Are You Providing Your Pet With the Proper Dog Food Nutrition?

[lester richards]

Just like humans, dogs need to eat a properly balanced diet including the 6 basic nutrients needed to give your dog optimum health. These nutrients are fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins and water. Providing these essential ingredients as part of your dog food nutrition will promote healthy growth, energy, replace worn tissue and help fight off any diseases.
Choosing a nutritionally balanced complete dog food should give your dog all the required nutrients he needs, but picking one that is balanced can be a challenge. If you read the label on commercial dog food and it reads as 100% complete, this should be suitable as it contains all of the nutrients required in proper proportions, however you may want to double check the ingredients to make sure as you can't be too careful when it comes to feeding your four legged friend.
Manufacturers always list the ingredients and nutritional content on the package as well as give recommended guidelines for the amounts of food to feed your dog. This guideline will depend on size, weight and in some cases, the breed of dog. Having said that, if you have a dog of mixed breeding, you can go by size, weight and age. If ever in doubt, consult your vet for advice.
Anyone who has taken a trip to the pet food aisle in the grocery store knows that there many different foods on the market today giving you many options in dog food nutrition. If you have decided to stick to dry food and have checked the label for the nutritional content, there are a few other steps to consider. For one thing your dog's age has to be considered because puppies and seniors will not thrive on the same food. For anther thing, your dogs weight needs to be consider since an overweight dog might need a special diet or type of food.
Puppies, young adults, and older dogs all have different nutritional needs; puppies require the correct nutrients to ensure healthy bones, a shiny coat, and good teeth much the same as a mother would do with a baby. Older dogs, for example, will not need a high energy food, but still need correct nutrients to help them along in old age.
If you are using canned food, always refrigerate after opening so it doesn't spoil and remove all uneaten canned or moistened food from the feeding dish after your dog has eaten. Always wash and dry the dish afterwards as leaving a dirty dish will not only attract harmful germs, it can also cause infection in your dog. Remember to provide clean fresh drinking water for your dog, ensuring all of their nutritional needs are met.
All the six basic nutrients are essential for your dog's body cells to function properly; nutrients need to be in the correct balanced proportion. This helps with necessary chemical reactions of digestion, absorption, transportation and elimination to occur. These all help to eliminate any chances of liver or kidney failure later in life.
Nutrients are your dog's fuel and converts into energy; this produces heat and with proper feeding, this determines your dog's ability to control his body temperature critical to a healthy life. All your dog does from playing, working, running to living a long and healthy life is determined by the fuel you have provided and the energy it produces.
The proper dog food nutrition is key to the health of your dog so when choosing a food for your dog, choose carefully. There are three forms of commercial dog food. Canned food contains as much as 68%-78% water and includes color enhancers. Semi-moist contains color enhancers and lots of sugar. Both these types of food should not be given to your dog as his total diet. Dry foods are a blended mixture of grains, meat, meat by-products, fats, mineral and vitamins and average of 90% dry matter and 10% water. Choosing dry food will give your dog less tartar build up and less gum disease.

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