A Consumer's Guide To Good Dog Food

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     Providing the right kind of food to your pet can result in a healthy and illness-free dog. This is the reason why pet owners should be aware of what they need to be looking for in dog food so as to provide only the best for their beloved pets.

Begin with finding the best ingredients. Anything with meat may be good enough. But, what is even better is if you can find dog food that does not have fillers in them. Fillers are considered substances that add volume to your dog's food but do not actually have any nutritional value. This also means that you are paying for food that your pet doesn't really need. Some of them, grains, for example, can even be detrimental to your pet. The danger lies in the fact that grains are common causes of sensitivities among dogs.

Also, look into the vitamin and mineral component of the product. Generally, your dog will need high protein contents. This is especially important for puppies and adult dogs. Older dogs can have adequate amounts of proteins but don't necessarily need extensive amounts of them as their activities are generally more restricted as compared to when they were younger.

Some products have vegetables in their ingredients. These are good sources of vitamins and minerals as well.

Choosing dog food with the right animal fat. Yes, fatty acids are healthy for your dogs. There are different sources of fatty acids that will be best for your dog. Flax seeds are common sources and they are rich sources of fiber. They also contain no or very low amounts of sugars. Furthermore, these are good calcium sources.

A more specific type of fatty acid is Omega 3 fatty acid. This is considered good for your dog's health as it helps lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. It also reduces the occurrence of heart disease and even arthritis.

Fats keep your dogs warm during the cold months. So, do make sure that you don't restrict their intake of fats too much. But, do stick to the ones that are considered healthy.

Go commercial or home made. Either way, there are advantages and disadvantages. When buying commercial food products, you get to take advantage of its convenience. You just open the pack and you can serve food to your pet already. However, careful attention should be given to these products. Pet owners should read the label and determine what components are present in each pack of food. You can only ensure that you have provided the right nourishment to your pet if you have known what vitamins and minerals were included in the pack.

Another way that you can make sure that what you give to your dog is healthy is by serving it with homemade dog food. This, however, can require much effort from you. This also requires that you have knowledge on what you can feed your dog and what food items should be avoided. The process of preparing the food can also be time consuming.