The dog is an immensely popular pet and quite a few people like to have a dog around them for various reasons. But the pleasant company of a dog goes along with caring for the same dog and that is part of the nutrition. As with humans, it also applies to the dog “you are what you eat”. Healthy nutrition is important and one of the essential parts to achieve optimal health for the animal.
Healthy dog
Unfortunately, just like for people, only healthy food is not the norm for a healthy life. Nevertheless, nutrition is a part that you can easily influence yourself. Healthy food is a basis, just like enough exercise and a social dog life (with humans and animals).
However, not everyone realizes when purchasing that you bear the total responsibility for the dog (or what this entails) and therefore also for the costs that this entails. Think of the vet, periodic vaccinations, anti-flea products and healthy food. To highlight the nutrition, good dog food is not cheap. It goes without saying that a large dog eats a lot more than a small dog and those costs can therefore vary significantly. On the other hand, you generally do not buy a mega-sized package for a small dog. These are of course a bit cheaper relatively speaking. Either way, your dog’s health is partly determined by what the dog eats. How do you proceed, what do you give, what do you not give and in what quantities do you give food?
How do you get started with providing healthy nutrition?
How often?
There can always be kibble ready for the cat, the cat eats according to what it needs. However, this is different with most dogs. Most dogs continue to eat, so it is advisable to prepare a bowl of food several times a day. This is usually twice a day, but if your dog is a very grumpy food, it is better to divide that amount over four servings.
If you give a dog snack, it is not part of the meal, but see this as something extra. Also, limit the snack to one dog snack per day. In fact, human food is too salty for the dog or they don’t digest it properly. Cheese is a good example of this. This does not alter the fact that they are calm about it, because most dogs certainly like it.
Quantity?
The amount you give at a time depends on average on the brand in combination with the body weight of the dog. Follow the instructions on the packaging carefully, because there they make the combination of the nutrients with the amount of food per day. If you know the daily amount for your dog, you can divide the portions yourself.
Buy a small package the first time, sometimes a dog has to get used to different food. You can get used to it by mixing the old food with the new and slowly switching over completely. Occasionally the dog simply does not tolerate the food or the dog really does not like it.
American humorist (1818-1885)
What?
What do you feed your dog now? After all, there is so much for sale and every brand claims to have the best food. The brands that are on the shelves in the Netherlands are good and safe to give to your dog. That does not alter the fact that there are brands that produce higher quality food. This concerns, for example, balanced nutrition that has a constant quality (these brands are usually only for sale in specialist shops and at the vet). The cheaper brands (which you can also find on the shelves of the supermarket) vary a bit more and that can cause skin or intestinal complaints. The annoying thing is that it is often not immediately noticeable.
There are also brands that only produce organically and the more expensive brands also have specific nutrition. Food for older dogs, who exercise less and may therefore become fat earlier with regular food. But also hypoallergenic food for dogs with allergies. Food for dogs with kidney problems, of course, separate food for puppies and so on. Do you want to feed fresh, don’t just mess around yourself. The dog must get all the nutrients and this has been taken into account when buying specific dog food. If you still want to work with fresh meat, do this in consultation with the vet. He or she knows what to add in order to still provide balanced nutrition to your dog.
If you want to give the dog wet food, do this in combination with dry food. Wet food consists of an average of eighty percent water. Most dogs react to the rather strong odor of wet food and thus love to eat it. However, there is hardly any chewing and that is not good for the teeth.
When is the food good for the dog?
For special nutrition it is advisable to call in the professional. The vet can advise on this. For example, ask for it at the annual check-up and / or vaccinations.
Of course you can also do a lot yourself. Especially if your dog does not have to work with specific food, you can still monitor the condition well. There are a few criteria that you can take into account to be reasonably sure that you are feeding the right nutrition, including:
- With most dogs you can read a lot from the coat. A healthy dog has a nice shiny coat, no flaking and will not shed too much.
- The dog’s stool says a lot, so check it regularly. Often mushy stools or diarrhea can be a signal that the food is not good for the dog.
- How is the dog figuratively in his own skin. Is he or she nice and lively, does the dog respond well, etc.
Finally
For most dog lovers, his or her dog is very important in life and the dog is often part of the family. That also means that you have to take this into account in all aspects. Nutrition is part of this and is an important basis for a healthy dog life.