Archive for February, 2012

How to Feed Your Dog a Healthy Diet

How to Feed Your Dog a Healthy Diet

No single dietary plan can be considered the best for every dog out there.  Always make sure you consult with your vet before making any changes to your dogs diet.  Here are some general guidelines and tips to follow to ensure that your dog remains healthy.

• Be sure to choose a reputable and well reviewed brand of dog food. Double check with your veterinarian for recommendations and advice on purchasing new dog food.

• Select a dog food that’s appropriate for your dog’s age, weight, activity level or size. Make sure to feed your dog dry food as well as moist canned food to help keep his teeth clean.

• Be sure that the protein ratios in your dogs diet are appropriate for your dog’s size, age and breed. Typically (check with your vet), a dog food with 20 to 30 percent protein content provides a healthy balance for a healthy dog food diet.

• Avoid overfeeding your dog as obesity can lead to a variety of medical problems.  One of the best ways to maintain a healthy dog diet is to avoid overfeeding.

• Feed your dog a measured amount of healthy dog food twice a day.  Ask your vet if they have any recommendations for proper dog feeding schedules.

Things to Remember

• If you decide to switch dog foods, do it slowly over a week period by increasing the ratio of new dog food to old dog food. This will help avoid digestive upsets in your dog
• Avoid feeding your dog too many vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins and minerals can be toxic to dogs in high dosages.
• Never ever under any circumstance feed your dog chocolate. Chocolate is toxic for dogs and so are grapes and olives.  Avoid these!

How To Put Your Dog On A Diet

Making sure your dog is healthy is the main responsibility of any pet owner.  Here are 9 steps to make sure your dog is on the best diet.

• Always consult your veterinarian before starting your dog on a diet

• Have your vet help you determine the corect number of pounds your dog needs to lose to be healthy. A general rule is the amount will equal your dogs obese weight minus their optimal healthy weight.

• Feed your dog healthy dog food that is formulated specifically for weight reduction.  A.K.A The Best Dog Food Diet

• Provide dry dog food that contains less than 10% fat and more than 15% fiber.  Check with your vet first to see if this is the correct ratio

• Purchase food that has both Association of American Feeding Control Officials (AAFCO) and Animal Feeding Trials (or Animal Feeding Tests) on its label.

• Provide weight-reducing food to your dog at every meal. Feed the allotted amount twice daily or based on the recommendations from your vet.

• Reduce the amount of food you provide if your dog obtains additional food elsewhere.  This mainly applies to hunting dogs, service dogs, or dogs that consume a large amount of treats

• Weigh your dog every two weeks to monitor its health and weight loss

• Play with your dog several times a day.  Getting exercise is one of the best ways for your dog to lose weight and get healthy