11 Best High Fiber Dog Food Brands of 2020 (Digestion and Anal Glands)
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If a vet recommended a high fiber diet for your dog, it’s probably for one of two reasons: (1) to form good or better quality stools, or (2) to help regulate a dog’s bowel movements. You may also need to switch to a high fiber dog food brand to alleviate constipation, diarrhea or to treat anal gland problems. Some high fiber foods are also recommended because they displace calories to help your (fat) dog feel more full.
There are many high fiber dog foods on the market. Some of them are better rated for reasons other than being well-formulated as a high fiber food, and you must be aware of that when picking a diet that’s specific for your pet’s health related case, such as anal gland problems or constipation. This list has 11 best high fiber dog food brands based on their fiber content and formulation.
Benefits of High Fiber Dog Food Brands
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that resists enzymatic digestion while being processed in the dog’s small intestine. It is most commonly found in the cell walls of plants and grains, but virtually every source of carbohydrates will contain at least traces of fiber.
When perusing ingredients list of fiber-heavy dog food, the most common ones you may see are:
- bran
- brown rice
- soybean hulls
- beet pulp
- corn
A high fiber diet was shown in studies to help regulate a dog’s bowel movements and clear up diarrhea and constipation. Some vets may recommend high fiber dog food for anal gland problems. Because high fiber diets help to keep your dog feeling fuller longer, they can also help your overweight dog shed extra pounds.
Studies also show that insoluble fiber can help dogs with diabetes. Likewise, a high fiber diet can be very beneficial for dogs with colon health problems. As a result, it’s often used for dogs with anal glands issues. It may even help reduce the risk of colon cancer in dogs. The two telltale signs of an unhealthy colon in dogs are diarrhea and constipation, both of which can be helped with a high fiber diet.
Finding the best high fiber dog food brand for your pet may be a tall order since not all dogs enjoy the taste of these foods, so be prepared for some trial and error. Remember to consult with a vet and consider your dog’s age, weight, activity level and health condition when selecting a dog food that will meet his needs.
Top 11 Best High Fiber Dog Food Brands
1Veterinary Diets Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Adult Food
by Purina Pro Plan
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Dog Food is especially created for dogs that need help in improving intestinal transit, boosting gastrointestinal health, and regulating glucose absorption.
Its ingredients include corn, beet pulp, poultry by-product meal, barley, pea fiber, animal digest, wheat bran, dried whey, fish oil, a prebiotic called aleurone, and vitamin and mineral supplements. The carbs used are complex, which means that they take longer to be digested and absorbed by the body. This makes Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Adult Dog Food very beneficial to diabetic dogs with uncontrolled blood glucose.
Fiber level is at 10% and is a good mix of soluble and insoluble fibers, which have different roles in the digestive system. This has helped many problematic dogs to have a more regular bowel movement, lose weight easier, and sustain the beneficial microorganisms in their gut.
This is one of the best high fiber dog food brands that tastes pretty good, we believe, because dogs take to it quite fast. While it helps in weight reduction because of low fat and high fiber content, it also has adequate protein to help build muscles and a lean body.
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2Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Dry Dog Food
by Royal Canin
ROYAL CANIN Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Veterinary Diet costs almost twice the price of Pro Plan in number 1, but has slightly higher fiber and fat content.
It is made with chicken by-product meal, brewer’s rice, chicken fat, powdered cellulose, rice hulls, corn, wheat, beet pulp, fish oil, grain distillers dried yeast, psyllium seed husk, fructooligosaccharides, and vitamin and mineral supplements.
As you may have noticed in our other posts, this is not the nutritional profile that we would normally recommend for dogs that are generally healthy. However, dogs with major gastrointestinal maladies don’t only need optimal levels of fiber, but also well-balanced proportions of soluble and insoluble fiber. This normalizes intestinal motility and resolves constipation, anal sac disorders, and other GI tract issues. Dogs that were constantly hungry and thus became overweight were able to trim down with ROYAL CANIN Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Dry because high-fiber diets give the feeling of fullness without adding so much in terms of calories.
Dogs that had been on prolonged antibiotic use normally suffer from an unhealthy gut flora and weakened immune system. With probiotics and ROYAL CANIN’s dietary prebiotics, gut health can be regained in no time. This formula is a therapeutic specialty food and, thankfully, also palatable and nutritionally balanced.
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3Wellness Complete Natural Healthy Weight Food for Dogs
by Wellness Pet Food
Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight formula contains high-quality ingredients like deboned chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, peas, and a long list of fruits, vegetables, and other botanical ingredients.
This food from Wellness Natural Pet Food also contains probiotics and added vitamins and minerals. The fiber content in this formula is less than half of either Pro Plan or Royal Canin, but it’s adequate to add roughage to the consumed food as it transits through the GI tract.
This moderately high-fiber dog food is a complete food that’s very flavorful, too, so dogs eat it in seconds. Losing weight has ceased to be a struggle and bowel movement has never been more regular in this diet. It’s also effortless, since dogs need no coaxing or extra toppings, they just dive right in to Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Healthy Weight Dog Food.
In terms of quality and wholesomeness of ingredients, none in this list would probably beat Wellness. For moderate need of fiber, such as minor weight shedding or occasional constipation, this would be a great choice. However, if your dog has the more serious conditions of diabetes, colitis, or chronic gut issues, then go for the top guns.
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4Original Whole Body Health High Fiber Food for Dogs
by Natural Balance
Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Dry Dog Food is around the same price as Wellness and contains wholesome ingredients, too. This makes it not only a great option for dogs that need significant levels of fiber in their diet, but also as the regular nourishment for the other dogs in the house as well.
Its protein sources are chicken, chicken meal, and duck meal. Its complex carb and fiber sources are brown rice, oat groats, potatoes, brewer’s rice, and fruits and vegetables that are also rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial substances.
The carbohydrate sources in this formula were very carefully selected to create a perfect balance of insoluble and soluble fibers that result in slow digestion, easily-satiated appetite, and intestinal motility. Natural Balance calls this layering of different types of fiber, and we see its effectiveness in how Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Dry Dog Food has helped resolve cases of bowel obstruction and obesity in the easiest and most doable way.
And may we add – most enjoyable, too – because dogs simple enjoy their food. It must be the naturalness and wholesomeness of the ingredients. It was developed as food for whole body health, and it does just that – it provides energy, keeps the skin clear, and makes the coat soft and shiny. Without artificial dyes, flavors, and preservatives, it’s known to have stopped allergies and seizures, too.
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5Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe Natural Dry Food
by Nature’s Variety
Instinct Raw Boost grain-free recipe from Nature’s Variety is more expensive than Wellness and Nature Balance, but so much cheaper than Pro Plan and Royal Canin. Its fiber content is also mid-range (7.5%).
Its animal protein comes from chicken, turkey meal, chicken meal, fish meal, and freeze dried raw chicken parts – such a mouth-watering treat for your canines. It gets its fiber and other nutrients from pumpkinseeds, pumpkin, peas, apples, cranberries, blueberries, alfalfa meal, tapioca, tomato pomace, and other botanical sources.
The combination of high protein, low fat, and high fiber levels in this Instinct recipe makes it effective for managing weight in dogs that tend to be obese. This is one of the best high fiber dog food brands because it helps dogs build lean muscles, instead of storing fats, and they feel full even with lesser quantity of Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe Natural Dry Dog Food by Nature’s Variety than they were used to eating. Also, insoluble fiber does not add to the total calories that your dog’s body absorbs or needs to burn.
Dogs love the taste of this formula so it’s not difficult placing them in a healthy weight program with this. Once they notice the light-colored raw pieces, though, they realize how so much tastier those are and tend to pick them over the kibbles. They end up eating their brown kibbles anyway because a cup often doesn’t even have a piece of the raw nugget. Some dogs would make a fuss over it and keep digging thinking it’s there somewhere.
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6Gold Coast Grain Free Weight Management Dog Food
by Fromm
Fromm Family Grain-free Gold Coast weight management formula uses fish – whitefish and salmon – instead of the usual meats for its main protein source. It’ll be so much healthier for obese dogs since fish contains less saturated fat than red meats do.
Fromm is one of the best high fiber dog food brands because it contains lentils, peas, chickpeas, potatoes, flaxseed, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, chicory root extract, probiotics, vitamins and minerals. It has low fat and high fiber levels.
This is a wholesome meal for dogs that’s made of wholesome natural ingredients, and it will be a very valuable part of a weight management regimen. Its multi-nutrient and high-fiber plant ingredients provide dogs with vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants that they need for proper development and health. Pet owners noticed that their dogs get satiated with much smaller servings of Fromm Gold Coast Grain Free Weight Management, which is perfect for chubby dogs that need to trim down.
The presence of prebiotic fiber and probiotics in this formula help maintain a healthy gut flora, which is vital in resolving digestive issues and in strengthening the immune system. This is an expensive dog food, though, but highly worth every cent.
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7High Protein Natural Dog Food
by Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula has high protein, high fat content, and moderately high fiber level.
It’s a complete dog food containing a variety of animal-sourced protein like buffalo, lamb meal, roasted bison and venison, beef, and chicken meal. It contains antioxidant-dense fruits and vegetables, like blueberries and tomatoes, dog-specific probiotics, prebiotic fiber, optimally-balanced omega 3 and 6, vitamins, and chelated minerals.
The fiber in this formula keeps your dog’s poops in perfect form and not dreadfully stinky. There are no straining or constipation issues, and it’s easy to see how Taste of the Wild Grain Free High Protein Natural Dry Dog Food is going to make your dog become more regular in the days and years ahead.
Probably one disadvantage is that dogs switched to this dog food would have poops that are much bigger than usual. That means that TOTW contains high insoluble fiber that passes through the GI tract unchanged. You shouldn’t worry about that because that’s the role of insoluble fiber – to provide bulk to stools and improve intestinal motility.
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8Blue Wilderness High Protein Dog Food
by Blue Buffalo
Blue Wilderness Nature’s Evolutionary Diet from Blue Buffalo is made with high-quality digestible animal-derived proteins, like salmon, chicken meal, fish meal, and dried egg.
Its plant-derived ingredients contain high-fiber complex carbohydrates including sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, blueberries, carrots, cranberries, alfalfa meal, chicory root, barley grass, parsley, and yucca schidigera extract. Probiotics, vitamins, and minerals were also added to ensure a completely-balanced canine diet.
This formula is protein-rich and calorie-dense, so it will be great for dogs that need a lot of energy to burn or have high metabolic rates. It has higher fiber content than TOTW, Natural Balance, and Wellness in this list. This high fiber level indicates that Blue Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Adult Dry Dog Food would be good for dogs that need to lose weight or those that have bowel movement issues.
This is one of the best high fiber dog food brands because it contains the antioxidant-rich LifeSource Bits (like all other Blue Buffalo products). It is a grain-free diet so there’s a good chance that it will match the needs of dogs that have grain sensitivities and dietary restrictions. It’s not overly expensive, though not cheap either.
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9Coastal Catch High Fiber Dog Food
by Earthborn Holistic
Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch is a grain-free dog food that contains highly-digestible proteins from salmon meal, herring meal, and whitefish meal, which are also good sources of omega 3 and vitamin D.
It contains complex-carbs like potatoes and sweet potatoes and high-fiber fruits and vegetables like peas, spinach, flaxseed, blueberries, cranberries, and apples. These ingredients provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that a dog needs to boost its immune system and overall health. Probiotics are also present to ensure gut health.
Dogs on this diet showed improvement in their previous digestive issues, such as horrible and excessive gas. That can be attributed to the absence of grains, especially corn and wheat. The amount of stool they produce has also significantly decreased after switching to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain-Free Dry Dog Food.
The kibbles are small to medium bite sizes and have a strong fishy smell, as to be expected from its fish ingredients. Make sure your dog (or you) is not averse to that smell, because it can be quite overwhelming. This is one of the best high fiber dog food brands because dogs don’t overeat and look well satiated after a meal. This makes it great for a weight loss regimen and definitely good for the budget, too.
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10Blue Wilderness High Protein High Fiber Food for Dogs
by Blue Buffalo
Blue Wilderness Nature’s Evolutionary Diet Grain-Free Chicken adult dry dog food is similar in nutrient profile as the salmon variety. Except for the first ingredient, which is deboned chicken instead of deboned salmon, it also has the same ingredients listed as that variety.
This formula from Blue Buffalo has a good balance of soluble and insoluble fibers from highly-nutritious food sources, like peas, flaxseed, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, blueberries, cranberries, barley grass, and parsley.
Recurring itching and diarrhea in dogs can be managed so much easier with this grain-free formula, unless your dog is sensitive to one of the ingredients in Blue Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Adult Dry Dog Food or if the cause of said issues is not food-related and not treated correctly. The kibble shape and crunchiness also help tremendously in keeping teeth and gums healthy.
The relatively high fiber content of this food helps in making the dog feel full and slows down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, so it has been most helpful for dogs with diabetes. Dogs love its flavor, too, which is very important when you need to give small meals more frequently over the day to maintain consistent blood sugar levels.
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