Whenever I talk to customers about dog food, they either know what they want, have no idea what they want, or have one of a handful of issues needing to be addressed. I usually tell people that if you are happy with your current food, don’t change. But if your dog is experiencing any of these common issues, you might reconsider what he’s eating:
- Diarrhea or very foul stool
- Scratching, hot spots, or other skin issues
- Fur isn’t shiny or even
- Weight
- Foul breath, dental issues
Obviously, there are other things to consider. Poor diet can lead to many issues, but the above covers typical, food-related issues. Of course, this is assumes that your dog is otherwise healthy. Vet care is a vital part of pet parenthood.
So, first things first—are you feeding your dog correctly? You might think you are, but make sure you are doing the following:
- Giving them water all the time!
- Brushing their teeth or giving them a good dental treat
- Feeding according to the directions and treats count
The number of kilocalories (kcal, which really is pretty much the same as the calories we eat) that a dog needs to maintain its weight is found by most vets using a calculation.
Of course, the individual dog, his activity, lifestyle, and number of treats all play a part. A working dog needs far more energy than a lap dog. The pet food companies do a good job of giving a guideline for how much to feed. Start there, monitor your pet’s weight and adjust if needed.
Don’t feed scraps
Yes, your dog wants to eat what you eat. That’s part of being in a pack. Your job as “pack” leader is to make sure your dog eats the food that is right for her. A 45 lb. dog requires about 1,075 kilocalories per day. So, that little snack you gave your pet might actually be a BIG snack. More than anything, your dog wants your attention.
To learn more about your dog’s ideal caloric intake, visit this link.
Feed on a schedule
Schedules are good. They keep things working. They make your dog comfortable and relaxed. Change happens, but it can be stressful, so do your best to stick to a schedule.
Puppies should be fed 4 or 5 times a day. They are constantly going and they need a steady influx of nutrition and energy to help keep them growing. Puppies grow fast.
Adult dogs should be fed 2 times a day. They are better able to maintain their energy levels throughout the day.
Don’t free feed.
When it comes to dinnertime, let your dog eat for about 15 minutes, then take the food away. This should help your dog learn to eat on schedule and make them less likely to be picky about food.
Nutrition
So what does your dog need in terms of nutrition? TV, friends, blogs, and so on can provide good information…and lots of confusing information. There is no magic formula.
That said, there are some things to watch for and understand.
Dogs Need Protein
Protein is important for people, and it’s really important for dogs. True, there is some concern about high protein in relation to kidney issues, but there is no consensus on causation. Phosphorous, sodium, calcium, potassium are all a far greater risk for health problems, but foods with even more than 30% protein are not a danger. Protein is good.
Dogs are not vegetarians. They are omnivores, but they definitely tend to favor carnivorous habits. Dogs have molars; they can digest carbohydrates, they can convert plants to vitamin A, and they do not have the same high requirements of certain vitamins and acids strict carnivores have. I like to see meat or meat meal (which isn’t a bad thing) as a top dog food ingredient.
Corn?
Corn is an interesting ingredient. It’s pretty nutritious stuff, but when “natural” food brands came out, they targeted corn as an inexpensive filler that your dog cannot digest. The intent of this campaign was good; corn has protein and can be used—in place of meat—to raise protein levels without the benefits from meat. Natural food brands were trying to get consumers to recognize that meat is the ideal protein for dogs. But corn isn’t terrible stuff, and the campaigns were so negative, corn became a “filler.”
As a protein source, corn is inferior to meat. A carbohydrate, corn is nutritious. It has vitamin A, B, Magnesium, fiber. Is it the best stuff out there for pet food? Probably not. It also isn’t a useless filler.
But if you don’t want to feed your dog corn, don’t. There are dozens of other options.
Dogs Need Fat
Mmmm…fat. Fats provide things like omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. This stuff is great for skin and coat and heart health. Look for the good things like olive oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil. You also want to see some chicken fat or pork fat. Sometimes you see chicken fat preserved with tocopherols, which, as Vitamin E, is also a good option.
Carbs Keep the Kibble Together and They Aren’t Bad
An all-meat diet is not perfect. There are a lot of things that are missing and it isn’t very practical. Think of all the energy and vitamins and minerals your dog would miss eating nothing but meat. Also, carbs help make kibble stay together as kibble. There are frozen options, freeze-dried options, etc. Kibble is still great at providing a complete and balanced meal at a cost many people can afford and provide easily.
Grains
Corn is one of them. Whole grains are preferable to other options. Rice, brown rice, corn and whole grain wheat are pretty common. You can get a good food that has these things in them. That said, some people are concerned about allergies.
And on that note…
Allergies
There are a lot of things that can cause dogs to have allergies, including shampoos, rubbers or plastics, pollen, mold, dust, dander from other animals, cigarettes smoke, perfumes, cleaners, and so on.
In food, the biggest culprits are proteins like meats. That’s why there are many foods that have “novel” proteins like duck, lamb, salmon, and even kangaroo. By eliminating a protein from the dog’s diet, it might alleviate the allergy. Chicken is the most common meat protein in pet foods.
Grains also get blamed for allergies; that’s why we have grain-free diets. These include other carbohydrate sources to eliminate grains as a possible allergen.
Limited Ingredient Diets often have only a handful of ingredients so you can control what your dog eats and hopefully eliminate the source of the allergen.
Non-Grain Carbohydrates
These include potato, sweet potato, tapioca, peas, garbanzos (chickpeas), and there are more coming out every day. These provide energy and nutrition without the concern about grain as a possible allergen.
Vitamins & Minerals
Apples, blueberries, carrots, cranberries and many other fruits and vegetables show up in pet food now. Pets need these things, just like we do. The last section of the ingredients is where you find those things that provide vitamins and minerals or where you will see certain minerals have been added.
By paying attention to what your dog eats, you can help prevent costly trips to the vet and, more importantly, help keep dogs and puppies of all ages in good health. With a little luck, your dog will be eating just as well as you do, perhaps even better!
For more tips on finding the perfect food for your canine companion, visit Petsway, your neighborhood pet food expert.