Dog food is simply food meant for personal consumption by dogs, felines and other domesticated canines. Dogs are often regarded as omnivores; that is, they eat both plant and animal matter. They may also consume fruits and other foods such as seeds, nuts, eggs, milk and vegetables. However, most owners would only feed their pets dry food or table scraps. This is because feeding your pet commercial pet foods may lead to more serious health problems later on, especially if the dog is already malnourished and suffering from various diseases.
In terms of diet, dogs are classified into different strains like the working dogs which should eat dry dog food and the toy dogs which should eat kibble or canned dog food. A mixed breed is another example wherein the traits of both breeds are blended in order to create a unique dog. The most common and popular variety of dogs is the Toy and Miniature breeds which are usually bred for the purpose of breeding. Owning such a pet often requires more attention from the owner and that is why it is advisable to know the right things to do in order to maintain the health of your beloved pet at all times.
To begin with, you should know how to prepare the dog food for your pet. For convenience, most pet food brands today include ready-to-eat recipes which cater to the nutritional needs of the dogs. These ready to eat recipes usually come in nutrient enriched food portions so you would not need to make any special treats for them. You can simply purchase commercially manufactured pet food or even buy or prepare one of your own. There are actually numerous sources which provide quality recipes for the pet. However, if you do not have the time to cook or are not comfortable making the necessary ingredients needed for this type of recipe, you can always purchase pet food brands that already come with recipes included in their nutrient dense pet foods.
When choosing dry dog food for your beloved pets, you should also consider the source of these ingredients. The preservatives and chemicals used to make up canned dog food may pose a threat to the health of your pets especially those which are more sensitive to these chemicals. In addition, dry food may be very expensive due to the fact that it is composed of more natural ingredients and since dogs love eating fresh meat, it may be best for you to choose dry food as opposed to canned dog food. Nevertheless, it is still best to read labels and consult with your veterinarian to ensure the safety of the ingredients of any dry food you may decide to give to your pets.
Also consider the source of organic ingredients which are used to make dry food for dogs. Since dogs love eating raw meat, it is best to make sure that whatever you feed them is completely natural such as raw meat meal which comes from the back of the animal. You may find many canned dog food brands which use meat meal as their main ingredient. Aside from being cheap, it also poses no threat to the health of your pets. Organic ingredients are also great especially if you don’t want to expose your dogs to chemicals.
Another thing you need to watch out for when choosing which brand of pet food to give to your canine friends are the ingredients they use to fill their kibble. Some dog foods contain fillers such as wheat, corn, and soy which are cheap yet effective fillers. However, the problem with these fillers is that they may disrupt the balance of the nutrient content in the food. Also, the presence of these fillers may cause your dogs to have bowel problems or to have gas. If you want to feed your dog only healthy and nutritious food, you need to find other alternatives such as using dog food fillers.
When looking for dog food fillers, look for a brand which contains proteins like soy, wheat, or rice instead of relying on proteins like corn gluten meal. For example, a common filler in pet food brands today are chicken meal, lamb meal, or chicken egg. However, using a protein like soy can provide your pet with more of its necessary amino acids without the risk of them being ruined by this unnecessary filler. Another thing to consider when feeding your pet with chicken meal is to make sure it contains all the necessary amino acids.
Last among the things you need to avoid when feeding your dogs are grains. Although grains are beneficial to pets because they increase their protein and mineral absorption, there are dogs who suffer allergic reactions to grains. Feeding your dogs with corn or other grains may cause them to have hair loss, diarrhea, or vomiting. Also, dogs who are fed grains may experience a decrease in their digestibility or may even develop malabsorption syndromes which can lead to cancer.