What Should I Feed My Dog?
Knowing what’s best for your dog has and still is becoming increasingly difficult to know due to so many types and brands of dog food available today. There has been an evolution of the nutritional needs of the pets both in the wild and natural environment. This is why you should ensure that what you feed your dog has everything available in the natural diet. When your dog stays with us they will be feed a high quality dog food with everything they need for their stay.
In the wild, dogs feed on everything including the bones, skin, intestines, and muscle. This is why feeding the pets on meat or muscle alone isn’t sufficient. Furthermore, the dietary requirements of the dog vary with the level of activity, psychological state and stage of life. Growing puppies need a wide range of nutrients such as proteins in order to develop strong muscles and bones. An old dog, on the other hand, won’t need as much protein because it’s no longer developing muscles or bones. So, if you feed it a lot of protein, its lifespan will be shortened due to over taxation of its organs like the kidney.
Diets Prepared at Home
Though home feeds can be quite palatable for the pet dogs, they lack certain vital dietary elements. This imbalance can lead to many health issues such as poor skin, intestinal disorders, coat condition and bone disease. But a veterinarian may recommend that you cook meals for your pet for a short period in case of an allergy.
Dog Food from Supermarkets
Supermarket foods have the ability to provide the dog with certain basic dietary needs since they’re prepared from cheap ingredients like soybean products, offal and cereals. This can result in reduced digestibility, reduced palatability, larger volumes of stool that’s with more odour and flatulence. They also lack the optimal balance of fatty acids which is vital for healthy coat and skin.
Products Recommended by Veterinarians
To get quality pet food, it’s advisable that you get them from some licensed pet food stores and veterinary clinics. The formulations of these feed suit dogs of all activity levels, ages and sizes. The feed is also available in dried and tinned varieties.
Reasons for choosing high-quality foods for your dog
The main benefits that veterinary dog foods offer to your pets include:
1. They are easy for the dogs to digest and are very palatable
2. They contain optimal levels of fibre for optimal digestibility and absorption of other necessary nutrients
3. Contain the optimal levels of essential fatty acids for preventing certain health conditions from attacking the pets
4. Due to high digestibility, there are small amounts of stool which give much less smell
5. Less food is wasted since the dogs find them quite palatable
How Much to Feed the Dog
The amount of feed to give to the dog varies based on the dog’s age, energy requirements and size. Different brands, however, have varied recommendations.
Can the dogs be fed milk?
Since dogs lack the enzyme lactase, they may find it hard to digest the milk from the cow and this may cause them to diarrhoea. However, if it doesn’t cause them any upsets in their systems and they enjoy it, it’s okay to feed it to them if they’re also fed on a balanced diet.
What about Water?
Dogs should get access to fresh water at all times. Dehydration can cause illness that results in fatalities.
Conclusion
Now you’ve got the information about how and what to feed your dog. This information doesn’t, however, replace the need to consult veterinarians of matters concerning the dog food.