Understanding And Choosing Dog Food.
In order to be certain that you are feeding your pet high quality dog food, (especially if you feeding him/her a commercial brand), you need to inspect the package label. An excellent guideline to follow through on is to be sure the very first ingredient is a form of protein; chicken, beef, and lamb are excellent forms of protein. To sum it up, the food should contain 50%meat, 40% vegetables, and just about 10% grain.
One must watch for the preservatives contained in many commercial dog food products. Quite a few of these preservatives are known to be very dangerous, and sometimes sometimes deadly to your dog if consumed in mass quantities. Ask your local vet, or visit any healthy dog web site to be sure you are not endangering your best friend in any way.
A wide range of high quality dog foods are now available in the stores. Most shop assistants are eager to answer any doubts and it is a good idea to discuss your choice with them. In doing so, you might be led to some better products that cater to the overall health and care of dogs. Your dog;s health and well-being can only benefit from such an explorationi
Another option is to cook the dog’s food at home just like the rest of the family. There are many recipes and suggestions for dog food easily available on the internet for the adventurous dog-owners but the nutrition ration of the food needs to remain the same. Meat being the most important ingredient should make half of it while vegetables comprise of 40% and the remainder 10% with grains. This would give the dog all the benefits available from commercial dog-food. Do ensure that the meat is cooked properly, as also the rice, oatmeal and grains.
Putting your dog on a vegetarian diet according to most experts, it is ok, but always remember that dogs are carnivores and become healthiest with meat in their diet. There might be a risk as well, for your dog to become a finicky eater once he becomes bored of the vegetarian food you have been feeding him.
Matching dog to dog food also means watching out for a host of dog allergies. Some symptoms are itchy skin, repeated ear infections, hair loss, frequent bowel movements and constant itching. WIth any diet changes, it is good to watch out for any of these signs cropping up in the dog.
After fixing the ration of nutrition in the dog’s diet, it is time to experiment. A dog’s food should not be seasoned but variety is always possible. There are some foods that should be completely avoided in the interest of the dog’s health, like garlic, avocados, grapes, mushrooms, raisins and chocolate.
It is a matter of trial and error to land upon the right dog food but with a few guidelines in mind the dog will surely benefit. Some points should be mandatory - checking out the ingredients on packaged dog food and paying attention to the quality of the dog food cooked at home. A happy and healthy dog would give its owners the least worry and the greatest joy. And it all begins with finding the right dog food!
