Natural Dog Food - Why It Matters
Your dog will derive many benefits from a natural dog food diet. Among them will be an improvement in total health. Dog owners who have changed to a natural dog food diet have listed numerous positive differences in their pet, including improved coat appearance, breath, temperament, energy, and longevity.
There are many tips and hints for instituting a successful natural dog food diet. First, always use a quality of food that you would serve a human guest. Don't just feed your canine leftover food from your plate. Don't assume your dog shares your tastes and nutritional requirements. It's possible for a dog to become addicted to junk food, the same as a human. A healthy diet is important to make sure your dog thrives and doesn't develop diseases.
The majority of dog food on the market these days contains protein derived from beef and chicken and also from various plants. That is probably due in large part to financial concerns more than health concerns, but since animal products tend more toward becoming contaminated, it is probably better for canines that their meat is combined with vegetables and grains.
Most vets do not recommend a diet of only raw foods, due to the possibility of salmonella and listeria contamination. While many pet owners have reported health benefits for their pets coming from a raw food diet, a natural dog food diet provides all of the same benefits with a much lower level of risk.
Of course, meat isn't the only source of protein available to your dog. Why not add eggs and dairy to your dog's food to vary the sources of protein he gets? In a natural dog food, dogs need a lot of calcium. A good way to meet their daily requirements is to mix bone meal and calcium supplements with their meals. It's also a good way to regulate the proportion of phosphorus and calcium""without the correct ratio, your dog will be unable to use the calcium properly. Of course you can forgo the supplementation if you give your dig raw meat and bones to eat.
More than half of a dog's diet consists of carbohydrates. There are many grain sources, including corn, barley, wheat, and oats. Dogs can get their protein from meat, but there are other choices there as well. Beans, lentils, and peas are alternative sources of protein. As an added measure, dog's can take vitamins as humans do, to ensure they are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals.
These days lots of people have started giving their animal companions organic dog food which they buy online or from specialty shops. This has become a major area of the pet food industry, and is the nutrition of choice for many dog owners. Others have begun to prepare food items themselves in their own kitchens. While it requires a greater expenditure of time and effort, it does offer certain important nutritive advantages. Check the world wide web for all sorts of delicious homemade dog food recipes.
Due to recent pet food contamination issues, many dog owners are looking for alternative dog food sources. They no longer want the regular store brands. Natural dog food is one alternative. Organic dog food is another. Both of these, however, are still produced by others. This has some dog owners making their own dog food. There are numerous homemade dog food recipes available. Most of them use ingredients that can be found at the local grocery store. Eggs, dairy products, grains, beans, and peas are all ingredients that are good for your dog and are available in the grocery store.
Published March 7th, 2008
Filed in Pets