… but there is such a thing as the best food for your dog.

Everyone has their own preferred way of feeding dogs. Some swear by kibble, others by raw food, and others by cooked meals.

Your dog, however, does not read debates on social media. Instead, they show you in different ways what suits them and what does not.

That is exactly what we discussed in an interview with Andreja Ilijaš, founder of Juja, a brand of cooked dog food. Although she personally advocates high-quality cooked meals, her answer to the question of what the healthiest food for a dog is was not cooked food. It was much simpler: “I would say the best food for a dog is the one the dog shows you works best for them. If their stool is normal and the dog is healthy, there is no need to make a change.”

And perhaps that is the answer we overlook far too often in discussions about canine nutrition: what matters is not only what a dog eats, but also how their body digests and uses the food, and how their gut environment supports that process, which we will explore later in this article.

It is not only the type of food that matters

When dog owners look for the best food for their dog, they often focus mainly on the format. Is raw, cooked, cold-pressed or dry food better?

But even within the same type of food, there can be enormous differences.

As Andreja explains, kibble with a high proportion of clearly identified meat is not the same as a product with a vague ingredient list. A home-cooked meal is not automatically balanced simply because it is fresh. And raw food is not necessarily high quality if it consists mainly of fatty cuts, ground bones or ingredients of unclear origin.

That is why Andreja places far more emphasis on the composition and origin of the food than on its format alone: “Giving your dog meat whose origin you know is completely different from pouring something into their bowl that was processed one, two or three years ago.”

So the question is not only: what does the dog eat?

We should also ask: what is the meal made from? What is the quality of the ingredients? Does it contain enough suitable protein? Is the meal balanced? How was the food processed?

Only then do we come to the most important question: how does the dog respond to it?

Dogs do not need a feeding ideology. They need food that works for them.

Two dogs can eat the same food and respond to it in completely different ways.

One may have healthy digestion, plenty of energy and an appropriate body weight. The other may have soft stools, bloating, weight gain or no interest in eating the food at all, Andreja explains.

This does not necessarily mean the food is bad in general. It may simply mean that it is not the best choice for that particular dog, because no two living beings are exactly alike.

Dogs differ in age, size, activity level, health and digestive sensitivity. A small dog that spends most of its time indoors does not have the same needs as a working dog that uses a great deal of energy every day.

Even the needs of the same dog are not identical every day. In the interview, Andreja gives a simple example: a dog that has been active all day may need slightly more food than on a day spent mostly resting.

That is why the feeding amounts on the packaging are not strict rules, but a starting point: “If we see that it is not enough, we add more. If it is too much, we reduce it.”

The best feeding plan is therefore always a combination of high-quality food and careful observation of the dog in front of us.

Stool tells us more than we think

One of the first signs that a particular food may not suit a dog is a change in digestion.

Soft stools, recurring diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, severe bloating or particularly unpleasant gas are not merely inconveniences to put up with. They are information.

Sometimes the problem lies in the composition of the food. Other times, the portion is too large. A dog may not tolerate a particular ingredient, or the food may have been changed too quickly.

Andreja points out that owners can easily give too much of a higher-quality, more nutrient-dense food. The dog happily eats it, then vomits or develops digestive problems. In that case, the issue may not be the new food itself, but the amount.

The same applies when switching from one type of food to another: “We never recommend changing it overnight. It should be done very gradually.”

The digestive system needs time to adjust to a different meal composition, so new food is usually introduced gradually, with the proportion increased over several days. “Gradually, slowly and patiently,” she adds.

If we change the food suddenly and the dog develops diarrhoea, we may quickly conclude that the new food does not suit them. In reality, we may simply have given their digestive system too many changes at once.

Fresh food is not necessarily balanced food

Another common misconception is that a home-cooked meal is automatically complete simply because it is made with fresh ingredients.

That is not necessarily the case.

Dogs do need high-quality protein, but meat alone does not provide a balanced long-term diet: “One of the biggest mistakes is feeding only meat.”

In addition to meat, Andreja recommends suitable vegetables and smaller amounts of appropriate carbohydrate sources. When feeding a home-prepared diet long term, it is also important to provide the right vitamins, minerals and nutrient ratios.

She highlights calcium in particular, as it can easily be lacking in home-cooked meals.

That is why there is an important difference between an occasional cooked meal used to add variety and a fully home-prepared feeding plan. With the latter, cooking by instinct is not enough. The meal must be carefully formulated.

Fresh does not automatically mean balanced, just as the words “complete food” on the packaging do not mean that the product will be ideal for every dog.

Cooking for your dog is not the same as feeding table scraps

When discussing cooked food, the subject of leftovers from the table quickly comes up.

But home-cooked food for a dog is not simply our own lunch transferred into their bowl: “If you are cooking at home, cook specifically for the dog,” she emphasises.

Dogs can eat some of the same basic ingredients, but their meal should be prepared without salt, pepper or other seasonings. When cooking for both ourselves and our dog, it therefore makes sense to remove the dog’s portion before seasoning the dish.

This reflects a broader principle: it is not enough for food to be homemade, fresh or natural. What matters is whether it has been prepared in a way that suits a dog’s body.

The best food is the one that helps your dog thrive

As Andreja says, there is no single brand, method or universal recipe. Other criteria matter more when choosing food:

The best food for your dog is made from high-quality, clearly identified ingredients, meets their individual needs, provides the right nutrients and is well digested. This becomes visible in practice through healthy stools, an appropriate body weight, good energy levels and the dog’s overall well-being.

So we do not need to decide which feeding camp we belong to. It is far more important to learn how to read labels, understand the composition of a meal and, above all, observe the dog.

This is also the central message behind Andreja’s approach to nutrition: what matters is not only what the packaging says or which feeding method is currently most popular, but how each individual dog responds to the food.

Dogs do not read labels or online debates. Their digestion, however, quickly shows whether the chosen food suits them.

When good food also needs good gut support

Even a carefully chosen, high-quality meal can only be used effectively if the dog’s digestive system is functioning properly.

Because the gut is closely linked to digestion, nutrient absorption and immune function, it makes sense to view it as an important part of a dog’s overall health.

Pawital develops functional supplements for dogs designed to support gut balance, digestion and overall well-being—as a complement to a high-quality diet, not a replacement for it.

Discover Pawital solutions for supporting your dog’s gut health.