Healthy Food - Happy Dog
You hear all sorts of advice on how to provide healthy dog food for your pet - from pet food manufacturers, your veterinarian, friends and family - but what’s the real story on giving your dog a diet to keep him in top form? We’ll look at a few basic recommendations and some options for snazzy home cooking for your dog.
When purchasing a dog food product off the shelf look for a 50-40-10 ratio of meat, vegetable, and grain. This is optimum and provides your dog with a healthy balance of needed nutrients. The meat should be listed first with beef, chicken or lamb as the typical meat ingredient. Don’t cut corners by buying a cheap brand. You’re not doing your best friend any favor. Go after quality and Fido will thank you.
Many pet owners, concerned over the types of preservatives used in some dog food are resolving the issue by cooking their own pet food. Preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and oxyquin are believed to be toxic an large amounts. The problem is, how much is large and is the effect these preservatives may have on your best friend cumulative over time?
The Internet is a good source for dog food recipes but you’ll find both good and not-so-good recipes. If you follow the 50-40-10 ratio described above you should be OK. Make sure the meat is cooked well and free of bones. The best choice for grain is usually considered to be brown rice or cooked oatmeal.
Once you know the basic ratios, you can experiment until you find a combination of ingredients that your dog will love. Remember not to salt the food, and that some ingredients - chocolate, garlic, onions, avocados, grapes, raisins and mushrooms - are actually dangerous for your pet and should never be used. Make certain that your healthy dog food is also safe!
Can you feed your dog a purely vegetarian diet? Most experts say that you can, but dogs are carnivores and they really are in top form with meat included in their diet. There’s also the danger that your dog will grow bored with a vegetarian diet and become a finicky eater.
If you don’t have time to cook, there are still options for healthy dog food. Many health food stores and even some mainstream pet stores now offer organic prepared food for your dog. There’s also a wide selection of holistic and organic food available online.
As you can see, there are many options when it comes to providing a healthy diet for your best friend, from checking the label of commercial food to developing your own delicious recipes to going organic. Your dog’s health starts with his diet so it’s worth the extra effort to make sure he’s in top form and will be able to give you many years of love and companionship.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
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