Thursday, March 28, 2024

7 Healthy Tips To Improve Your Dog’s Diet Today

Dog’s diet Taking good care of your pets is the ultimate therapy. Boosting the release of happiness hormones, it works better than any other activity. When it comes to choosing the most friendly pets, dogs often top the list. Almost every dog owner is aware of this loyalty and unconditional love. To take good care of your fellow animal, you must focus on the diet and regimen. Apart from mental health, your dog’s physical nutrition also adds to the overall salubrity. Make sure to keep the weight under check and stick to the natural dog foods. Along with this, keep yourself updated with the dog nutritional tips to provide good care and nourishment.

Keep reading to know the potential tips to nurture and maintain your animal companion’s good health.

Find Out The Suitable Type Of Diet

grain free dog food

Dog’s diet While feeding the packed dog food can be quite facile, not every dog responds well to the commercial diet. Before feeding your dog, make sure to know the type of food that works best for your dog. Commercial dog foods contain enough nutrients to fulfill the basic requirements of your pet. However, it doesn’t take care of the additional macronutrients and bodily needs. Make sure to check the ingredients of the packed food and tally the same with the daily nutritional needs of your dog. Also, experiment with a  natural diet and gain enough knowledge regarding your dog’s favorite foodstuff.

1.  Home Prepared Meals

Dog’s diet A self-cooked diet works best if you possess enough time to prepare the meals on your own. It allows you to count the calories and assess the nutritional values of every meal. However, you must research dog food preparations first. Some fulfilling dog food options are lean chicken or turkey, whole grains, fish like salmon or tuna, eggs, and lamb. You can also find out the vegan diet options and try the same. Not only does this provide adequate nutrition to your dog, but it also proves to be an under-budget option.

2.  Commercial Packed Food

Dog’s diet Most of the dog foods contain enough nutrients to keep your dog growing and healthy. Researchers at the American College for Veterinary Nutrition suggest that commercial foods are as good as the home-made ones if the calorie and macronutrient count is sufficient. You might want to consider the stage of your pet’s life before choosing any dog food. Some commercial foods are suitable for adult dogs and not for the puppies or pregnant ones. So, consider the condition and settle with the right brand accordingly. Have a look at these incredible dog products by petlife to accomplish the dog nutrition goals in no time.

Fulfill The Daily Nutritional Requirements

grain free dog food

Just like humans, even dogs require a significant amount of nutrients to maintain top-notch health. A balanced diet includes basic nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fluids. An adult dog needs approximately 40 calories per pound of their body weight to sustain. Find out the nutritional values required per day and prepare the meals based on them.

Carbohydrates

appear to be an essential part of your dog’s diet. It arises from the sugars, starches as well as fibers. Make sure to include the fermentable fibers for better digestion and assimilation. Required dietary carbs vary as per the stage of your dog’s life. While the puppies require calories two times their body weight, the adult dogs need way more than that. Foods like millet, barley, oats, whole wheat, and corn contain the digestible carbs.

Fats

bring about a healthy growth of your dog’s fur as well as skin. Before settling with the commercial foods, see if it contains the required fatty acids. Linoleic acid, omega-3, and omega-6 are some important fatty acids. Also, the pet’s body doesn’t synthesize these fats and hence, they are dependent upon the diet. Oils like flaxseeds, fish, and canola contain a significant amount of fats. Other fatty food options are pork, chicken, and tallow.

Related article: My dog’s nose is dry

Consider Whole Foods To Replenish Nutrition

grain free dog food

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If your dog recently went through a life-threatening condition, make sure to include an additional source of nutrients. Ditch the shelf-stable foods and stick to the whole foods for optimum nutrition. Diet rich in fiber and carbs promotes hassle-free digestion and prevents constipation. Also, your dog receives the entire nutritional content of the foodstuff due to lack of cooking. Before settling with the whole foods, know the pet-friendly options available.

Pet-Friendly Whole Foods

  • Scrambled Eggs contain enough protein for your dog and are easy to prepare. Take care of absolutely any pet illness with a protein-rich diet like this.
  • Apple topped with peanut butter is a delicious and healthy food option for animal companions. With the right amount of fiber and fats, your dog can fight out the infections with ease.
  • Butter-Free Popcorns are a rich source of minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. So, make some for your fellow pet too before watching the flicks.
  • Fruit salad containing melons, berries, and apples provide a dose of excellent vitamins like Vitamin C and Vitamin E. To make the salad even more interesting, add a tablespoon of cottage cheese.

Benefits Of Whole Foods

  • Proper Digestion is the result of a high-fiber diet loaded with raw vegetables and fruits. Along with this, it makes the stools bulky and small, thereby decreasing the risks of constipation.
  • Softer & Healthy skin provides better cuddles and keeps the rashes off the pet’s body. Stick to the whole food for better skin and a dog’s coat. Due to the rich fatty acid content of the whole foods, your animal companion achieves healthy skin in no time.
  • Better immunological functioning achieved with an adequate diet is essential for your pet. The nutritional content of whole foods is enough to provide top-notch immunity.

Keep Your Dog Away From Gluten

grain free dog food

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Dog’s diet Just like humans, gluten is quite harmful even for animals like cats and dogs. Commercially packed foods contain extensive amounts of gluten mixed with the corns and its residue. These chemicals turn out to be potentially lethal for your pets and cause liver diseases. They are also responsible for poor digestion and defecation processes. In case your dog loves corn, fetch some Genetically Modified Ones that are both healthy as well as nutritious. Irish setters possess a congenital defect that makes them intolerable to gluten. So, if you have one, make sure to keep the gluten as much away as possible. For cats, kitten milk is a good option as it is designed to meet the nutritional needs of newborn kittens.

  • Poor Hair Coat with extensive rashes and itches are the prime symptoms of gluten intolerance in dogs. In case you come across these, switch to a gluten-free diet immediately.
  • Chronic Ear Infections that might turn into a permanent hearing loss. Prevent deafness and chronic hearing loss in dogs by opting for a grain-free diet.
  • Diarrhea and Intestinal inflammations are yet another symptom of excessive gluten intake. This makes your dog excessively irritable and nauseous all the time. With the right diet and nutritional aids, these symptoms take 2-3 days to subside.
  • Malnutrition & Excessive Weight Loss are inevitable if your dog has been on a gluten diet for a long time. Hence, it becomes highly crucial to assess the weight and health of your animal companion regularly.

Make List Of Foodstuffs To Avoid

grain free dog food

Dog’s diet Pets, especially dogs, are quite fond of food and eat absolutely anything. However, as a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to keep them away from the toxic foodstuffs. Not every food that’s compatible with humans turns out to be good for these animals with paws.

  • Sweeteners like Xylitol are quite toxic for dogs. Due to artificial sweetening agents, it causes liver failure, seizures, and brain destruction in canines. Some foods containing this artificial sweetening agent are gums, candies, and other sugary products.
  • Caffeinated Products like coffee, cold drinks, and energy supplements are highly lethal for pets. These contain chemicals called methylxanthines that cause heart diseases, seizures, tremors, and hyperactivity. Along with this, keep your dogs away from chocolates as they contain the same chemicals.
  • Onions and Cloves of Garlic are the major reason behind gastrointestinal damage in canines, both cats and dogs. Also, it leads to excessive hemolysis and causes your pet to bleed often.
  • Grapes & Raisins can lead to extensive kidney damage including renal failure and troubles during urination. So, think twice before you pop up some grapes in the fruit salad next time.

    Keep The Dental Health A Priority

    dog's diet

    Dog’s diet Pet owners often tend to overlook the dental health of their dogs. All they care about is the ski, hair, and digestive troubles. However, it might surprise you that around 60% of internal diseases arise from poor dental health. To keep the pet’s teeth sparkling white, you must think of the right ways. Brushing their teeth is not practically possible. Hence, you must stick to gnawing on raw bones when it comes to dogs. Along with this, provide some fiber-rich vegetables like carrots to brush off the food particles from their teeth.

    • Halitosis is the term for bad oral odor and hits most pets. Due to poor dental hygiene, dogs develop bad breath. The causes range from oral infection to kidney derangements.
    • Gingivitis meaning the inflammation of gums is the result of a lack of dental care. It results in bleeding gums and painful mastication. Make sure to rinse your pet’s mouth to keep the gum infections away.
    • Cysts & Tumors are yet another result of inappropriate dental health. If you observe a lump in your dog’s mouth, make sure to see a veterinarian. This is because these tumors are irreversible without certain invasive procedures and interventions.

    Ensure Good Water Quality

    grain free dog food

    Dog’s diet Water transports the essential nutrients into and out of the body. It causes better digestion and keeps the vital organs stable. Along with the physiological processes, water content also stabilizes the body temperature of your dog. However, you must rethink before giving the same water to the canines. Provide at least an ounce per kg body weight of water to maintain the crucial functions of the body. You can also add some water to their diet and correct the dehydration issues.

      • The loss of Appetite is quite common in dehydrated dogs out there. If you’re a pet owner, it’s crucial to acquaint yourself with the signs of dehydration in dogs. Just when your dog refuses to eat, make sure the water content is adequate.
      • Poor Skin Elasticity and other dermatological ailments occur due to lack of hydration. It might also lead to hair loss and hardening of the fur.
      • Weakness & Lethargy hits the dehydrated dogs which makes them lazy and sluggish. The transformation of an active dog into a weak, slow one usually means dehydration.
      • Sunken & Dried-Up Eyes add to the weakness and cause other troubles like excessive panting. In case your dog recently developed dry eyes, consult your vet for confirmation regarding the dehydration.

      Bottom Line

      Dog’s diet Every pet owner wishes to provide their animal companion with the best diet possible. However, the right nutrition emerges from adequate knowledge and preventive measures. Know about the proper diet and regimen related to dogs before settling with the ideal diet. Also, learn more about the things to avoid when it comes to feeding your dog. Refer to the points mentioned above for proper nutritional information.

      abubakarbilal
      abubakarbilal
      Abubakar is a writer and digital marketing expert. Who has founded multiple blogs and successful businesses in the fields of digital marketing, software development. A full-service digital media agency that partners with clients to boost their business outcomes.
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