How Can I Find a Good Dog Food For My Pet?
Good dog food means different things to different dog owners (and different dogs!). So what comprises a good dog food? Basically it is one that has a complete range of nutrition which insludes plenty of protein, vitamins, minerals and essential supplemts such as Omega 3. There should be no cheap fillers such as rice, corn or soy as these pose serious health risks.
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The question of dry versus canned dog food is largely a matter of preference. Dry dog food is much easier to transport and store. Also bear in mind that canned dog food does contain a lot of water. Dogs tend to prefer canned food, maybe because it is easy for them to eat and also full of flavor. (It looks like the dog in the picture has a tasty choice of food!). If providing your dog with a mainly dry diet, remember to also provide a lot of clean drinking water.
Pet food used to be an extremely simple matter, most individuals simply fed pets the scraps from their tables. Today we all know that feeding our dogs scraps is bad and can cause health issues because the things that humans eat aren’t always acceptable for dogs.
Selecting the proper dog food can be hard and there is not any one dog food that’s acceptable for each dog. Dependent on the size, breed, and age of your dog the right dog food varies. Convenience might also enter into what you think is the correct type of dog food for your pet.
Chemicals
Chemicals and additives are as bad for dogs as they’re for humans. The present case of poisoned dog food which has led straight to pet deaths has shocked plenty of owners. In a few cases to the point of absolutely getting shot of any commercial dog food in the home. While making your own dog food at home is certainly one way to control the food your dog eats, it is not always convenient or possible.
One way to eliminate preservatives from your pet’s diet is to choose a holistic pet food that is chemical and additive free. There are a bunch of brands that offer good nourishment without chemicals or additions. Well-being dog food is an example of pet food that’s all the goodness of nature without the unpleasant chemicals that may cause your dog to feel sick.
Dry Food Or Canned?
Another choice you might want to make is if you will give your pet dry dog food or canned pet food. For some individuals it is a case of economics. Dry food is often a lot cheaper and easier to store. This suggests less visits to the pet shop and additional cash left in your wallet at the day’s close. While it could be less expensive you need to be careful about the sort of dry food that you give your dogs.
Canned food has fewer preservatives and so may be the better choice. It does however pose a storage problem and can be much costlier than dry dog food. Another factor could be your dog’s preference! Some dogs will eat anything while others will only eat certain types of pet food. Experiment a little and be sure to transition your pet slowly into eating the new dog food that you choose. Try different tastes to see what suits your dog.
A Guide To Nutrition and Dog Health Care
Fulfilling your dog’s dietary requirements is an important part of the dog health care process.
A dog’s nutritional requirements differ depending on their age, so managing their diet is not as straightforward as it initially appears.
This guide will inform you as to how you can tailor your dog’s diet to make sure it is benefiting their general health. The cornerstone of successful dog ownership is a good diet.
Feeding Adult Dogs
Dogs are similar to humans in that the most important aspect of their diet is balance. Protein is the cornerstone of this balance. It is recommended their protein content is 20 to 30 per cent, so be sure to include protein rich foods in their diets, such as chicken, salmon and lamb.
Carbohydrates such as rice, cereal and pasta are also a crucial component of their diet, as they supply the dog’s energy. You can ensure smooth bowel movement by complementing their diet with plenty of fibre.
You should feed your dog twice a day, at the same time, with similar portion sizes.
Feeding Puppies
The dietary needs of a puppy are very similar to those of adult dogs, with the major difference being that the food needs to be easily digestible and higher in energy. Because puppies have smaller stomachs, you will need to feed them less, more often.
There are some foods you cannot give to a puppy that you would be okay giving to a normal dog. An example of this would be table scraps, because they can be particularly difficult to digest.
Senior Dogs
Older dogs are less active and have a slower metabolism; therefore their nutritional needs are different from adults and puppies.
It is imperative to keep the calorie levels of an older dog down, as well as giving them food that is easily digestible. Their aging joints can be supported by giving them vitamins C and E.
As dogs begin to age, their ability to chew effectively lessens. For this reason you should keep their portions smaller and avoid meals with large pieces of chewy meat.
Why Is My Dog Not Eating?
Anorexia is a rather common condition in dogs and although it can be something benign, it may also be prompted by something serious. Like any other concern, if your dog is acting differently, it must be investigated to further see what is causing it. Do not neglect anorexia in your pet dogs because it can cause problems with malnutrition and dehydration.
03/07/2011 Scranton, PA – Philip Lenard owns a pet dog and he shares some of his experiences when his pet dog stopped eating. 03/07/2011 Scranton, PA – Philip Lenard is a family pet owner and he shares some of his experiences when the pet dog stopped eating. “It was not that Homer was a fussy eater to begin with with, he would eat everything, so you could envision my concern when he stopped eating,” said Lenard. “I took him to the dog vet and it turned out that he had something to do with his teeth, that was fixed easy enough.” Lenard was also present when the site – http://www.weimaranerproblems.com/weimaraner-training/ was launched.
One owner for the forums on weimaraner training brought up the difficulty of canine anorexia. There without a doubt are a number of reasons why a family pet would get anorexia. The first thing you have to do is to find out if the anorexia occurs with other symptoms. For example, does the anorexia in your dog come with other signs.
If the anorexia is the only symptom that your family pet is showing, it could be that it is just being finicky about its food. If that is the case, don’t panic and give your pet dog no less than two days before you take it to the vet. If it doesn’t eat till at the end of two days and there are no likely explanations for the anorexia then you must take it to the dog vet.
Changes in the family pet’s diet is one of the causes of anorexia. If you changed your dog’s diet then it could result in some problem till the pet weimaraner gets used to the new food. A heat cycle in pet dogs may also be one of the reasons why your pet dog stops eating. This kind of anorexia is likely to go away on its own as the heat cycle wanes.
An owner needs to be concerned when the anorexia is coupled with problems like weakness, lethargy, coughing, and fevers, then dogs must taken to the vet. If the problem is related to bloat then it must be taken to the dog vet immediately. Pet owners should also be concerned when their pet weimaraner starts coughing up blood. You should also take your pet dog to the dog vet ASAP if it is showing signs of breathing problems.
In the weimaraner training forums, there was one commenter who said that dogs can have anorexia when they have problems with their stomach. For example, if a family pet has gastric ulcers, there is a chance that it will stop eating when it is in pain. A pet weimaraner could also cease eating because of any blockages in the GI tract.
Raw Dog Food Diet
In an effort to feed their dogs the healthiest diet available, many pet owners are adopting a uncooked pet food diet for their pets. This type of diet is relatively new and is based on feeding your dog the very foods that they would find if they were still in the wild and hunting for their own food. A raw dog food diet provides them all of the nutrition and vitamins they need without all of the preservatives and chemicals found in store bought dog food.
The idea behind a uncooked dog food diet is that because a pet has a specialized digestive system that can process uncooked foods, they are actually better for the dog than more heavily processed foods. Cooking the foods before giving them to your dog is actually robbing the foods of some of their nutrients and isn’t helping the dog. Many people are under the misimpression that uncooked food is dangerous for their dogs because people can’t eat uncooked food for fear of getting sick. This is a false assumption since dogs are actually better off with food that is uncooked and are happy consuming it as well.
Another advantage to a raw dog food diet is that unlike processed or cooked food, uncooked food contains active enzymes that a dog needs to help them digest their food. When food is cooked at high temperatures before being given to the dog, these enzymes are removed from the food and never make it into the dog’s digestive track. As a result the pet must work harder to break down these store bought foods and to absorb the nutrients they need for good health.
One of the more popular uncooked food diets is called the “bone and raw food” or B.A.R.F. diet and has become very popular in recent years with many pet owners. This raw pet food diet includes a good selection of ingredients from all of the necessary food groups and provides a very balanced meal for your pet. What makes this diet attractive is that it also includes bone where many of the other diets omit this.
It may seem strange to put bone into a dog’s food but this is something that they can process and extract nutrients from for good health. A dog’s stomach is geared to processing both raw food and bone and actually has strong enough stomach acids to break down this bone just like other foods.
Some of these raw food diets can be made at home and others are offered as complete meals that are frozen when sold. If you choose to make a raw dog food diet meal for your pet you can buy all of the ingredients you’ll need in bulk and then prepare a series of meals that can be frozen and used later as needed.If you buy them frozen you can let them thaw to room temperature before serving them to your dog.
Even though serving your pet a raw dog food diet is a little more work than scooping dinner out of a bag, it is well worth it. You can help your dog avoid eating all of the toxins and additives found in other commercially produced dog food. This will give them better health in the short term and help them live a longer and happier life as well.
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