How
To Select a Proper Diet for Your Dog
How and what we feed our dog
has a big effect on our pet's health and over-all behavior.
There are so many commercially available dog foods to choose
from that making the right decision can be somewhat impossible.
But let's tackle the problem nonetheless.
For a change, look beyond the labels and advertisements and
look into what exactly your dog food contains. What follows
is a partial list to help you find out if your dog is getting
what he needs in the right amounts.
If your pet dog has large, smelly stool, is gaseous, burps
often, sheds constantly, is prone to ear and skin infections,
has either no energy or is hyperactive and if his immune system
is weak, something may be wrong with your dog's diet.
Although any or a combination of these symptoms may occur
occasionally, having them recur often is a cause for concern
and reviewing your dog's diet is one of the first things you
should look into.
First of all, your dog needs 45 nutrients to function properly.
Major groups for these nutrients are protein, carbohydrates,
fat, vitamins and minerals, as well as water. These nutrients
have to be in the right amounts so that they are properly
digested and absorbed by the body.
Protein
Remember that your dog, or any dog for that matter, is a carnivore,
meaning his body mainly uses meat. That also means that vegetables
and grains are not supposed to have a major contribution to
your pet's diet.
On dog food packages how much protein is in the food is indicated.
But finding out how much protein is in the food is not as
important as knowing what source the protein came from.
Dog food makers have a wide choice of protein sources to
choose from. Aside from meats (beef, chicken, lamb, etc.),
plants and grains like corn, wheat and soy are used as sources.
To find out what sources have been used most in the package
you're buying, look at the ingredients list. By law, the largest
amount of ingredient used is listed first and others follow
in decreasing amounts. You should see 3 meat sources on the
first 5 items mentioned. Any less than that and you may not
be giving your dog the proper protein
for his diet.
Carbohydrates
Your dog will also need carbohydrates primarily for energy.
But unlike their masters, dogs do not need a lot of carbohydrates
to be healthy. A diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates
is ideal for your pet.
Since dogs are meat-eaters, diets high in carbohydrates will
take a long time for your pet to digest, not to mention resulting
to large and smelly stool and gas. The gums can also grow
sore due to excessive chewing and his breath can develop a
bad smell. So only use a small amount of a carbohydrate source
(such as grains) in your pet's diet.
Fats
Two kinds of fat exist. One is saturated (animal fat) and
the other is polyunsaturated (vegetable fat). Your dog will
need both and taken together supply essential fatty acids
(EFA) needed to maintain good health.
Not enough fat in the diet
can cause low energy levels, heart problems and dry skin.
However, too much fat can cause obesity. Tumors and cancers
can also develop. In reading the label, look for a product
that has a good balance between animal and vegetable fat in
it.
Vitamins
Vitamins are necessary to release nutrients from the food
that the body can use. There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble
vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Both types are needed by
your dog.
Vitamins B and C are water-soluble. Too much of these will
not harm the body much since it is urinated out in 4 to 8
hours. This is the reason they need to be in each meal. Vitamins
A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. They are stored in fatty tissues
of the body and the liver.
It is important to remember that vitamins are easily lost
in the making of manufactured dog food. And they break down
as soon as you open the package and expose the food to light
and air. Vitamins B and C are particularly sensitive.
Vitamin C is needed for healthy teeth and gums as well as
for a strong immune system to fight diseases. While dogs can
produce their own vitamin C, it is not enough and therefore
needs to be part of the diet. Vitamin B is needed for energy
and to break down protein and carbohydrates.
Minerals
Minerals are a critical component of a diet but they make
up less than 2% of most formulated dog
food products. Since more than half of the necessary
minerals are lost in manufacturing processes, adding mineral
supplements to your pet's food is recommended.
Water
Ready access to fresh and clean is necessary for your dog
to maintain proper body functions as well as to aid the body
to break down hard-to-digest food like meats.
Whether you make your own dog
food or buy them off the shelf, it is necessary to make
sure the proper nutrients in the right amounts are given to
your dog. Just a little effort goes a long way in helping
our pets lead a healthy life as your companion.
Learn Holistic At-Home Remedies from Dr.
Andrew Jones by
downloading this "Healing Your Pets At Home" FREE
book Now!
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