Making Healthy Choices For Your Dog
Being a dog owner is a job with many responsibilities, an important one being choosing the idea diet for the dog. If the decision is to go with a commercial dog food brand, then it is imperative to read the ingredients label. The first and largest ingredient in the food has to be a form of protein, of which chicken, beef, lamb are good sources. A well-balanced dog food comprises of 50% meat with vegetables following closely at 40% and the remaining 10% from grains.
Preservatives in commercial dog food products can be a source of worry. Some of them are known to be rather harmful, especially when consumed in large quantities and over a long period of time. It never hurts to check with the local vet and follow advice on any reliable website catering to dog care before deciding on the brand that would work best for your dog.
There is no dearth of pet stores or supermarkets that showcase aisles of high quality dog food. Before you fill your trolley up, ask a lot of questions. Most salespersons are trained to address specific customer queries and are eager to assist. To seem less suspicious, you could always start by making a positive enquiry about health products on the market for dogs and consider their recommendations. By looking for a products that is good for your dog rather than eliminating products that are bad, the chances are that you will have a happy and healthy pet by your side.
There are people who decide to go the \”home made\” route.(making their own version of high quality dog food), Cooking the meat and vegetables, and grains right there in their very own kitchen. There are millions of dog food recipes over the Internet, but every ingredient must be the same as every commercially made dog food. As the commercial dog food it should still contain 50% meat, 40% vegetables and 10% grain. Meats should be cooked thoroughly, the same applies to rice, oatmeal and grains.
Some dog-owners put their dogs on a vegetarian diet. While this is not harmful, it is good to keep in perspective that by nature dogs are carnivorous and perform best with meat in their diet. A vegetarian dog also is in danger of becoming a finicky eater when bored with the meat-less diet.
You also need to watch for signs of a multitude of dog food allergies. A few of these signs are: Itchy skin, ear infections that seem continual, hair loss, Increase in bowel movements, and constant itching. You would be wise to watch for these signs
Keeping that old dependable dog food ration in mind, it is time to experiment with your dog’s palette. Try different ingredients but avoid those that could be harmful for your dog, like chocolate, garlic, onions, avocados, grapes, raisins and mushrooms. Striking the right mix of tastes could turn your dog into a fan of your cooking.
As we have discovered there are limitless options to provide your dog the best treatment he needs. By checking his commercial food, to making him his own delicious food, to making it fully organic. Always keep in mind that your best friend’s health begins with his food intake, and making sure he is in tip top shape will give you, and him, a lot more years of love, happiness and friendship.
