best brands of dog food uk
Discover The Best Dog Food for Your Pooch
Key Things to Look for
Before you purchase your dog food, there are a few things that you should keep an eye out for when doing your research.
Age. Make sure the dog food is right for your dogs age. This is important because it will contain different nutrients, calories, and ingredients that cater to a specific age group.
For example, puppies need more nutrients than adults, and their food is usually higher in calories because they are growing. Similarly, an elderly dog will have a different balance of nutrients and fewer calories.
Size. The size of your dog is more important than you might think, and this is both in relation to the contents of the dog food and the size of the kibble.
Food that is made for small breeds tends to have smaller chunks of kibble to make it easier for them to eat, just as the food for larger breeds is bigger so that they can eat it safely. There are also some minor nutritional differences.
Activity Level. Is your dog a couch potato, or are you two trekking for miles each day? The more active your dog, the more calories they need to stay in shape.
Food that has a little more fat and calories will keep them healthy. Dogs that dont do a lot will need less fat and calories to help them avoid becoming overweight.
Nutritional Needs. Just like people, different dogs have different needs. It could be that they have a sensitive stomach, allergies, or need a food that is grain free. There are plenty of foods on the market that are suited to a range of dietary requirements, so they arent hard to find.
Top Dog Food Brands
There are so many fantastic dog food brands out there making excellent dog food, and there are some that are more highly regarded than others. Heres a quick look at the best dog food brands, as chosen by dog owners across the country:
- Lilys Kitchen
- Harringtons
- Hills
- Royal Canin
- Forthglade
- Canagan
- Chappie
- James Wellbeloved
- Eukanuba
- Skinners
- Wagg
- Orijen
Best Dog Foods UK (In Order)
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Best Dog Food UK 2023 Ultimate Guide
Are you looking for the best dog food in the UK?
You may be considering swapping one of the big-name options found in your pet store or supermarket for an alternative, modern brand offering another form of complete and high-quality dog food.
There are a number of reasons why you might want to switch to a different type of dog food for your pup. You may be concerned about the quality of the ingredients or perhaps have noticed certain products causing your issues for your dog.
These days, British dog owners have a lot of choice, especially if theyre considering switching the store-bought food in favour of fresh dog food or other customised options.
In this article, were going to take a look at some of the best dog food options in the UK right now to give British pet parents a fresh perspective on pet food.
Well highlight what we believe to be the best fresh dog food, raw dog food, air-dried dog food, freeze-dried dog food, wet dog food, customized kibble, complete dry food, plant-based dog food and insect-based dog food.
Its worth pointing out that Ive fed all the dog food brands featured on this page to my dogs for the purposes of compiling this ultimate guide to the best dog food in the UK.
We all want whats best for our pups and the type of food you choose to feed your dog is ultimately your decision. And its always a good idea to speak to your vet to get their input on whats going to be best for your dog.
With the introduction out of the way, lets take a look at why I decided to ditch the traditional dog food, before we examine the different pet food formats so UK pet parents can get a better understanding of whats on offer.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as veterinary, medical or professional advice. The content of our articles does not constitute veterinary advice. Its always best to speak with your vet or a certified pet nutritionist before making any changes to your pet's diet or feeding routine.
Why I Ditched The Traditional Dog Food!
Jack Russell with dog bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)
If youve got picky eaters like my dogs, youll be familiar with how stressful and upsetting it can be when your pets wont eat their food.
My female Alaskan Klee Kai has a sensitive stomach and I found that some of the major dry dog food brands purchased at my local supermarket seemed to upset her tummy. She also didnt appear to enjoy the taste very much.
My Mini Huskies would sometimes refuse to eat their food, which would lead to further stress and concern and it sometimes even resulted in costly visits to the vet.
A chance meeting with a dog owner at a park resulted in my introduction to fresh dog food balanced and complete meals, using real ingredients, gently cooked and tailored to meet my dogs needs.
This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities as I discovered some smaller dog food brands who create recipes with help from vets using quality ingredients and cooked with care.
While I currently prefer to feed my two mini huskies fresh dog meals, weve also tried raw dog food, air-dried dog food, freeze-dried dog food, tailored kibble, insect-based and plant-based dog food.
My Alaskan Klee Kai showed the most interest in their fresh dog meals and I noticed benefits to their overall health, energy levels and wellbeing so Ive stuck with this dog food format in the long run.
But lets take a look at some of the different options available to UK dog owners looking for balanced and complete meals for their pup.
Types Of Balanced And Complete Dog Food
Fresh and real ingredients (Photo: Adobe Stock)
In this section, well go into a little more detail about some of the different dog food formats available to dog owners in the UK right now.
Fresh dog food This is my favourite dog food format based upon the success that Ive experienced with my Klee Kai feeding these type of meals. This type of food is commonly made using human-grade ingredients in recipes formulated by vets. They cook their meals at low temperatures before their frozen and shipped direct to your door.
Air-dried dog food Air-dried dog food is gently cooked a low temperatures so the ingredients arent exposed to harsh temperatures. As the name suggests, these dog food brands will use a process of air drying to allow the ingredients to retain their nutritional goodness.
Raw dog food Theres been a big shift to raw dog food diets over the past decade. Raw dog food companies provide a diet based on raw meat (supplemented by fruit, vegetables, minerals and vitamins) that would perhaps be similar to what their wild ancestors would have eaten. However, this may not be suitable for everyone as there are risks associated with feeding raw dog food. You can learn more about the risks of handling raw pet food here.
Freeze-dried raw dog food Freeze-dried raw dog food has virtually all the water removed from the food by using a three-step process. Theres a freeze phase, primary drying or sublimation phase followed by the secondary drying or absorption phase. It sounds complicated, but feeding it to your dog is simple!
Complete dry dog food This is a pet food format that most British dog owners will recognise. Its kibble but made with high-quality, natural ingredients in recipes that have been approved by vets, with supplements added to promote a happy and healthy life for your dog.
Cold-pressed dry dog food Cold-pressed dog food is a cooking method whereby the raw ingredients such meat, offal and other ingredients are processed at lower temperatures, usually between 45C and 80C, rather than at higher temperatures.
Complete wet food If your dog loves wet food but youre looking for an alternative to some of the bigger store-bought options, there are a number of brands who produce high-quality wet dog food that is balanced and complete.
Insect-based dog food As we try to make a shift to being more sustainable and environmentally-conscious dog owners, you may want to give insect-based dog food a try. As the name suggests, these dog food companies use insect-based protein alongside fresh ingredients to create their dog food.
Plant-based dog food If youre vegan or you try to avoid meat a couple of times a week, you may like to get your dog involved in your meat-free Mondays or meat-free days. There are a number of dog food companies who provide plant-based meals for dogs, although its generally not recommended to feed your pup an entirely plant-based diet.
Best Dog Food UK 2023
Now that weve touched upon nine different pet food formats, lets take a look at our ultimate guide to the best dog food in the UK right now.
Best Fresh Dog Food: Butternut Box
Website: butternutbox.com
Butternut Box (Photo: hellobark.com)
Butternut Box offer British dog owners the chance to adopt a fresh approach to their dogs nutrition. They only use human-quality ingredients (60% meat and 40% vegetables, lentils and minerals) that are cooked at low temperatures to retain their nutritional goodness. Once theyre prepared and portioned to meet your dogs requirements based upon your answers in their sign-up questionnaire, theyll freeze their meals before shipping your balanced, complete and fresh dog meals to your door. Its really simple! Butternut Box are a subscription service but you can cancel or pause at any time. Butternut Box has been a massive hit in my house and my Alaskan Klee Kai love their recipes. I really appreciate their range of 10 recipes so I can mix up their meals so they can enjoy an array of flavours. Theyve fed over 170,000 dogs in the UK.
We have an exclusive offer for helloBARK! readers who are thinking about signing up to Butternut Box. You can get 50% off your first Butternut Box order and 50% off your second Butternut Box order by clicking here.
Best Air-Dried Dog Food: Pure
Website: purepetfood.com
Pure Pet Food scooper and air-dried food (Photo: hellobark.com)
If you fancy giving air-dried dog food a try, Pure Pet Food would be my pick. They use high-quality ingredients that are prepared in their dedicated kitchen in Yorkshire. Pure say on their website that a lot of their recipes are hypoallergenic so they could be a good fit for dogs with sensitive tummies. I appreciated that Pure can be stored in your cupboard rather than taking up fridge or freezer space. While it was a little more hassle having to combine their air-dried dog food with water to make my Klee Kais meals, my dogs did seem to enjoy it.
You can save 30% of your first Pure box and a further 10% of your next two Pure boxes when you click this link.
Best Raw Dog Food: Bella & Duke
Website: www.bellaandduke.com
Copper with his Bella and Duke delivery (Photo: hellobark.com)
While I personally dont feed raw dog food to my dogs because Ive got a young child in my home, I did try Bella & Duke for a while and I can see the potential benefits. Bella & Duke are a dog food company that like to stay at the cutting-edge of pet nutrition but theyve also got a great family feel to what they do. Their customer service is excellent, which I feel is important because feeding raw dog food can be a tricky business. Bella & Duke only use high-quality British-sourced ingredients in their food and theyve got a good range of recipes too.
Best Complete Dry Dog Food: Pooch & Mutt
Website: www.poochandmutt.co.uk
Klee Kai next to Pooch and Mutt kibble (Photo: hellobark.com)
While I prefer fresh dog meals for my dogs, if I was to continue feeding dry food to my Klee Kai, Id consider Pooch & Mutt. Theyve got a grain-free, hypoallergenic dry food that is made with natural ingredients. Their vet-recommended dry food ranges cater to specific needs and life stages, to ensure dogs get everything they need to live their best life. For example, theyve got Calm & Relaxed, Health & Digestion, Joint Care and Slim & Slender. These recipes include probiotics and prebiotics, with high meat content from a single functional protein source.
Best Cold-Pressed Dry Dog Food: Forthglade
Website: www.amazon.co.uk
Forthglade Cold-Pressed dog food (Photo: Amazon UK)
Forthglade are a versatile dog food company who have a wide range of different dog food types. For the purposes of this article, were highlighting their cold-pressed dry dog food. Forthglade explain on their website that their cold-pressed dry dog food is created by taking lots of delicious ingredients and doing as little to them as possible before they reach your dogs bowl. So all the flavour and nutritional goodness remains despite the cooking process.
Best Complete Wet Food: Tails
Website: Tails.com
Copper and Tails dog food (Photo: hellobark.com)
Tails are an experienced dog food company that offer tailored dry and wet food. Were looking at their wet food range for this particular article. Theyve got a great range of wet food options which they create using high-quality ingredients and this could be a great option if youre looking for a complete wet food for your dog (and unlike some of the wet dog food that you find at your local supermarket, theres no unpleasant smell!).
Our readers can get 75% off their first order of Tails when they click this link.
Best Insect-Based Dog Food: Yora
Website: www.yorapetfood.com
Yora Insect Protein All Breeds Dog Food (Photo: hellobark.com)
If youre interested in seeing how your dog enjoys insect-based protein, Yora is one of the leading insect-protein powered dog food brands in the UK. I was pleasantly surprised by how much my dogs enjoyed this particular pet food format. While I didnt use Yora for their daily meals, I found their insect-based kibble made excellent dog treats.
Best Plant-Based Dog Food: Barking Heads
Website: www.barkingheads.co.uk
Alaskan Klee Kai with Barking Heads Plant-Powered Pooches (Photo: hellobark.com)
Barking Heads believe vegetables are an awesome source of power and nutrients for both humans and dogs. So theyve created a plant-based dog food range for British pups. Their recipe is aptly named Plant-Powered Pooches. Vegans who own dogs or pet parents who try to have a couple of meat-free days each week now have the chance to add vegetarian power to their dogs regular meals. However, its not recommended to switch your dog to a purely plant-based diet.
Anything Else To Consider?
Jack Russell with dog bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)
If youre thinking about making the switch to one of the dog food brands listed in this article, you should speak to your vet to learn more and get their input.
They may be able to suggest a particular dog food format that will better suit your canine companion or steer you away from a pet food format that they believe might not be a fit.
Your vet can also offer advice on how to make the transition to a new dog food so to avoid upsetting your pet, especially if theyve got a history of having a sensitive tummy.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as veterinary, medical or professional advice. Our articles and the products featured in them are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems for you and/or your pet. It's always best to consult your vet regarding any health issues your pet may have.
Wrapping Up Our Final Thoughts
Fresh and real ingredients (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Weve reached the end of our ultimate guide to the best dog food in the UK at the moment.
As I mentioned at the start of this article, Ive tried and tested all the dog food brands in this feature with my two Alaskan Klee Kai.
While all the dog food brands proved popular with my two mini huskies, Ive found that fresh dog meals are the best suited to my two dogs. They love the range of recipes, high meat content, and overall taste but thats just my dogs and every dog will be different.
Remember, what you choose to feed your dog is ultimately your decision, but we hope that British dog owners find this article to be a useful guide in helping to select a healthy pet food format that works best for their furry friend.
