- When shopping for a new food, read the ingredients thoroughly.
Stay away
from brands with ANY corn, wheat, soy, or beet pulp in the ingredients. These are hard
for the stomach to digest, and does not provide any nutrition benefits for the
dog. These types of ingredients lead to
excess yeast production in the eyes, skin, ears, and nose; which is manifested
through ear infections, runny eyes and nose, allergic reactions, and an
unhealthy coat. Corn is also known to
cause hyperactivity in dogs; the dog’s body processes the corn into sugar,
which in turn leads to a frantic dog with extraordinarily high energy levels.
Choose a
food that is grain free, or a food that uses grass grains. Grass
grains are oatmeal, barley, millet, brown rice, etc. Sweet potato is also an excellent
option. These types of grains are easy
to digest, are high in fiber, and offers nutritional benefits.
The first ingredient should be a Specified protein source (Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Lamb meal, Salmon, Salmon meal, etc).
The first ingredient should be a Specified protein source (Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Lamb meal, Salmon, Salmon meal, etc).
Avoid foods that
include by-products in their ingredients.
Avoid foods that list “Animal Fat” as an ingredient. Only consider foods that have a specified fat source (Chicken fat, sunflower oil, etc).
Choose a food that uses whole food ingredients. This includes broccoli, blueberries, cranberries, alfalfa, etc. This ensures that your dog is receiving nutrients from whole food sources in addition to added vitamins and minerals.
Avoid foods that list “Animal Fat” as an ingredient. Only consider foods that have a specified fat source (Chicken fat, sunflower oil, etc).
Choose a food that uses whole food ingredients. This includes broccoli, blueberries, cranberries, alfalfa, etc. This ensures that your dog is receiving nutrients from whole food sources in addition to added vitamins and minerals.
The best diet for your dog is a
species-specific raw diet. Homemade raw diets are the healthier, cheaper
option. This allows you full control over what your pet is eating, you can buy
seasonal ingredients, and you could even make food ahead and freeze it. There
are commercially made raw diets available at many pet stores. Raw diets provide
your pet with important enzymes and oils that can be lost during the cooking
process, or when dehydrated for dry food. It is very important to be
knowledgeable about your pet’s nutrition requirements when providing a raw
diet. Commercially made diets will contain all the necessary ingredients for a
healthy pet, but if you choose homemade, consult a veterinarian or find
species-specific recipes provided by veterinarians. You can also provide your
dog with a cooked homemade diet. It may not provide you with as much nutrition
as a raw diet, but still gives you total control over your pet’s food, which
means you don’t have to worry about food recalls, and still provides more
nutritional benefits than dry dog food. Homemade diets can also be
significantly cheaper than buying the high-quality pet foods from the store.
The next best diet for your pet is
canned and dry foods with human-grade ingredients. The big pet
food companies use food-waste from human-food companies, and use those non-human-grade
ingredients in pet food. There is also a lot of debate and controversy over the
animal by-products used in commercial pet foods. It is believed the by-product
comes from parts of the animals your pet can’t even digest, so it is used as a
filler-ingredient. Technically it counts as protein, but it is protein your pet
cannot digest. By-products can also come from sick or dying livestock, or as
some rumors claim, road-kill.
Many vets emphasize the importance
of providing your pet with enough moisture. Dogs and cats should have 70%
moisture in their diet, so many vets prefer wet over dry food, or a combination
of the two.
The worst foods you can feed your
pet are grocery store brands. These are full of indigestible proteins, filler
products, and can lead to a number of health and behavioral issues. It would be
the equivalent of you eating McDonald’s every day, and we all saw Super Size
Me, right?
We recognize that the high quality
foods can be very pricey, and some people are reluctant to spend that amount of
money on their pet, but doing so can actually save money in the long run.
Providing proper nutrition allows your pet’s health to thrive, which means less
vet bills! At The Good Dog Spot, we can all attest to this. We’ve all made the
switch from grocery store brands to grain-free, human grade brands (or better),
and we swear by it. We’ve seen immediate changes in our pets, in behavior and
health. For more information, visit the following websites, or talk to a Good
Dog Spot employee.
