Dog Food Nutrition

If you are looking to create your own dog food recipes, or just looking for the best dog food to buy for your best friend, it is important to first understand a few basic facts about dog food nutrition.  Nutrients are food compounds which are needed to sustain life.  To make sure that our pets are receiving the right amount of nutritional value we must have some knowledge about the ingredients that their food contain.

The major pet food recall of 2007 taught us to be more aware of the food we were feeding our dogs and cats.  We learned to examine more closely pet food labels to make sure that they contained the right amount of required proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.  However, labels are very generalized and can be somewhat ambiguous and deceptive.

It is important to understand, and contrary to pet food advertising, that there is no such thing as the best dog food.  In order for us to find the right nutritional ingredients that would give our dogs the best coat and keep them happy and healthy, we must first take into consideration our dogs breed, age and size.  Some pet food labels are just too generalized for this purpose.

Please don’t misunderstand, labels are important, but we must narrow the field down.  We should not feed adult food to a puppy or visa versa.  A puppy needs to get higher amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals for proper growth.  And a much older dog may need a more easily digestable product such as that found in a senior dog food product.

A dilemma that is run into by most pet owners (both dog and cat) is what type of food should they be feeding them. Should they feed them dry food, wet food, canned food or semi-moist food?  Just like us, animals are individuals and will develop their own unique tastes.  Though dry food is more preferable to us to serve our pets for economical and storage reasons, a mixture of all types makes for a good variety.  Again, it all depends on our dog’s likes and dislikes.

Getting back to the labels – we should be looking for high quality dog food ingredients.  Pet food labels by law must list their ingredients by weight. Always be looking for meat, fish and egg as one of the first listed ingredient.  Followed by some type of meat or fish meal as the second. Some cheap dog food brands use inexpensive ingredients and do not provide the best nutrition.   What may at first appear as a bargain, inexpensive dog food may end up costing more in the long run because of the quantity that must be consumed in order to meet the required nutritional values.  Meat, fish, and eggs have a high nutritional value and have a high percentage of digestible protein.  It is good to compare these ingredients to the chart provided by AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) and that should be found on the label.

Whether you decide to buy your dog’s food or follow your own dog food recipes, don’t switch foods too drastically.  Make the switch gradually.  After a few months and the switch has been made completely take notice of your dog’s disposition and overall body characteristics.  By following a good dog food nutrition plan your dog’s coat will be shinier, he will be at the right weight for his size and will abound with more energy.