Taking care of your dog’s health is a full-time job, one that requires a large amount of responsibility. However, did you know that choosing your dog’s food is one of the most important decisions you make for your dog’s health? There are many different types of dog food on the market, some of which may actually damage your dog’s health. Here is some information that will help you to be better informed about how to choose the best possible food formula for your dog.
WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR DOG?
The type of food you purchase can depend on factors such as your dog’s breed, age, activity level and overall health. When choosing a dog food formula, it’s important to keep these factors in mind. For example, if your dog is under 1 year of age, you will want to choose a puppy formula. If your dog is over seven years of age, you are best off choosing a dog food formula for senior dogs. If your dog has urinary tract problems, you may want to purchase a formula that is designed to help your dog’s condition.
In addition to this, if your dog is overweight, you may want to purchase a high-fiber, low-fat dog food formula. This is because an overweight dog is prone to many different health problems, especially if they are currently on a high-fat diet. Many dog food companies have designed special formulas for dogs that are suffering from obesity.
READ THE INGREDIENTS
When choosing a dog food, it’s essential that you pay close attention to the ingredients. As a general rule, the first five ingredients in your dog’s food formula make up the bulk of the food. Because of this, it’s important that these ingredients are highly nutritious, and do not contain any harmful substances. It’s best to avoid dog food formulas which contain corn in their first five ingredients, since many dogs can develop health problems on a corn-based diet. In addition to this, it’s best to avoid dog food formulas that contain artificial colors, artificial flavors or chemical preservatives.
GRAIN-FREE DOG FOOD
As another option, you may want to consider feeding your dog a grain-free formula. A grain-free dog food formula more closely mimics the diet of dogs in the wild, and can have positive effects on your dog’s health. Though grain-free dog food formulas may sometimes be a bit more expensive, they can go a long way towards keeping your dog happy, healthy and disease-free.
15. January 2010 at 4:55 pm
I home-cook for my dog myself. I feel that the closer the food is to its original form, the better it is.
The argument against home-cooking for dogs is an issue of not being able to provide complete and balanced diet this way. But there is a way to solve that now. I am using Hilary’s Blend. It’s a supplement formula designed specifically to balance home-cooked meals. It comes with a recipe book and all recipes have been calculated the same way as the commercial dog food formulas.
I think there are more similar products out there, we are using this one. Out holistic vet also has the software available to be able to calculate custom recipes.