There are various considerations when choosing the right type of dog food for your beloved dog. You consider his age, breed, health condition as well as activity level when buying food for him.
Puppies will have different nutritional needs compared to older dogs. You want to feed your dog right so that he can live a long and healthy life.
Basically, there are two popular types of dog food choices available. They are dry dog food and raw dog food. The following is a discussion on what to look for in each of these types of dog food.
Dry Dog Food
Feeding your dog with dry dog food, usually in small pieces of kibbles, is perhaps one of the most popular choices among dog owners. However, you need to know that not all dog food brands use high quality natural ingredients.
Ensure to read the label of ingredients listed before purchasing any brands of dog food. Here are some guidelines to help you to have some ideas of what the label actually tells you:
No Preservative, Artificial Colors and Flavors
Generally, natural dog food should contain no preservative, artificial colors and flavors. Consumption of these components can be harmful to your dog’s health if taken in the long run. Stay away from those that labeled “Chemical additives as a source of flavor”.
Color
Look at the color of the dog food. Generally, dog food made from natural ingredients would be in soft earth tones. Existence of other colors may be indicative that the food contain some source of additives.
Type of Meat
Avoid brands that labeled “Ingredients include meat by-product”. Choose one that is made from natural meat such as chicken, lamb or liver.
Raw Dog Food
According to veterinarian, feeding your dog with raw dog food is the healthiest and the best choice. Raw dog food contains all natural and unprocessed ingredients.
A healthy raw dog food meal usually contains 40% meat, 30% fiber and 30% starch. As such, when preparing a meal for your dog, be sure to include some source of vegetables and starch in addition to the uncooked meat such as liver, beef, lamb and etc. Types of vegetables like broccoli, carrots and yams are all good sources of fibers and starches for your dog.
