Along with daily exercise, proper nutrition is critical for your canine’s long-term health. He needs food that provides certain vitamins, minerals, and other essential ingredients. The challenge is, there are many commercial brands designed for dogs at every stage of their development. Choosing from among them may be difficult. Moreover, many veterinarians and professional trainers have conflicting opinions regarding what types of food are most appropriate.

With this in mind, we’ll take a closer look at selecting foods for your dog that guarantee he receives the nutrition he needs. You’ll discover that while options abound, making the right choices is a matter of educating yourself, and keeping your pet’s long-term health in mind.

Seek Recommendations From A Veterinarian

Even though opinions regarding proper foods vary, it’s still valuable to seek the advice of your canine’s veterinarian. He or she will have worked with hundreds of pets, and will have unique insight into the effects of certain foods and brands. If you plan to prepare meals at home, have the vet examine the recipes you intend to use. That way, deficiencies in important ingredients can be identified.

Inspect The Ingredients

High-quality commercial brands have been specially formulated with the ingredients dogs need to develop and remain healthy. Besides vitamins and minerals, these ingredients include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. A deficit in any of these can set the stage for health problems down the road.

It’s worth noting that many lower-quality brands seem to offer the right ingredients, but may actually do more harm than good. This is because they usually contain a high volume of filler material. This material is harder for your canine to digest, and could potentially lead to gastrointestinal problems.

Also, the fat, protein, and carbs often included in such brands are of lower quality, and thus your dog’s body may be unable to absorb them effectively. When using these economy brands, many owners discover they need to give their dogs bigger meals in order to support their energy requirements. This ends up costing more money over time.

Wet Versus Dry Food

A lot of owners prefer to give wet food to their canines. The problem is, wet food contains a high volume of water. The more water present, the more volume your pet will need to eat to fulfill his caloric and nutritional requirements. For smaller breeds, this is seldom a problem since their meals tend to be small. Large breeds, on the other hand, may be unable to consume enough wet food to meet their requirements.

Most veterinarians will recommend transitioning your canine from wet to dry food at an early age. While this is a matter of preference, keep your pet’s size – and accompanying caloric needs – in mind.

Variety Is Overrated

Owners often give different foods to their dogs to prevent them from becoming bored with their meals. This is based on a misconception regarding how canines view food. They’re different than people. They rarely, if ever, become bored with their meals. Unfortunately, when owners rotate foods, it can play havoc with their canines’ gastrointestinal tract.

Your dog’s intestine is filled with bacteria that help him digest his meals. These bacteria exist in response to his normal diet. If you give him foods that differ from that which he is accustomed to eating, the type of bacteria will change in response. He will thus have a more difficult time digesting his meals. If you must change his diet, do so slowly in order to give his body time to adjust to the new food. Make the transition over seven or eight days.

After you introduce new food to your dog, keep a close eye on his behavior. If he seems lethargic, have his veterinarian examine him. Ask whether you should make changes to your canine’s diet that will better meet his caloric and nutritional needs.

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categories: dogs, dog, dog health, dog nutrition, dog training, dog feeding