When it comes to what to feed your dog there are many ideas, facts, and theories. Too often we let our pocketbook decide which food we are going to get our pet. It may be easy to do this, especially when the monthly budget is taken into consideration, but it's absolutely not the best idea. Why would you feed your dog crappy ingredients and pay more money for vet bills later on that could have been avoided in the first place by choosing the right food?
The dog food that you find in your local grocery store, discount store, or dollar store is not usually the healthiest kibble you can get your dog. More often than not, these brands are full of fillers that are lower in quality and inexpensive. Yes they are cheaper but they are not recommended. Take a peak at your ingredient list and you will see the ingredients are not all that great.
When you see the word meat without an actual animals name in there you have to wonder where the meat came from. Stay away from anything that says meat like meat by-products - what meat by products? Or meat and bone meal - what meat are they talking about?. What you want to see is words like chicken, beef, venison, fish as a top, meaning number 1, ingredient... And please avoid foods that have corn as their number 1 ingredient. Chances are it's also number 3,5, and 7. You are feeding a dog, after all, and not a pig or a cow.
If your pet is delighted with the store brand food there is a very good, and sad, reason for that. Chemicals have been added to this cheaper food which creates a pretty color and nice smell which Fido finds attractive and covers up the real make up of this food. With a little practice you will know exactly what kibble has this and what doesn't. Coloring agents, drying agents, and texturizers are just some of the tell-tale ingredients that should cause you to sit up and take notice.
There are some really good premium commercial dog foods which provide high grade ingredients with no harmful preservatives etc..., but they will cost a premium price and this may make you more inclined to prepare your pets meal yourself.
This way you get to choose directly what is going into their dog’s bowl. There is a difference between table scraps and home made dog food. There is a proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for your dog, and you have to know what will provide your pet with an easily digestible form. I know there is a lot of talk about the BARF diet. Everyone has heard of it but noone really knows what it is. I've fed all my dogs this diet and let me tell you they thrive.
And now–what does BARF stand for? Seems you can say it stands for a couple of things, but the most often cited explanation is Bones And Raw Food. The other one floating around on the Internet is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, which is attributed to Dr. Ian Billinghurst, one of the original Barfers.
The BARF diet does take a little knowledge and research, and time, on the owners part. The purpose of your diet is too feed your dog the most appropriate and healthy diet you can.
BARF is about feeding a biologically appropriate diet for a dog that is made up of raw whole foods like those eaten by their ancestors. This would include muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other foods that are just like what the wild ancestors ate.
The important thing you, as a dog owner, should know is that commercial dog food is not all the same. You can learn much more about the differences of dog food by becoming educated in label reading, and the AAFCO standards. You make the decision for your pet so you need to figure out what suits you best.
Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling "Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition".
Visit the link below now for Sharda's Special Free Dog Food Report.
http://www.dogsfooddangers.com
