How to Choose Best Dog Food In 3 Steps |
Posted: July 1, 2018 |
Mastering the art of choosing best dog food takes time and know-how. But you don't need to be a board certified veterinary nutritionist in order to be able to choose an appropriate dog food from 100s of formulas on offer. Follow this simple 123-guide and you will be up and running in no time. Choosing the best diet starts with knowing your dog.You know your dog more than anyone else.To this knowledge add your knowledge of dog food ingredients and that's half of your task done. Next, eliminate dog foods containing fillers, harmful ingredients and unclear ingredients labelling from your list of would be choice. Examine the remaining ones in relation to your dog's specific dietary needs. Choose the diet that is closest to your dog's profile...and that's job done! Here's is how it will all come together if you need more details... So, what do you have to know about your dog? Dogs have specific nutritional needs. Every dog’s nutritional needs vary according to age, level of physical activities, personality, health condition and breed.You have to be clear where your dog fits in each of these categories. Match your dog's profile with the diet that most fits his profile by keeping close watch on ingredients and other information on the label. Many pet food manufacturers offer diets that are specifically formulated for certain age groups, breeds and health conditions. In general, a dog’s diet should be made of protein, carbohydrates, fats, water, minerals and vitamins. These nutrients should be in balanced proportion and complete to meet energy needs and support physiological and biochemical processes in order to maintain your dog's health. Deciding whether a dog is a carnivore or an omnivore will influence how you choose your dog food. Some dog owners believe dogs as omnivores while others see them as carnivores. Dogs are neither strict omnivores nor strict carnivores.Dogs are scavenging carnivores. They can deal with a variety of diets. But the bottom line is the right dog food is one consisting more of protein from varying animal sources. If you are in doubt, think about what dogs eat in the wild before they become domesticated. I can assure you that's where they get their best dog food . How about Ingredients?Bad ingredients make dog food unsafe and unhealthy for your dog. There is a strong connection between increasing incidences of health problems and feeding non-biologically appropriate diets to dogs. Give serious considerations to feeding grain-based diets to your dog over a prolonged period.The best dog food should contain more proteins from a mix of animal sources, a blend of vegetables and fruits and a minimal quantity of carbohydrates. Proteins are the building blocks of the cells, organs and systems that enable our dogs to live and function well.But how much protein is appropriate for a dog depends largely on age and health conditions. To remain healthy, an adult dog needs 3-3.5gm of protein per 1b body weight daily. This value should be reduced to 1gm/1lb/day in advanced stage of kidney problem. Many dog food manufacturers have brands that offer various feeding options with varying amounts of protein from both plants and animals. Pay close attention to the label which should indicate the amount of protein but more importantly their sources. Most dog foods manufactured in USA are required to make aafco nutritional adequacy statement on the dog food label for the age group. Where the food is meant for a puppy, the label should include nutritional adequacy statement based on aafco recommendations for puppy dog food. Same goes for other age categories. Such dog food should contain 22-35% dry matter protein from named animal sources. Remember all proteins are not equal; but to ensure that your dog gets reasonable amount of amino acids from her food choose a dog food brand that lists 2-3 protein sources from a named animal in the first 5 ingredients on the label. In choosing the best dog food, consider brands that use beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and venison etc. as animal protein sources. Avoid dog foods whose protein sources are described in generic terms like meat by-products, animal derivatives, poultry by-products and poultry derivatives. Most could come from rendering plants. Many dog food manufacturers boost the food protein content by using soy. Yes, soy contains high protein but it binds other minerals making them unavailable for absorption. Give serious consideration to soy products. It is better left for the ruminants and birds. Even for the highest quality animal protein sources, qualities are affected by heat during the manufacturing process.Proteins are denatured; minerals and vitamins are lost to heat. If you have chosen a dry dog food, consider adding amino acids, vitamins and mineral supplements from time to time. Getting a diet with the right amount of protein is only one part of the puzzle.The job is not done yet since you need to sort out other nutrients needed for a balanced diet. That means carbohydrate and fat. Dogs do not need much carbohydrate in their foods to remain healthy any way...But they require grains and vegetables for energy, stool formation, digestion and normal thyroid gland function. Whole grains like oats, brown rice and barley contain minerals, vitamins, fats and protein although lots are lost to heat during manufacturing process. Corns are massively used in commercial dog food because they are alternative source of cheap carbohydrate.They offer little nutritional value and on long term could damage your dog’s health. Avoid dog food containing high carbohydrate supplied mainly from corn and corn syrup. Best Dog Food: Consider Fat SourcesDogs need both saturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are described as essential fatty acid necessary to maintain good health. Your dog’s saturated fats come from meat and the dog uses it mainly to generate energy. Although dogs unlike humans don’t suffer heart problems due to high fatty acids, how much of saturated fat your dog needs depends on age and activity. Puppies, performance and racing dogs could require up 25-50% fat in their diets. For other dogs, moderation is required since too much fat in the diet could lead to obesity. Vegetable sources like sunflower oil, flax seed oil, olive oil and corn oil etc. provide the polyunsaturated fatty acids that your dog requires for healthy skin and coat. So, how about vitamins, minerals and water? There are two types of vitamins- water soluble B, C and fat soluble A, D, E K. Your dog needs both. Unfortunately not enough is left in commercial dog food after processing. The loss continues gradually once the pack is opened and not stored in air tight food containers. You need to supplement your dog food with vitamins especially the water soluble vitamins daily. Minerals are the least quantity of ingredients found in most dog food. Sometimes they account for less than 2.5%.Yet they are very essential in coordinating the normal body function. But like vitamins and amino acids, a good proportion is always lost in commercial dog foods during the preparation process. Don't forget that your dog requires water regularly. The best dog food should be complemented with regular water available for your dog in easily accessible bowl. To buy a dog food bowl today,click the image below for more varieties! All said and done, the bottom line is to choose a biologically appropriate diet suitable for your dog's age, and health condition. See our suggested diets for all ages and health conditions... here there is incidence of food allergy and health condition, choose…
Choosing the best dog food and deciding how to feed your dog are dependent on your dog’s circumstances. However you want to choose and feed your dog, be careful about dog foods containg these ingredients.
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