To stay happy and healthy, our dogs need balanced and nutritional diet, as well as plenty of fresh, clean water. People have their own unique needs when it comes to food and, although we’re likely to fail in sticking to the well-balanced diet and proper exercising, in general, we do know what, when and how we should. Nevertheless, dogs should not obey human-dieting rules. And, when you ask yourself what your dog should eat, you might be confused with so many conflicting tips out there. With this article , I’ll try to help you give your furry companions exactly what they need.
Basically, the dog food must provide four essentials:
Pre-packaged dog foods should contain the above four essentials in the proper ratios and quantities. Nevertheless, some of them simply fail to offer a proper balance of essentials. Therefore, it’s of high importance to check the labeling closely and look for a statement which indicates the food you’re taking into consideration has been prepared to the standards of some internationally recognized organization.
One of the indicators that the density of the food is proper is your furry companion’s stool – it should not be loose, but well formed. Another important thing is the taste of the food. No matter how nutritionally balanced a food is, if your dog doesn’t want to eat it, you shouldn’t buy it. If your four-legged family member doesn’t look forward to eating the food, but sniffs it in disappointment, look for another product!
Home cooked meals are highly recommended to both humans and animals. But, before you jump into cooking meals for your beloved pet, there are a few important factors to consider. Many people still buy pre-packaged foods, because they don’t have to worry about feeding the variety of foods necessary for their dogs’ health and happiness. So, the key to a nutritious home-cooked diet is variety!
Combined meals are also an option. It’s not necessary to feed entirely raw or entirely processed food. In fact, the combination of the two is, in many dogs, more convenient and achieves many outcomes. For example, Coco’s Canine Cuisine* is a healthy mixture designed for semi-homemade dog food. You use package of Coco’s Dog food, meat (one pound of any meat) and 5 cups of water, cook it for about 25 minutes and you’ll get enough dog food for a week. Your dog will get all the necessary essentials and you’ll be able to rotate meats in order to offer your pet so much needed variety.
*Visit www.cocoscaninecuisine.com/cocos/ for more information on their product: home made dog food where the customer (dog owner) just adds meat.