Select The Best Food for Your Dog

You are the only person who can decide which type of food is the best for your dog. As there are plenty of varieties of food available in the market, it can be a challenge to uncover one that is suitable for your pet. However, before choosing any food for your pet you must try to have as much idea as possible about diet in general so that you can take the best care of your dogs. You should remember that your dog also needs a balanced and moderately sized meal like you which will keep him/her energized. There are certain things that you must keep in mind while choosing the right food for your dog.

Things to consider while choosing dog food: 1) Consider your dog's stage of life - Before choosing any dog food you need to make sure that it is appropriate for your pet's stage of life. If a puppy eats adult food, he/she won't get the higher amounts of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals that he/she needs for proper growth. Likewise, if an adult dog eats the food meant for puppies, he/she is likely to become overweight. An older dog will need food that can be digested easily.

Select a food type - At times people wonder whether they should feed their dogs with dry food, semi-moist or canned items. The answer to that is: it depends on the individual animal as to what kind of food would suit him/her the most, although dry food is recommended more often for the dogs.

Take a look at the ingredients - You must make sure that the dog food that you choose consists of high quality ingredients. Some brands of dog food are made of inexpensive ingredients that can't be digested easily and therefore do not provide the best nutrition. So, whenever you go to purchase any dog food it's better that you take a look at the list of ingredients on the back of the bag. You must also remember to look for meat, fish or egg as the first or the second ingredient as they have high biological value.

Compare the guaranteed analysis - You must also look for the guaranteed analysis at the back of the bag. You will find a chart that lists the percentage of different types of dog food ingredients contained in that food. To determine the actual amount of ingredient in the food, you will need to convert the numbers to what is called Dry Matter or DM basis.

Take time in switching foods - After doing a proper comparison and picking up a well formulated food, you must make sure to allow ample time to your dog to make the transition from his current food to the new one. You must know that bacteria in the intestine help your dog to digest food. So, if a sudden change is brought in the food, it could bring a change in the number and type of these bacteria. This probably would also make it harder for the dog to digest the food. To avoid such problems, it's necessary to switch to a new food slowly.

After you do everything to make sure that the food is nutritionally sound, you must take a look at your dog after he/she has been on the new food for at least a month or two. If your dog has bright eyes, a shiny coat, good body condition, and good energy then you will understand that you are doing a good job on your pet's nutrition.