The Dog Diet Dilemma

Unfortunately, there’s so much myth and misinformation about dog food, and with hundreds of brands to choose from, it’s hard to know how to make the best choice for your dog. To keep it simple, most veterinarians are recommending Purina Pro Plan, Hill's, Royal Canin, and Iams. These brands literally write the book on pet nutrition, as they perform most of the diet research that exists. They also typically have way better quality control than most companies, which is super important, especially for pets with food allergies.

Wet vs Dry Food

Dry kibble is preferred to soft food, in order to help keep teeth clean. Wet food is typically about 85% moisture and less calorie dense than kibble, which means you're paying a lot of money for water. Dogs will typically maintain their own hydration easily with access to a water bowl, so adding moisture to their food is definitely not required.

Lifestages

Large Breed puppies need to eat a large breed puppy diet (specific calcium to phosphorus ratio of 1:1 to 1:8), or an adult formula with an appropriate nutrient ratio. Otherwise, it’s best to choose the life stage of your dog, but it’s not critical. A few general rules include that your dog should want to eat it, tolerate it (no vomiting or diarrhea), and it’s something you can consistently afford and access. If your pet is not already on a prescription diet, talk to your vet about switching to a prescription dental diet 'to help delay dental disease in your dog.

Major Dog Food Dos & Don'ts

DO

• Feed a diet formulated by AAFCO to meet a dog's nutritional requirements. Check your bag somewhere among the nutritional info to see if your dog food is balanced.

• Consider using food puzzle toys to entertain your pet and encourage slower eating. My favorite product is the magic mushroom and other similar items, which they have to interact with to have food pieces dispensed.

• Consider using a Portion Pro Rx,the only safe, reliable, automated pet feeder. Good news, this product is 50% right now.

• Have your pet's food auto-shipped, so you never have to worry about running out or even have to think about it again.

DON'T

• Raw: feeding a raw diet is a huge public health concern, and puts you and your household at risk of food borne illness, and does not meet the nutritional requirements for your dog

• Home-cooked: a recent study of hundreds of dog foods formulated by a variety of resources, including top veterinary nutrition experts, showed that only 9 (8 of 9 made by vets) of 200 diets met the nutritional requirements for a dog. Plus, home cooking daily for ourselves is hardly sustainable with our current lifestyles, let alone for our pets.

• B.E.G diets: boutique, exotic meat, grain free diets are highly correlated with heart disease in recent news, and the FDA released a list of the top 16 foods to avoid, so check here to make sure your pet’s food is not on it.

• Switch diets entirely overnight. Be sure to gradually introduce new foods, over a few days to a week, to ensure your pet's tummy can tolerate it.

• Free-feed (not measure the food) in a multi-pet household, it's nearly impossible to manage a pet's weight and monitor appetite without measuring and monitoring.

We can't forget about treats! Click here to see the Best 4 Treats For Your Dog.

#dog #food #diet #grainfree #nutrition #health #grain