Dogs are known for scarfing down anything and
everything. But, that doesn’t mean you can feed
them just anything. Although, it may make it
easier to sneak in the healthy stuff. For your dog’s
sake, avoid those less-costly grocery store brands
and opt for a higher-end brand that incorporates
more of the essential nutrients your dog needs. Remember
a healthy diet also prevents many health
problems.
So, What Should Good Food Include? Your dog has
evolved from the mighty wolf. This means your
dog is a carnivore and there’s nothing more nutritious
for his body than meat, meat, and more meat!
No matter what breed of dog you have, he will
definitely thrive on a diet rich in animal proteins
and fats. Here are some tips to keep in mind when
looking for a quality dry dog food.
Determine Your Dog’s Life Stage. “Adult Maintenance”
foods are lower in fats and lower in the
above nutrients in order to maintain the health of
an adult dog. An adult dog eating food formulated
for puppies will gain weight due to the higher
calorie count, and his health will begin to decline.
As a rule, look for indicators such as “Puppy”,
“Adult”, or “Senior” on the packaging. Always
check with your veterinarian to be sure what stage
of life your dog is in.
Check the first three ingredients. Manufacturers
list ingredients by order of weight, beginning with
the heaviest. Meaning, the first three ingredients
are what mostly comprises the food. Therefore, it’s
important to identify proteins as the first three
ingredients. Look for whole ingredients like chicken,
turkey, fish, beef, or lamb as the first ingredient.
They should comprise the bulk of the food. The
second or third ingredient may include the word
“meal”, as in “chicken meal”. This is simply a dehydrated
form of animal protein. It’s a concentrated
and condensed protein and should not be avoided
as long as it isn’t the first ingredient.
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Fruits and Vegetables. The remaining ingredients
should be small amounts of whole vegetables and
fruits.
Whole grains. If you’ve opted to feed your dog a
diet that incorporates more carbohydrates, they
should come from whole grains such as brown rice,
not corn or corn meal.
AVOID THE FOLLOWING CONTENTS: Now that
you know what should be in your dog’s food, let’s
look at what to avoid when choosing a quality food.
Corn: Avoid corn in any form. It tends to be added
to low-end dog food because it’s a cheap filler.
Soy: Avoid any food that contains soy in any form.
Soy is estrogenic and therefore can seriously disturb
your dog’s endocrine system.
By-products: Meat by-products include parts of
an animal that are not nutritionally sound, and
have been ground up into the mix of meat. These
parts include: feet, hooves, hair, feathers, beaks,
and even tumors that were present in the animal
source. Organ meats do provide good nutrition.
However, in dry dog food, they are always mixed
in with these other less favorable parts. Your pup
would much rather have fresh liver or giblets prepared
for him as a special treat.
Artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, and preservatives:
Check the label for statements like, “NO
artificial preservatives.” Opt for foods that are
preserved with vitamin E and C instead. These
natural preservatives often appear on labels as
“tocopherols”.
No matter which quality food you choose for your
dog, the most vital nutrient for your dog, and all
life, is water. Always make sure your dog has clean,
fresh water available to him.
20 Community Magazine November 2017