Dog nutrition

Feed your dog well and you’re likely to have a healthy dog for life. Although dogs need lots of protein, up to half their diet can be made up of carbohydrates.
Adult dogs need only 1 or 2 meals per day. Fresh water should be available at all times.

What is a good dog food?

You don’t need to get your dog’s food from a vet or a boutique dog store. Yes their food would be high quality but you’d also be paying for the name. You can actually find a good dog food in a supermarket. Having said that, you usually get what you pay for as the price depends on the ingredients.

So don’t buy the cheapest generic brand or you’ll end up having to buy canine supplements and maybe even fork out for vet bills. Poor food is false economy whether we’re talking about human food or dog food.

Dry dog food vs canned dog food

Ask a dog what he prefers and his answer would be canned dog food every time! It’s moist and easy to eat and tastes good too. The trouble is canned dog food is around 70 – 80% water which makes it rather expensive. Add to that the hassle of carrying heavy cans home form the store and then having to store them in the fridge when opened and there’s no comparison.

Health-wise dry dog food wins hands down as well. Dogs who are fed dry food have less tooth decay and gum disease than dogs who chow down on cans. Dogs who are fed dry food tend to be slimmer and healthier as well. Just make sure your dog has plenty of water if his diet is made up wholly of dry food.

So what does a typical dried dog food contain? Most of them are made up from a mixture of meat, grains, fats and may be supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Among the important ones are vitamin A, D3 and E, calcium and magnesium.

Nutritional supplements for dogs.

You should not have to buy extra canine supplements if you’re using a good dog food in the first place. Just make sure the dog food you choose has all the essential food groups necessary for a healthy dog. Nutritional information should be on the label.

Feeding dogs human food

This is a waste of time and money. Dogs have metabolisms that are different to humans so their nutritional need are not the same. There’s nothing wrong with giving your dog the odd scraps from the table as long as he doesn’t develop too much of a taste for them, but don’t let this become a major part of his diet.