I am so often asked “So, which is the best dog food for my dog?’. It is an excellent question, but one without a quick answer. It is an excellent question because nutrition is top of the list toward keeping your dog healthy, with a strong immune system to avoid many diseases.

[custom_script adID=149]

One of the first things I notice on street dogs and worse on street puppies who have yet to develop their immune system, is their poor coat and skin. Their nutrition is so severely compromised having to survive on whatever they can find, that they quickly fall prey to a host of diseases, including mange coupled with, fungal and bacterial infections. So, if you rescue one of those abandoned pooches, tackle their nutrition head on.

What protects the healthy dog from those diseases since mange mites, fungi and bacteria exist everywhere, is a strong immune system based on good nutrition. So, the first thing I tackle with those little rescues along with the mange medicine goes hand in hand, a greatly improved diet to help combat the skin and coat problems.

Don’t skimp on nutrition; notice I said nutrition, not quantity or calories. We want a healthy dog, not a fat one raised on empty calories. I would liken it to insurance against disease for your dog.

I am long overdue to at least give a cursory study to the quality of the local dog food brands for the benefit of those who need that information. Let me say up front that I in no way am endorsing any particular brand of pet food. We all know there are several available here in Costa Rica and getting more all the time. I did a quick comparison of two local brands that I know of: “Mimados”, and “Ascan”. Even though many pricey American brands are now available here, I limited my study to those two.

The reason for doing that is the fact that I work with a lot of local Ticos without a lot of extra money, and it really isn’t fair to tout the quality of some pricey American brand when their budget can’t meet that luxury. And quite frankly, much smarter people than I have done laboratory in-depth nutritional studies of some of the top and not so top brands of dog food in the states and the results were surprising.

Sometimes some of the more modestly priced pet foods were also ranked the most nutritious. So, dollars don’t necessarily buy the best nutrition. So, having said that, and not really wishing to get another degree in pet food study, let’s keep it simple and go with what we know are facts:

We know dogs are carnivores. Therefore, their protein requirements are relatively high. A nutritional standard for dog food has been established fairly global and that is the food should meet at least 20 percent protein requirement. Actually, in truth, your dog is more “omnivore” (meat and veggies) like we are than strict carnivore like your cat.

So, if you wonder why cat food it more expensive, it is because it should meet a 30% protein content and so costs more. So, knowing that dog food should adhere to the basic dog food standard at least the minimum standard of 20%, you should look for that on the label. It should be very easily visible. Vitamins and minerals are listed separately in the fine print under ingredients. You will find puppy food is higher in protein allowing for their growth and high energy demands.

So, what I did was download a chart from the Internet with basic nutritional requirements for dogs, from protein to vitamins down to trace minerals. Looking at that chart, I took the “ingredients” labels from Mimados and Ascan and began to check off each nutrient as I viewed it and found that both brands were neck in neck in the nutritional requirements.

They both meet each nutritional ingredient as needed by your canine friend. The one slight difference that I noticed was that Mimados listed a 20% protein content for adult dogs whereas Ascan listed 22%. Anyone out there familiar with significant numbers knows that on any given day, those numbers could easily vary plus or minus 2 percent negating that slight difference.

[custom_script adID=155]

Now the unknown in the amount ie — milligram or microgram of say thiamine or vitamin D3 listed on either label is a big mystery. In other words, those ingredients are listed, but without a set quantity per weight. So, that is a huge unknown. Also unknown that I learned in one of my animal nutrition classes is which vitamins (ie Vit. A or Vit E) were perhaps degraded in shipment if the bags sat in a hot truck exceeding a certain temperature. For instance, I learned that Vit A and Vit E and some of the others are very fragile in very hot weather and can degrade rendering them next to useless physiologically.

And another unknown is whether either brand on any given day or period of time actually contains all of those listed ingredients or meets the nutritional standard. After all, those companies know full well they could go for perhaps years “in error” before anyone challenges them, because most customers don’t actually have a lab in their home to check them out.

Also, let me mention that what I am basically considering is an adult dog in their prime. If you have a puppy, pregnant or lactating dog or a senior dog, the requirements are often higher and you should check that out on your own.

[custom_script adID=151]

Okay, so what do we have so far? We have two local pet foods that supposedly equally meet the canine’s nutritional standard. So, how can we be sure that “Fido” or “Benjy” gets the best nutrition we can afford? Feel comfortable purchasing one of the local brands that meet those basic nutritional canine needs. I have used and recommended both. The ingredients you add at home can make the difference between barely meeting the nutritional requirements and seeing your pooch bursting with energy with a silky, glossy coat. I am sure many people can come up with several different “recipes” but for simplification,

I will tell you how I feed our three zaguates. Our most “senior” pooch is a Golden Retriever rescue, “Apache” who is now 14 years old and appears in good health. When I began counting the years on the others, they are also considered “seniors” so they all three need a little extra nutrition because senior dogs like senior people don’t absorb nutrients as they did when they were young. So, actually the “senior” requirements are needed not only by “Apache”, but also by “Tinker Bell” our almost 8 year old little “girl”, as well as “Neblina”, our Akita/Siberian Husky – a 5 year old “baby”.

Just like people, a healthy variety of food not only helps insure no deficiencies, it adds to the feeding pleasure as the guys gather around the doggy dinner table wondering “what’s for dinner?”. As the main ingredient, I personally prefer a dry dog food as the basic ingredient. Reason being is their teeth stay cleaner and as they get older, tooth and gum disease can be a serious medical concern. Getting dog and cat teeth cleaned professionally is difficult out here in ‘the bush”.

To the basic dry dog food, I add at the last minute so the food doesn’t get soggy, any of the following ingredients: Any type of meat (always cooked) you have on hand from your meal or even purchased special for your friend, whether chicken, beef (remember variety is always best) pork, or fish (be careful there are absolutely no bones) and the juices they were cooked in etc.

Let me add something else important at this point. Don’t treat Fido like a garbage can. Don’t just pour whatever leftovers you come across in his bowl. That can end up in very high calorie carbo empty nutrients that just end up making him fatter and not healthier. You know — kind of like us humans J. So be very discriminatory in you selection.

[custom_script adID=150]

Essential oils and fatty acids are extremely important in helping to avoid skin and coat issues such as mange, fungal infections, or bacterial infections. Knowing that good vitamins and minerals are available in veggies, I commonly open a can of peas and carrots and mix a can of tuna (in oil) and give them both a “whiz” in the blender to turn it into a puree. Again, the ingredients I mention are those that are readily available to anyone to purchase locally.

Depending on the size of the dog, they will get a few to half dozen tablespoons of the veggie-tuna mixture mixed with their dry dog food and meat (if I have meat for that meal) otherwise dry food with the veggie-tuna mixture. I have learned that along with high quality protein, essential fatty acids found in tuna oil and some vegetable oils are excellent for keeping the skin and hair healthy. You can add a good tablespoon or two of that oil as well. Also, don’t be afraid to give extra vitamins and minerals to your growing, pregnant, lactating or older dog. Those formulated for dogs are of course best.

So, to encapsulate: Purchase whatever dry food meets those nutritional standards for dogs. Add to that, only nutritious high quality protein, such as meats, eggs (cooked), cheeses, milk, as well as veggies, and please don’t forget the ever important essential fatty acids for skin and coat. Consider supplementing with vitamins and minerals for the dog with higher requirements. Try to vary those additives for nutrition sake and for the pure pleasure of eating. It’s a great insurance toward many years of health with your best friend. Having said that, I wish each of you many happy and healthy years with a friend that just may lay down his life for you!

[custom_script adID=153]

[custom_script adID=97]


Written by Gloria Dempsey. Zoologist in Arenal, Costa Rica.

If you would to contribute to the rescue and care of wildlife in Costa Rica, please send US cashier’s cheques to our Zoologist friend in Arenal Gloria Dempsey:

Gloria Dempsey
5717-28 Nuevo Arenal – Tilaran
Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Or you can email Gloria Dempsey here.

Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?

All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *