Tips and Tricks in Choosing the Right Food for Your Dog

Choosing which brand or type of dog food to buy can really be tough and complicated. Each and everywhere you turn, there’s a pet food company telling you to buy their products or your dog won’t be as healthy and happy as he should be.

Buying dog food can really be confusing at times, especially if one company tells you to buy from them because their product is the best, while another company tells you otherwise. And even though you know exactly how to distinguish truth from marketing, the vastness of the choice you have can just be very overwhelming most of the time. The good news is you’re not alone. I myself have been into this kind of situation many times in the past, but fortunately, by taking time to really research on the subject, I have eventually learned to separate those that are actually good for my pet from those that are not. In line with that, let me share with you some tips in choosing the right food for your dog.

Meat

Do I need to remind you that dogs are carnivores? Yes, they do eat vegetables and fruits from time to time, but their diet is mainly based on meat. Meat is rich in protein, which is very essential for your dog’s health. Therefore, focus on dog food that has whole meat as its main ingredient. It could be chicken, lamb, turkey, or beef. There are some brands that do not identify the source of meat and only place ‘poultry’ or ‘animal’ on the label. You should stay away from these brands and only opt for the ones that state their resources. If the label says ‘chicken meal’ or ‘turkey meal’ or as long as the source is followed by the word ‘meal’ the better, because such type of sources are considered very rich in high-quality protein.

Vegetables

As I have mentioned earlier, dogs love to eat fruits and vegetables, too. For this reason, the next thing you should check the label for are vegetable ingredients. Whole fruits are okay, but stay away from grain and grain fragments. You may think that grain and grain fragments are added for nutrition, but they are actually there simply to hold the food bits together and nothing more.

What to Avoid…

Meat By-Products – Some brands of dog food contain by-products that have been mixed with the dog food during processing. While some of these by-products may be good source of nutrition, it is best to avoid them, especially if the source of the meat is not stated in the label.

Artificial Ingredients – These include artificial flavors, sweeteners, color, and preservatives. Stay away from them since they can cause certain types of cancer.

There are other things I would like to share with you with regards to choosing the right food for your dog. I will probably share them in one of my future articles along with some tips on how to choose the right dog supplies. Meanwhile, visit these links for additional resource:

Sources:

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/petfood/index.html

http://www.cesarsway.com/askthevet/dietadvice/choosing-the-right-dog-food

http://dogfoods.angelfire.com/

What to Feed Your Feline Friend

Sigmund Freud, one of the most famous names in psychology, once said that ‘time spent with cats is never wasted.’ Indeed, although dogs are considered man’s best friend, many people are more endeared to their feline pets these days. In the United States alone, according to a National Pet Owners Survey conducted between 2011 to 2012, there are approximately 86.4 million owned cats in the country compared to only 78.2 million owned dogs.

So why do people love cats even though they don’t have manners sometimes? The answer can vary depending on who owns one. Some love them for their purring ways, while others love to cozy up with their moggy.

If you’re a first-time cat owner and you’re still in the dark in terms of what to feed it, here are some useful pointers:

Cats are carnivores – Even though it’s widely believed that they’re omnivores (meaning they can eat anything), they’re actually meat eaters. Knowing this, make sure its diet contains high-protein meat. Compared to dogs, and even humans, they require two to three times more protein. To meet their nutritional needs, make sure that what you feed it contains high protein, moderate fat, and not a lot of carbohydrates.

Dry cat food vs. canned – The debate continues as to which is better for our feline friends. However, according to Dr. Jennifer Larsen, a nutritional consultant at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at University of California, Davis, a high-quality brand of cat food — whether it’s wet or dry — can be complete in nutrition. She added, though, that some cats can benefit from the higher moisture content of wet food, which makes their urine more dilute, but that most cats do fine on dry food (get cat food online here).

Necessary ingredients – Ingredients have different levels of nutrients. There can also be differences on how well those nutrients will be absorbed, and it can be difficult to know which ones have good quality basing only on the label. Still, you can get a lot of information from the label in terms of the ingredients the food contains as these ingredients are usually listed in descending order by weight. Since they need more proteins than other pet omnivores do, protein should be at the top of that list. Getting your cat grain-free and meat-based food is erring on the safe side.

These are just some of the basics in terms of what to feed your furry feline friend. To keep it healthy and energetic, give it the essential nutrition it needs.

Good and Bad Food for Dogs

I know it’s hard to resist those beady eyes and sad dog faces when they are looking at you when you are just about to take a bite or a mouthful of pizza, pasta, chips, cookie, cake, or chicken. You can’t help but feel a tight knot in your chest because there’s just something about those cute little faces that make you want to share a bite or crumb of what you are eating. But as much as you would want to, giving your dog some tough love will mean better health and lower risks for certain diseases.

If you ask me, giving dogs any sort of human food must be avoided or limited as much as possible. This will not give them any impression of what human food tastes like; therefore, they wouldn’t feel the need to ask for it or beg you for it. A dog’s heightened sense of smell is already a trigger of something delicious, but if they don’t know what human food tastes like, they wouldn’t go looking for it or giving you those sad, imploring faces. The lesser they know, the better you can keep them away from food that may be bad for them. Also, the notion that bones are natural food for dogs is untrue, and in fact, it can put your dog at risk. You can check this article to know more about why bones are unsafe food for your dogs: No Bones about It: Bones Are Unsafe for Your Dog.

Other Food Bad for Dogs:

• Avocado
• Milk and other dairy products
• Grapes and raisins
• Chocolate
• Macadamia nuts
• Alcohol
• Caffeine products
• Onions and garlic
• Candy
• Raw eggs, meat, and fish
• Salt and salt-rich food and snacks

Furthermore, it’s difficult to train a dog to eat pet food once they are used to eating human food. You can follow the daily proportions or servings to retrain your dog to eat new dog food but it is good if they are used to the right type of food for them and not be introduced to something new, which can change their appetite and feeding routines. If you somehow feel that you are depriving your pet with some delicious food, you can feed him dog treats as a reward for doing a good job like after a good walk and exercise or when they achieve a successful task during playtime. This will encourage them to do more exercise and activities because they know they will have a treat afterwards.

Human Food Dogs Can Eat:

• Apples
• Mangoes
• Banana
• Oranges (without seed)
• Carrot sticks
• Green beans
• Cucumber
• Cooked White Rice
• Cooked Pasta

Lastly, choose high-quality dog food that can provide the proper nutrients that your dog needs. Good food and proper feeding will give your dog his basic need and care.

Sources:
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Foods-Dangerous-for-Your-Dog