For Dogs without medical issues:
- The diet should not be 100% dried kibble.
- The diet should be 50% moist food, ideally a commercial raw diet (frozen or freeze dried), commercial lightly cooked, homemade, etc.
- The diet should be made by a reputable manufacturer, resources for choosing are listed below.
- The diet must be, at the very least, formulated to meet AAFCO nutritional standards for your pets needs; all life stages, large breed growth, etc.
- AAFCO feeding trials alone are not adequate.
- You should do some research, resources are listed below.
- You should feed variety, not always the same brand, same flavor, etc. Variety can also include healthy human foods such as salmon, potatoes, pasta, eggs, veggies. No bacon grease, no pizza, only healthy low fat foods and no more than 10% of each meal.
Online resources:
Pet Nutrition Alliance
Tufts University – Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetFoodReviewer.com
Acvn.org (American College of Veterinary Nutrition)
PetFoodIndustry.com