Dog Nutrition

---

     Dogs have nutritional needs that may change as they get older. Just as people do the same foods may not be sufficient for providing the right balance of nutritional needs. There are many foods available on the market today that are labeled according to their needs - active, less active, allergy free, senior dogs, puppies - and the companies that manufacture these foods are trying to be helpful when it comes to your dog's needs.

The one thing all dogs need is a balanced food that provides all the vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. The healthier your dog is the more able he is to fight off illness and disease just like people need to be healthy to do this. How do you know if your dog is receiving the right nutrition?

Variety is one of the ways of providing the right amount of vitamins and minerals. If your dog is malnourished there will be symptoms. He may lose his hair, his ribs will show, they may look unhealthy as if they are starving and they can develop diarrhea. This is not the normal thing. Usually if we see a dog that looks like this, it is one that has been in an abusive home or has been lost.

The bad thing is when a dog gets in this shape; they are also more prone to ticks, fleas and illness. The illness with depend on the length of time the dog has not been properly nourished as to the extent of the other symptoms. There are some dogs that will stop eating and begin to show some of these symptoms. They will get very skinny and you will wonder what you can do to get him to eat and gain the weight back.

Check the label of the dog food you buy. There are some dog foods that are less than healthy for your pet. They may be comparable to eating a high sugar content cereal. The food may taste good but it does not have the nutritional value that is required for a healthy diet. The most important thing you can do cannot be reiterated enough - read the labels.

You will also find that some dog foods are mostly grain. They may have s few vitamins and minerals but instead of containing the meat your dog needs they are sprayed with a substance that has meat flavoring and fats. This is to entice the dog to eat the food because of the odor and the taste, but they do not contain the essential vitamins that your dog needs for good health.

Think about it this way. When you are ready to eat dinner, which would you rather have? Would you prefer a steak or some type of grain such as rice with the fat from the steak and artificial flavors added to it? The choice is obvious.

Just reading the labels will not always help either. The statement of many companies that they use all natural ingredients does not mean they are exactly nutritional either. Meats and vegetables are an essential part of the dog's diet that will help them to stay healthy.