Money BlogKeeping Your Best Friend In Prime Condition With Healthy Dog Food

Aug

5th

Keeping Your Best Friend In Prime Condition With Healthy Dog Food

Files under pets | Posted by Jolie Mitchel

by Jolie Mitchel

There’s no shortage of information and advice on feeding your dog a healthy diet. Just look at the ads and the descriptions on pet food cans and packages or listen to your vet, friends, family, or other dog owners. Why not go back to the basics and cook up a healthy and tasty meal for your best friend?

First, if you purchase commercial dog food, you should keep some basic guidelines in mind. A ratio of 40% meat, 50% vegetables and 10% grain is ideal. Check the packaging label closely to ensure a similar ratio when purchasing commercial food. While you’re checking the label make sure that a meat protein is listed first on the label - usually chicken, beef or lamb. Keep in mind that buying cheap commercial dog food often results in cheap ingredients. Pay a little more for higher quality and your dog will thank you!

Preservatives in food are a good thing, usually necessary but it’s a good idea to see what preservatives are being used and then find out from a an expert source (usually your vet) if the preservative is known to have any undesirable properties. Some commonly used preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are considered by some to be toxic, at least in large amounts. If you prepare your pet’s meals at home the use of preservatives of this type is no longer an issue.

The Internet is a good source for dog food recipes but you’ll find both good and not-so-good recipes. If you follow the 50-40-10 ratio described above you should be OK. Make sure the meat is cooked well and free of bones. The best choice for grain is usually considered to be brown rice or cooked oatmeal.

Once you know the basic ratios, you can experiment until you find a combination of ingredients that your dog will love. Remember not to salt the food, and that some ingredients - chocolate, garlic, onions, avocados, grapes, raisins and mushrooms - are actually dangerous for your pet and should never be used. Make certain that your healthy dog food is also safe!

What’s good for humans isn’t necessarily best for dogs. A vegetarian diet is generally considered to be a healthy one but a dog, being a carnivore, is used to meat in it’s diet and is apt to become bored with food containing no meat or a portion significantly less than the 50% ratio.

If you don’t want to spend time cooking for your dog you might check with your local health food store or look to the Internet and you’ll find a variety of organic dog foods available which may well fit your needs.

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to providing a healthy diet for your best friend, from checking the label of commercial food to developing your own delicious recipes to going organic. Your dog’s health starts with his diet so it’s worth the extra effort to make sure he’s in top form and will be able to give you many years of love and companionship.

About the Author:

To find out more about natural organic dog food please visit ThePoochPlace.com and learn the secrets about dog food recipes.