At Nextrition, we’re confident in calling our cold-pressed dog food a healthy option for your pup. But it’s not just the cold-pressing process that makes our food healthy. Cold pressing alone doesn’t guarantee a healthy outcome.
So, what actually makes dog food healthy? And more importantly, how can you tell if the food you’re giving your dog is the right choice?
We believe that a healthy dog food meets all of your dog’s nutritional needs while avoiding ingredients and processes that aren’t great for canine health. And let’s be honest—your dog has to actually want to eat it for it to do any good, so taste matters too!
Ingredients Are Key
We often say, “you are what you eat,” and that applies to dogs as well. If we feed ourselves junk, we’ll pay for it with our health later on. The same goes for our furry friends. To keep your dog healthy, you’ve got to focus on giving them the right nutrition, and that starts with quality ingredients.
Ingredients are the building blocks your dog’s body uses to stay healthy. To make a truly healthy dog food, manufacturers need to use high-quality, natural ingredients with minimal processing.
Just like humans, dogs need the right balance of meat, fruits, and vegetables. They depend on their food to provide a solid mix of vitamins and minerals. That’s why good ingredients are so important. Start with the right balance of great ingredients, and you’re well on your way to making healthy dog food. But if you start with poor-quality ingredients, it’s hard to end up with a healthy result.
Processing Matters Too
Even the best ingredients won’t do much good if the manufacturing process strips away their natural nutritional value. Unfortunately, that’s what happens with traditional kibble. It’s cooked at extremely high temperatures, which kills off bacteria and germs but also destroys a lot of the food’s nutrients.
Cold pressing, on the other hand, uses much lower temperatures. It takes natural ingredients and press them together with low heat and no steam, preserving more of the food’s nutritional value and flavor. By keeping more of those essential nutrients intact, cold pressing helps create a healthier dog food.
Two Important Things to Keep in Mind
We’ve given you a general idea of what makes a healthy dog food, but here are two key things to keep in mind:
- Your dog’s unique needs matter. Every dog is different in their own special way. Some dogs may have more unique nutritional requirements due to a health issue or an allergy. Usually, these requirements are discovered through trial and error. If your pup seems to react negatively to certain foods we recommend to consult with your vet to determine the best course forward for your pup. You and your vet know your dog better than any food manufacturer, so together, you can decide what will help your pup live a long, healthy life.
- Your dog’s willingness to eat matters too. A food can be as healthy as it gets, but if your dog won’t eat it, it’s not doing them any good. This is something to keep in mind with cold-pressed dog food—dogs that have been eating kibble their whole lives might go crazy for it and want to switch over sooner than the time recommended to transition.
A Final Word
At the end of the day, healthy dog food is about more than what’s written on the label. At Nextrition, we do our best to provide clear, detailed labels, but we also encourage dog owners to do their own research and talk to their vets. While cold-pressed dog food is generally a healthier option, cold pressing alone isn’t a guarantee. It’s all about the right combination of ingredients, process, and a food that your dog will happily and safely eat.
