As your trusted Newport Beach Veterinary Hospital, the veterinarians and staff at Central Orange County Animal Hospital are committed to providing our pet parents’ furbabies with top-quality veterinary care and tips on dog nutrition. Today we want to make sure you understand the importance of proper nutrition for your dog.
Better and proper nutrition provides an overall boost in your best friend’s immune system and improved health over the long term with less stress on your pet’s organs. Your dog’s kidneys and liver will have to work very hard to remove toxins such as chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and other non-supportive elements of the pet’s food out of their body.
Besides regular walks and playtime to keep your dog happy and healthy, it’s important to provide them with nutritious food that will give them the adequate amount of vitamins they need.
When it comes to canine nutrition, a well-balanced diet must include an appropriate amount of minerals, vitamins, certain essential amino acids (from proteins), and specific essential fatty acids (from fats). These components are needed to build and maintain tissue and carry out biological reactions. The necessary amounts vary somewhat with the dog’s stage of life: puppy, adolescent, adult, pregnancy, and senior.
What Are the Nutritional Requirements for Dogs?
Although domesticated dogs have adapted over many years to consume diets provided by their human parents, including foods that have been cooked.
The six basic nutrients are water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. These essential nutrients are essential as part of the dog’s regular diet because they are involved in all of the basic functions of your dog’s body.
Now that you know more about what exactly your dog needs in his food, you might be feeling worried about not knowing what to look for on the label of your dog’s next bag of food. Don’t worry; we are here to help.
How Do You Choose Healthy Dog Food?
One of the most important factors to consider in your dog’s overall care is what they eat. As a pet owner, you’ve undoubtedly looked at different food options for your dog more than once. It can get a little overwhelming if you aren’t sure what you should be looking for.
The rule of thumb is that you should be feeding your dog food that fuels them and keeps them healthy, rather than just empty calories. To know if the food you are considering is worth it, flip the bag over and take a look if the food you have chosen for your pup includes:
- Meat
- Meat meal
- Grains (carbohydrates)
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Fats
- Vitamins and minerals
Meat should always be the number one ingredient in your dog’s food. Although you might be concerned about the amount of money each bag of food costs paying a bit extra for your dog’s food can be worth it if they have a pre-existing health condition or digestive issues.
What Ingredients Should Not Be in Dog Food?
If buying premium dog food for your best friend isn’t an option for you economically, don’t worry; inexpensive dog food, like bagged dry kibble, isn’t necessarily bad for dogs. But, it’s still important that you pay attention to the ingredients as well. Here are some common pet food ingredients that you should avoid at all costs, including
- Corn and wheat gluten
- Meat by-products
- BHA
- BHT
- Food dyes
- Rendered fat
If you see any of those on your dog food ingredient list, it’s time to take some time and start reading some labels on other brands of dog food.
Maybe you are wondering if you should give your dog vitamins or supplements along with their regular diet, just to make sure you are doing everything in your power to keep them healthy. In short, no. let’s take a closer look.
Should I Give My Dog Nutrition Supplements?
Today you can find many different vitamins and supplements at your local dog store, grocery stores, and even pharmacies these days. But this doesn’t mean it’s necessary to buy and give supplements to your dog. You will easily find everything from multivitamins to specialty supplements designed to support specific bodily functions.
The truth is your dog’s food already comes formulated with everything your dog needs for proper nutrition according to their life stage.
That is not to say that all pet foods are equal because there is great variety among each food brand.
The Best Way To Keep Your Dog Happy And Healthy
If you feel your dog may benefit from consuming nutritional supplements, it is important that you are aware that adding these to a complete and balanced dog food could combine with the nutrients already in the food and create toxicity.
Always contact your pet doctor in Newport Beach or your trusted Irvine animal hospital before administering any multi-vitamin or specific single nutrient to your dog.
Our veterinarians and staff look forward to helping you keep your best friend happy and healthy
