We humans understand the purpose of good nutrition. We know that food plays a very important role in our lives. We eat for pleasure, for energy and to maintain our health.
Well, choosing the right food for your pet is equally important. A well balanced diet for your pet should include ingredients that provide the most nutrition for the money that you are spending. Good nutrition produces better health, a glossy coat and a happy dog.
Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs
Just as you wouldn't consider feeding an infant a steak or popcorn, you shouldn't feed a puppy food that is suitable for an adult dog.
There are six nutrient groups that play an important part in your pet's life, just as they do in yours.
The six groups are:1. Proteins that work on the body's muscles, blood, tissues, skin, hair and nails. 2. Carbohydrates provide energy 3. Fats help transport the vitamins through the body, help make your pet's coat shine and makes food taste good. 4. Water is an essential for life 5. Vitamins help maintain your pet's metabolism. 6. Minerals necessary in developing healthy skin, bones, and hair.
When choosing food for your pet it is important that you take into consideration the age of your dog, the amount of exercise your pet gets and the size of your pet. Obesity in pets as in humans is very prevalent so it is important that you spend some time in researching what is best for your pet. Talking to your vet is a great place to start, reading pet food labels and doing some research on the Internet will provide a good source of information.
In this article I will try to provide you with information that hopefully will be helpful to you and your pet.
By the time you have picked up your puppy from the breeder, pet shop or from someone's home your dog should be eating solid food. We suggest you ask the person responsible for your puppy to tell you what your pet has been eating and how often they feed him/her. It is important that you try to stick to their routine until your puppy adjusts to his/her new surroundings. You need to remember that your little one is going to be experiencing a total new life without "mommy" and its brother and sisters.
Puppies have a need for a great deal of nutrition, but they have very small stomachs, which require that they eat approximately six times a day. They should be eating food that has been made for puppies in order to meet the nutritional requirements needed for the puppy to grow up healthy. It is important that you do not over feed your puppy or feed him/her too many treats. Starting on the road to obesity at an early age is the wrong road to travel.
I have read that some nutritional experts "say that large breed dogs that are known to have hip dysplasia in their background may have had it caused by the puppies growing too rapidly." Owners feeding the dogs, puppy food which promotes growth, in larger quantities than the puppies needed causing a more rapid growth factor which can be detrimental to the puppy's
bones and possibly causing the problem. The nutritionists suggested that owners, who are raising large breed puppies, try mixing puppy food and adult food together to slow down the rate of growth.
When puppies reach the age of 6 months they can be fed two or three times a day and once they reach a year old it can be cut down to once a day. However, most dogs look forward to meal time and like to be fed twice a day and to us that seems like the right thing to do.
While the smaller breed of dogs reach their full size within 8 to 10 months of age, the larger giant size dogs will take up to 18 months to reach their full size. It is a good idea to talk to your breeder or your vet and discuss the proper nutrition for your dog while it is still in the growing stage. There are many products on the market that will make feeding your puppy an easy chore. Growing dogs need a growth formula diet to help complete his/her development and to grow strong bones and good muscle.
It is as important that you do not over feed your dog as it is to not under feed. As dogs tend to want to over eat and will give you the impression they are starving it is a good idea to talk to your vet and take his/her advice regarding how much you should feed your dog. You need to take into consideration the size and breed of your pet.
During this growing stage do not give your dog any vitamins or supplements, the food he/she is eating has all that your dog needs to grow. There is a danger in giving extra supplements and you could do more harms than good.
Once your dog has reached adulthood a good quality wet or dry food is really all your dog will need. Please read the chapter on Natural vs Commercial food for more information on what to watch for. How much food to give your adult dog really depends on its size, activity level and age. Following the recommendations on the dog food packaging helps, but it really depends on the lifestyle of your dog. Too much food is as bad as not enough. A general rule of thumb to use is to watch your dog and gauge the condition of his/her coat, the energy level, brightness of its eyes and is your dog's weight level remaining the same once adulthood has been reached.
As caring pet parents, we often get the urge to start cooking food for our dogs. We get the feeling that home cooking is better for the dog than the canned or dry food we buy. Granted that cooked rice and boneless chicken mixed with some dry dog food is a wonderful treat for your dog. Do not try to cook every meal, however. Feeding your dog home-prepared meals will take a great deal of time and research in order to feed your pet the proper nutrients for a long and healthy life. Commercial pet food from a reputable pet food company provides adequate nutritional quality. Remember, however, there is no perfect dog food as no one has yet come up with the absolutely 100 % complete and balanced dog food.
Dogs are omnivores, which means they will eat meat, vegetables and some fruit (no grapes, raisins, onions or chocolate). Dogs like variety just like their human counter parts. There is a need to protect your dog's digestive system from sudden changes in diet. Changing food mid-stream can cause all sorts of problems including vomiting and diarrhea. When changing to a new food or adding new things to your dog's diet do it gradually, a little at a time this way your dog's digestive system will not over react.
There are not any chiseled in concrete rules about what, when and how much to feed your dog that depends on you and your knowledge of your dog's life style.
Look to your vet for the proper guidelines on feeding; learn all you can about your breed of dog and keep in mind the activity level of your dog. Keep a watchful eye for changes in your dog's habits, interest in eating and overall condition.
Dry food is the first choice of many dog parents the reason being it can be left out all day and the dog can choose when he/she wants to eat. Buy a high quality dry dog food and check to see that it does not contain any artificial coloring or preservatives such as propylene glycol, sodium nitrate, BHA or BHT. It is said to take less dry dog food to satisfy a dog's appetite then any of the other kinds of food. Some dogs love dry food and prefer it while others will eat small amounts and want the wet or canned food. A good idea to keep in mind is leave out only a minimum amount of dry food during the day, as dogs tend to overeat if given the chance. Just remember to buy quality.
I urge you to read the nutrition labels on the packages. Pet food manufacturers are required to supply certain nutrition information on the packages. The American Association of Feed Control Officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration established certain label regulations and do enforce compliance of companies that manufacture pet food.
Discuss with your vet or your breeder a diet to follow, search the "web" for nutritional information, let your dog tell you what foods it likes best and remember to buy quality.
Good feeding habits will give you a healthier and happier dog, which is all we want as a pet parent.
Feeding Your Dog - Good Feeding Habits Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs
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