Medically reviewed by Dr. Catherine Nicolaou, DVM.
As a doting pet parent, you want the very best when it comes to feeding your dog but with the onslaught of choices at supermarket shelves and e-marketplaces, do you really know what ingredients are making their way to your dog’s bowl?
In the times of GMO food, we can’t stress enough about the importance of a diet with minimal artificial ingredients – additives, preservatives, and fillers. This is as true for humans as for dogs.
How to read dog food labels?
Avoid dog food that includes: significant preservatives – sugar and high salt (like propylene glycol, BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin) and dyes (added to give colour). A portion of healthy dog food will include meat for protein, vitamin-packed vegetables and fruit, and omega fatty acids for a shiny coat. It would have fewer fillers such as corn, wheat, and soy.
Dog nutrition as per the life stage of the dog
For pet food to be “complete and balanced,” it must meet nutritional guidelines as per the dog’s life stages.
Puppies and kittens need higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and calories to help their bodies grow.
Puppies require about 25-per cent protein in their meals, along with vitamins, minerals, and essential Omega 3 & 6 oils. These ingredients will help your puppy develop a strong brain, good joints, and a healthy coat. (You may consult your vet for breed-specific requirements).
Puppy meals must provide for:
- Well-balanced nutritional analysis that is fit for a puppy
- Small, easy to chew kibble
- High-calorie count
Adult dog food
Similarly, adult dogs tend to have a sedentary lifestyle as they age, the nutritional supplement they need must aid their bone health, bodyweight, large breed (or short breed) etc. About 18 per cent of protein content suffices for their needs.
For senior dogs with joint issues or arthritis, try opting for food ingredients that will help supplement good joint mobility without causing them further pain.
Foods with the below ingredients can help reduce inflammation in your dog’s joints.
- Zucchini
- Lettuce
- Apples
Pregnant and nursing pets also need additional vitamins and calories than other pets.
Food recommendations for dogs with urinary issues
Some dogs may be prone to getting urinary tract infections, or bladder stones if you aren’t careful. A dog’s diet can help foster good urinary tract health:
- Opt for slightly acidic food. (cranberries can help).
- Diet with a low protein, phosphorus, and magnesium content helps prevent large bladder stones from forming.
- Light salt content to help encourage your dog to drink more, which is great to help urinary health.
Dry dog food
Dry dog food, also known as kibble, is a convenient and shelf-stable option for feeding your furry friend. These crunchy nuggets are packed with essential nutrients like protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, formulated to support your dog’s overall health and well-being. Dry dog food comes in a variety of formulas to cater to different life stages (puppy, adult, senior), breeds (giant, small), and activity levels (active, less active). By understanding your dog’s unique needs, you can choose a dry dog food that fuels their playful spirit and keeps them happy and healthy.
Not all dry dog food is created equal. Go beyond online listings to decipher ingredient quality:
- Protein Source: The building block of muscles! Look for high-quality protein sources.
- Carbohydrates: Energy for adventures! Complex carbohydrates like whole grains are preferable to simple carbohydrates.
- Fats: Healthy skin, coat, and energy! Look for sources like chicken fat, salmon oil, or flaxseed oil.
- Fiber: Aids digestion and promotes gut health.
Diet does extra work in the monsoon, when stomach upsets are common — see our monsoon dog-care guide for seasonal feeding tweaks.
Homemade dog food
The distinct advantage of preparing your dog’s meal yourself is that you know exactly the source as well as the quality of the ingredients. If you are opting for homecooked meals for your pet instead of commercial options, please ensure that it contains protein, fibre, and carbohydrates.
Wet dog food
Looking to add some moisture and variety to your pup’s diet? Wet dog food might be the perfect pawsome pick! Packed with succulent meat in yummy gravies, stews, or patés, wet food boasts a delectable flavor that can tempt even the pickiest eaters. But beyond the drool-worthy appeal, wet food offers a hydration boost, which is essential for senior dogs or those with urinary tract issues. It’s also generally lower in calories than kibble, making it a great choice for weight management. So, if you’re looking to tantalize your canine companion’s taste buds and support their overall health, consider incorporating wet food into their daily meals!
Best Dog Food For Overweight Dogs
We’ve all had a little extra weight on ourselves at one time or another, and dogs are no different. Like humans, some dogs are just prone to being overweight. From thyroid problems to overeating, there are many reasons that dogs gain too much weight.
Dog food for overweight dogs
Adjusting your dog’s diet and ensuring exercise regimen can go a long way in ensuring the prime fitness of your furry friend. If the weight gain is sudden and there’s uneven growth/lump in the body, please take your vet’s opinion.
While fixing your dog’s diet to help him lose weight, look out for foods which are:
- Rich in protein
- have less fat content and calories
Herbs good for dogs
- Jambira (Citrus Limon) is a natural deodorizer that has a refreshing citrus fragrance and is great for your dog.
- Aloe Vera is as good for your dog as for you. It can be applied in case of minor burns, skin irritation, etc.
- Ushira (Vetiveria zizanioides) is a root that has insect repelling properties.
- Tulasi (Ocium basilicum) is a herbal antiseptic and antibacterial which soothes and cools your pet’s coat.
- Calendula flowers have anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties and can be used to treat wounds.
- Ginger is effective to treat your dog’s upset tummy.
- Neem (Nimba) relieves itching, redness, and irritation. It combats bacterial and fungal skin infections, thus improving immunity against skin infections.
- Eucalyptus (Tailaparni) has antiseptic and germicidal properties, which keep insects at bay and promote overall skin health. The essential oil of Eucalyptus also heals superficial cuts and wounds quickly.
Dog food: what the market is not telling you
The Indian pet food market has more names on the shelf than it did five years ago. Domestic brands, imported brands, names with veterinarians on the packaging and names with film stars. Most of the money in those bags went into marketing and distribution, not the food inside. Pet store distributors in India take 20 to 25 percent on every bag sold. Amazon and Flipkart run north of 30 percent. Someone is paying for all of that. It is you.
Wet food has real health benefits: better hydration, easier on senior dogs with dental issues, useful for picky eaters who do not drink enough water. It is also expensive by design. More than 70 percent of what is in that pouch is water. You are paying to transport water across a supply chain.
Kibble is the default for most Indian pet owners. It is ultra-processed and carbohydrate-dense. Dogs did not evolve on carbs. That is not an argument against kibble. It is an argument for reading what is in the bag before a celebrity with a dog on Instagram makes that decision for you.
Large corporations own stacked portfolios of pet food brands, tiered by price point and packaging. The research rigour does not always follow the price tier. A veterinarian’s name on the front does not guarantee the formulation was reviewed by one.
How to read pet food labels in India
India does not have a statutory body that strictly governs pet food labelling. FSSAI covers human food, not pet food. BIS has IS 16098 standards for pet food but compliance is voluntary. Most reputable imported brands follow AAFCO or FEDIAF guidelines by choice. Many domestic brands do not. This matters when you are standing in a pet store.
What the product name tells you
In markets that follow AAFCO guidelines, a product simply named “Chicken Dog Food” must contain at least 95 percent chicken by weight. If the name uses a qualifier like “Dinner,” “Formula,” or “Entree,” the named ingredient only needs to make up 25 percent of the product. “With Chicken” can mean as little as 3 percent. “Chicken Flavour” may mean no real chicken at all, only a flavouring agent.
India has no mandatory equivalent of these rules. A domestic brand can name a product “Chicken Dog Food” with no minimum chicken content. The label is where you find the truth, not the front of the bag.
The ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by weight, heaviest first. Fresh chicken appears near the top because it contains water. Chicken meal, which is chicken with the water removed, is lighter but more protein-dense per gram. A product listing fresh chicken first and chicken meal third may still get most of its protein from the meal. The first five ingredients tell you most of what the product actually is.
Watch for ingredient splitting. If a label lists ground corn, corn gluten meal, and corn bran as separate entries, corn is effectively the primary ingredient even if it does not appear first. This is a standard way to make a carb-heavy product look protein-forward on the label.
Ingredients worth knowing
Carrageenan is a seaweed-derived thickener common in wet food. Current scientific consensus considers it safe, but it appears in more products than most people realise. Artificial preservatives like BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin appear in lower-priced dry food ranges. Natural preservatives like tocopherols (vitamin E) are less contested. Unnamed meat meal or animal by-product meal without specifying the species is a prompt to look more carefully at the rest of the label.
“Complete and balanced” in India
In countries following AAFCO or FEDIAF standards, this claim requires meeting defined nutritional minimums and specifying the life stage the food is formulated for: puppy, adult, senior, or all life stages. In India, this claim is not legally regulated for pet food. A bag can say “complete nutrition” without meeting any standardised benchmark. If a brand does not state which standard it follows or which life stage it addresses, that is information too.
Before you buy
Check that a named protein appears in the first two or three ingredients. Look for carbohydrates split across multiple entries to appear smaller than they are. See whether the brand states which nutritional standard it follows. If a product makes specific health claims like joint support or urinary health, ask whether those are backed by a feeding trial or just an ingredient addition. The label will not give you everything. But it will give you more than the photo on the front and the celebrity holding the dog.
Why your dog is not eating
Dogs go off food for reasons that range from trivial to serious. Knowing the difference matters.
The most common reason is also the easiest to miss: the food itself. A new bag from the same brand can smell or taste different if the manufacturer changed a supplier or tweaked the formula. Dogs notice. If your dog was eating fine and suddenly is not, check whether you recently opened a new bag or switched batches.
Stress and routine changes are the next most common cause. A move, a new person in the house, a change in feeding time, or a shift in where the bowl is placed can be enough to put a dog off food for a day or two.
Dental pain is underdiagnosed in Indian dogs. A dog that approaches the bowl, sniffs, and walks away is often in mouth pain. Check for bad breath, reluctance to chew hard kibble, or pawing at the mouth.
Heat affects appetite. In Indian summers, a dog eating less is often doing exactly what it should. Appetite typically returns when the temperature drops.
When to call a vet: if a dog skips more than two consecutive meals, if the loss of appetite comes with vomiting, lethargy, or weight loss, or if there is any chance the dog ate something it should not have. A dog that eats grass and then vomits once is probably fine. A dog that refuses food for three days is not.
For a full list of what dogs can and cannot safely eat from your kitchen, see our guide to human food for dogs.
Not sure about another food? Try our Can My Dog Eat That? checker to look it up in seconds.