Diet For Dogs -- Its Easier Than You Think

For a variety of reasons, including the recent pet food recalls in the last year, many animal owners are now seeking healthy alternatives to commercial dog food. One of the options is raw food diet for dogs.

The raw food diet for dogs inherently consists of what your dog would eat in the wild: raw meat, bones and vegetables. Followers of this natural diet for dogs report a wide variety of improvements in their pets such as better smelling breath, cleaner teeth, skin and coat improvements and reduced trips to the vet.

After some careful research into dog diets, I decided to give this diet a try with my own dog. I personally considered it to be much more of a natural diet for dogs, with more likely health benefits than commercially produced pet food could offer. And I'm glad I did. My dog experienced many of the benefits described above and she is a much happier and healthy dog today as a result.

If you're contemplating trying it with your pet, here are 5 feeding pointers that are sure to help your dog benefit the most:

#1: It's a wonderful idea to start off with just meat for the first few days. Then you can inaugurate adding some of the more bland vegetables, such as carrots, along with the raw bones.

#2: Handle raw food safely. Defrost it properly and keep it refrigerated. Wash your hands and any apparatus thoroughly. This will keep the bacteria down not only on your dog's food, but also will keep your family secure as well.

#3: Remember that all the food is RAW, not cooked at all. This is especially important for the bones. Raw bones are soft and pliable and are good for your pet's teeth and jaw muscles. Cooked bones are dry and can splinter easily. These splinters can cause choking, vomiting and internal wounds to your dog.

#4: Use a mixer for the vegetables. There are several benefits to this. One is that you will find it much easier to get your dog to devour vegetables if they are mixed with the meat. Also, pureeing the vegetables will break down the cell walls that your dog cannot digest. This ensures that your pet will get all the important nutrients and enzymes.

#5: Know your vegetables. The types of vegetables you give your dog should be based both on their nutritional value and their potential unwanted side effects. For example, vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli should be avoided because they can augment the amount of your pet's gas.

A natural diet for dogs consisting of raw meat, bones and vegetables confirmed to work for my dog, but it may not be for every dog. The best thing you can do for your pet is to become familiar with dog diets and then make your decision based on your best friend's current nutritional needs and individual tastes.

We all love our pets dearly and want them to live a long, cheerful and healthy life. Take action right now with a good appraisal at your pet's diet. You'll be surprised at what a few small adjustments can do for the happiness of your dog.