Feeding your dog can be filled with stress.

Many dog owners take a zealous approach to how they feed their dog and can be very judgmental of other dog owners when the issue of a dog’s food comes up.

The reality is that what you feed your dog is a personal decision. It will be guided by how you have always fed your dogs and what you think is right for your current dog or dogs.

A dog’s food is only one part of raising a healthy and happy dog, but it’s a very important part, and worth some careful consideration.

How to Choose a Dog Food

If you go shopping for dog food, you quickly see that there are many options. There’s premium dog food, low-cost dog food and so many dog food brands your head can spin.

Here are some tips for finding the correct dog food:

* Begin your search before you go the store. If you make your choice in the store, it could quite easily be the wrong one.
* Ask friends and family for recommendations. If they use a particularly good dog food, consider that as one of your viable choices.
* Ask your vet for a recommendation. Based on your dog’s age and health, your vet may have specific recommendations for your dog.
* Remember that the best dog food for one dog isn’t necessarily the best for another. Consider your own needs and budget before settling on a dog food choice.
* Read dog food reviews. If they are reputable and published in well-known publications or web sites, you can generally trust them.
* Remember that puppy dog food is a completely different beast than food you feed an older dog. Don’t feed a puppy regular dog food, and don’t feed an adult dog puppy dog food.

When looking at learning more about Dog Foods, read as much as you can.

The health of your dog depends on it!

What About Homemade Dog Food?

Recently, the safety of pet food was questioned when many dogs became sick and died after eating commercial dog food. Some of the brands in question were even considered premium dog food brands, so it seemed that no brand was safe.

This safety scare led many people to decide to give their dog a homemade dog food diet. It’s an excellent option if you have the spare time and money. Feeding a dog a homemade dog food diet can be expensive and somewhat time consuming, though it does get easier the longer you do it.

If you are thinking you might skip the dog food brands and go for the homemade dog food, consider these tips:

* Make sure the dog food you make is nutritionally balanced. Dogs need a good amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Do some reading ahead of time to make sure that you get just the right proportion of nutrients for your size and breed of dog.
* Be willing to cook animal body parts that you might not consider desirable. Dogs can eat organs, necks and legs. In fact, many believe that one of the main advantages of a homemade dog food diet is that your dog can get more raw meat and bones, which many consider to be the ideal dog food diet.
* Remember that if you start Rover on a homemade dog food diet, it can be hard to switch over to a more traditional diet. You can’t just throw down a bowl of kibble just because you are too tired to make your dog’s dinner. To that end, it’s best to do a lot of preparation ahead of time so there are packages in the freezer you can pull out and thaw.

Conclusion

The best dog food diet for your dog is the diet that proves to be best for you. Depending on your budget and time available, you might make a different choice from your neighbor. The key is to find dog food brands that are accessible, affordable and that feed your dog healthfully. Or make your own. It really is your choice.

More Information

Further information about Dog Food or Dog Food Reviews can be found here.

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But how is the average dog owner to know what’s really going into doggie’s dish? One way to know for sure is to make your pet’s food at home, but that can be very time-consuming. The other option is to know which commercial foods are both safe and nutritious.

The question of what to feed your dog is a sensitive one as there are many different camps advocating many different ideas, facts, and theories. For many owners, the question is answered by finances.

To put is simply, if the owner can afford the dog food then that type and brand is going to go into the food bowl. While this approach may seem sensible, especially when the monthly budget is taken into consideration, it may not be best. Why feed the dog sub-par ingredients and face vet bills later on that may have been avoided in the first place by choosing the right food?

The dog foods found on most grocery store shelves, the generic or store brand ones, are not usually considered among the best foods for your pet. More often than not, these brands are full of ingredients that are lower in quality and inexpensive. While these brands provide a cheaper alternative to the other brands, they are generally not recommended. A quick glance at the ingredients can provide an example of lower quality food.

Generic meat ingredients without a specific species named is not a good thing to feed a dog. Avoid phrases such as “meat byproducts” or “meat and bone meal”. Look for brands that can list the animal that they use as an ingredient, like “chicken meal” or “beef”.

Also, avoid any products that list corn as their main ingredient. You are feeding a dog, after all, not a pig or an elephant.

But, you say, Fido is delighted with the store brand food, which retails for half of what the brand names do? That’s because Fido’s been tricked. Chemicals have been added to that food, creating a pleasing color and aroma which Fido finds irresistible. These chemicals are easy enough to find if you know what to look for. Coloring agents, drying agents, and texturizers are just some of the tell-tale ingredients that should cause you to sit up and take notice.

There are, of course, premium commercial dog foods which provide the highest grade ingredients free of harmful additives, and in another newsletter we’ll explore how to find them. But they will cost a premium price, and if you are a hands-on dog owner, you might be more interested in preparing your pet’s meals yourself.

This option of making pet food at home has become more and more popular over the past few years as it allows owners to choose directly what is going into their dog’s bowl. Feeding your dog homemade food, however, does not mean allowing him or her to dine on the family’s leftovers.

It means researching the proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for your dog, and finding the foods which will provide them this in an easily digestible form. One of the best known homemade diets for the canine set is the BARF diet.

And now–what does BARF stand for? Seems you can say it stands for a couple of things, but the most often cited explanation is Bones And Raw Food. The other one floating around on the Internet is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, which is attributed to Dr. Ian Billinghurst, one of the original Barfers.

The BARF Diet is suitable for many dogs but it takes time and dedication on the owner’s part. While there are noticeable differences between the BARF diet and a diet based on commercial dog foods, the purpose of both diets is to provide the dog with the best nutrients possible.

BARF is about feeding a biologically appropriate diet for a dog that is made up of raw whole foods like those eaten by their ancestors. This would include muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other foods that mimic what the wild ancestors ate.

The BARF diet, however, is not neccesarily the best method of feeding your dog and it takes a great amount of time to prepare and research the foods.

Conversely, commercial brand dog foods have undergone several tests to insure that they are compatible with the dietary needs of the dog. Basically, a dog will receive just about the same benefits of the BARF diet if he remains on a commercial diet and may even receive more nutrients that way.

The important thing for you, as a dog owner, to know is that commercial dog food is not all the same. You can learn much more about what is in each can, pouch, or bag of dog food by becoming profficient label reading, and the AAFCO standards. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what’s right for your dog.

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As an owner, you obviously want to find the puppy food you need to best look after your dog.

There are owners who believe, sometimes wrongfully so, that the wet foods are better in quality due to their expensive price tag. Seeing wet foods as “gourmet” does not mean that it is better in a dietary sense. So what are the advantages of one over the other?
Dry food works best for people who leave their food down all the time (free choice) because it won’t dry out when left sitting for long periods. It’s also less expensive per meal than canned, too. But, hey, some pets can be really picky eaters. Some will only eat certain flavors or brands of food. Others will eat only dry food, and still others will eat only wet food. By the way, unless your dog is a self-regulator (meaning he only eats to feel full and then quits), free choice isn’t a great idea as it often leads to obesity.

Most dry dog foods are corn, soybean or rice based. Some of the better brands, however, have meat or fish meal as the first listed ingredient(s). Although higher priced, nutritionally speaking, they are worth checking out.

Dry dog foods have greater caloric density – meaning there is less water in a cup of food as compared to a purely canned food diet. This isn’t really an issue for smaller dogs, but your larger dog will have a problem eating enough volume of canned food to fulfill their caloric needs because they get a lot of water in the food. Generally speaking, larger dogs, meaning those that weigh over 30 pounds (13.60 kg), should be fed a dry or semi-moist food.

Usually the only difference between the dry and canned versions of food is generally the water content. Another advantage of canned food is that it is very digestible and most do not contain preservatives. Dry food is very good for the teeth, but does not get rid of tartar. For that, you brush their teeth and offer your dog acceptable things to chew on.

It may become necessary to switch from canned dog food to dry dog food. Whether finances, medical conditions, or other factors are the reason, it is important to do the switch in a smart and responsible manner.

Canned food is drastically different from dry food in many ways aside from the texture. Often times, pets will resist the change and respond by acting out or just not eating the new food. This is why it is so important to change their food in a manner that is not stressful. Most owners will slowly add dry food to the bowl and bit by bit reduce the amount of wet food present until the dog is eating only the dry food. This is perhaps the best method as it slowly introduces the dog to the new food. The same thing can be done when changing from dry food to wet food.

If your dog is eating around the newly introduced food then you may need to switch brands. And if all else fails, a hungry dog will eat; just make sure that your dog is healthy enough for such a drastic measure. It is best to consult with your veterinarian before attempting to switch food.

Keep a close eye on your dog during any transitions in foods. Improperly switching foods can lead to several side effects like the ones discussed above. A change in your dogs bowel movements and temperaments may also be a sign that the switch in foods is not agreeing with them. If this should happen, consult with your veterinarian.

Your choice of wet of dry food should be based not on those mouthwatering pictures on the cans or pouches of wet food, which make it look as if the ingredients could be popped into the microwave, heated and served with a salad and corn bread for a satisfying family meal. You should choose food which will give your dog an adequate amount of calories in a single serving, while providing all the nutrients he or she needs to remain happy and healthy!

Thats it for this article. Hope it was helpful to you.

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