Healthy Foods for Your Beloved Pet Dogs

Considering my years of working for the pet industry, pet owners who are having problems with what to feed their pet dogs come to me and seek my advice. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say at first, but all the questions that keep on coming over made me more motivated and excited to research further.

All of a sudden, I just found myself studying and analyzing the variety of diets available for pooches. I read different guidelines on canine nutrition and educated myself about the various groups that could provide me better value for my research work. From there, I came up with a clear understanding on things. I even found out that problems only arise only if people think they are providing a healthy diet where in fact, all key ingredients are already missing.

To ensure you feed your pet dogs right and that they stay healthy and happy throughout their lives; here are the foods I can suggest:

Meat and Other Animal Products

At least half of the diet of your pooches must include meat or other animal products – raw or cooked. But when feeding raw diets, you need to be extra careful with certain foods as they contain a high amount of fat that may result in obesity.

Unless you exercise your dog on a regular basis, you can offer him lean meat. Also, if you are giving poultry, it is important that you remove the skin and get rid of the excess fats.

Raw Meaty Bones

If you decide to feed your dogs with raw meaty bones, be mindful about its quantity. Experts suggest that RMBs must make up only one third or one half of the dog’s total diet.

Well, if you are feeding them with bony parts like the back and neck, make sure you reduce the amount. On the other hand, if you feed meatier parts like thighs, you can feed more. Just do not feed them with cooked bones.

Fish

Dogs need vitamin D. And one good source of this is fish. You can feed fish to your canine buddies on a daily basis, but only in small amounts. For larger slices of fish, it is best to give it only once or twice a week.

Canned fish like jack mackerel, pink salmon, and sardines are considered great food for the dogs. But if you are cooking fish yourself, you need to remove the bones. Never feed raw trout or Pacific salmon to them.

Eggs

Eggs are highly nutritious for dogs. In fact, they are considered essential additions to a dog’s diet. As recommended, dogs that weight more than 20 pounds can have one whole egg in a day, but the smaller breeds should have less.

Fruits and Veggies

Although fruits and vegetables are not really a vital part in the diet of dogs, they are considered a great source of fibre that aids in digestion. They also contain antioxidants and other nutrients that are known to help dogs live a healthy life. Research suggests that deep coloured fruits and veggies are the most nutritious.

Grains

Grains are a bit controversial because they are said to trigger different health problems like arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, seizures, and allergies. But even if some dogs do well with grains, it has to be fed at a minimal amount only. Ideally, grains must make up not more than half of your pooch’s diet.

Brown rice, pasta, barley, quinoa, and oatmeal are among the grains that are great for pets. Aside from that, white rice also brings benefits to your four-legged pals, especially if they have upset stomachs.

Dairy Products

Dairy products like kefir and plain yogurt also do fine with dogs. Ricotta and cottage cheese also make good choices. But when feeding other types of cheese, make sure you limit the amount.

Starchy Veggies

If you wish your dogs to gain weight and be more active, feed them with starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, winter squashes, legumes, and potatoes. For dogs that are overweight, the quantity should be limited.

Supplements

While some supplements are required, others are only given when needed, especially if you cannot feed your pet dogs a variety of food. These supplements should include calcium, oils, iodine, multivitamins, and green blends.

Foods to Avoid

Milk must never be used to substitute water. Too much of it may result in diarrhea. Raw eggs, fish, and meat may also cause seizures and dermatitis. Raisins and grapes can also cause kidney failures. Keep sweets like chocolate away from your dog’s reach. They are toxic.

At the end of the day, this guide won’t be very useful if you still give your pet dogs table scraps and left overs inside their dog cages. Always remember a complete and balanced diet is very important, which means, all their nutritional needs should be met no matter what. But it does not end here. Below is an eBook I wrote for you so that after you feed your dogs, you can now get them to obey your every command.

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