Best Dog Food For West Highland Terriers

The West Highland Terrier (also called Westie or Westy) is a breed from Scotland. They are active and intelligent, and they love interaction.

Weighing from 15 to 20 lbs, westies stand between 10 and 11 inches tall at the tallest point of their body. The breed doesn’t like rough handling, and is food-possessive. In the past, owners used these dogs as rodent hunters.

Top Food Options For West Highland Terriers

Nutritional Requirement For West Highland Terriers

Westies are a highly-active breed and like to socialize. Generously give your dog plenty of time outdoors.

Engage him in many activities such as running and catching balls and discs. Indoor activities such as hide and seek are also recommended.

Provide the dog sufficient calories. For less active westies, the requirement is 450 calories. If what you got is a dog that is extremely active, he needs more than 600. Don’t go beyond 1200 calories daily.

Watch out for skin problems. Westies tend to develop skin allergies. If you notice he scratches his body quite often, consider feeding him a hypoallergenic dog food. Check also for ingredients that cause allergic reactions.

What you can do is use different brands and occasionally rotate these brands. Then you will know which among them help heal the skin problem. Some dogs develop allergies due to chicken or some kinds of grains.

You may also check the vegetable and fatty-acid content of the brands. These ingredients strengthen the immune system and help in promoting healthy skin and coat.

Westie mothers begin weaning their puppies on the 5th week after giving birth. The puppies are ready to socialize. On the 6th week, the puppies weigh more or less 6 lbs.

Wellness Core Dry Dog Food

We start with Wellness Core, a grain-free dog food with 80% more protein compared to dog foods with grain content. Being grain-free, it is a hypoallergenic formula.

The brand uses chicken and turkey, so you need to check if the chicken content will cause your westy to develop skin allergy. The turkey content is safe for all dogs.

The company boasts about this formulation as nutritionally complete and balanced. It uses high-quality carbohydrates and proteins, which ensures that your pet’s caloric needs are met.

It also contains vitamins and minerals, which the makers say can support healthy immune system. It is also fortified with omega fatty acids, making this dog food good for ensuring a healthy coat for your pet.

The formulation also includes probiotics, fiber and prebiotics. These ingredients are good for maintaining a healthy digestive system. Wellness Core is packed with nutrients and meat. For your dog to adjust to the high level of nutrition, do the transition gradually.

Merrick Grain Free Dry Dog Food

Merrick is another dog food with a grain-free formulation, but compared to the one above, it uses deboned lamb rather than chicken and turkey. As a grain-free formula, there is no soy, wheat or gluten in this dog food.

Lamb and red meats contains cholesterol, so check with your vet if that will not cause any health problems to your pet. Lamb is highly palatable to dogs. It is also easily digestible.

This dog food contains only 30% protein, so it might not be good to use if you are trying to develop lean healthy muscle tissues for your dog. The remaining 70% consists of sweet potato, peas, blueberries and other vegetables.

The company also added omega fatty acids to support healthy skin and coat. Omega fatty acids can also reduce the risk for heart disease and high blood pressure.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are also included. These ingredients foster healthy joints and hip. All ingredients are sourced from US. No ingredient is sourced from China.

Nutro Wholesome Essentials Dry Dog Food

You can also use Nutro, a chicken-based dog food. As long as your westy is not allergic to chicken meat, he will get delicious meals with this food and develop strong bones as well.

This food was formulated with dogs’ skeletal health in mind. It contains glucosamine and chondroitin, which we said support joints and hips. The addition of calcium also supports healthy bone development.

Omega fatty acids are also included. This is to make the functions of the immune system to be more effective.

The company is careful not to include chicken by-product. It means that the meat content of this dog food is real chicken. In addition, they avoid using GMO ingredients.

If your dog is food sensitive, try the Limited version of Nutro. The ingredients are limited, which means that in the making of that version, the company avoided including ingredients that cause indigestion and other digestive problems.

Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food

Eagle Pack is also a nice option because of its balanced formulation. If your dog likes eating different kinds of meat, he will enjoy eating this dog food.

There are three meat ingredients – fish, lamb and chicken. The fish ingredient is a good source of omega fatty acids. No meat by-products are used in Eagle Pack’s formulations.

The company also saw to it that no grains will be included. Just like the ones above, this dog food does not contain wheat, soy and gluten. Furthermore, they don’t use harmful ingredients like preservatives and artificial colors.

Balanced formulation for the company means the inclusion of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, omega fatty acids and antioxidants. They have been energizing pets for over 25 years now by providing them quality foods that are proudly made in the US.

Eagle has earned the coveted 5-star rating from Dog Food Advisor. This is why it deserves a spot in our list and a place in your westy’s wellness.

Taste Of The Wild Dry Dog Food

The last slot belongs to Taste of the Wild dog food, another option that is also grain-free. It uses real roasted meat for its protein source. Actual meats are sourced from buffalo, lamb, venison, bison and beef.

It contains no chicken, but it uses egg product as an ingredient. For some dogs, egg also causes skin allergies. Check with your vet if your westy is susceptible.

Taste of the Wild is also rich with vegetables. Aside from sweet potatoes, the formula also includes peas, potatoes, tomatoes, berries, chicory root and flaxseed.

The formulation also includes fish ingredients. It contains ocean fish meal and salmon oil, a good source of DHA. DHA is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that is important for brain structure and function.

A host of vitamins and minerals are also included. Notable among them is the B vitamins that are essential for maintaining a healthy liver. Other key vitamins include vitamin D and vitamin E.

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