Dog Nutrition Guide
Dog owners should be aware of the importance of their dog having a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet. Some owners have a tendency to feed their dogs foods which are not suitable, such as chocolate. Even more worryingly, some owners provide meals to their dogs which are the same as what they will eat for that day.
A dog’s body and digestive system is majorly different to humans and therefore a strict nutritional guide should be followed. It is especially worth noting that dogs should not be given chocolate under any circumstances, this food can have serious consequences on the digestive system. Quite obviously the ideal food for a dog to eat is dog food which can be purchased from the majority of supermarkets and pet stores. Dog food can be bought in different form, including dry and wet.
The moisture levels in different types of dog foods vary, for example dry food contains 6-10% moisture by volume and there is 60-90% in canned food. Dry dog food is preferred by the majority of dog owners, this usually due to the convenience and usually the lower price. For a healthy nutrition, the dog’s food should be portioned appropriately at feeding times. It is advised that a dog is given food twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Dog food is used as a cheaper alternative to cooked meat which dogs can live off.
The dog foods which are sold in stores usually include meat and bone meals, offal, grain by products and horse meat. There are often a large amount of grain fillers used, this substance helps to increase the amount of food which is provided and bulks up the meat content within the food. A number of dangerous foods which dogs should not given due to them being toxic to dogs include chocolate as previously mentioned, onion, garlic, grapes, raisins and macadamia nuts. All of these substances are likely to lead to different side effects on the dog including theobromine poisoning, thiosulphate, sulfoxide and disulfide poisoning. Another food which should be given to dogs is green tomatoes, this food contains tomatine which is harmful to dogs and is likely to bring particular side effects. Although green tomatoes should not be given to dogs, a ripened red tomato is fine; this is due to the harmful substance dissolving as the tomato ripens.
There are numerous other forms of dog food which some dog owners may choose to use, these include frozen or freeze dried, dehydrated, fresh or refrigerated, homemade or vegetarian. All of these forms of food are just simple alternatives to off the shelf dog foods which can be bought within shops and pet stores. As well as providing a healthy diet to the dog, it is vital that regular exercise is completed. The regular exercise helps with growth and development as well as ensuring that the dog stays fit.
