When you are a pet parent, you may often ponder how to find the right dog food? Dogs need a balanced diet as their health is dependent on the food that they eat. This means that they should have more than packaged foods, including a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables. Here is a list of the best ingredients you can wish for on your dog’s diet.

1. Meat
The first thing that perhaps comes to mind when we talk about dogs is that meat is one of the essential components to add to your dog’s diet. Dogs are inherently built to eat meat, but each type of dog processes it in different ways. They don’t need only meat as their staple but should have at least 30% of their food supplemented with lean meats. The proteins add to the dog’s healthy weight gain and also build the strength of the muscles and joints, which is essential for when they age.

2. Organ meats
While lean meats add in the muscle-based protein component that your dog needs, you should also add a substantial amount of organ meat, especially when you have a pup in its formative years, the food you feed them is critical to their health in the long run. Adding organ meats to their diet will ensure that they get the required amount of nutrients and vitamins for their organs and system to function smoothly. Instead of picking packaged foods that claim to contain organ meats, look for specific labels that mention organ meats such as kidney, gizzard, liver, or heart.

3. Carbs
The next element that needs the spotlight on a dog’s diet is carbohydrate intake. There are many sources through which you can derive these elements, including vegetables, rice, and fruits. However, make sure you specifically watch out for any wheat, corn, or soy as the quality of these ingredients is lower than you may like and could cause sensitivity issues in your pet. Better choices of carbs could be from berries, pumpkin, kale, and squash.

4. Fats
Like humans, dogs too need their share of fats. This adds to their health significantly as they contribute to the cells in the dog to function properly and even contribute to the healthy coat of a dog. The easiest way to feed your dog fats is to introduce them through the meats. But you can also add them through the use of specific oils such as coconut, flaxseed, sunflower, olive, or fish oil.

5. Fibers
The digestive tract properly functions when it has all the nutrients it requires for its function derived through both the soluble and insoluble fibers. This is an essential element that a dog should have in their diet as it helps maintain a healthy weight while also preventing obesity and any form of anal gland disease.

When you are unsure of how to strike up a good diet for your dog, given that it may have its own needs, you can always check with a vet to make the best plan for them.