Healthy Dog Food
What Should I Feed My Dog?
DogLicious says: "Dogs will eat anything, so please make it healthy!"
If your dog is a cherished member of your family, you need to give some serious thought to feeding your dog the same high quality of food that you would actually eat yourself and feed to your kids.
"I Trust The Hand That Feeds Me"
Do You Know What's Really In Your Dog's Dish?
Feeding The Best Dog Foods To Your Best Friend
Feeding your dog the best dog foods, with all of the nutritional value required to keep him or her in optimal health throughout life, is a vital component in determining your dog's overall wellness, behavior and is even instrumental in prolonging his or her life.
There are certain things that dogs just shouldn't eat, some of which can make them very sick and even kill them. We offer just a brief overview of some of the foods that can be dangerous for dogs on this page, and go into much greater detail about many of the other harmful items and toxic foods in our section on "Bad Food".
Be sure to watch the videos below for more info on bad pet foods.... what you'll learn is sure shock you!!!
Eliminating the bad foods and selecting the best foods for your best friend can be a real challenge, especially with all of the inconsistent or just blatant misinformation circulated by pet food manufacturers. You really need to learn about the lies you're being told...Click here to get the shocking truth about some commercial dog food...you'll be very glad you did!
We hope to provide enough valuable information, useful tips and helpful suggestions to make those selections easier for you and the daily routine of feeding your dog a pleasurable experience for both you and your best friend.
There are now so many choices that are available when you shop for dog food, it's just mind-boggling. It's understandable how finding the best dog food to buy can be very confusing.
Should you buy canned food, dry food or semi-moist food? Should you spend a lot of money for premium dog food, or is the store brand okay? Should you buy cheapest brand of dog food, holistic/organic dog food or should you even make homemade dog food yourself.
What about the possibility of getting creative with these choices and feeding your dog some combination of the above?
What we just mentioned was only a sample of the many questions and challenges you may have encountered when deciding what you should be feeding your dog.
If you'd like even greater detail, and hopefully some immediate answers on any one of those questions, click here to get them or continue to follow us through these pages; where we'll be providing you with much more detailed information.
We are not attempting to tell you what the best dog food choices are for your dog, we are simply hoping to provide you with enough valuable information and some possible options so that you can make your own informed decisions.
Our goal is that after you've read our pages and watched the videos on dog food, you'll be able to make the best choices in order to provide the highest level of nutrition for your dog.
If you already feed, or plan on feeding homemade food, please visit our Dog Food Recipes section. You'll find some valuable tips on how to prepare your own homemade dog food with easy dog food recipes!
You'll also find great cookbooks in our dog food cookbooks section.
The following are some important basic things you should know if you feed any commercial dog food to your dog. We give even greater details for each one of them on our Dogblog...click here or see the menu above for the link.
Finding the best foods to feed your dog
What's the most important thing?...
.Quality:
You might think selecting a brand of dog food should be as easy as finding one that fits within your budget and one your dog likes. But you need to very careful; there are a great many brands on the market that are made almost entirely of potentially toxic filler and don’t have many of the nutrients dogs need.
If store bought dog food is the primary source of nutrition for your dog, it’s very important that it contains all the vitamins and minerals needed by your dog everyday for it's optimal health and longevity. You can make sure your dog gets the most nutritious dog food by learning to read dog food labels.
Click here to learn how to read dog food labels
The biggest difference in all dog foods is in their source of
Protein:
The cheaper dog foods use the very least expensive sources of protein available, some of which will shock and disgust you (watch the videos below and read my DogBlog posts for a sample of what goes into the cheap foods). Therefore, the quality of the protein in cheap dog foods, like generic or grocery store labeled brands, is vastly inferior.
Avoid getting inexpensive no-name or store brand dog foods, because they are often produced by bulk manufacturers who use the lowest forms of ingredients (some of which are are really disgusting!), and whose actions and lack of ethics are just plain criminal (see our videos below). Do your best to find a quality dog food to give to your dog.
To simplify things and learn what one of our resources considers to be some of the best dog food brands on the market click here. Be sure to come back though, because we have pages and pages of more valuable information to offer you all about feeding a dog.
Be aware that you can be seriously mislead and even deceived if you only consider the "percentage" of protein that's listed on the label. This does not tell you anything about it's quality, what that protein source is or how well your dog will absorb it.
There are so many awful "protein" ingredients that some commercial dog food manufacturers use...it's not only repulsive, it's actually criminal! (watch the videos below and read my DogBlog to learn more about some of them). Please be sure you know exactly what protein you're feeding your dog.
There are a number of different things you should look for if you want to choose high quality dog food for your dog. You may want to start by comparing the prices and ingredients of the various brands of commercial dog food.
Learn more details about reading dog food labels here.
Start with the premium brands of dog food first and then move into the lower quality products. Look for significant differences in where each of the ingredients are listed and what nutritional values each brand contains.
The very best dog foods will list some form of animal meat as their main ingredient on the label or on the bag where the list of ingredients are shown. Look for brands that give only the kind of meat used (like chicken, beef, lamb, etc) without adding "by-products" or "Meal" after it. This means that the product contains choice pieces of meat and not low quality slaughterhouse waste, known as "4D Meat" or "Downer Meat" (YUKKK just awful!!!).
Be sure to watch the videos below to learn more or click here for some shocking secrets about commercial dog food.
What's next most important?...
.Fillers:
Corn and wheat (and not the kind you and I eat) filler products make up a large percentage in many commercial brands of dog food. They provide hardly any useful nutrients for your dog and are also difficult for them to digest.
The brands that utilize fillers as their main ingredient will certainly be a lot cheaper than the higher quality dog foods, but your dog won’t get the sufficient amounts of nutrients it needs in its daily diet, and that could eventually show up in serious behavioral or health problems. Plus, some filler ingredients can be toxic and cause health problems or even death!
It could ultimately end up costing you a lot more because of high dog behaviorist or veterinary bills...so please beware of dog food filler!
What's next?....
.Variety:
Alternating between different brands is crucial to your pet's health! (This applies to any and all commercial or homemade diets and recipes!) Do not get in the habit of feeding just one or two brands of dry dog foods or mixtures of ingredients all the time, day in and day out.
Dog nutrition experts advise dog owners to purchase, or preferably prepare, several different types of high quality dog foods. They suggest you alternate the foods, giving each one of them to your dog for a given period of time (say between one and three months), so that if one lacks in certain nutrients, the other may make up for it.
If you are presently feeding only dry dog food, you should also consider occasionally feeding wet food. It's usually much higher in protein and doesn't contain as much filler. Try mixing some wet food in with the dry food...just be careful...don't let it sit out too long due to the possibility of bacteria contamination,
Feeding a dog wet food can have valuable health benefits and your dog will probably thank you for it...they love the smell and flavor of wet foods. Also, be sure not to overdo it, too much protein can be harmful to dogs...just like too much of any "good thing" can be bad for us!
If you do alternate between different foods, be sure keep an eye on your dog’s coat, energy level, eating habits, stool, etc. If there are any noticeable changes, it might indicate an allergic reaction to the new dog food, or it could mean that the food doesn’t contain enough protein for your dog's needs.
Every dog has it's own unique energy level and each also gets varying amounts of exercise each day. A good rule of thumb is that the more exercise your dog gets, the more protein it needs to be fit and healthy.
You get what you pay for....
.Price:
Excluding the designer, premium, niche and specialty brands sold through high end pet shops, the quality of any dog food is reflected directly in the price you pay. Remember, like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.
Stay away from brands that are sold exclusively by groomers, veterinarians or pet stores. They tend to be grossly overpriced and the quality can vary because they're manufactured by small companies that do not have the resources to monitor the quality of their ingredients.
They also make hugely exaggerated claims about the ability of their products to cure or prevent every conceivable disease known to man and dog. They're just not worth the money...there are better and less expensive alternatives to choose from. To view several of them, visit Rate And Compare Dog Food .
We offer even more choices at our Dog Supplies Mall...
If you choose to feed your dog a commercial dog food, stick with products produced by large companies that you know and trust. This suggestion does not apply to the special diet dog foods sold by veterinarians that are needed to manage specific diseases. Just make sure you know exactly what's in those special diets!
Should I Read Labels?...
.Dog Food Labels:
The first three ingredients on the label are the most important! A number of experts have discussed tips on what to look for on the label of any dog food you consider purchasing.
The three initial ingredients (the ones listed first) need to be some form of a single word protein like fish, chicken, turkey or beef ("and not protein by-products" "Meal" or other plural names!). High protein content is considered to be the most essential ingredient in a healthy dog food product.
These experts also say that you must never purchase dog food that doesn’t clearly display the manufacturer’s name on the packaging, along with contact information ie: website and phone number. There should always be a way to contact someone in case anything goes wrong.
If not, pass!
Some commercial dog food brands are usually safe, but you need to stay on top of things to make certain your dog is consuming a healthy product. Study labels to ensure the ingredients in any brand you choose are high quality, this will help you avoid any health or behavioral issues.
Visit our page on how to read dog food labels to learn more.
Also, keep an eye on your dog to make sure the food you're feeding your best friend agrees with him or he and is providing optimal health benefits for it's overall wellness and longevity.
What About Homemade Dog Food?...
Cooking For Dogs:
If you think you may want to prepare homemade food for your dog please visit our Dog Food Recipes section. We offer loads of information on everything you should know about cooking nutritious home cooked dog food , plus we offer some easy dog food recipes your dog will love.
And don't forget to check out our dog food cookbooks section!
Human "Super" Health Foods For Dogs
Most people give their dogs food from their table. Regardless of what you may have heard, feeding human foods to our is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're giving them healthy options. In fact, you may be surprised at what you can safely and nutritiously feed to your best friend from the table.
Sweet Potatoes - one of nature's nearly perfect foods, sweet potatoes are so healthy they should be fed to your dog daily!
Health benefits include:
1) source of potent antioxidant to aid in healing, cancer prevention and fighting the effects of aging;
2) Vitamins A, C and B6;
3) contains the minerals manganese, copper, and iron; and
4) a source of dietary fiber to help with loose stools.
Sweet potatoes may be fed after baking (microwaving works great and saves time!), boiling or in the form of "wonder chips" - thinly sliced and baked in Enova, canola, or other low-fat cooking oil. Much cheaper and healthier than store-bought treats.
Fish - oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and anchovies are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA/EPA). Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent skin problems and allergies, treat arthritis and heart disease, and have been shown to improve behavior and intelligence. These oily fish are tasty enough for the pickiest canine. You can add oily fish to your dog's regular food in the form of freshly prepared, canned, or pouches. Dogs do exceptionally well on a diet consisting of fish proteins. Let your best friend take a taste on the wild side.
Carrots - are one of the best treats for dogs and also happen to be loaded with powerful phytonutrients. Packed with Vitamins A, K and C, carrots pack a powerful antioxidant punch. Additionally, carrots help a dog's vision, heart, and blood sugar levels. Raw baby carrots are one of my favorite treats for dogs. In the summer, you can slice carrots and freeze them in ice cubes for an "iced treat surprise." Cooked carrots can be added to your dog's regular food or used as part of a healthy home-prepared meal.
Broccoli - has been shown to have anti-cancer effects, aids in fighting infections, treats skin and heart problems and helps metabolize drugs and excrete toxins. Broccoli is so helpful every dog should eat it daily. Broccoli can be fed to dogs both raw and cooked. A raw floret is a healthy treat that costs pennies and yet provides priceless benefits. It's recommended you combine steamed or cooked broccoli with other super foods and fish for a health infusion whenever your dog is not feeling well. *See below for more...
Kale - It's hard to beat dark leafy veggies like kale in terms of maximum nutrition for minimal calories. Kale is a proven cancer-risk cutter, abundant source of fiber, calcium, Vitamin A, E and C, helps prevent heart disease and contains numerous antioxidants. Most dogs enjoy kale, etc. thinly chopped and lightly fried in healthy oil or boiled. Don't overlook this healthy green vegetable. Kale should be avoided in pets with certain types of bladder stones or kidney disease.
Beans - Black beans, soybeans, and garbanzo beans are all super foods for dogs. Beans provide natural fibers that help regulate blood sugar levels, one of the leading causes of insulin-resistance and diabetes in dogs. In addition, these rich sources of proteins and minerals boost your pet's immune system and help to burn fat.
Quinoa - once known as "the gold of the Incas," this ancient grain is being rediscovered today due to its amazing healing properties. One of the few vegetables sources of complete proteins, quinoa is also associated with preventing heart disease and cancer, as a potent antioxidant and reducing the risk of diabetes. Quinoa is easy to fix; all it needs is to be boiled for about 15 minutes. You can use quinoa in a variety of recipes for dogs, combining it with fish and meat plus two to three vegetables as a quick and easy to prepare meal...
Kelp - most Americans don't think of feeding their dog kelp, despite its use for hundreds of years in Asia. Kelp became popular in England in the 1820s when Scottish Highlanders began kelping, yet failed to make it in the U.S. until this century. Kelp is truly a miracle plant because of its many therapeutic properties. It should be an essential ingredient in home-cooked diets because it is an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, iodine, selenium and iron. Kelp helps strengthen the immune system, reduce arthritis pain, control appetite and aid in weight loss plus fight infections. Kelp (not California kelp) is often found in a powdered form that can be sprinkled over a dog's normal food or added to a homemade meal.
*Please Note: There are differing opinions on the health benefits of some of the "super healthy foods" we mention above. Here are some of them...use common sense and monitor your dog if you use any of them.
*Broccoli is in the crucifers category and is a gas producing vegetable that should either be avoided or fed in small amounts to avoid gas.
*Carrots are good for dogs but when fed raw, they should be shredded on a shredder or micro-planer to make it easier to digest. Whole pieces of carrots are not easily digested. This can be evidenced in your dog's stool...you will see the pieces of undigested of carrot in it.
*Soybeans - Many dogs are allergic to wheat and soy, more so than people think. If you have a dog that bites at their legs or paws a lot then check your pet food. You may find that there is wheat, corn and/or soy and this is most likely causing the scratching and biting from itchy skin.
Want to learn more? Read: Food Pets Die For by Anne Martin. It is an expose on the pet food industry and reveals the horrors of what is legally allowed in commercial pet foods. In the book, she gives a list of pet foods she has researched and found to be okay. But be warned, the list is rather small!
Why and how did processed pet food come about? Once processed foods started becoming popular, breakfast cereal in particular, there was all this stuff left over like corn husks and hulls, the shafts left from wheat, etc. What to do with all this leftover by product stuff? Someone had the brilliant idea to make it into food for dogs/cats.
The horrid slaughterhouse floor sweepings, roadkill and euthanized cats/dogs/horses/etc. were added a bit later.
Just a reminder here: why are our pets euthanized? Usually because they are ill with incurable diseases. Is this the protein source you want to feed to your best friend?
*Regarding quinoa - grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog’s diet, but rice is generally safe to givein small quantities.
*Remember to always have fresh water available for your dog"! This is especially critical during the summer months when it's hot and your dog can become dehydrated.
IMPORTANT! Watch The Videos below...
Here's Some Of Our Favorite Videos
Click here to learn more about the video above "secretdogconspiracy.com"
*Important Notice! Although we at Feeding A Dog are long time dog enthusiasts and dog advocates, we are not veterinarians or professional animal nutritionists. Our purpose is strictly to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions. Any and all of the information contained or stated on this web site and on our blog is provided for general information purposes. The information provided is not direct veterinary advice and should not be construed as such nor substituted for a consultation with a veterinarian or dog nutrition professional. Every dog and situation is different. If you have any concerns about your dog's health, please contact your veterinarian's office immediately. We all love our dogs and want only the very best for them! "In Dogs We Trust"
**Compensation Disclosure: We may receive compensation for referred sales of some or all of the products mentioned, that's how we're able to bring you all the latest information on feeding a dog, as well as pay the bills.
