Possessing a breed dog comes with great responsibilities when it comes to feeding. Good nutrition is the mother of all if after all you want your buddy to remain healthy, live longer, and lead a very active life.
For the prevention of diseases like irritation, allergies, digestive problem, among so many others, feeding your dog properly is one of the most important things you can do to your friend. This then puts a lot of pressure on the owners of these breeds since there are countless choices of foods that claim to be the best in their own ways.
Dogs require a wide selection of nutrients including vitamins and minerals. It is very crucial therefore to ensure that the diet of your dog is balanced. Some of the commercial dog foods include meat, grains, and vegetables in order to meet the regulation of dog food. A good quality dog food, however, combines carbs, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in such a way that it is easily digestible for the purposes of meeting the needs of the dog throughout.
For those who consider preparing their dog’s food at home as an alternative to the commercial products on the market available, it is important to consult the advice of your vet for correctly balancing the nutritional needs.
The following are some of the characteristics to determine the best food for dogs. They include;
No anonymous meat ingredients
The Best food for dogs should not contain any meat by products as this can lead to health problems. Further to that, meat that is of low content does not meet the nutritional needs for your buddy. Since dogs need a lot of protein, getting high quality meat should be the way to go for the purposes of ensuring that the dogs remain healthy and strong.
Modest carbohydrate content
Carbohydrates keep the body of the dogs strong and allow for the activity. Some commercial foods contain carbs at a higher percentage which can lead to health risks for your buddy. A dog can become excessively big, thereby leading to obesity. This can hence reduce the ability of the dog to be active.
Some other carbs can also lead to digestive problems making your dog appear dull and unwell throughout the day. Especially for German shepherds it is extremely important to consider this factor.
No generic animal fats
Most dog foods contain added fats. As long as the fats are clearly identified, then they can be termed as great ingredients. The best food for dogs should include any of the following fats among others: the salmon oil, fish oil, chicken oil. It is very unfortunate however that many of the commercial dog foods contain lower quality fats that are from unidentified sources.
Anonymous unidentified sources can include dead, disabled farm animals, out of date grocery meats, dead zoo animals and road kills. These kinds of ingredients create an alkaline urine PH which causes urinary tract infections, crystals and bladder stones. This generic fats are useless fillers which only cause allergies and are very difficult to digest. In short, when purchasing the dog food, be keen on the sources of fats.