Do you understand your dog’s nutritional needs? Are you aware that even though Fido gets most of his “get up and go” from protein and fats, he also needs a few carbohydrates in his diet? Not too many, though, because a dog cannot digest a diet heavy on carbs. Yes, he can survive on a carbohydrate-based diet, but he will not thrive.
Choose Fido’s food wisely. A healthy diet will contain the correct amounts of certain essential nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Read the dog food label and look for ingredients that will most benefit his digestive system. A diet heavy on protein, along with some vegetables, fruits, good fats, and vitamins and minerals will help keep your furry best friend at optimum condition and health.
Pet food manufacturers are required to list all the ingredients on the package in order of weight. I suggest the following shopping guidelines:
- Look for a couple of good meat (protein) sources in the first four ingredients listed. Corn is not a good choice for many dogs, especially if it is used in place of a high-quality meat source.
- Avoid food if it is heavy on carbohydrates. Sweet potato, potato, barley, oatmeal and whole grain rice are good choices. Wheat and corn – not so good.
- Vegetables are important in a dog’s diet, because they contain many health-promoting nutrients that the animal needs. Look for leafy-green veggies like broccoli and spinach.
- All dog foods contain some source of fat. Avoid foods that contain generic oils, poultry fat, mineral oil or beef tallow.
- Avoid foods containing synthetic preservatives. They are not good for your dog and are only used to prolong the shelf life of the product and improve the taste.
If the ingredients are healthy choices, your dog will digest more of the food and poop less; always a good sign!
Learn more by reading my E-book, “Feeding Fido, How to choose the perfect food for your dog,” available for a donation on this site or for purchase on NOOK or Kindle on Amazon.
info@seniorsforpets.org
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Carol, I have to comment on the ebooks and other info you have given about good nutrition for dogs. THIS WAS WONDERFUL INFO and really got my husband and I thinking. He has always insisted on the “best we could afford” in foods, but even with some of what we thought were “better foods”, we learned a lot when we followed your advice on reading the pkgs. EVERYONE should read this and give your dog the TRUE best that you can. GREAT reading for all dog owners!!! Thanks for publishing it. linda cheshire
I liked this info because I had never thought much about the veggies and other things discussed in FEEDING FIDO. Anything we can do to improve their vitality and health, we need to learn about and try to incorporate in to their routines. And, this is so easy to do with some simple research and reading the well-assembled research you have already done with your hard work. Well worth the time it takes to do this…glad I read it. linda
Linda, thanks for your kind words. It is my hope to spread the information about what is really in pet food to as many as possible. Several years ago, I created and put together a retail pet supplies store for an animal rescue group. I managed the store for a few months and helped in the cat adoption room and during this period, I researched everything I could find on pet food. This led me to the conclusion that so many of us were poisoning our dogs and cats with horrible food choices. My passion for improving my own animals’ diets led me to write the two books.