By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2010-04-19 13:41:44 | Word Count: 514
As a dog owner you want your dog to be healthy and know that feeding him properly is the best way to help maintain his health. Unfortunately there are so many dog foods out there to choose from it is almost impossible for the average person to know what is the best diet to choose for your dog. To complicate matters even more various dog owners recommend various products based on their own experience. The truth is there are many good and bad dog foods out there. Knowing what to look for in a good diet and what to avoid will allow you to choose a healthy food for your pet.
What A Good Dog Food Should Contain
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A meat based diet is the best diet for dogs. When examining a dry dog food you are going to want to look for a food that is meat based. Chicken, turkey, lamb, fish and beef based dog foods are all good choices. You will want to avoid foods that say chicken parts as these parts are made up of the feet and beaks of chicken that have little or no real meat value.
In addition look for foods that are at least 30 protein, 18 fat. The food should contain at least some fish oil and beet pulp to aid digestion and to help your dog get the amino acids that he needs.
In addition make sure that you provide your dog with a constant supply of fresh water. Dehydration is a serious problem in dogs.
What to Avoid
You want to avoid dog foods that are grain based or have a high percentage of grains such as corn or soybean meal. Dogs really do not need large qualities of grains and this will result in extreme weight gain while giving your dogs too little of the nutrition that their bodies need.
If you choose to go with a completely grain free diet here are some that come highly recommended:
Natural balance
Nutram
Wellness Care
Taste of the Wild
Candiade
Merrick B.G.
Snacks and Treats
Giving your dog beef bones will help to keep their teeth healthy and clean as well as provide them with a healthy snack. When choosing snacks from a store choose meat based snacks rather then grain based ones. Dog biscuits also make excellent snacks and provide a great training tool as well.
Feeding your dogs table scraps should be done on a limited basis and you should avoid giving them anything that has onion in it as onion can cause severe bloating in your dog which can result in extreme pain and even death in some instances.
Chocolate should never be given to your dog even in small portions.
Choosing the right food for your dog is a matter of carefully reading the labels. When in doubt use the simple rule of thumb that if it doesn t sound appetizing to you it probably won t be healthy to your dog either. A meat based diet is the best way to ensure that your pet gets the proper nutrition they need.
Author Resource:-
Article by Kelly Marshall of http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/, check out our selection of dog beds and dog collars & leashes online!
