Dog Health Food

When my one year old Labrador started showing signs of constipation, I decided to take an extensive look at her diet and resolved to provide her with high fiber foods. But with all the dog food advertising, how do we know that we are giving our dogs only the best?

Here's what I've learned during the latest grocery shopping and veterinarian consultations:

1. Understand the needs of your pet - Our pets need a majority of meat in their diet, followed closely by vegetables and grains. Taking into consideration the 50-40-10 ratio would be a good start in choosing the right dog food. Dogs that are more active would require bigger servings of dog health food and would require one with the highest maximum nutrition value possible.

2. Know your dog's body condition and health history - Puppies would need the kind with higher levels of vitamins and minerals to address their growing bodies' needs. Additionally, your dog's weight and age will be a factor to consider. Nutritional requirements for the different dogs body types and conditions will vary, thus it is important to consult your veterinarian first so we would be able to provide the maximum potential dog health food.

3. Create a budget Plan - Set a limit to your budget, as dog health food varies in prices. The best dog food will be the one that you can afford. This is because the key to a good nutritional diet is consistency. If the food we choose is beyond our budget, our tendency is to scrimp the usual and recommended serving size and then we defeat the purpose of providing quality dog health food to our pets.

4. Consider your dog's taste - Like us, our dogs have preferences. My Labrador only prefers to eat dry food and refuses to eat something canned. Sometimes, our dogs simply cannot stand one specific brand of dog food, and they might even get sick from it. Trial and error is the key to finding the right health food. Upon considering the major factors, do not forget your dog's preferences when choosing the dog health food that they will take.

When choosing a dog health food that will ensure maximum nutritional value, it is important that we take note of the following vitamins and minerals that should be present on our dog food. Make it a habit to check the labels for these and read the serving sizes and compare to the requirements of your pet.

· Protein - can be sourced from meat and is considered to be the building block of life. This can be taken from meat like chicken, lamb and fish. The combination of these three meals will provide your dog enough energy to run around and do exercises to maintain good muscle and bone structure.

· Omega 3 Fatty Acids - can be found in fish products, Flax Seed and Sunflower Oil;

Dog health food that is enriched with these components will ensure that your dog's skin and coat will remain healthy and lustrous.

· Thiamine, Vitamin E and B and Carbohydrates - are the components of a nutritious dog health food which will ensure short term energy our dogs can utilize. Oatmeal, Ground brown rice and white rice are good sources of these nutrients.

· Lecithin - Most dog health foods contain the ingredient lecithin; this is a natural food emulsifier that is tasked to aid in the breaking down of fats in the blood. This ingredient aids and improves utilization of essential fatty acids needed by our dog's body.

The above ingredients are usually all present in the highest quality dog food- so check for Breeder's Choice logos and Premium Seals. Upon checking the levels of nutrition present in the dog health food of your choice, make sure that you cross-check with the nutritional values that your dog would require.

Consult your veterinarian for the most required nutrient for your dog's breed, age and activity and remember to request for the correct serving portions. Adult dogs would most probably require feeding once a day, or twice, if serving is divided into two equal portions.

Allow time for your dog to adjust to a new dog health food, with a slow introduction to the new feeding variety. It will take approximately 5 days to a week for a dog to adjust to the new food, so remember to gradually increase the amount of dog health food in their meals while gradually decreasing the previous dog food.

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