The health and life expectancy of a dog depends primarily on how well its nutrition is organized. Today, in specialized stores selling goods for animals, a huge assortment of various feeds is presented, differing both in their composition and in price. How not to be mistaken with the choice and provide your pet with tasty and, most importantly, healthy food?
Instructions
Step 1
Select the type of feed
There are two types of ready-made dog food available: dry and canned. Eating dry food helps to cleanse the teeth, thereby reducing the risk of gum inflammation and tartar formation. In terms of taste, dry food is somewhat inferior to canned food. The cost of dry food, as a rule, is 2-3 times lower than the cost of canned analogs.
Step 2
Canned food can be roughly divided into two types: meat ration food and conventional ration food. Canned foods in the regular diet contain soy products, grains, and animal tissue. They have a high nutritional value, and their price is much lower than that of gourmet food. In canned meat ration, the protein content is increased, which can contribute to the development of kidney disease. Therefore, it is not recommended to use such canned food for regular feeding.
Step 3
Read the label carefully
You should be aware that the predominant component always comes first in the list of ingredients. If grain is listed first on the food you have chosen, then such food cannot be considered useful. Moreover, it has a low digestibility. If meat and meat flour appear at the top of the list, then most likely the feed is of good quality. However, in this case, you should be vigilant. Preference should be given to feeds, on the labels of which the meat components are precisely indicated: "liver" or "heart", and not "offal"; Chicken or turkey, not poultry. It should be understood that, for example, the concept of "offal" also includes bones, heads, chicken legs and much more. Therefore, buying food with such markings, you will never know what you are actually feeding your pet.
Step 4
It should be noted that at every period of its life, your dog should receive the food that best suits its needs at the moment. Pay attention to specialized food - "for puppies", "for pregnant and lactating bitches", "for dogs prone to obesity", "for old animals", etc. Such feed can be found in most reputable manufacturers.
Step 5
If you have any nutritional problems, check with the dog handlers at your club or the breeder from whom you took the puppy. Also, do not neglect the advice of a veterinarian.
