Dry Food
Light, compact, seemingly shelf-stable forever – and pretty convenient for dog owners. But there’s a trade-off: Dry food is the most heavily processed of all feeding methods.
Chilled Fresh Food
Close to home-cooked food. Gently cooked to preserve natural nutrients & aromas. Preserved through refrigeration or freezing.
Puppy Food
During the first few months of life, the foundations for the future are laid. Puppies therefore have very different nutritional requirements from adult dogs.
Vegan Dog Food
Can a dog be fed a healthy diet without animal-derived ingredients? In short: Yes. High-quality vegan dog food can provide a healthy dog with all the essential nutrients they need.
Sensitive Dog Food
Can support the diet of particularly sensitive dogs and help relieve the strain on the digestive tract. However, “Sensitive” is not a protected term.
Canned Dog Food
The most well-known form of wet food, available in every price range. However, its long shelf life can come at the expense of natural nutrients.
BARF
As close to the wolf as possible – that’s the principle behind raw feeding. If you feed your dog a BARF diet, you have full control over the ingredients. However, this type of feeding also carries some risks.
Homemade Dog Food
Full of flavour and natural nutrients. Unlike BARF, the ingredients are cooked, making them easier for a dog’s stomach to digest and offering an advantage especially for sensitive dogs.
Senior Dog Food
Older dogs have special needs. Not only their bodies, but also their appetite and behaviour can change. Special food can help support senior dogs – but not every dog needs senior food.
Dry food is practical, has a long shelf life and is easy to portion. A very low moisture content is typical of dry dog food.
Depending on the production method, different types include extruded, cold-pressed, baked and semi-moist food.
A good fit if: uncomplicated storage, easy portioning and practicality in everyday life are important to you.
What to look out for: ingredients, meat content, protein sources, product declaration, production method and sufficient water intake.
Wet food contains significantly more moisture than dry food and is popular with many dogs due to its more intense aroma and soft texture.
The best-known form is classic canned food. However, wet food can also be offered in trays, pouches or jars.
A good fit if: your dog prefers soft, moist food or needs to take in additional fluids through their food.
What to look out for: High-quality wet food can be recognized by clear and transparent labelling, natural ingredients and a balanced composition.
Fresh food or fresh meals are made from fresh, natural ingredients. Low cooking temperatures help preserve many natural nutrients and aromas.
To ensure a longer shelf life, the meals are generally refrigerated or frozen. Fresh meals combine the benefits of home-cooked food with the convenience of ready-made food and are considered a particularly high-quality option by many dog owners.
A good fit if: you want to feed your dog fresh, minimally processed food but don’t want to cook for them every day.
What to look out for: cooking method, ingredient quality, product declaration, meat content and, above all, whether the fresh food is labelled as a complete food.
Steam cooking, sous-vide or HPP? Our Dog Food Check on fresh food has all the details.
BARF stands for “Biologically Appropriate Raw Feeding”. It involves feeding raw ingredients such as meat, offal, bones, vegetables and oils.
When properly formulated, BARF can give you full control over the composition of your dog’s diet – but it requires a good deal of knowledge to ensure that your dog receives all the nutrients they need in the long term.
A good fit if: you want to learn more about your dog’s nutrition and create their meals individually.
What to look out for: nutrient supply, supplementation, kitchen hygiene, the proportion of meat, offal such as liver and a professionally calculated ration.
When cooking for your dog yourself, you prepare their meals using ingredients such as meat or other protein sources, vegetables, carbohydrates and oils.
Unlike BARF, the ingredients are cooked.
Homemade food can be tailored very individually to your dog’s age, activity level and needs. However, when cooking for your dog yourself, it is also important to have a balanced recipe that fully meets their nutritional requirements.
A good fit if: you want to know exactly what goes into your dog’s bowl and are willing to invest some time in planning and preparation.
What to look out for: a nutritionally adequate recipe, the right supplementation with minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients, as well as essential fatty acids.
Puppies are in the middle of their growth phase and have different nutritional requirements from adult dogs. Puppy food is available in different forms, for example as dry, wet or fresh food.
What matters is that it is specifically formulated for growth and provides the young dog with all the essential nutrients they need in the right amounts.
What to look out for: a balanced recipe, high-quality protein sources and food that is specifically tailored to the growth phase.
As dogs get older, their energy requirements, digestion, appetite and body composition can change.
There is no fixed age at which a dog becomes a senior. Size, breed, activity level and health condition all play an important role.
What to look out for: Your dog’s diet should be adapted to their activity level and individual needs. High-quality senior dog food can help provide older dogs with all the essential nutrients they need in an appropriate and individualized way.
Sensitive dog food is intended for dogs with nutritional sensitivities, for example those with sensitive digestion or a suspected intolerance.
However, “Sensitive” is not a protected term. The composition and ingredients can therefore vary considerably from one manufacturer to another.
How can you recognize high-quality sensitive dog food? Look for transparent labelling, well-tolerated protein sources and as few unnecessary additives as possible.
Vegan dog food contains no animal-derived ingredients: Protein, fatty acids and other nutrients come from plant-based raw materials or are specifically added.
Vegan dog food can also be a good choice for your dog if it fully meets their individual nutritional needs and they enjoy it.
Hypoallergenic dog food is primarily used when a food allergy is suspected or has already been diagnosed. A food elimination trial with hypoallergenic dog food can help identify potential allergy triggers. Depending on the diagnosis, this may involve hydrolyzed proteins or selected protein sources.
Gastrointestinal dog food is intended for dogs with sensitive digestion, for example in cases of diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn or recurring digestive issues. Easily digestible ingredients, a moderate fat content and a suitable recipe can help relieve the strain on the stomach and intestines.
Which food is suitable always depends on the cause of the symptoms and your dog’s individual needs. If symptoms persist or keep recurring, the underlying cause should be assessed by a veterinarian. How can you recognize gastrointestinal dog food and what should you look out for when choosing it? Read our full Dog Food Check here.
Vegetarian dog food contains no meat or fish but can include animal-derived ingredients such as eggs or dairy products. A balanced vegetarian recipe can provide a dog with all the essential nutrients they need and can therefore also be suitable for long-term feeding.
What matters is that the food is formulated to meet the dog’s nutritional needs and labelled as a complete food. Vegetarian does not automatically mean better tolerated or hypoallergenic. What matters when choosing vegetarian dog food and what should you look out for? Read our full Dog Food Check on vegetarian dog food here.
Insect-based dog food uses insects as a source of protein instead of conventional types of meat such as beef, chicken or fish. The larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) are particularly common. Insect protein can be an interesting option for dogs that do not tolerate certain conventional protein sources or need a novel source of protein.
However, insect-based food is not automatically hypoallergenic, and not every product is automatically nutritionally complete. What matters is the specific recipe, its nutrient supply and whether it is labelled as a complete food. What makes insect-based food special and what should you look out for when choosing it? Read our full Dog Food Check on insect-based dog food here.
Gastrointestinal Dog Food
Easily digestible, gentle on the stomach and designed for sensitive digestion. The right recipe can help relieve the digestive tract during acute symptoms – but persistent problems should still be assessed by a veterinarian.
Vegetarian Dog Food
No meat or fish, but certainly not without nutrients. A balanced vegetarian recipe can meet a dog’s nutritional needs – what matters is the composition and quality of the complete food.
Insect-Based Dog Food
Unusual in the bowl but nutritionally interesting: Insects provide high-quality protein and can offer dogs a novel protein source. Particularly interesting for dogs that do not tolerate conventional types of meat well.