Choosing the Right Dog Food
09/27/2005
Most dogs will eat just about anything. They drink from the toilet and eat out of the trash can. But a dog’s diet is as important as your own. Now I’m not saying to put your dog on the Atkins diet, but a healthy low-protein diet will ensure your dogs maximum life capacity. However, how do you choose the right dog food?
There are two major categories of dog food – dry and canned. Dry is the most popular, it contains more nutrition by weight, and is less expensive then the latter, plus the hard texture of the dry dog food will actually reduce tartar build-up. Canned foods are definitely favored by dogs and includes fewer calories per volume (70% of canned foods are water).
Special foods are available to counter almost everything from diabetes to obesity to allergies. Lamb is usually the concoction for such formulas because very few canines are allergic to it.
Expert tip: Unless you are prepared to work very hard at it, do not attempt to make your dog’s food. Creating the proper balance of nutrients, minerals and vitamins takes a great deal of effort.
FUEL FACTS
* Small dogs need more calories per pound of body mass than large dogs
* Very active dogs may require 40 to 50 percent more calories than that of an average dog
* Pregnant dogs may need 30 to 50 percent more calories than usual, sometimes even double their normal serving
* During winter, your dog might need additional calories to maintain a constant body temperature
SELECTING A BRAND
Dog food, just like our canned processed foods, are required by law to post the nutritional information on the can. These labels include the ingredients and a statement of nutritional purpose and adequacy. For instance if you have a pregnant dog then you would want to look for a label such as “Complete and balanced nutrition for growth and reproduction.”
Top Products will state these claims are based on “Association of American Feed Controls Officials” (AAFCO). Lesser quality products will insist they “meet AAFCO nutrient profile recommendations.
In general, some sort of real meat should be at the top of your list. Meat by-products are of a lower quality product and could do your dog permanent damage. Cereals and soy are also important ingredients and should appear on a daily basis.
