Good food is essential for animals, with domestic pets needing to have a nutritious and balanced diet in order to stay healthy. Dogs and cats are the most popular domestic pets in the world, with each animal having its own recommended dietary requirements. Along with the type of animal in question, the age, breed, and developmental stage of various animal is also important to consider when buying pet food. For example, some types of dog food are made especially for large breeds of dogs, and other types of dog food are made to meet the dietary requirements of puppies. The best dog food for puppies is the kind of food that they will enjoy eating, while also satisfying all of their nutritional needs. Most dog experts recommend a mixture of wet dog food and dry dog food, with a well balanced combination of meats, grains, and nutritional additives.

Dogs are naturally omnivorous, but have a large carnivorous bent and need to eat meat in order to stay healthy. While some people do turn their dogs into vegetarians, this is not their natural state and it is not recommended. The carnivorous bias of dogs is easy to see with their sharp pointy teeth and short gastronomical tracts, both of which are ideally suited to the consumption of meat. Because of this, the vast majority of dog experts recommend that a large proportion of a dog's diet is made up of meat. This is even more important for puppies and young dogs, who need the nutrition of meat in order to grow and thrive in the best manner possible.

There is a large range of dog food on the market, with scores of different brands all competing for your hard earned dollars. In order to make the best decision for your animal, it is important to read all the literature you can on a healthy canine diet and read the ingredients on the back of food packaging. In most cases, dog experts recommend a well balanced mixture of dry dog food products and wet canned dog food, with a mixture of alternative foods also given to create more diversity. In terms of puppies and young growing dogs, additional supplements are sometimes recommended, with various dog food suppliers selling both dry and wet mixtures especially for puppies.