Dog food is often loaded with chemicals that can make your dog sick – even if you don’t realise it. Knowing what to look out for in common food brands can be of huge benefit for your paw friend and can save dramatically on vet bills in the future. Get the best for your pet now.
The internet can offer a wealth of information on pets, but unfortunately it can loaded with myths and wrong information too. Lets dig in deep and make sure your dog is getting the well balanced diet he or she deserves.
A Well Balanced Diet
Just like humans, animals require a certain combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins to sustain their health. This proper balance is essential when feeding your dog to help regulate their internal processes and wellbeing. Many pet food producers focus on cutting costs and filling their products with absolute garbage which can make your dog ill leading to expensive veterinary bills later in their life. Your dogs immune system starts at the cellular level in the gut just like us and you can not have good health without good nutrition.
A Dogs Gut Health
Being the main supporter of the canines immune system this process helps to starve off cancer, disease and other illnesses. The skin condition, teeth, fleas, energy levels and eye sight are heavily affected by the nutrients in your dog food. Eating dog food that is freshly prepared can transform your dogs health dramatically as it carries live enzymes to help the gut bacteria flourish.
Focus On Quality Ingredients
The other pillar to a well balanced diet of proteins, fatty acids, carbohydrates and vitamins is the quality of the food itself. Real ingredients and less processed formats of food means easier absorption for your dogs digestive system. It can be difficult to breakdown dog food labels yourself so looking for these ingredients on labels in fresh form can be beneficial.
Meat: Protein for dogs truly is best in meat form. Such sources like beef, lamb, chicken, duck, salmon, herring, tuna are fantastic for your dog. Organ meats play another vital role which we will discuss further in detail later in this article.
Fats: Fatty acids are vital for a canines wellbeing and the best fats are saturated animal fats like beef tallow, grass fed butters, flaxseed oil or cod liver oil in some food sources.
Carbohydrates: Not all grains are bad for dogs as that is a myth according to an FDA study.1 For most dogs grain is fine, and usually contains more nutrients than replacement ingredients used in grain-free diets. Other nutrient dense starchy sources include sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas, spinach and chia seeds. Rice is also a great food for dogs that is easily prepared in our own kitchens.
Puppies to Geriatric Dogs Require Different Diets
One diet does not fit all dogs, just the same as humans. When a dog is in its puppy stage it requires adequate nutrients building blocks to ensure proper development. Many puppy foods on the market are filled with factory poor ingredients that can be detrimental to their brain and muscle conditioning. When a dog is in its later stages of life over 6-7 years focusing on specific foods can help conditions like heart and kidney disease common in this age group.
Shiny Coats And No Itchy Skin
When you see a dog with a lovely vibrant coat you know its in great health. This is due to a dog eating an appropriate balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids which have overall affects on a dogs health. Foods with adequate omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect to reduce itching. If your dogs skin is red and inflamed its vital importance to focus on what your dog is eating and less about what shampoo to use.
Common Dog Food Label Myths
Dog food is quite the maze for your common dog owner, in fact the majority of labels are purely marketing initiatives by big brands – with no real nutritional value! Both the label and the banner statement of the dog food are regulated by the Association of Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) in America. Most manufacturers focus on cutting costs and using the least expensive dog food fillers on the market which is not a good sign of health. Here are some common dog food labels and what they really mean.
Premium Dog Food: This term is as empty as they come, its an unregulated word that literally means nothing. There is no premium dog food, you have to look into the ingredient list to understand if its “premium” or not yourself.
Gourmet Dog Food: Another sticker any manufacturer can label on their product with no regulation. What is gourmet dog food? Ask your dog how some gourmet foods probably taste just like cardboard.
Holistic Dog Food: Another unregulated term doing the rounds of supermarket shelves. Be careful of these terms as they can be expensive dog food sources with no real sustenance.
Organic Dog Food: This is something that has more weight in terms of ingredient list. Organic pet food is made without using pesticides on the ingredients, artificial fertilisers or food additives. One thing to be careful though is for a dog food to achieve an organic label it actually only requires 70% of its ingredients to be organic according to the AAFCO.
Natural Dog Food: This is a bare minimum when you want truly healthy dog food. This is a heavily regulated term that requires the food to only come from natural sources like vegetables, animals or mined sources.
Organ Meat Is Dog Super Food
If you want to really boost your dogs health and overall wellbeing introducing different organ meats can be extremely beneficial. Canine ancestors loved to feast on entire animals after they caught them and a dogs tail will show just how much they crave these little treats. Going to a local butcher and asking for organ meats like heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen and tallow can be very cheap and affordable foods your dog will love to devour. Secondly you can find organ meat dog food brands such as Orijen, Ziwi Peak and Fromm pet foods.
Dog Food Delivery
Many pet owners being in isolation in recent times has forged ever stronger bonds with their dog friends. Another bi-product of this time is the increase in dog food delivery services across the nation. Consumers are turning to online food delivery services for dog foods as they can read ingredients and shop easily compared to standing at supermarket aisles reading tiny labels. Popular choices like The Farmer’s Dog™, Nom Nom, A Pup Above and Chewy are dominating this new market.
Find The Healthiest Dog Food Options Now
If you’re ready to take your furry friends health to new levels then knowing what is in your dogs food is essential. With brands innovating and developing the space and more studies coming out daily dogs of the world are in good hands. Check out these top dog food companies with a simple online search.
Reference:
1. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fda-grain-free-diet-alert-dcm/
