Any good pet owner can tell you that they love their pets and feel completely responsible for their health, happiness and well-being. In order to help them lead such good quality lives, many owners turn to the internet and other sources of dog information to learn about feeding, health and nutrition.
Would you feed your kids fast food all day, every day? Many commercial dog foods contain ingredients like grain and corn, which are fillers with little to no nutritional value, and animal by-products, which at best are fillers and at worst, dangerous. These are the doggy equivalent of a fast food diet, with similar results such as dog obesity and dog Diabetes.
The very best thing we can do for our pets is to educate ourselves on pet nutrition. Dogs and cats, being carnivores, need to derive the majority of their protein requirements from meat sources. Thus, it is important to feed them dog food that lists more than one meat based nutritional source in its ingredient list. Turkey, beef, chicken meal, or similar ingredients are good sources, and better if they are listed towards the top of the list.
When we look at dog food labels, we should check for the presence of these ingredients, which should generally be avoided. Corn, corn gluten and other grain products are not necessary for dogs, and provide only empty carbohydrates. These are often used to “bulk up” a dog food by a pet food company in order to save money. Ingredients containing the word “by-products” should also be avoided as they can contain pet food plant waste and inedible animal parts.
Reliable sources of dog information tell us to choose a food that contains chelated minerals, which make them easier for dogs to process and absorb. High quality foods like Lifes Abundance dog food should list these in their ingredient list.
Another option is to make your own dog food. Many pet owners are choosing to do this because it allows them to control exactly what goes in to their pets’ food. Some owners even go the extra mile and feed their dogs and cats a raw diet that more closely matches what their pets would have eaten in the wild.
Whatever brand of food or manner of feeding you do choose, make sure you are armed with reliable dog information from informed sources. While these sources can be found in libraries and the internet, please remember that your vet is the best source of dog information.
Dog owners should keep up to date on dog information about feeding and nutrition. A quality dog food should contain meat based protein sources, and chelated minerals, like Lifes Abundance dog food. You can also use your ownhomemade dog food, or choose to feed a raw diet.
– Melinda Smith
