Dog Food Nutrition Facts
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How and what you feed your dog has a big effect on your pet’s health and over-all behavior. There are so many commercially available dog foods to choose from that making the right decision can be somewhat impossible.
The first step in re-evaluating your pet’s diet is to understand which ingredients are necessary to promote good health, and which ingredients can be destructive to your dog’s health. We’re going to discuss the nutrients that your pet food should contain, as well as ingredients that are unhealthy or even harmful for your dog.
A dog’s diet requires 6 basic nutrients to provide optimum health. These items are protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. It is very important that the food your dog eats contains each of these nutrients in the proper amounts. For instance, protein is the main nutrient your dog requires, therefore meat (such as chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) should be the main ingredient in your dog’s food. Meat is not the only source that companies can gain protein from. Some dog food companies choose to supply additional protein from plants and grains such as soy, corn, and wheat. Foods that contain too many vegetables or grains are not very beneficial to your dog, since his primary need as a carnivore is meat. Just make sure that any food you purchase or make yourself is high in protein.
The Dog Food for Life eBook contains tons of great DIY recipes for treats, everyday food, and even desserts for your dog!
Many dog food brands—even the top competitors—contain items that are not only inefficient as a source of nutrients, but down-right dangerous for your dog. If your dog’s food simply states that it contains “meat,” you might need to brace yourself for what you’re about to read next. The term “meat,” as it pertains to the dog food market could mean anything from euthanized animals from vets/shelters to road-kill. Other things to watch out for are unidentified fats, BHA and BHT, artificial colors, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate, Propylene Glycol, Brewers Rice, Cellulose, Ethoxyquin, Propyl Gallate, and Gluten.
To get a good grasp on which items make up the bulk of your dog’s food, remember that ingredients are always listed from largest percentage to smallest . If your dog’s food is primarily made up of chicken and lamb, those ingredients will be listed first, followed by the next item of significant quantity, and so on.
Now that you know what your dog’s food should consist of, take a look at the package to determine whether your dog’s diet is in need of change. If you are afraid your pet may be in poor health due to his/her diet, consult with a veterinarian immediately.
If you would like to learn more about dog food ingredients and which brands to avoid/pursue, go to Dog Food for Life.
