog's hair and skin. This food is free of by-products, soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, fillers or artificial additives / colors / flavors.
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Dog Food
Click to Check Current Prices and Purchase:
Carna4 Hand Crafted Dog Food
Carna4 is the other best dry dog food available on the market today.
It's probably also one the most expensive dry dog foods available anywhere.
This revolutionary dog food company uses USDA inspected and approved foods to create a super food that is as close as it can be to a home cooked or raw food diet - with all of the convenience of kibble.
Carna4 incorporates advanced cooking techniques to cook food just long enough so that beneficial "live" nutrients are retained in the food. Additionally, sprouted seeds are added to their formulas to create a nutrient dense food full of fatty acids, enzymes and probiotics.
With so much complex "super" foods in their formula, Carna4 does not to add any additional vitamins or minerals. In fact, if you look at their ingredient label, you will see that it is probably one of the shortest ingredient labels you have ever seen on a dog food product.
The bad?
We think this dog food is too expensive for the majority of dog owners.
Additionally, though my Shiba Inus seemed to loved the taste of the food themselves, some feedback we got from other Shiba owners was that their pooches didn't enjoy the taste or consistency.
Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food -
We all want to feed our Shiba Inus the best possible food we can.
However, not all of us have the budget to feed our dogs the higher priced kibble in this list - especially when we have multiple dogs and pets to feed.
We carefully took that into consideration and did extensive research to find a dry dog food product that was highly nutritious, and most importantly, safe.
This Eagle Pack Natural Dog Food fits the bill and is a great dry dog food option for your Shibas.
This formula received a pretty good rating from Petsumer, an independent pet food review company run by Susan Thixton (truthaboutpetfood.com), a noted advocate for pet food safety.
This dry dog food by Eagle pack contains guaranteed viable probiotics as well as flaxseed. The company states that all of their food sources are sourced in the USA, New Zealand, and Germany.
Check the latest price of Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food here.
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