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Healthy Food - Happy Dog

by: JolieMitchel
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Plenty of advice on how to provide your dog with a healthy diet is found in the dog food ads and on the cans and packages. Your vet, family, friends and neighbors will add their own advice. Let's go to the basics and see if we can't come up with some great home cooking ideas for your pet.

When purchasing a dog food product off the shelf look for a 50-40-10 ratio of meat, vegetable, and grain. This is optimum and provides your dog with a healthy balance of needed nutrients. The meat should be listed first with beef, chicken or lamb as the typical meat ingredient. Don't cut corners by buying a cheap brand. You're not doing your best friend any favor. Go after quality and Fido will thank you.

Preservatives in food are a good thing, usually necessary but it's a good idea to see what preservatives are being used and then find out from a an expert source (usually your vet) if the preservative is known to have any undesirable properties. Some commonly used preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are considered by some to be toxic, at least in large amounts. If you prepare your pet's meals at home the use of preservatives of this type is no longer an issue.

There are many sources for dog food recipes. Your vet may have some and the Internet certainly is a good source. Of course there are good recipes and some not so good. Follow the 50-40-10 ratios found on the packaged foods and you should be all right. Make sure the meat is fully cooked and free of bones. Brown rice and oatmeal are excellent choices for the grain component.

Given the proper ratios you can begin to experiment with your dog as the taste tester. Of course you don't want to give your pet things that taste good but are bad for it. Most people know that chocolate is not good for dogs. Fewer realize that grapes and raisins, as well as garlic, onions, mushrooms, and avocados can be very harmful. Don't salt the food for flavor as that isn't good either. Your goal is to provide a meal that your dog enjoys but also is safe.

What's good for humans isn't necessarily best for dogs. A vegetarian diet is generally considered to be a healthy one but a dog, being a carnivore, is used to meat in it's diet and is apt to become bored with food containing no meat or a portion significantly less than the 50% ratio.

If you don't have time to cook, there are still options for healthy dog food. Many health food stores and even some mainstream pet stores now offer organic prepared food for your dog. There's also a wide selection of holistic and organic food available online.

Your dog's health is primarily determined by it's diet so make an effort to insure that diet is a proper one. There are many options ranging from checking labels to ensure a proper mix of good ingredients to preparing your own or looking to your vet or health food store. This extra effort on your part will pay big dividends to both you and your best friend.

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To find out more about home made dog food please visit ThePoochPlace.com and learn the secrets about dog food recipes.

Healthy Food - Happy Dog

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