The Patio Expert Pages

We often think of our vets as the best source of dog information, however, this may not always be so. Pet food companies have a strong influence on veterinary school's nuttrition programs and can use these in order to aggresively promote their own brands.

A pet owner's best course of action in terms of canine nutrition then, is to seek out reliable dog information to learn what exactly is necessary for their dogs to eat. In this article, we will highlight the most essential pieces of knowledge that every pet owner should have in order to provide the best nutrition to their favorite canine companions.

Dogs evolved to eat meat, and so, they need a protein source from meat in their food. A quality commercial dog food should contain at least one named meat source, like herring, or chicken, rather than just "meat". Ideally they should be among the first few ingredients. Meal, which is ground up animal parts os okay - our pets need these minerals. However, animal by-products are not well regulated and can contain factory waste and meat from dying, diseased animals. This ingredient should generally be avoided.

Dogs need carbohydrates too, and a dog food should contain some vegetable starches to provide these. Rice, potatoes and oats are sources that a dog can easily process, while corn, corn meal, wheat gluten and similar items are not. These are not necessry for canine nutrition and can cause problems like food allergies in dogs.

Many pet foods also market themselves as premium or organic, or using human grade ingredients. Organic dog food benefits our pets the same way as organic food is thought to benefit people, possibly minimizing the risks of cancer caused by chemicals and growth hormones found in the food. The organic label is regulated and can only be used for food that was grown or raised without chemicals. The terms human grade and premium, however, are not and these labels may not mean much, in practice.

Many dog owners also opt to feed raw in order to ensure that their dogs get the same diets as they would in the wild. There is a lot of dog information out there on the benefits or raw feeding. However, for the more squeamish pet owner, home made dog food, while more time consuming than commercial feeds, may be the best and most cost-efficient way to give your dog the best nutrition we can provide.