| Keeping Your Best Friend In Prime Condition With Healthy Dog Food |
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| Health and Fitness - Health Issues |
| Written by Jolie Mitchel |
| Monday, 15 September 2008 13:49 |
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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.
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. Preservatives in food are a good thing, usually necessary but it's a good idea to see what preservatives are being used and then find out from a an expert source (usually your vet) if the preservative is known to have any undesirable properties. Some commonly used preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are considered by some to be toxic, at least in large amounts. If you prepare your pet's meals at home the use of preservatives of this type is no longer an issue. There are many sources for dog food recipes. Your vet may have some and the Internet certainly is a good source. Of course there are good recipes and some not so good. Follow the 50-40-10 ratios found on the packaged foods and you should be all right. Make sure the meat is fully cooked and free of bones. Brown rice and oatmeal are excellent choices for the grain component. 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! What's good for humans isn't necessarily best for dogs. A vegetarian diet is generally considered to be a healthy one but a dog, being a carnivore, is used to meat in it's diet and is apt to become bored with food containing no meat or a portion significantly less than the 50% ratio. 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. Your dog's health is primarily determined by it's diet so make an effort to insure that diet is a proper one. There are many options ranging from checking labels to ensure a proper mix of good ingredients to preparing your own or looking to your vet or health food store. This extra effort on your part will pay big dividends to both you and your best friend. About the Author: To find out more about dog food facts please visit ThePoochPlace.com and learn the secrets about dog food recipes. |