The Best Dog Food for a Rottweiler

The best dog food for a Rottweiler depends on the dog. Most members of this breed can eat any diet you decide to feed them, unless you have a special-needs Rottweiler--one that may have dietary issues due to allergies or intolerances. If you have a special-needs Rottweiler and are used to feeding kibble, you may have to change to a raw or cooked diet.

Kibble diets should be mixed with at least canned food. Kibble has no moisture in it and, unless you buy a top brand, you are feeding your dog lots of grains and corn. Look for kibble that has some type of meat or meal in the first three or four ingredients. If the first ingredients are meat meal, as opposed to chicken meal or pork meal, the kibble is not ideal. If the first ingredient is grains, vegetables or by-products, the kibble is also low-grade.

A raw diet is one of the best diets you can feed a Rottweiler. There are many different ways to feed raw diets, including prey model (feeding whole animals such as chicken or pork) and BARF (bones and raw food). When feeding prey, a whole animal is fed over time or small animals, such as squirrels and chicks are fed to the dog.

Most people just weigh out the food; most Rottweilers need two percent of their body weight in raw meat each day. A 100-pound Rottweiler would get about 2 pounds of raw meat and bone per day. Many people add a few teaspoons of fruits or vegetables to the meat diet, but it is not required.

A cooked diet is similar to a raw diet in that only good, wholesome foods are fed to the Rottweiler. The meat is cooked. You may add other elements to the meat, such as a few tablespoons of vegetables or fruits.

Some Rottweilers have a food intolerance. This is not the same as a food allergy. An intolerance usually gives the dog itchy skin or may make the it vomit or have diarrhea. You can tell if the it has an intolerance by removing the food from its diet. If the Rottweiler’s problems disappear, you know it has a food intolerance to that particular food.

Food allergies are true allergies, not just intolerances, and can wreck havoc with a Rottweiler’s system. They can cause excessive skin problems, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. When you have a Rottweiler with a food allergy and you feed kibble, you must find a kibble that does not have the ingredient that is affecting your dog. Because many of the same items are in most low-cost to medium-cost kibbles, you should switch to a high-end kibble or to a raw or cooked diet.

Even if your Rottweiler does not have an issue with food intolerances or allergies, the best diet is a high-end kibble, raw or a cooked diet. You will notice the difference in his coat and teeth.