When trying to select a dog food that is right for your dog, it can be a very challenging task – so many choices! And so much information… How much protein should my dog get? What about a food that’s rice or corn based? It’s all too hard – how do I make a smart choice for my dog?
Let’s have a breakdown of the main ingredients for you so you can make your own decisions
Proteins are the building blocks in all animal nutrition. It should be their main form of energy and it is necessary for all aspects of growth, development and a healthy immune system. Every food-type has different advantages and protein levels; lean meat and eggs, for example, have the highest level of protein, whereas bone meal and wheat have around half that level, so check your foods ingredients. Good forms of protein to look for: whole meat, fish, egg and dairy.
Carbohydrates, are they friend or foe? Just like in us humans, carbs can be the enemy in the diet stakes! For our pooches these come in the form of rice, corn, grains wheat and sugars. Carbohydrates are compounds used for energy and digestion, and it supplies the body cells with glucose. Manufacturers like to use high levels of carbs in their feed as it’s readily available and low-cost. It also helps to bind the ingredients to form the kibble or biscuit itself.
Carbohydrates are important in a dog’s diet but most commercial dry dog foods contain between 30% – 70% carbs and if we compare this to the diet of a ‘natural diet’ of a wild, or non-domesticated dog, who’s diet will also include carbs in the form of wild berries, plants and as disgusting as it is, the intestinal content of their prey, this would hardly constitute 30% of their diet! Dogs ultimately are carnivores and as such their stomach can’t break down the cell wall in plant materials – hence why you may see whole pieces of corn and carrot, etc, pass out the other end if you supplement your dogs kibble! Finely ground corn and vegetable matter is best if you wish your dog to have some vegetables in its diet – as this way it becomes more digestible. Good forms of carbs to look out for: whole grains, fruit and fibre rich veg.
Fats in the correct forms are extremely important to a dog’s diet. They transport and metabolize vitamins to the vital parts of the dog’s body for absorption. They also have beneficial effects on the joints and are yet another form of energy. Our puppies love fats that are added to dog feed, as they add flavour that they adore!
Good forms of fats to look for: animal fats, vegetable oils and fish oil is a great diet supplement – it helps the old joints and arthritic symptoms.
Fibre, vitamins and minerals, required for digestion, vision, bone growth and pretty much everything else including a glossy coat and a dazzling set of teeth, so make sure your feed is high in vitamins and minerals as they are super important! The main ones should include: A, B12, B1, B5, C, D, E, K and Biotin, Choline and folic acid.
The guidelines for dog foods require that ingredients are to be listed form highest percentage of the ingredients to lowest. The guidelines do not however stipulate what constitutes an ingredient so dog food producers can list an ingredient as Meat and Meat By-Products for example and what this means is that the steak or meat that you and I would consider meat is put together with by products such as fat, gristle, bones, hooves, meat and organs basically all the bits you and I would throw away, but because this all together is then the main ingredient it gets listed first. Likewise if the producers don’t want to show how much of their product is grain based they will split the grains into more than one category such as wheat, wheat by products, oats, and rice.
Feeding your pets is one important method by which you can keep them healthy. By feeding them healthy and nutritional foods, you can be sure that they are getting the most out of what they eat. We recommend that you feed Premium Pet foods such as Science Diet, BARF, Eukunuba, or Nutro.
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