How to choose dog food?

How to choose dog food? This is a very difficult question that both novice educators and longtime dog lovers ask themselves. The market is constantly changing, as are dietary trends. What feed manufacturers could afford a few years ago is now unacceptable.
Choosing dog food is not easy, especially if you look at the selection capacity on store shelves. At the same time, the issue of diet is extremely important because it is critical when it comes to our friend s health. Therefore, this decision should be taken seriously.
First of all, I would like to point out that this recording was produced in collaboration with Allegro. In my opinion, it s great that the industry giants want to maintain reliable blogs and valuable content. This allows this blog to keep running.
The importance of diet in a dog s life
The question of a dog s diet has a big value when it comes to his health. I already wrote this, but it s worth re-ticking. When we think about the happiness of our dog, we usually imagine that he is running contentedly in the glare of the sun for his favorite ball.
For me, however, dog happiness is primarily about health. Diet is the most important thing in this regard. From my point of view, all other accessories – toys, excursions and trainings, if we do not care about the diet of our dog, are invalid.
The worst thing about diet is that the problems associated with it are not immediately obvious. We can feed a dog for years without knowing that we are only worsening its health. Therefore, again, it is imperative to take care of the proper feeding of our friend.
What is the best eating model?
There are quite a few nutritional models out there, soit is not always clear which one is the best. We have dry food, wet food, we can feed “at home” or barf. There are also more extreme nutritional forms like Whole Prey (WP for short).
When deciding on a dog s diet, there are many elements to take into account. Health, of course, comes firstlocation, but we also need to understand our preferences and capabilities. I think for a person who doesn t eat meat, giving a dog WP can be real torture. Although it is worth noting that there are many such people in specialized groups.
On my look, the less processed food, the healthier and better for our dog. This, moreover, also works in the human body. A piece of fresh beef is definitely healthier than a chip. The cooked meat given to the dog is generally better than the dry, preserved ball from the market shelf.
However, everything is not always perfect. I can understand that some may prefer ready-made dog food. This may not be the best solution, but if we choose the right product, we can still provide everything the dog needs. The ideal dog food is characterized by a very good composition, high meat content and no harmful preservatives. There are many premium products on the market that can be a good alternative to unprocessed foods.
How to choose dog food: dry or wet?
Let s say for various reasons it is impossible or I do not want to feed otherwise than through finished products. It s not such a bad option at all. After all, millions of people feed their dogs every day.
In the beginning, however, it is still worth considering the shape of the prepared food. The main difference is wet and dry food. In general, the principle is that wet food is best for the dog. This food is less processed and is better for the dog when it comes to eating itself. Wet food is moist and pleasant to eat. It also does not induce increased thirst like dry food.
Also, the production method makes it unnecessary to use fillers when creating this type of food, but I will mention the composition issue later in the article. IN in general, if we have the opportunity, wet karma is more likely to be the best option.
Of course, this does not mean that any dry food is evil. No – it all depends on the composition. In my opinion, dry food with a better composition is better than wet food with a worse one. Of course, the most important thing is to choose high quality food. Wet food is less processed and better, but it is also more expensive than dry food. If the budget allows us to do this, then it is better to choose moist food.
How to choose dog food: read the composition
We find many different products in pet stores, on market shelves and even at allegros. It is easy to get lost in it. Many manufacturers, various types of food, specialized food and so on.
Many people, unfortunately, have suggested the brand or packaging themselves. After all, if he says that food “with chicken” it should mean, that she has a lot of delicious meat, doesn t she? The button is true, because you might as well have 14% meat, and that s not necessarily complete. It can be a kind of mom-type waste (mechanically separated meat).
So how do you read the composition and what to look for? I m already translating.
Meat – meat is the most important component of our dog s diet. We want to have a lot of it, and besides, it must be of good quality. In my opinion, this absolute minimum is 50% of meat in feed. If there are fewer of them, then it is better to forgive. The bigger, the better.
As we read the composition of this meat must be in the first place. Avoid karmas that do not indicate the% of the element in the composition.
Excipients – anything that is not meat is filler in the feed. They are used to increase the calorie content of food, and at the same time they are cheaper than meat. In general, you should pay attention to the least grains in the feed, and preferably not at all. Rice, corn, wheat – this is not necessary for our dog.
Some manufacturers add this to food (especially cheap ones) because it reduces production costs. Fruits and vegetables are good fillers – carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, apples, pears, kiwi, berries, and so on.
Additives – Many foods are supplemented with complementary ingredients that are designed to keep our dog healthy. For example, taurine, glucosamine and chondroitin will take care of the heart and joints. In food, we also find vitamins and minerals that are designed to provide our dog with everything it needs.
Choosing Dog Food: Recommended Food
Everything seems clear, but everything same – which particular karma to choose? There are plenty of them on the market, and getting to know each composition takes a lot of time. In general, if someone decides to manage a dog, then you need to take responsibility for it and try a little.
However, it is known that even a mega-injured educator can sometimes get lost in the thickets of various foods and manufacturers. I recommend a lot of food here which is good. We still have to choose the best one, but at least we will narrow down the pot a little. All the food I recommend is recommended by the barf diet specialists, which in my opinion is the best diet for a dog.
And although barf is really good and i I urge everyone to familiarize themselves with this nutritional model, I also think that every decision should be made by itself. I think you can provide your dog with a pretty good diet using commercial foods – you just have to pick a good product.
You just have to understand one more thing. Good food is more expensive. These are “premium†channels that have a really good lineup, which translates into a higher price tag. If someone is currently feeding the market the cheapest syfem it will be a shock to him. However, one thing is worth considering. If a in a store a kilogram of meat costs about 12-15 zlotys, what a miracle “dog food with chicken” costs 2-4 zlotys per kilogram. This price cannot be achieved through the use of complete, high quality elements. You just can t.
Remember dog testing!
Even when deciding on the best and mostexpensive food, you need to remember about regular check-ups of dogs. This is a study that will show us the health status of our friend and allow us to consciously change the diet.
I personally recommend do complete tests at least once a year. If it turns out that there are any problems in the diet and you need to change it, then we do further tests more often, but this must already be determined with the veterinarian.
What kind of research is worth doing? I recommend extended morphology, biochemistry and ionogram. We additionally make iron, tibq and thyroid gland. I think it s worth checking it out from time to time too.
Why are we doing research? To find out if our dog is healthy and whether the diet is right. Dietary abnormalities will signal us, and this will allow us to balance the diet in a way that is best for our dog. As karmis are “balanced”, it is worth remembering that every dog ??is different and may have different requirements.
Let s remember that the dog will not tell us that he is feeling bad or that something hurts him. So it s a good idea to do your research regularly so that you can respond more quickly in case of problems.
Conclusion
Personally, I think that the dog s diet is indeed the most important part of his life. A healthy dog ??is a happy dog, so it s worth asking this question. Caring for a friend is about more than spending time together, having fun and taking excursions. She deliberately provides him with everything he needs for a healthy and comfortable life.
We live in a time when we have really great opportunities, whenit comes down to aspects of diet. We can work through the study with any veterinarian. In many cities, we can use the services of a canine diet specialist. We also find many high quality food options in the market – dry, wet and specialty food.
We will find a lot of useful information on the Internet, but we can also get help from enthusiasts and specialists in dog nutrition models. There really is no excuse not to take care of the dog s diet. Everything is ready and practically replaced under our noses – just reach out and try.