The Best High Fiber Dog Foods
Why Does My Dog Need Fiber?
Most dog foods contain 2% to 5% Fiber. That is more than enough for your pet to stay healthy and happy.
In most cases.
However, there are times when you need to increase the fiber in your pet’s diet. Sometimes your vet will recommend it. Or maybe your pet is suffering from irregular bowels or straining and you want to go ahead and try food with more fiber.
Dogs that do not have regular bowel movements are going to deal with constipation, bloating and fat gain.
What’s Wrong With ‘Cheap’ Dog Foods?
Many dog foods use wheat and corn as filling agents. While dogs are meant to be omnivores, they are not expected to digest as much grain as we give them.
In some cases, feeding your dog cheap food is like feeding your child white flour all the time.
You may not need a “high-fiber” food, just a higher-quality brand that uses fewer of these “fillers”.
Top 3 Choices For High Fiber Dog Food
1. Wellness Complete Health
Ground barley and brown rice provide a wholesome amount of fiber and the vegetables also add a lot of fiber to this formula.
The chondroitin helps cushion achy joints in medium and large dogs. It also has a lot of Lactobacillus to help promote digestive health.
Any dog food can look good on paper, but this one gets good reviews among dog owners who deal with digestive problems.
Discounted at Amazon!
2. Blue Wilderness Grain Free
Blue Wilderness offer a credible alternative to raw meat diets. The reality of raw diets is that they are messy and hard to work around.
Many dog owners have found that their dogs enjoy Blue Wilderness (better than vet-promoted science diet), and often their symptoms heal faster.
3. Taste of The Wild
Taste of the Wild manage to keep their ingredient list quite basic, and offers a nearly 5% fiber base.
Often using venison and bison as their base, which can help dogs who are allergic to common meats such as chicken or beef.
Taste of the Wild also has fermented products in it, which aid with the digestive process.
Discounted at Amazon!
How to Add Fiber Into Existing Diet
If you’re already feeding your dog a high quality grain-free food you can sometimes introduce fiber in their diet without changing their dog food.
- Canned Pumpkin or Sweet Potato
Around the holidays, this is an easy solution. Just keep a can of pumpkin (not pie filling!) around in the fridge. You add a little bit to their food. It makes the food more moist, and is an easy way for them to get a little more fiber in their diet.
- Canned Pumpkin or Sweet Potato
- Fiber Tablets
For this I would recommend Glandex. It is a fiber tablet supplement for both dogs and cats that is created to help reduce inflammation of anal glands. Made from natural ingredients such as pumpkin seeds and probiotics. - Bran Flakes Or Shredded Wheat
If you’re conscious about getting enough fiber in your diet, you probably already use bran flakes or shredded wheat on a regular basis. You can sprinkle a little bit on top of their food, too. - Metamucil
Metamucil is another option, but it must be used with copious amounts of water, so make sure your dog has plenty of water after you sprinkle some on their food. It is easy to overdo Metamucil, so only use a very sparing amount on their food. Just a sprinkle.
The Best High Fiber Dog Food For Diabetic Dogs
It was thought that diabetic dogs needed more fiber. However, it may be just as important to ensure the quality of complex carbs in the food.
Orijen food consistently earns the Glycemic Research Institute’s “Pet Food Of The Year Award” for diabetic dogs.
Orijen is made from all natural ingredients, and as a high quantity of real meat in the formula. Instead of grain, it uses vegetables to provide the adequate amount of fiber – just like a dog would experience in the wild.
(Discounted at Amazon)
Can High Fiber Food Cause Diarrhea in Dogs?
Many dogs do not need as much fiber as we are apt to force upon them.
Some owners find their dogs have more problems after switching them to a vet-prescribed formula such as Science Diet.
This is why many dogs do well on a “raw diet” which only uses meat, eggs and very little vegetables.
Sometimes the problem is that we switch dog feed brands too quickly.
A new dog food must be introduced slowly into their diet.
Ideally, you will replace their food 1/4 at a time with the new food, by mixing the new food into their old food. Increase that amount by 1/4 into the mix every two days, until you have fully replaced their old food.
This helps the dog adjust to their new food, without digestive problems and diarrhea.
High Fiber Food For Treating Colitis
Many dogs with food allergies may have difficulty digesting carbohydrates and gluten. So if you’re dealing with colitis, you may want to switch them to a food that is not only grain-free, but also has a low carbohydrate-to-protein ratio.
When a dog is initially diagnosed with colitis, many owners will feed their dog cooked turkey or chicken and brown rice. This can work well for many dogs.
As you transition back to dry food, you might try a food that includes brown rice as its source of fiber.
High Fiber Food For Small Breeds
Very often high-fiber dog foods are high in protein and calories. While this is good, it can lead to unnecessary weight gain in a small dog.
The following breeds can be prone to weight gain: Yorkshire terriers, dachshunds, miniature and toy poodles, shih tzus, miniature schnauzers, chihuahuas, boston terriers, maltese, pomeranians, pugs, miniature pinschers, papillons, small and toy breed terriers, French bulldogs, corgis, cocker spaniels, cavalier King Charles spaniels, English toy spaniels and Brussels griffons, to name a few.
Nutro
My top pick would be Nutro Ultra. This formula has targeted levels of protein, fat and fiber to make sure that your dog will stay healthy, without gaining excessive weight.
Nutro consistently receives the top reviews from independent food analysts and doesn’t include unnecessary fillers.
Discounted at Amazon.
Why Moist High-Fiber Food Isn’t the Best
The real downside with semi-moist dog food is that it contains so many chemicals and additives that it is often the cause of your dog’s digestive problem.
One of the most notable is the Carrageenan that is found in almost all canned dog food. This filler (derived from seaweed) can be difficult for many dogs to digest and may often lead to diarrhea and other disorders.
If your dog needs moist food, you can always add a small amount of water, chicken broth or pumpkin to your dog’s food to help moisten the bites.
