Pet Food 101: Every Dog Owner's Guide in Feeding Your Pooch
Pet food is not automatically human food nor scraps of cooked food. Being a dog owner, it is our responsibility to care for them properly and feed them nutritious and delicious food.They give us unconditional love and loyalty that the least we can do is to ensure that they are fed properly.What they need are foods that contain vitamins and minerals that would improve their fur, teeth, bones, stamina, skin and overall health. Feeding them right will strengthen their immune system to fight bacteria and parasites, too.
Aside from vitamins and minerals, the essential parts in a dog's diet include protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fatty acids. Protein, which dogs get a lot of from whole meat, fish and eggs, is necessary to build strong muscles, develop their growth and build a healthy coat, nails and skin. Fat transports vitamins in our pet's system, boost metabolism and is a known source of energy. And, of course, they need carbohydrates to remain active and energetic, and have a healthy digestive system.
While knowing what's good for your dog's health is important, it is equally important to know what's bad for your canine pet, too.The quality and quantity of meals they take can lead to malnutrition, obesity and other health disorders such as cancer, kidney and bladder malfunction, skin diseases and arthritis, among many others. Many books and websites share a list of foods that should not be fed to your dogs such as chocolate, beans, garlic, onion and cooked chicken bones. And since many owners doubt the sincerity of commercial dog foods, they resort to feeding their dog homemade dog food they prepared themselves.
Homemade dog food has many benefits, the most important of which is that it ensures that your dog will get the proper nutrition he needs. While it takes time and effort to learn what to feed them, making your dog's food is economical and results-oriented as you will see good changes in their health. Just remember not to add preservatives and added spices, especially garlic, and to balance their diet and add variety to it. Feel free to also include cooked good grain in their bowls, like brown rice and whole wheat, to complete their protein meat and vegetable meal. There are many kinds of dog food in the market, and one is the premium dog food that promises dog food using only the best ingredients.The latter is known to use high grade ingredients that has no fillers or by-products in them.
However, it is still safer to discuss with your dog's veterinarian what your dog's diet should be.
Paying a visit to your dog's veterinarian is best in order to know the kinds and types of pet food to buy for your pup.This, backed by your own research, will guide you when buying ingredients and food for you dog, as well as when making meals for them. They can tell you what your pet dog needs based on its size, breed, age and level of activity.You should also remember to slowly, and day by day, change your dog's food if he has gone accustomed to a certain, unhealthy diet.After all, dogs are like humans, too - they don't take diet changes easily.
Pet food and snacks are essential to your pet's health and overall well-being. Dogs, man's best friend, is the most challenging pet to feed because of its needs for vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fat, protein and many other compounds. Having a bad diet can result to many illnesses and diseases for your dogs, as serious as cancer. To care for their beloved canine, some people resort to buying premium dog food while other feed dogs with homemade dog food.
Published May 25th, 2010
Filed in Family