What to feed my dog
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Transcript of What to feed my dog
16 Responsible Pet Ownership
NUTRITION DOG
feed FidoNutritional requirements
Firstly, make sure the food you choose fulfils the basic
nutritional requirements. As with any animal, it takes
carbohydrates, protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins
and minerals to run a dog's body. Carbohydrates,
protein and fat supply the dog with energy. Fat is the
main source of energy for the dog. Protein is used for
building and maintaining the body – as long as there is
enough energy supplied by the carbohydrates and fat.
If not, protein is diverted to supply energy.
Life stage and health
The trick is to find the food that your dog not only likes
and eats with gusto, but also keeps your dog in peak
condition without breaking the bank. This is made easier
if you select the right food for your dog’s life stage and
lifestyle. So, if you have a puppy, buy the ‘puppy’ food
(which can also be divided into small, medium, large and
giant for the different breeds), an adolescent
dog requires ‘junior’ food,
and an adult, ‘adult’ food.
If your adult dog is
either a working dog,
a show dog or very
active, then a
premium or
performance
food might
be needed
to keep him
looking and
performing at
his best. Older ‘senior’
dogs are catered for with
special ‘senior’ diets; likewise
overweight dogs with
‘light’ foods. Certain
breeds suffer from
medical conditions
which are specific
to their breeds. In
those cases, consider
using a breed-specific
or condition-specific
diet as prescribed by
your veterinarian.
Price
Don’t judge a food by price alone. In
some cases the more expensive premium foods
have a higher nutritional content and are more easily
digested, so smaller amounts can be fed per meal,
thus saving money. On the other hand, don’t be
misled by high prices. Some foods make you think
they are premium or even super-premium because of
their price, but the ingredients list puts
them back in to a lower category,
so check carefully.
If in doubt
about the
correct diet
for your pet,
ask your vet.
He will be able
to advise you
on the correct
formula to feed
your pet at any
given time.
When it comes to dog food there are literally hundreds of choices – wet food, dry food, semi-moist food, high protein and high fat, medium protein and medium fat, high protein and medium fat, low protein and low fat, super-premium, premium, performance, regular, economy, high price or low. So which do you choose?
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