Why More Pet Owners are Choosing Natural Dog Food

When it comes to caring for our beloved canine companions, more and more pet parents are demanding higher quality, less processed nutrition. The natural dog food movement is rapidly gaining momentum as owners become more educated about the benefits of feeding fresh, wholesome ingredients over diets filled with hard-to-pronounce additives and synthetic ingredients. Let’s take a closer look at why this shift is happening and the advantages of going all-natural with your pup’s menu.

The Problems with Conventional Dog Food

Most mass-produced, economy dog foods are made with a lot of low-quality fillers, byproducts, and heavily processed ingredients to cut costs. While they may meet basic nutritional requirements, they’re often packed with:

• Rendered by-product meals from unspecified sources.
• Artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
• Synthetic vitamins and minerals.
• Genetically modified ingredients.
• Highly refined grains and sugars.

Not only are many of those components difficult to fully digest and absorb, but they may also expose your dog to potentially harmful chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, and more that can accumulate over time.

The Benefits of Natural Dog Food

In contrast, natural dog food from a brand like Nextrition is free from all those artificial additives and uses minimally processed, wholesome ingredients that more closely resemble the balanced, meat-based diet dogs’ digestive systems evolved to handle.

Whole Food Ingredients

Natural dog foods feature recognizable, human-grade whole foods you could find in your own pantry or fridge. High-quality proteins like deboned chicken, turkey, eggs, and fish are top ingredients along with healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

These whole food sources provide complete amino acid profiles, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and natural enzymes in their most bioavailable forms for easier nutrient absorption.

No Risky Chemicals

With natural dog foods your pup is not inadvertently consuming traces of chemical preservatives, dyes, flavors, pesticides, or other synthetic additives that might be toxic in large amounts over time.

Natural brands rely on things like vitamin C, vitamin E, citric acid, and rosemary extract for preserving freshness rather than artificial preservatives. Their flavorings also come purely from natural sources, like real chicken or beef broths.

Gentle, Minimal Processing

Most natural dog food brands use gentler cooking methods, like air-drying, dehydration, or cold pressing, to minimize damage and preserve more of the natural nutrients found in their raw ingredients.

This minimal processing helps retain beneficial compounds like antioxidants, live enzymes, vitamins, and probiotics that can otherwise get degraded or destroyed during harsh manufacturing practices used for most conventional dog foods.

Better Digestion and Absorption

With their wholesome, minimally processed ingredients and complete amino acid profiles, natural dog foods are simply easier for most pups to break down and absorb all those quality nutrients compared to diets with lots of fillers and by-products.

This improved nutrient absorption and digestion can boost your dog’s energy levels, support a strong immune system, promote healthy muscle development, luxurious coat condition, and overall vitality. Many owners also report firmer, less smelly stools when feeding natural diets.

Customizable for Dietary Needs

Natural dog food brands recognize that not all pups do well with the same ingredients. That’s why most offer specialized formulas for dogs with allergies, sensitive stomachs, weight management needs, and other dietary requirements.

Conclusion

While conventional grocery store kibble may be a bit more budget-friendly upfront, an increasing number of pet owners feel the long-term investment in natural dog food pays off through better health, fewer vet visits, and extended longevity and quality of life for their beloved companions. With all the benefits of real, minimally processed nutrition, it’s no wonder the natural pet food trend has so much momentum.