Hello there,
I hope you’ve been having a great week! I just thought I would bring up a topic today that can sometimes get a bit controversial, and for some people it’s a non-event because they just take whatever is on sale. But if you’re feeding your pets for health and longevity, you might want to think twice about just grabbing whatever is nearest off the shelf.
Selecting the right dog or cat food for your pet is never an easy task. You probably want your pet to eat well, especially if you’ve invested in a pure breed pet coming from a good blood line. In our house, us pets generally eat pretty well. Mom makes sure we have some variety and my meals are usually a mixture of dry food, canned food and a little bit of random people food throw in to make it really interesting. We’re somehow never at a shortage for leftovers in this house, which makes me a very happy dog!
Some say that feeding your pets a raw diet (or BARF) is the only way to go and will create a healthier, happier pet. And others will suggest you actually cook special meals just for your pets. Although I’ve tried to convince mom to get into this idea, she’s just now buying into the hype. But she does give me raw bones from time to time…which I LOVE! The thing is, when you commit to a BARF diet, you have to be 100% devoted to it. Throwing in a little bit of regular food from time to time to derail your progress. And that’s just not always convenient. And this diet is supposed to be closer to what wild dogs eat in their usual lives which will lengthen the life of your own dog… but dogs in the wild don’t live all that long to begin with. So I’m not to sure if that’s really such a good supporting argument.
Every dog has its own requirements for food that will help maintain the optimum weights and health. According to Emmy Bruno’s book The Newfoundland, us Newfies should have about 22% protein and 40-45% carbs. When making her own food, she feeds 500 to 600 grams (17.63 to 21.26 ounces) of meat and 400 grams rice (14.11 ounces) weighed raw. Dogs that are more active or less active will often need to have their protein levels adjusted to compensate, so they don’t end up getting too fat from eating a bunch of protein when they just lay on the couch all day sleeping.
Some dogs also develop allergies that make it impossible to feed them the usual food off the shelf. It could be an allergy to any sorts of grains, meat sources themselves or even other side ingredients in the foods. Always glance at the labels on your dog food and make sure that the ingredients are human grade. You don’t want the dog food you choose to be made of the byproducts and wastes because there ends up being a lot more fat in there and less nutrition. There will also usually be more nutritional value and less additives and toxins that you don’t want to be feeding your pet anyway.
When you’re looking at the label of the dog food, try to find one with meat as the first ingredients and something like vegetables or rice as the second and third ingredients. You’re trying to avoid getting something that is full of by products and fillers. So if you see wheat or corn high up on the list, you’re going to end up with a food that may make your dog full, but isn’t actually providing the protein and nutrition your dog needs.
Also pay attention to the age advice as well as any other special indications on the bags. There are special foods for puppies, sporting dogs, senior dogs, dogs with allergies and so on. So make sure that what you are buying corresponds to your dog and that you’re not buying something for your senior dog which is indicated for puppies. Sometimes there are special formulas for particular types of breeds, which have supplements and nutritional values which fit the dog breed recommendations, so keep that in mind too.
For more about what dog food manufacturers are allowed to say on their label, and what it all means, see the FDA’s guidelines about pet food labels.
What do you think about dog foods? Do you go with the expensive ones because you assume they’re better? Or are you careful about reading labels?
Kisses,
