Healthy Food – Happy Dog

You hear all sorts of advice on how to provide healthy dog food for your pet – from pet food manufacturers, your veterinarian, friends and family – but what’s the real story on giving your dog a diet to keep him in top form? We’ll look at a few basic recommendations and some options for snazzy home cooking for your dog.

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!

Many pet owners, concerned over the types of preservatives used in some dog food are resolving the issue by cooking their own pet food. Preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and oxyquin are believed to be toxic an large amounts. The problem is, how much is large and is the effect these preservatives may have on your best friend cumulative over time?

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.

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!

Many people consider a vegetarian diet to be the most healthy. That may or may not be true for humans but dogs are carnivores and in their wild state would subsist mainly on a diet of meat. Your dog is apt to grow tired of it’s meals if meat is a low percentage ingredient or absent altogether.

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.

Your dog’s health is primarily determined by it’s diet so make an effort to insure that diet is a proper one. There are many options ranging from checking labels to ensure a proper mix of good ingredients to preparing your own or looking to your vet or health food store. This extra effort on your part will pay big dividends to both you and your best friend.