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?
When purchasing a dog food product off the shelf look for a 50-40-10 ratio of meat, vegetable, and grain. This is optimum and provides your dog with a healthy balance of needed nutrients. The meat should be listed first with beef, chicken or lamb as the typical meat ingredient. Don't cut corners by buying a cheap brand. You're not doing your best friend any favor. Go after quality and Fido will thank you.
Some pet owners are starting to also examine the preservatives used in commercial dog food. BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are common preservatives that many consider toxic - ethoxyquin is even classified as a pesticide. While the jury is out on the effect these small amounts of preservatives have on the health of your dog, some owners are turning to more natural alternatives and developing their own dog food recipes.
You can find a dog food recipe on the Internet, but the basic ingredients and ratios should be the same as they are for commercial food - 40% meat, 50% vegetables and 10% grain. Meat should be fully cooked and free of bones. Popular grains are brown rice or cooked oatmeal.
Given the proper ratios you can begin to experiment with your dog as the taste tester. Of course you don't want to give your pet things that taste good but are bad for it. Most people know that chocolate is not good for dogs. Fewer realize that grapes and raisins, as well as garlic, onions, mushrooms, and avocados can be very harmful. Don't salt the food for flavor as that isn't good either. Your goal is to provide a meal that your dog enjoys but also is 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 have time to cook, there are still options for healthy dog food. Many health food stores and even some mainstream pet stores now offer organic prepared food for your dog. There's also a wide selection of holistic and organic food available online.
Proper diet then is of primary importance in ensuring your pet is happy and healthy, Take the time to check labels for proper ratios of good ingredients or make your own or, if that's too much work consult with your vet or health food store to see what they recommend. Your best friend will thank you.
Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/
To find out more about dog food nutrition please visit ThePoochPlace.com and learn the secrets about dog food recipes.
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